Today, I believe, was the day that Gabby and I reached our limit with each other. I knew it was coming when I caught her in her room this afternoon screaming at the top of her lungs and banging her barbie dolls against their house. Or dragging the kitchen bar stools through the house(you guys all know that screeching sound they make too)in an attempt to "rearrange" the house she tells me. Or when she tried to escape from the house with just a turtleneck, underwear and winter boots on. When asking her where she was going she replied, "to find my dog Cooper". Ok...really? He moved out in June!
In all truth, we have been cooped up in this house since Monday. Wait, I take that back. Unless you count the trip to my friend,Hillary's, on Thursday because she had cookies, there were kids there and we both needed some entertainment from people our "own size" ;). This is soooo unlike us. Usually we have library time, preschool, gymnastics, playgroups. We try to stay active. Boo to weather that forbids us from staying active!!!
I did try to take advantage of this "shut in" experience and thought how special it may be to be forced to stay indoors with Jeff and Gabby for a few days. To slow down a little, not have such a tight schedule and spend quality time just the three of us! To gear up for the big event, I made Paula Dean's 5 layer bars that were "Heaven" with a capital "H"! Even though it took, "a stick of butter" as all of her recipes do it tasted AWESOME! Even my in laws and dad, that can't have much sugar, devoured a piece (each) and have been talking about it ever since! It Was Good! Like Really Good! The bathroom scale that I stepped on this morning wasn't good, but those 5 layer bars were!
To give my child some credit(because she is just "3" after all), I have learned some things from this ICE Extravaganza this week. Like, I need to be just a "wee" bit more creative with my child at home. Enough said for now...I have a list of goals and activities in progress. And...for the record...Dearest Katie, you are NOT Mother Goddess and need to understand that your child gets "fed up" with you just as often as you do with her.
To explain, I think the way that Gabby handles her frustration is kind of funny actually.
Like tonight, we went to a benefit at a church in our town to support a little girl that has an in-operable brain tumor. There was a band, silent auction, wonderful spaghetti dinner and special people that came together to show that our town cares very much and is willing to do whatever it takes to help another in need. Gabby loves music, however, was to the point of being SO thrilled to be out of the house and more than 6 feet away from her mother in more than a week that she went absolutely crazy! She stood in the middle of the room and rocked out to the music. Like, on her knees, head banging, pretend guitar strumming, loud screaming...the whole nine yards. I went ahead and chose not to fight that battle and let her at it.
I laughed, I cried, I smiled from ear to ear. Because, at that moment, I loved her all over again. Just the way I loved her when they held her over the curtain seconds after birth, the way I loved her when she looked into my eyes for the first time, the way I loved her when she said, "mama" for the first time, the way I loved her when she took her first steps, the way I loved her when she counted to 10, the way I loved her when she said, "mom...you always crack me up", just the same way I loved her when she woke up this morning. Each day is brand new. No matter what type of day we have or what the weather may be, I will always have so much love pouring out all parts of my body for that little girl. I have a perfectly healthy, active, lovable, creative, smart, adorable child that I am so unbelievably thankful for! Sometimes we tend to forget all that we have been blessed with and take for granted what we have. Even me...given the fact that I have been on the other side of that statement. And even though I would not trade anything about my two babies and the different experiences I have had with both of them...one thing that is the same and will never change is the amount of love I have for them.
And after all of those happy thoughts...when I think about it I guess today wasn't so bad after all. We shared a lot together.
We made Valentine's together
Played in the Snow Together
xoxo,
Katie
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