a blog by:
HEATHER ANDERS
But Mama, I Need You.
4.28.2016
But Mama, I Need You.
If you have a little one—and you’re not a superhuman mom—you’ve heard these words. And like me, perhaps you’ve even gotten a little frazzled by them.
As a mom, a wife, and a 40(plus)-hour a week marketing professional, sometimes it feels like I’m always in demand. On the days I walk into the office early to try to get a little more caught up, it never fails that someone else came in almost as early and needs my ear for just a minute. Or 45. And with the nature of my position, I just don’t have the leeway to say no, I really don’t have a minute.
I come home from work, and it addition to the energy-filled, hilarious spitfire that is our almost three-year-old, I’m greeted by the sweet little 6-pound Morkie who absolutely needs me to show him I’m just as excited to see him as he is to see me. Here’s a little snapshot of our entrance into the house on any given weekday:
A: Mom, can I have a snack?
Me: Get into the house and take your shoes off first, please.
{bark, lick, bark}
A: Can I play outside?
{bark, jump}
Me: It’s not warm enough to play outside yet hunny, please get inside.
A: Why, Mama, why?
{bark, bark, jump, lick}
Me: Adelyn, just get all the way in the door so we can set everything down and we’ll talk.
A: I’m hungry! I need a snack, Mama! Please!
{bark]
Me: I know {bark, lick, jump}, but I can’t get you a snack until we get.into.the.house. Now please go up the step, take your shoes off and I’ll get you a snack while I start dinner.
A: I’m trying, but Kiva keeps pushing me. Mama!
{bark, jump}
Me: Adelyn, he’s 6 pounds; he’s not pushing you. And he wouldn’t be jumping on you if you would just walk into the house.
{lick, lick, bark}
Adelyn: He keeps licking me! Mama, I need you!
Me: I will help you take off your shoes when you walk.into.the.house.
Just another 45 seconds of everyday chaos in the life of a mom. Ya with me?
Walking into our new house that I absolutely love, I’m then still reminded of the semi-settled in state when I see the blank walls in every area other than the living room and Adelyn’s bedroom. Next week. Next week I’ll start working on the décor for the rest of the house. Wait, I’m out of town again next week aren’t I?
Ah yes, there’s my suitcase. Empty from last week’s trip but waiting around to be filled again for next week’s. I’ll just tuck that around the wall in the basement. Out of sight out of mind, right? What city am I going to again? Oh that’s right, dinner.
But first, a snack for Adelyn. And let the dog out. And, what’s that? Oh you need milk with your snack? But not in the blue cup? The pink cup is in daddy’s car. No, he can’t come home just to bring you your pink cup. Oh, right, dinner. We have 20 minutes before Husby comes home. What can I whip up in 20 minutes…what’s that, Adelyn? Your doll is crying? Can you change her diaper this time? I think she can wait to have her diaper changed until I start dinner then. Yes, I’m sure. Hunny, she’s a doll. She doesn’t need me to change her diaper right now. But she’s crying? Why don’t you tell her it’s time to try big girl undies like you wear? Right, of course, because she’s a baby.
But Mama, I need you.
What do those words really mean? They mean I have a toddler. They mean I have a beautiful little family that wants me to be a part of what they’re doing. They mean this tiny being with this outstandingly overwhelmingly sweet (and sassy) personality knows she can rely on me to take care of her. To take care of her doll. To disconnect from all the other busyness in life to focus on her.
Adelyn’s been fighting ear infection after ear infection since the beginning of January. Husby and I definitely take for granted how tough she is, because her pediatrician is typically stunned by the severity of the infection when we finally bring her in because she never complains until it’s just that bad.
Last night at bedtime she just kept saying Mama, I need you. Don’t go. I need you to stay.
