The Dysfunction of Motherhood

Thank you, Meredyth!

Last night was rough. The littlest bug had problems sleeping. She's got acid reflux and all she wanted was to be attached to me all night. She was inconsolable unless she was on me. It was rough, I think my breasts are going to fall off. But as she's here, attached to me... one of my best friends sent me an email:


"This is just too good not to pass on to all. Something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time the rewards listed this way. The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year,* $741.38 a month, or* $171.08 a week* That's a mere $24.24 a day!* Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice is not to have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140?
* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!* Glimpses of God every day.* Giggles under the covers every night.* More love than your heart can hold.* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.* A hand to hold, usually covered with jelly or chocolate.* A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to:
* finger-paint,* carve pumpkins,* play hide-and-seek,* catch lightning bugs, and* never stop believing in Santa Claus. You have an excuse to:* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,* watch Saturday morning cartoons,* go to Disney movies, and* wish on stars.* You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,* taking the training wheels off a bike,* removing a splinter,* filling a wading pool,* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat to history to witness the:
* first step,* first word,* first bra,* first date, and* first time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God.
You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal!!!!!!!"





Sometimes I have to be reminded that a few sleepless nights filled with crying are farless memorable than what's to come. And in the whole month that Bee's been here, we may have had 6 or 7 rough nights. It's definitely worth the trade off of all of the above.



Happy birthday to me. I'm 25, feeling more like 35 right now. My husband got me a double stroller, and took me out to dinner. I was pathetic, I tried to get an alcoholic beverage.. a bay breeze and I couldn't drink it. I sipped it for the entire dinner. Then at the end of the dinner, I was maybe a quarter of the way through it when my husband took it and drank the rest of the 12oz's in 1 shot. I guess I've been a mother way too long. Everyone else gave me a check or cash. I got myself (with some money I was sent) a couple of things from Bath and Body works. They didn't have their signature scent, Sun-ripened Raspberries, which was what I wanted (go figure), but I found a new one that I love and is now my favorite. I also got a $12 lip tint for $3. They only had 1 left of the color I wanted but I'm in love with it and don't think I'll ever find that color again. I've been looking for a color like that for years. I was thinking that now that I have a double stroller, maybe I'll finally finish the trip to the mall that I started last week. Not likely now since I went to Kohls yesterday to get stuff to do the girls bathroom. Which means, I don't have money anymore. I had some when I went to the mall the first time, but it's all gone and then some!

Here is what their bathroom collection will look like:

They have this in their tub too...

We're planning on painting the bathroom a light green. It currently off white and has dark cabinets with a dark blue, burgundy, gold, and dark green bath collection. Here's hoping a lighter collection makes it happy, fun and less claustrophobic.