Dec 9, 2007

Coping...

Motherhood is amazing. It intensifies so many emotions (fear, happiness, exhaustion, exhilaration...) and, for me, puts so many things into perspective. I've learned to let go. To surrender when situations are out of my control. To accept and love my children no matter what they do.


After Ian was born, he decided not to eat. I spent 48 straight hours trying to get him to nurse (Max never had any problems in this department). Finally, after logging several hours with a lactation consultant, he latched on and started eating. A few seconds later the toilet in my room came to life and started spewing like a fire hose. Within minutes the whole wing of the hospital was flooding and I was ordered to evacuate. I informed the staff that I finally got my baby to eat, and that I wasn't going to move so much as an inch until he was finished. I would rather wade through raw sewage than risk breaking his latch. Before long they unplugged my bed and started pushing me (half-dressed and still nursing) through the sewage to sanitary safety. I was so happy Ian was finally eating that nothing else mattered. Not even raw sewage. Perspective.


Max has had many close calls. After surviving a nasty fall and a four inch skull fracture, I was so happy to have him around that I never once minded waking up at night to feed him. After this horrible day, every tantrum-filled day feels like a happy holiday.

Luckily for me, I've had a taste of how bad it can be. That's why it's no big deal that Max commits the following offenses on a daily basis:

-opens the dishwasher and throws breakables onto the floor, shattering them
-takes all of the clothes out of all of our dressers and makes strategic piles

-climbs onto the couch and tries to jump off the back
-undecorates the lower half of the Christmas tree
-undoes the child locks on kitchen drawers and distributes measuring cups, dish towels, etc. around the house

-takes all of the diapers out of the baskets in the change table and throws them around the house
-takes all the books out of our bookcase
-opens the pantry and dumps the contents of the cereal boxes onto the floor

Perspective is a good thing.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You are right on M-A. If you ever need to feel better about Max's "curiousity" just remember my boy's paint job. Natasha

Chelsea said...

M-A....great post. I was laughing so hard about you not leaving the hospital room with raw sewage on the floor. I too spent many, many hours with the lactation specialist trying to get Michael to latch on. I thought he was going to starve to death too, and I was going to have a break down...wait I did. I was talking to your mom just yesterday about how great it is to be a new mom. You should read the December Ensign talk from Pres. Hinckley on babies....sooo good.

Aly said...

I love the list. I don't know why it makes me happy to know that there are others out there dealing with the same antics. Our two-year old daughter does all he same things.

Aaron & Sara Warren said...

If Max is undoing the child locks, you may want to think of getting new child locks. Sort of defeats the purpose if the child knows how to unlock them, doesn't it? :oP

dandee said...

Love the title of this post. Coping...
That's what I'm doing too.

Anonymous said...

Does Max have a super hero cape? I think that I need to make him one. Natasha

[M] said...

No he doesn't:)