Did I Shower Today?

While my 241 pictures were downloading from my camera’s memory stick, I found myself wondering if I had taken a shower today. I never imagined I would get to a point where showers became optional, a luxury even. With all of the dirty diapers and spit up I’m working with these days one would think showers would become more important than ever. Then again, when the only people one sees all day long are the babies who produced the bodily fluids in which one is covered, why bother? Don’t worry. If guests give me at least 10 minutes warning I’ll shower the “mommy grime” away before company arrives!

"We Have to Drive to Heaven and Get Him!"

Three weeks ago we had our cat, Hunter, put down. He had an enlarged kidney, resulting in blood in his urine. He also peed EVERYWHERE, most likely because he was in pain. It was a very sad day because we had him for 8 years. We didn't mention it to our 3 year old. Finally, last night he realized that Hunter wasn't around. Here is the conversation that ensued:

Son: Hey! Where's Hunter?
{Silence. I tried to avoid the question. Doesn't work now that he's almost 3!}
Son: MOMMY! Where's Hunter?
Me: I don't know. Hey, look! Caillou's on TV.
Son: Maybe he's downstairs. {Jumps up to look.}
Me: No, honey, I think Hunter ran away. {For those of you who don't know, I'm a horrible liar. And, yes, I realize it's bad to lie to my son. I didn't want to tell him the truth! I still feel guilty myself.}
Son: Hey! Maybe he's on the sidewalk. {Runs to the window to check.}
Son: Mommy, he's not there!
Me: I think he's gone, honey. Let's watch Caillou.
Son: Let's go look for him outside!
Me: Honey, Hunter went to Heaven to live with God.
Son: He went to Heaven to live with God?
Me: Yes.
Son: WE HAVE TO GET IN THE CAR AND ZOOM REALLY FAST AND GET HIM!
Me: We can't drive to Heaven.
Son: NO! WE HAVE TO ZOOM REALLY FAST AND DRIVE TO HEAVEN AND GET HUNTER AND BRING HIM HOME!

At this point I called my husband who was at a dinner for work. They had just ordered dessert so I was on my own on this one. My son finally gave up looking for the cat for about twenty minutes. Then he remembered we hadn't yet located Hunter.

Son: Mommy, Hunter's not on the sidewalk!
Me: I know. He's in Heaven.
Son: We have to go get him and bring him home! Where is he Mommy?
Me: I don't know.

I gave up on the whole Heaven thing. The conversation went on for a little while. He finally forgot about it until this afternoon. Once again he asked about Hunter. Fortunately I was able to distract him with an offer of going to the wading pool when Daddy got home. Let's hope Hunter can rest in peace now!

A Trip to the Library...

This has been a rough week full of temper tantrums (and my 3 year old wasn't great either). We've both had happier weeks. While we're slowly finding our rhythm as a family of four, we're all still adjusting. Our newest addition is still deciding what she should do with her time. She's decided that afternoons and evenings are a great time to be fussy. She feels that 4-5 hours of sleep at a time isn't a bad schedule for night time. Eventually we'll get to a place where we have a predictable schedule. And heck, I may even be able to get in a little "me" time. Or not.

Back to the story at hand. After a very long and exhausting week during which I was pushed to my boundaries, my husband finally convinced me to leave the house alone. Since I have difficulty accepting help from anyone (even my husband), it took some persuading, but I finally grabbed my purse and headed to the library. What's that you say? The Diaper Bag Diarist left the house without her diaper bag? It is a rare site, indeed, but it does occur occasionally.

As I drove to the library, I attempted a little positive self talk to take the edge off. My facial muscles slowly loosened a bit, but I could still feel the tension. Until, that is, I saw something that finally made me smile. A pink Vespa-esque scooter pulled up. On the scooter was a mom clad in a yellow construction worker-type vest with reflective strips and the whole shebang. What I presume was her daughter rode behind her.

Some day I will own a pink Vespa scooter and take my daughter for rides. And perhaps I'll make someone else smile. I'm sure it won't be my husband. He'll be thoroughly embarrassed. But if people are going to talk about you anyway, why not give them something interesting to say?

The true question is can I pull off a pink Vespa and a yellow safety vest? Can you?

My apologies to those who thought this post might include book recommendations from my summer reading list.

Until next time...

A Shiny New Blog

Remember the first day of school when all of your school supplies were brand new? The pen caps hadn't been removed yet. The notebook paper was crisp and unbent, free of scribbles and those little scraps from the removed sheets. Every notebook was a fresh start, just waiting for genius to flow onto its pages. Now this blog is my brand new start. Take what you will from my rambling. A laugh. Inspiration. Common ground. A new friend. New insight on an old friend. Lessons from my mistakes. My goal is to give you some reason to return and learn a little something about myself along the way. Now that my notebook has its first scribble, let the journey begin!