Being a mother is wonderful, but it does not come without challenges!  Monday was one of those days that I felt severely challenged and overwhelmed with life.  Evelyn had spent every other hour of the night coughing, the hours in between, Grant had been up with a pretty bad cold of his own.  When 7am rolled around,  I was exhausted. I couldn’t send Evy to school and  I had two important appointments that I really couldn’t miss!  So, I scrambled around, neglecting the children, a shower, and various other tasks, trying desperately to find a sitter for Evelyn and Dane.

Thankfully, I have some pretty amazing friends around here- who were willing to help out, despite Evelyn’s cough.  My first appointment required Dane’s presence and so I walked with both Dane and Grant (remember Grant is sick) in the freezing, pouring rain to our destination.  I wanted to make a good impression, but arrived completely soaked through.  Mascara running down my face, hair plastered to my forehead.

Later in the day, I missed the bus for my next appointment and so I  hastily walked the 30 minutes to the doctor’s office  with Grant strapped to me in the Ergo.  I was a little sweaty and uncomfortable upon arrival.  I didn’t have the stroller to set Grant in because I assumed I would catch the bus and didn’t want the extra baggage.  But Grant is so good—even when he is sick—and I felt happy I had arrived on time! 

I’m not going to go into too much detail here—let’s just say that during my doctor’s visit I unexpectedly needed to put on a gown and that unexpectedly made the little man on my lap hungry—which unexpectedly made for a lot of leaking of milk through my gown. 

And this all happening as I attempted to appear as though I was listening intently to the doc!  In reality, I was frantically trying to appease and distract Grant from the desire of his little heart.  The situation quickly worsened as my doctor suggested he draw, oh maybe 10 vials of blood right there and then so that I would not have to come back at a later date. Not easy to hold a frantic infant on your lap, using one arm to, very subtly, shield the front part of your gown from view, while holding out the other arm for the doctor to draw quite a bit of blood from your veins.  And all the while, my gown kept slipping off of my right shoulder.  If only I weren’t so distressed, it might have actually been quite comical.

As I walked home (yes, I missed the bus again!)  I thought about the day.  I wasn’t in a hurry—and it had stopped raining.  Actually, it was quite peaceful.  Grant was strapped to my front, fast asleep. Hardly a soul on the sidewalks (rare for my neighborhood.)  And in that moment, once my wits were about me… I did find the various events of the day to be a laughing matter-- because the whole thing really was quite funny.   And more, I was excited to get home and spend some time with the kids before bed—I love the end of the day when they are in their pajamas and I get to read to them. Then I kiss them and we sing for a minute or two. Oh-- and then I love that quiet time I have with Grant when the other two are fast asleep.  He smiles and coos and babbles as if he is having the most intense of conversations with me.  I love it.

So, yes, motherhood has it’s challenges, it is certainly physically and emotionally demanding-- but it is also a wonderful way of life—and one that I am very grateful for.