Hooray for Showers and Grass

Sometime in the past month or so Matt and I decided that we would rotate getting an "evening off" each week. This means that every other week we each get to go to happy hour or get a pedicure or toss the disc or whatever without the other person or Kellen around. It's been nice so far, as we've both been able to find fun ways to relax (Pink toes? Yes please!) and connect with friends that we don't see as much now that we're parents.

Matt took this evening off, and I was sweating this last night. I knew he wouldn't be home until 7:30 or so which meant that I would have Kellen to myself for 12 hours today. In case you haven't done it before, 12 hours straight with an almost 5 month old can feel like a lot longer when you're the only one in charge of him. Of course I've done days this long before, but he's been pretty fussy lately and I was worried he would straight up wear me out, and that Matt would come home to a frazzled woman still in her pjs exclaiming "TAKE HIM. HE'S YOUR SON."  When Kelly (yes, sometimes we call him Kelly) woke up at 4am this morning, I was sure the above scenario was about to play out.

WRONG. I had what I think is probably the best day I've had with my son so far.

We woke up and played. He napped. I did housework for the first half of his nap, then drank coffee - no book, no TV, just me and a cup of coffee in the kitchen. We went for a jog using the stroller my cousin lent us to try out. I actually got in a shower after said jog, and that is a much bigger deal than it sounds (Can I get an AMEN SISTAH from all you moms?).

 

It was actually sunny GASP so we brought a blanket to the yard and Kellen got to feel grass for the first time. I put him in a sitting position and HE STAYED THERE! He loooooved the feel of the grass in his hands and tried multiple times to pull some out and stick a fistfull of blades into his mouth.

We ran some errands and I took him to Odle, the school I used to teach at, to introduce him to some friends. People who were right there with me through all the struggles on my path to becoming a mom, people who were truly joyed to see and meet him. Thank you again, you all know who you are, thank you for being such an important pillar of support during my time at Odle.

Being a mom is hard, plain and simple. I feel that being a "stay at home mom" or "housewife" or "domestic goddess" or whatever you'd like to call it is a unique and challenging way to experience parenting and all the difficulties that come with it. There are days when I am ready to lie down and go to bed at 6pm, days when I feel like I will never have a day as hard as this one and days when I feel rejuvenated and alive with the pure reality of it all. Today was one of the latter, and I feel thankful that I am here, right now, in this house, in this life, with my amazing little family.