I was dead set against celebrating Mother's Day. I decided this a few years ago; it was solidified last year when we were at the San Diego Zoo on Mother's Day. It was a warm day and the zoo is large and overrun with children. I repeatedly heard the phrase "oh great, thanks a LOT [insert child's name], your tantrum is totally ruining my Mother's Day!" Um, ladies, what do you expect? Your kid is overwhelmed, excited, off their nap schedule, and likely eating way more sugar than normal! It just seems like there is so much pressure to have this one "perfect" day a year that everyone - guest of honor, child, partner - is setting her/himself up for disappointment. So, I decided to just forgo the day (if you're curious, Mike and I also don't celebrate Valentine's Day).
I should add that I don't judge or begrudge those who do celebrate Mother's Day. I know more than ever now how much work goes into being a parent and I do think every parent should be celebrated! Similarly, I'm happy to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom. But, I decided it wasn't for me.
And then, after discussing the details of my Mother's Day aversion with a friend, I realized I should celebrate the Day - not for me, but for Lena. It occurred to me that once she's older and can grasp the concept of the Day (and make me gifts in school), it may mean a lot to her to show me how much she loves me. So, I've decided to celebrate it - but with no strings attached. No grand expectations, no big disappointments. I'm keeping the bar low.
Except for my birthday - on my birthday, bring it on.
Fittingly, Mike's job with the UC Union scheduled a meeting in Riverside for the whole weekend, so it was just me and Lena all weekend. I know it sounds corny, but for this full-time working mom, 60+ hours straight with Lena was exactly the gift I wanted. She's incredibly cute. She's getting independent and exploratory but is still cuddly when she's tired. She's smiley and has a good sense of humor. Yesterday, I was doing a HIIT interval and she thought burpees were HILARIOUS. She just sat there and cracked up as I hopped up and down. She then tried to sit on my stomach and use my legs for balance to stand while I was doing sit ups. We ended the session with her chewing on the yoga mat.
She slept in an extra hour, took a 1.5 hour nap in the morning, and then she and I took a 2.5 (!!!) hour nap in the afternoon. It was my first nap in at least four months and it was divine. I had planned to take her to the park for a picnic but was happy to substitute the excursion with a nap.
And that was that. No brunch, no breakfast in bed (though if you know me well, you know breakfast in bed is not a gift to me, it's a quick way to set my OCD in high gear), no big dinner. No disappointments! Just a sweet, happy baby, and a relaxed mom.
I should add that I don't judge or begrudge those who do celebrate Mother's Day. I know more than ever now how much work goes into being a parent and I do think every parent should be celebrated! Similarly, I'm happy to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom. But, I decided it wasn't for me.
And then, after discussing the details of my Mother's Day aversion with a friend, I realized I should celebrate the Day - not for me, but for Lena. It occurred to me that once she's older and can grasp the concept of the Day (and make me gifts in school), it may mean a lot to her to show me how much she loves me. So, I've decided to celebrate it - but with no strings attached. No grand expectations, no big disappointments. I'm keeping the bar low.
Except for my birthday - on my birthday, bring it on.
Fittingly, Mike's job with the UC Union scheduled a meeting in Riverside for the whole weekend, so it was just me and Lena all weekend. I know it sounds corny, but for this full-time working mom, 60+ hours straight with Lena was exactly the gift I wanted. She's incredibly cute. She's getting independent and exploratory but is still cuddly when she's tired. She's smiley and has a good sense of humor. Yesterday, I was doing a HIIT interval and she thought burpees were HILARIOUS. She just sat there and cracked up as I hopped up and down. She then tried to sit on my stomach and use my legs for balance to stand while I was doing sit ups. We ended the session with her chewing on the yoga mat.
She slept in an extra hour, took a 1.5 hour nap in the morning, and then she and I took a 2.5 (!!!) hour nap in the afternoon. It was my first nap in at least four months and it was divine. I had planned to take her to the park for a picnic but was happy to substitute the excursion with a nap.
And that was that. No brunch, no breakfast in bed (though if you know me well, you know breakfast in bed is not a gift to me, it's a quick way to set my OCD in high gear), no big dinner. No disappointments! Just a sweet, happy baby, and a relaxed mom.
Bedhead, two days in a row. Sunday, above, and Monday, below.
Cuddly and smiley
Cheeks!
Mornings spent cuddling before getting out of bed are our favorite
The table is a favorite thing lately. Lena's all about standing up. And the pouty face above has been a fixture this week.
No workout's complete without trying to eat the yoga mat.
Oh, you were trying to use this mat?
Sneakers aren't for running, they're for playing with shoelaces (a new favorite toy)
Nugget's sad the snearkers aren't being used to go for a run.
She recently discovered two new mobile jungle gyms (aka Puck and Nugget). They're great with her.
Outtake photo, not a good facial expression for either of them.
2 comments:
sounds like a perfect mother's day! She looks like she's just so much fun...glad you were able to enjoy it. :) Emily
Sounds like a lovely day!!
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