How I manage

Or don't for that matter. Today was a day that started off with so much... potential. I had two batches of oatmeal chocolate chip cookies made by 10am. We were on time for yoga, and even had time to stop for coffee on the way. We arrived at yoga feeling ready to face the day. And then, explosion! Of the diaper variety. Okay, no problem, just reach into the diaper bag to grab a fresh diaper and the backup sleeper. And reach, keeping reaching, pull everything out and yep, no diapers in said diaper bag and the backup outfit was used as a backup on Saturday. Now I have a soiled child, a red face and nothing to put her in. Luckily we are at Mom & Baby yoga, so there are diaper and outfit offers aplenty.

Fast forward 30 minutes and the Babe has soiled her second diaper, leading me to ask for yet another one from understanding moms. Okay, still not a completely terrible day. Fast forward two hours and I find out the daycare I enjoyed visiting may or may not be breaking the rules by having too many kids, the Babe has decided the Ergo is not for her and wants to be carried, and I am running very late for an already-postponed party planning meeting.

How do I manage? I sit in rush hour traffic, silently wondering why I didn't know more rules about daycare and if I'm doing damage to the Babe by the way I'm carrying her in the Ergo while
counting how many I have now kept someone waiting. Add gridlock and a tub of leftover cookies to the equation and I find myself not managing anymore. By the time I get home I can feel the tears welling up.

And then, while changing her out of a disposable diaper and into a cloth one, the Babe starts laughing. Full belly laughs for three whole minutes. This has never happened before. She tends to be more of a grinning child. And the bad day just melts away. I can do research into daycares and carriers but at the end of the day the Babe laughing means she's happy so I've done my job today.

I think I'll have a cookie to celebrate :)

~ H

Photo credit: Nancy Read