Page 15 - Giv'er Miramichi magazine - Christmas 2018

A Mother’s Struggle

by Monique Walker

Living in a house that is in a constant state of renovation, TRYING to do something as simple as dishes, but every
with a 10 month old baby, a 4 month old kitten, 2 dogs and 2 couple of minutes (If that) we have to stop because our babies
adults; moments of pure and utter peace, as you can imagine, are CONSTANTLY TRYING TO KILL THEMSELVES!
are a very rare treat. Seriously! You could wrap an entire room in bubble wrap
Yesterday however I was treated! Not only was the baby and call it baby proofed but it won’t be! Guaranteed your
napping but all three pets AND the Hubby were all napping baby will have hid a shiv in his diaper just for such an
at the same time! The house occasion!
was so quiet...wait, no....the Even if you do manage to
cat was purring....and the find a space that is completely
hubby was snoring....the house safe for the baby to play in, that
was so peaceful. Yeah that’s it, place will be the last place your
peaceful! baby wants to be. Then you
I sat on the couch with have to listen to them
Joshua sleeping on my lap/arm screaming and crying until
and the kitten also asleep on you’re ready to burst into tears
my lap purring away. yourself and can’t take it
It was beautiful...But yet, anymore. You could have
I couldn’t enjoy it. The whole sworn it was going on for hours
time I was trying to figure out but by the looks of what you
ways I could move to put the got done in that time, it was
baby down somewhere to probably more like 5 minutes.
sleep while I try to get some stuff done around the house. So you take baby out of the safe zone because you need
This precious moment of pure and utter peace was ruined by a break from the cries that break your heart and make your
my obsession with using nap time to my advantage rather ears bleed. You hold them for a while, comfort them, play
than just enjoying it. But I ran the risk of waking the baby if with them, feed them, make them feel all around better, but
I moved and then having to deal with a cranky baby! you still have more dishes to do so you say to yourself “I’ll
It’s a struggle I’m sure many moms face. You do so much just put him with his toys on the floor”.
throughout the day, but yet feel like you’ve done absolutely No dice.
nothing! Why? Because most of what we do isn’t chores or The minute you think he’s happy with his toys and you
house hold duties. It’s the stuff nobody wants to note as an go to try and do the rest of those darn dishes, he’s on a
accomplishment because there’s no physical evidence that mission! You just opened that dishwasher and he is gonna
you did it. (You know besides that fact that your baby is still claim that thing as his new fort! Grimey knives and all!
breathing) So you take him away from the dishwasher, put him
Damage control! We spend the great majority of our days down with his toy, and turn around...but he’s already racing
continued pg. 17

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