Mothering

My niece (Rachel) is here for the month to help me with Lucy and life while I work nearly full time hours at my test-scoring job. It's been a week and already the stress I felt for months is easing away and all of us are feeling a bit more optimistic. It is truly miraculous what one pair of extra hands can do. And Lucy is a four hands kind of kid (meaning she requires a lot of help). 
 
   

I know we do things very different from what she's used to. I know I'm not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition but I don't care. It's a stupid rule. 

Having her around has made me hyper-aware of my constant #momfails. Don't get me wrong, Rachel hasn't mentioned anything. Its just been a reminder of how imperfectly we muddle through each day. Leah drank my contacts accidentally. Hannah used a calculator for an entire math assignment and intentionally blew off her reading homework. Lucy licked the subway car. I've spent most of my time trying to battle sheer exhaustion from Lucy the Licker who refuses to sleep. 

Besides watching Lucy while I work, we are plugging away at Rachel's to-do list for NYC. We've hit Greenwich Village, Washington Square Park, 9/11 memorial, The Met, Coney Island, and she might have already eaten her weight in pizza. It's not hard to do. 
 

The last time I was here was with my Dad. This quote felt very timely to me. It's a hard place to be and it's been a hard week of missing him. There are recordings of people who died and of the hijackers and what they said. It's haunting and infuriating. 
 

Subway derps 

 

This guy is my current mood. He's lost his head and I relate on a very deep level. 


Lucy is incredibly social. She will engage with ANYONE. I think it really makes other people happy. She makes us happy with how exuberant and silly she is. Hannah says almost everyday, "What would we do without our Lucy Boo?"
  

This costume exhibit is what kicks off the Met Gala every year (it's huge-- this is only part of it). So if this is the trend, I can see that checks and fat rolls are in style. I'm all set. 



Comments

Larri-Lea said…
I'm so happy you have an extra pair of hands right now. And let go of the 'mom guilt' - Rachel certainly isn't judging you. Enjoy her being there to help and make memories. So glad you always make time for adventure and memories. Love you to pieces.
May 10, 2017 at 9:45 PM
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