My husband left me today. No, not forever! For four days to go to a work conference – which may well FEEL like forever to those of us stuck at home by ourselves with a baby. Don’t get me wrong. I love being with my son. Most of the time. But frequent breaks are key to any mom’s sanity. My weeks tend to go a little something like this:
MONDAY: Baby wakes up, Dad goes and gets him, changes him, and takes him downstairs while Dad gets ready. Mom steals an extra 20-30 minutes of sleep before Dad brings baby to her and leaves for work. Mom and baby snuggle, then go downstairs. Baby plays on floor while Mom makes coffee, thinking about how lucky she is to not have to squeeze into a suit and sit in traffic. Mom whistles, baby giggles. Both are clean and dressed. Meals go smoothly, naps are on schedule, and Mom might even make it to the grocery store and prepare something for dinner.
TUESDAY: Baby wakes up, Dad goes and gets him, changes him, and takes him downstairs while Dad gets ready. Ten minutes later, they’re back. Dad has to leave early “to pick up the dry-cleaning.” Mom attempts to get a few more minutes of sleep, but baby is not interested. He is exceptionally smiley and dressed in a cute outfit, though, so Mom doesn’t mind. In the afternoon, the sitter comes, naps go well, and Mom gets some work done. Dad makes dinner.
WEDNESDAY: Baby wakes up, Dad goes and gets him, but doesn’t have time to change him or take him downstairs before work. Mom reluctantly gets up, wrestles baby into his clothes, and attempts to keep him from diving into the empty tub while she goes to the bathroom. Downstairs, Mom pulls baby away from plugs, oven, dog bowl, and trash can while she fixes breakfast. Morning nap lasts 12 minutes. Baby’s new favorite game is “Bash Heavy Objects On the Dishwasher Door.” Unshowered and dressed in sweats, Mom drags baby to the mall to get the heck out of the house. Dad works late, Mom misses yoga, and there’s nothing for dinner except peanut butter sandwiches.
THURSDAY: Baby wakes up crying at 4:30 a.m. Dad goes and rocks him back to sleep. Baby wakes up again at 8, after Dad has already left for work. Baby is soaked, crib is soaked, and the dog has peed on the kitchen floor. Mom reheats day-old coffee and throws some Cheerios on the highchair tray to placate crying baby. Both Mom and baby are wearing dirty pajamas and could use a bath. It’s too cold to go anywhere. Both are in bad moods. Naps turn into hour-long wrestling matches. The TV stays on all day long. Oprah’s actually pretty interesting.
FRIDAY: Baby wakes up crying at 5 a.m. and stays awake. Dad says, “You can go this time,” then rolls over and sleeps through his alarm clock. Baby has no clean socks, and only too-small undershirts. The box of wipes is empty. Baby headbutts Mom in the nose while trying to jump off the changing table, then manages to slam his fingers in the dresser drawer. Mom feels like the worst Mom ever. There is no coffee and no milk for breakfast. Baby alternately fusses, cries, and shrieks throughout the day. No naps are taken. In a last-ditch attempt to get baby to sleep, Mom takes the long way to the grocery store and sits in the parking lot with the engine running until baby wakes up. When the check-out clerk asks Mom to help bag the groceries, she feels like yelling, “Dude, are you kidding me? This is the only break I’ve had all day!” Dad stops at the liquor store and the haircut place on the way home WITHOUT ASKING. Mom passes baby off to Dad, then storms upstairs to sulk and send out her resume for jobs involving extensive overseas travel. Later, after the baby is fed and in bed, she goes downstairs. Apologies are made. Takeout is ordered. A movie is rented. Another week in the life of a new mom has come to an end.
TIP O' THE WEEK: Uh, anybody got one? Maybe a tip on how to stay sane when it's snowing and you're stuck in the house all day?
2/13/07
Month 9: A Week in the Life
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Man, that is so my week too.
So you have a sitter come in once a week? Are you still in the house when they are there or do you run errands? I am currently thinking about some occasional daycare just so I can go to the dentist or what have you. But having someone come to the house sounds even better, since I wouldn't have to tote the baby around. How did you find the sitter?
My weeks are very similar to yours. Somedays my daughter naps like a champ, and other days she absolutely refuses to sleep. When she doesn't sleep, life is not good. She is cranky and so am I.
Also, my husband has an uncanny ability to work late on the days when she is excessively fussy. What the hell is up with that?
The snow makes it really hard to get out of the house. We watch Baby Einstien videos when all else fails.
Oh my gosh, it's the worst when daddy flies the coop!
Just went through it myself and barely survived.
How's this for a tip:
No matter how bleak things look, no matter how many more hours remain in your solo-parenting stint, and even when you run out of coffee (I know, it sounds impossible already!), just take every moment one at a time. That's the best way through it. And pretty soon, you will realize that you are relaxing in the moment and everything is fundamentally okay.
Thanks for the tips, ladies. Update: the baby took a 90-min. nap today!! Of course, I was nervous & tip-toed in to check on him & woke him up... Yeah, my sitter's a life-saver. She's my friend's retired mom & we LOVE her. But she's quitting soon to sit for her grandchild when my friend goes back to work. Where are her priorities?! ;)
Post a Comment