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motherhood

motherhood

Mother of all storms

February 26, 2009

The weather was totally barmy today. I haven’t seen a thunderstorm like that in ages, and I think it’s Tru’s first real thunderstorm. You know, the kind that howls like a ghoul on crack outside your window and threatens to blow down your house.

Thing is, I used to like thunderstorms. There’s something very comforting about being snuggled up warm and toasty during a storm. Usually on a day like this, I’d be curled up in bed with a cuppa hot chocolate, an indulgent novel and the soothing vocals of Diana Krall in the background. But I forget that I’m now a mother, which means I’m curled up in bed with a screaming kid who refuses to sleep. He’s slept through downpours before, so I didn’t think he’d be daunted. But today was different.

No matter what I did, he just refused to lie down in his cot alone. I tried lullabies, bedtime stories, nursery rhymes and every other distraction tactic I could think of to calm him down and get him to sleep, but without avail. And the blasted thunder would crack every three minutes, which would get him worked up into a frenzy again.

Then I had a stroke of genius. If you can’t beat them, join them. I decided to go rock, and brought out good old U2. Just like that, he was out cold.

So today, I was curled up in bed with my baby boy, a cuppa coffee (to soothe my nerves) and U2. Which really isn’t so bad after all.

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motherhood

Sleep-giggles

February 23, 2009

There is a defining moment in every parent’s life where everything suddenly clicks. Like an epiphany. For the most part, being a parent does not make any sense. I’ve traded my nice, quiet evenings for scream fests, romantic dinners for mush-slinging food fights and my dancing shoes for bedroom slippers. These days, my idea of a nightcap is a shot of valium and not vodka.

Inevitably, it begs the question, “Is it all worth it?”

And just when I thought its all downhill from here, the pieces falls into place.

As usual, Tru was out cold after his late evening feed last night. It’s like clockwork. He’ll yank the bottle out of his mouth with a flourish and flip over to his side, which is his trademark “Do Not Disturb” signal. Normally, we’d put him back in his crib, but last night his dad decided to have some fun at his expense, which involved some tickling and pseudo-chopping of his limbs. I was half expecting an irritated swat, but instead he broke out into hysterical sleep-giggles.

If you haven’t seen a sleep-giggle (kinda like a step up from a sleep-smile), you don’t know what you’re missing out on. He was too tired to even open his eyes, but the grin was almost involuntary. It definitely topped my list of 10 things to experience before you die. That right there was my defining moment, and I knew I was doing something right.

So it’s a truckload of sacrifice. But I’d trade all the movies and dinners in the world for some sleep-giggles.

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motherhood

Baby Got Back

February 12, 2009

I’ve gotta say, I’ve been relegated to cyberspace purgatory ever since the little squirt was born.

It’s been a whirlwind of feeds, diaper changes, puke mop-ups, nursery rhymes and lullabies. Plus, I’m expected to conjure up non-stop entertainment. Just the other day, I swear I heard him call me Bobo.

Well, I did create an account on Facebook, but its downright embarrassing when my own mother has more friends than I do. Heck, I even managed to clock a whole week without checking my emails.

The only time I spent online, it’s to surf baby websites on “Getting your baby to sleep”.

So I’ve decided. It’s time to get back on the horse.

If not for anything else, at least to maintain my coolness factor. Here’s how it works. Becoming a mom knocked off at least 25 points from my coolness rating. Putting on 30 pounds took another 45 points. The bad hair and frumpy clothes cost about 25 points. Which leaves me a grand total of 5 points. In other words, I’m no longer cool. In fact, I’m now pretty hot.

It was either this or I’ve gotta pick up belly-dancing. I think I’ll save that for later.

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motherhood

Motherhood 101

February 12, 2009

Lesson 1: Motherhood is a life-changing experience.

From the outside looking in, it didn’t seem so bad. I had diligently pored over the What to Expect series and offered my services as the occasional nanny to overly enthusiastic friends who were more than happy to pass on their little bundles of joy.

Even pregnancy had its perks. I wore the nausea like a badge of honor, and my large-ass stomach was a “get-anything-you-want-card”. No more standing in line or waiting for seats. Sometime in the fourth month, I realized that people are especially nice to pregnant women, and I milked it for all it’s worth. I even mastered a pose which worked like a charm.

Stand with a slight tilt backwards and hold your lower back with one hand. With the other hand, stroke your belly with a circular motion. Complete the look with a “God, my varicose veins are about to explode” expression and voila! Works every single time.

And I was feeling pretty good about my wealth of experience in the kid-raising department. Or so I thought.

I think it really hit me the first night Tru came home. I still felt like a pro in the hospital. For starters, he was sleeping most of the time. In fact, it was harder to wake him up than to get him to sleep. Hah, I should have seen through his sneaky little ways. When he actually did cry, I had a handy little device which summoned help in an instant.

“Nu-urse, I think the baby is hungry/tired/poopy…”

The first night back home, all I wanted to do was to stuff him back right where he came from. I wanted back my summoning powers. Nothing seemed to work, and after 3 solid hours of carrying, rocking and singing, I was about to join in the screaming.

Then all of a sudden, there it was. The sound of silence. Except for the ringing in my ears which didn’t go away for the next 3 months.

Like I said, motherhood is a life-changing experience. And when you’re in it, there’s no turning back, so every day, all that’s left to do is suck it up and keep going.

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