In addition to that I’m writing myopically (literally) which is more than a little hard on the eyes. I’ve been struggling with an eye problem for over two months which has finally resulted in the doctor telling me I can no longer wear my contact in my left eye (he DID allow me to continue wearing the one in my RIGHT eye)....this poses a number of interesting problems for me but one in particular...does running into walls as I turn corners pose a danger to anyone other than myself, and does this automatically translate into running into cars if I choose to drive?...Hmmmm, I certainly hope not. Actually I’ve been functioning fairly well but second only to reading in terms of difficulty is typing on the computer and that, of course, includes my blog.
Anyway, it turns out that Saturday wouldn’t have been a good day to blog anyway as our home was blessed with an additional portion of children in the form of my six nephews and nieces. I, of course, love them dearly but in my advanced age have become accustomed to certain things in my life, chief among them being peace and quiet. I suppose due to sheer number, six of anything imposed upon a small household such as mine, is going to be anything but peaceful and it certainly isn’t going to be quiet. I have survived but I must admit I’m grateful for 23 acres of woods and their endless energy. We spent the day taking walks through the woods, emptying the sap buckets from the maple trees (which they found a wonderful chore once they realized that sap is sweet, sticky, and easy to splash on one another), sitting (not REALLY sitting....much more jumping, falling, and diving) in the hot tub, and helping grandpa split firewood.
It’s interesting being in the presence of lots of small children when you’re not used to it. I found myself reliving moments of my own children’s lives when they were small. In fact yesterday "Nutella" and I reminisced on the phone about those precious moments of babyhood......like being awake every two hours because that’s how long the baby sleeps at a stretch (I actually called a nurse about that "abnormality" which I was assured "is totally normal in some children"), the creative ways to get a house cleaned when a baby is involved (strap them to your back and get moving), and chores that can serve double duty such as showering them when you shower yourself, letting them "ride" the vacuum (never tried this with an upright but the canister model was a big hit with two year olds), and giving them a "bath" in one sink while doing dishes in the other (obviously for babies old enough to do the rinsing).... (just kidding!)
Anyway, it was fun reliving some old memories and it brought up some of my favorites:
Daughter #3 was endlessly spiritual and told me quite seriously that "she could feel the spirit whenever she drank Sprite" (I eventually learned when she was old enough to explain herself that it was because her eyes filled with tears and her "heart was warm" from all the carbonation!)
Daughter #2 was the self-proclaimed beauty of the family and wouldn’t leave the house without 1. A dress complete with ruffles and matching socks, 2. A stylish shawl (actually the blankie that went everywhere, worn casually yet with elegance over one shoulder), and 3. Her "tappy" shoes (black patent leather with hard soles that made LOTS of noise and perfectly announced her arrival at any function).
And Daughter #1 (aka "Nutella") who, being my first, was the guinea pig in all my maternal experiments. She got to try out..... Mozart at night to make her smarter than other babies...., Nursing for 12 FULL MONTHS (no additional food added!) to make her healthy and immune to all forms of cancer, social disfunction, and deformities (way too much Mother Earth News back then), potty training by the numbers (don’t ask....it was popular in the 80's), and being the center of a mother’s attention morning till night for the first five years of her life. Amazingly enough she survived it, was a total extrovert, champion of the underdog, friend to all-- stranger to none, giver of advice and opinions... (she’s just the same today).Being a mom isn’t easy and my hat is off to all of you out there doing it with flair, poise and panache....I read your blogs, I feel your pain, and your pleasure and no matter the difficulties I know we’d all do it again in a minute!
3 comments:
Ah, There is a reason the Lord gave babies to the young. I'm crazy about my grandkids and love spending time with them. Actually giving birth, however...I don't even have the energy to think about that anymore. Now, where did I put my vitamins?
By the way, your children are adorable and a day out in the woods with the maple buckets sounds absolutely wonderful to me. I got to do that once when I was 15 and it's a treasured memory to this day.
I am sooooo cute!
That's all.
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