*The Best Day*
Saturday Kent, the girls, and I went to the local Farmers' Market as part of our New Year's resolution to eat fresh and local as much as possible. We stopped at the french pastry shop downtown and got Tallulah a pastry for breakfast, bought ourselves a couple of coffees, and wandered the stalls looking at brightly colored fruits and veggies. We had a grocery list, but of course made a few impulse purchases: bright red, perfectly ripe strawberries, a cup of freshly squeezed orange juice, a balloon animal made by a man who shamelessly hawked his wares to our four year old.
When Moxie needed attention, Kent rocked her while Tallulah and I chose veggies. Tallulah helped count the sweet potatoes (4), choose the best strawberry container, and sniffed the fresh flowers. We chatted with vendors, scurried out of the way of tourists (recognizable by their inability to make eye contact as they tried to cut in front of us in line), and repeated endlessly, "thanks, she's one month. Yes, we think she's beautiful, too."
The day made me feel that life as a family of four wasn't just possible, it might be enjoyable.
*The Worst Day*
Tuesday Kent left for Gung Fu at 6:30pm, leaving me to put Tallulah to bed at Moxie's worst time of day. Don't get me wrong, Moxie is absolutely fine in the evenings as long as someone
A. holds her
B. keeps her tightly swaddled
C. walks briskly
D. pats her on the bottom or back
and
E. makes shushing noises
We figured out the combination from Harvey Karp's "Happiest Baby on the Block" book and it truly does work, but how do you care for an older child at the same time? In the evenings when Moxie needs the whole combo to be happy, Kent and I trade off-- one is with baby, one is with older child.
On my first evening as sole provider, Moxie spent a lot of time unhappy, Tallulah got to bed late and with less storytime than usual, and I cussed Gung Fu for existing-- and Kent, too, just for good measure.
*The Dilemma*
Kent's Gung Fu instruction has been variable lately, alternating between evenings and Saturday mornings. He loves the instruction and always comes home peaceful and refreshed. Not to mention the lovely way his arms fill out when he's been exercising regularly. So Gung Fu is absolutely important to his well-being. But the question is, should he do Gung Fu in the evenings at the family's hardest hour or on Saturday mornings, the family's finest hour? Is it better for him to share the burden of the family or complete the perfection of the family? Kent and I, since becoming a family, are constantly weighing the balance of freetime and familytime, chores and play. With Tallulah, we'd gotten the balance down pretty well. Now we're having to renegotiate.
Musings of Motherhood
About Me
- Kellie Bonifield
- Supporting characters: Kent, husband extraordinaire with, thankfully, a wonderful set of genes including strong cheekbones and the ability to eat anything and stay slim and muscle-y which has been inherited by... Tallulah, a blond curled, angelic looking four and a half year old with a huge smile and penchant for action. She often, to my dismay, demands to be called a princess-- but only if princesses run, jump, climb trees, defend friends from bullies, and are always right. Moxie, the baby. Organized and schedule oriented, Moxie will be recieving a drool-impervious day planner for her first birthday. She is bemused by her sister's antics and often hums herself to sleep.
