As Ellie gets older and more independent (and she is without a doubt independent), and her imagination develops, it’s really interesting to watch how she plays. Most often she can be found putting her “friends” (or me) to bed, playing in her kitchen making turkey sandwiches and soup, or demanding to be my helper in the kitchen. She likes to crack eggs and stir things. “Me too!” she’ll demand while pulling her stool close to the action. But sometimes her play takes her to a private magical zone that must not be interrupted.
PREGNANT CRAVINGS
When Aya was pregnant with Ellie, she had absolutely no morning sickness or any aversions to food. Not only was she not disgusted by any food, she didn’t have any cravings either. At least, nothing unusual from her usual cravings as an exotic food loving person. (Her cravings kicked in postpartum when she’d send me to Dunkin’Donuts for a triple chocolate donut at 4am while she was nursing. Donuts? I wasn’t complaining.) But with this pregnancy, it’s been a whole different ball game.
ELLIE + ONE
It appears I need to buy a new web domain; thegoodthedadandthebabies.com. Yes, babies, as in plural.
THE UPSIDE TO THE DOWNSIDE
It was your typical Wednesday evening except for the fact that the back of my throat felt a little scratchy. It was nothing to be alarmed about though, it was just a little dry I thought. And then about midnight, Ellie woke up crying really hard with a stuffed up nose and some hard coughing. I sat with her on the chair for a few hours until she drifted off back into a deep sleep and brought her into our bed with us. As she twisted and turned, whimpered and whined for the rest of the night I felt bad because my little girl was without a doubt sick. And then when morning officially came, I was officially sick. The little light scratchy throat was now an intense sore throat. My head was throbbing, my nose was all plugged up, and we both had fevers. Ellie and I were both sick.
GOIN’ WITH THE FLOW
Ellie’s been changing and learning a lot lately. She’s been a sponge soaking up everything around her. But all these changes have been overwhelming and I find that I’ve been struggling with it for awhile. And by awhile, I mean for the past few months. Everything just seems to be so difficult lately. Brushing her teeth is like going to a rodeo. Well, more like being in a rodeo. I have to chase her down and tie her up with a lasso so I can get the tooth brush in her mouth. And then to get her to change her clothes, I have to distract her like a rodeo clown. Don’t even mention bath time, that’s a whole other story.
Just everything requires so much work and I think I’m a little worn out. But I think the real reason I’m so exhausted isn’t because things are that difficult, but because I’m actually mourning how things used to be.