In the back of my mind I was thinking about everything I still wanted to get done before I went to bed. My mind was stirring around the desire to spend a little time with Husby before I was too tired for meaningful conversation anymore. And while a part of me went back to all the parenting tips that mandate a child learn to deal with bedtime on their own, instead I let her crawl into my lap, curl up, and fall asleep there.
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And let me tell you, when she was finally asleep and I laid that little human being back in her bed, she rolled over in her sleep and in her unconscious state whispered thank you, mama.
Oh sweet girl, you may think you need me, but I…I need you.
FILED UNDER: MOM+BABY
APRIL 1, 2016 BY HEATHER ANDERS
We moved into our new house a month ago, and during the moving process decided it would be really neat to host Easter for each of our families this year. Both of our families are going through some hard times right now, so we thought it not only a great opportunity to christen the new house with lots of family love, but also a great way to take a little pressure off our moms.
So we had a weekend of Easter celebration. Husby's family came over on Saturday and mine came over on Sunday. That meant Adelyn got to do two Easter egg hunts. Albeit exhausted by Sunday night, she was not complaining.
Of all holidays, Easter is probably one of my favorites. Weird, right? You don't hear many people say that. Here's the thing. So many people talk about the real meaning of Christmas; but what about the real meaning of Easter? You guys, the celebration of Easter is the celebration of Christ rising from the dead. Say those words out loud.
SURPRISE A DAY WHILE MOMMY'S AWAY
MARCH 9, 2016 BY HEATHER ANDERS
Playing the role of a traveling mom is hard. Playing the role of a traveling wife is hard. But playing the role of the husband to the traveling mom and wife? It's probably harder.
Now don't mistake the reference hard as something I dislike. I love my job. I love traveling for my job. Loving it, however, doesn't take away the difficulty of leaving a pretty cute little 2.5-year-old, and pretty great guy I like to call Husby.
Last year my trips were proably the hardest on me. The guilt over what I was missing in Adelyn's ever-changing personality, the guilt over the things Husby was picking up the slack on while I was gone, the guilt over the guilt of still loving my job despite the guilt (say that five times fast). I was pretty hard on myself in a lot of respects.
But this year my trips seem to be the hardest on Adelyn. She's old enough now to understand that I'm gone, and she's old enough now to actually cry a sad cry at this notion.
WINTER HAIRCARE: PANTENE PRO-V REVIEW
JANUARY 14, 2016 BY HEATHER ANDERS
When it comes to anything beauty, my hair always comes first. Want to give me the best compliment of my life? Skip the eyes, skip the shape I'm in, skip anything and everything. Go straight to my hair. If you compliment my hair, I'm putty in your hands. Seriously.
Husby will attest that I'm borderline neurotic when it comes to haircare. I refuse to use drugstore brands on it, and oh my goodness if we're out of town and I forgot to pack shampoo and conditioner you had better believe we're in search of the nearest beauty store. My hair will forever be the one area I will not skimp on just to save a dime.
As such, when companies approach me to review haircare products on here, I always let them know up front that the odds of the product actually making it up for a review is incredibly slim. So imagine my own shock that I'm posting about Pantene Pro-V, a drugstore line that will actually become part of my everyday haircare now!
NOVEMBER 11, 2015 BY HEATHER ANDERS
If you’ve had a two-year-old, then you know there are two types. There’s the Oh yeah, my daughter is two and then there’s the OH MY GOSH MY DAUGHTER IS TWO.
Last weekend we finally became further acquainted with the latter of the two twos.
You know how they say morning sickness essentially turns off like a light switch when you reach 13 weeks of pregnancy? I swear the two-year-old attitude pops off and on the exact same way. Go to bed Friday night laughing and happy, wake up Saturday sobbing and whining (her, not me, although depending on the day...kidding, kidding) and not knowing at all why she’s upset. Seriously, she didn’t know why; I asked her.
Adelyn, why are you crying? What’s wrong?
I DON’T KNOW, MOMMA! (tears streaming down her face).
So this is two. [Continue reading...]