Mama-Come-Lately

Last Friday, I’d been trying and trying to get the baby to eat, and he’d been looking left and right and up at the ceiling, clammed up like Fort Knox. It had been a long day full of the particular kind of fun that only teething can bring, and I was pretty much wrung out.

Daddy waltzed in from work, asked if I’d like him to try, and of course I said, “Be my guest. Good luck.” I stood aside, or maybe I left the room to fling myself on the couch. Can’t recall — this was days and days ago.

The moment my husband sat down and waved the spoon of rice cereal in front of the baby’s nose, the little bugger was all, “Absolutely. Happy to. How much more? Bring it on! I’d also like all of that new food Mama’s been trying to get me interested in.”

I told this story to a family member, who asked if it made me mad that the baby ate better for my husband than for me. No, I replied, this is why the baby has two parents. It’s also why I’ll be doing my best to set my frustrations aside whenever I sit down in front of the high chair. He knows.

In the neighborhood where I grew up, there was a lady who was known as The Busybody. I'm not sure if I was told, but I always knew not to reveal much to her, about anything. (And because this is St. Louis, I'm not even going to use her first name here.)

Now that I'm home all day most days, I think she was driven to her hobby by boredom. Recall, too, that this was back in the dark ages, i.e., before cable TV, and there's only so much dusting and laundry a person can do before things get koo-koo upstairs.

I've learned a lot about my neighborhood without expending much effort. Here's a partial list:

– I know which houses have been bought, which are coming on the market, and which are rentals.

– There are two baby boys due to be born in the next six months. One mom is feeling fine, the other gets migraines.

– I know who cares enough (or perhaps was badgered long enough by the neighborhood association) to make repairs.

– There is a dainty, gorgeous orange tabby cat named Kenny who follows his owner when he's walking the dog, whose name is Beckett.

– That house that was raided by the FBI? I know why. It's not that exciting. Kind of a letdown, actually.

– One lady has trained her dog to pee on her deck. She rinses it off afterwards. (The deck, not the dog.)

– When the mail arrives later than 11, the regular mail carrier is on vacation.

– The UPS guy has lovely green-brown eyes and will bring your packages inside if you show up at the door toting a baby.

Just think what I could find out if I really put my mind to it.

This was the view from our deck this morning as I was hanging out with the baby for a few moments before the day got rolling and I realized it’s probably going to be another Teething Special. I’ll be mentally revisiting
this image for sustenance all day.

Not too long ago, I dug some samples of daily wear contacts out of the back of the bathroom vanity drawer. It had been quite some time since I’d worn them, and I was getting tired of taking my glasses off every time I wanted to snuzzle* the baby.

Well, Shazam! I could see everything so clearly it was startling. I stood on the front porch looking at the trees, gaping at all the leaves. When the baby woke up from his nap, I went to get him, taking a moment at the nursery door to marvel at how crisply I could behold his loveliness. I picked him up, brought him to my face for a kiss, and disaster struck. He was totally out of focus.

At previous eye appointments, I’ve been told I don’t need reading glasses just yet, but now I want to look into bifocal contacts. I’m due for an exam, so I’ll inquire about them and report back. In the meantime, if anyone’s tried them, please let me know.

*Because I have a reputation to uphold: This is not a typo. Snuggle + nuzzle = snuzzle.