Monday, January 10, 2011

Open Mouth, Insert Foot- More Humbling Moments


I don't know why this keeps happening to me, (though the people who know me probably understand it) but I am always getting taught a lesson by the universe.

1) I really thought you could keep a one year old quiet in Costco- then I had a one year old who had figured that screaming bloody murder would get her taken out of a room. Open mouth, insert foot.

2) I did not understand why somebody would quit breastfeeding until I struggled to nurse my first. Then I realized how lucky I was to have had the support I did to make it through that.

3) But I still never understood why anybody would wean before a year, until I had a baby go on a week long nursing strike at 8 months and literally SCREAM at me every time I tried to feed her. (Yes, the same one who screams in Costco). Meanwhile, she was very happy to take a bottle from daddy. Ouch.

4) I didn't understand why somebody would not vaccinate a child until I had a child who reacted to a vaccine.

5) Then I didn't understand why you would vaccinate a baby, until I had two children struggle to breathe and then cough horrendously for an entire summer with a case of whooping cough. All our choices have consequences. We just have to be ready to face them, no matter what they are.

6) I didn't understand why anybody would NOT co-sleep, then I had a husband who had to sleep on the couch for months so that he could get any sleep at all, while I got kicked in the head all night by a rolling toddler.

7) I thought crying it out was cruel and unusual, until I had gone for five years with hardly a night of solid sleep and survived with an average of six hours of broken sleep. Then I understood that sometimes mama needs some sleep so that she can be a nice mom during the day, instead of a raving lunatic.

8) I never understood why people would have kids closer than 2 years apart, until I accidentaly fell pregnant.

9) To boot, that surprise caused my wonderfully nursing one year old to suddenly wean. Guilt all around for mama- again- because I of course never understood why you would take a babies "baby" time away from them. Sometimes, life just happens. It ends up being beautiful despite all our best efforts to the contrary.

Here is to many more years of humbling moments. I must have lots to work on. I guess that is what one gets for having an opinion on everything!

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