Skip to main content

Letter to My Sister

January 2009
baby slept from 12am to 5am, longest stretch yet. It is 5:30am, I am up because I am not used to sleeping so long. The baby had such a hard day. In the afternoon I just broke down and began crying. When I was crying Asher said, "what is wrong mommy?" I said, "you both just need so much from me" he said "I don't need anything mommy, I will just sit here and keep you company" It was so sweet it just made me cry harder. Could be hormones. But also I was exhausted, could not calm the baby, (she was really clawing at me with her sharp nails) and before Asher decided he did not need anything he was demanding more milk, and attention and a certain tv show and a pear and an apple cut a certain way. My back ached as I could not put the baby down. Also I had someone help clean the house yesterday for the first time in a month. I desperately wanted to get the house clean just so I could look at it that way for a little while. I became obsessed, cleaning behind the house cleaner while wearing the baby in a sling. We had dust and papers everywhere. Toys in every corner of the house, Asher's art creations (including an igloo made out of sugar cubes and a gingerbread house from art camp), clothing, dishes..........I was certain I could get it clean. But the baby would need to nurse, and when Asher got home with me at 12:30, he systematically began messing things up again. I couldn't clean and became more and more desperate to clean. I realize when the house gets cleaned I need 1. the house cleaner and 2. another person to help me with the children. Then I feel ridiculous. People must do this without help. Why do I need help?
Okay, I will try to sleep,
Julie

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Toilet Paper Roll Binoculars

I have had my own life before this one as a mother. I have lived in a college dorm, lived alone moved two times to two different states where I did not know one single person. I bought a house when I was twenty-five and traveled to Central America by myself when I turned thirty. I have had free time I didn't even know was free time. Time for conversations with friends, time for spontaneous meals at restaurants, time to sit on a beach, read the paper, or even take a nap. So I know my life has taken a sharp turn when I consider free time to be a trip down to the basement to put laundry in the dryer. I had such "free time" yesterday. It was 4:30 pm, Adirah woke from her nap in a good mood. Asher was happy with an art project. What I didn't know was that Asher was also spiraling down to a blood sugar induced low, as he almost always has to be convinced to eat. He often has severe mood swings and breakdowns when he becomes hungry, yet refuses to eat in that state. The on...

Summer Milestones

Asher is learning how to ride his bike without training wheels! And today we went to swim class and he got promoted to the next level. He can swim now, head down arms circling and legs kicking. He is shedding his baby skin as he meets new challenges and he glows with pride when he realizes his successes. The summer began with a preschool graduation. For weeks prior, Asher wanted to know "how many days till I graduate?" The day finally came and Asher walked proudly under the canopy of arms of the other parents and non-graduating children. Then recently, after months of summer days at home, Asher visited his preschool for a day. As a visitor, a graduate. When we got there he saw old preschool friends and hugged them with gusto. He skipped off to the bathroom to wash his hands and went to play a little more. When I told him I was ready to go and I would see him at pickup, he ran over to me smiling and said, "Mom! All the things here are too small for me!" I looked at ...

Why I Don't Want Asher to WatchTV with Commercials

Today Asher had a lazy day on the couch. He was recovering from the stomach flu, so he had the luxury of watching TV all morning. Asher seemed tired of the shows he normally watches on PBS: Dragon Tales, Arthur, and Sesame Street, so I turned to "Sprout" and Asher watched this "new" channel as I washed dishes, and folded laundry. Suddenly, I heard Asher call to me, "Mom, come watch this commercial for Pillow Pets!!!" I went over to the TV, "Oh, it's over," he chirped,"But it's okay. You can go to pillow pets dot com and see the pillow pets. You NEED to look at pillow pets. One hug and your child will fall in love!"