I'm not bored, that's for sure.

Those of you lacking kids probably wonder how a person can occupy themselves being at home all day. Certainly, there isn't that much to do, right?

On some level that's true...or would be if I didn't have some superficial requirement that my house not turn into a sty.

Rosco isn't a particuarly needy baby. He doesn't scream his head off all day begging to be held. He'll actually sleep so that I can get stuff done, even if it's in little chunks. I do, however, spend a good deal of time nursing and putting him back to sleep. He's not really old enough to stay up and "play" yet.

I'll admit, though, that during the day once he's gotten really excited from staring at some blemish on the wall, it's next to impossible to calm his chattering down (yes, he's practicing real, human-like words such as "ah-goo!"). I'll sit holding him, watching Star Trek until he dozes off. That may take as little as fifteen minutes or as long as an hour and a half. Sometimes I'll fall asleep before HE does and will wake up with my neck pressed against the sofa in some weird contortion. Multiply that by the five non-bedtime feedings he gets during the day and math tells you that on a bad day I can spend up to 7 1/2 hours with a kid dangling off my fleshy bits.

I spend the rest of my time trying to adhere to a writing schedule, finding a few minutes to unload the dishwasher each day, and taking the occasional pee. I may shower if Rosco is in a really, really deep sleep. [I smell purty!]

As it pains me to hand Rosco off to Scott the moment he walks through the door each evening, I don't do it unless I really need to get stuff done. Primal momma instincts say that there's no way some dude can be as good as a parent to my child as me, even if he is my husband. Sorry, hon - it's not personal; it's biological. Even when the kid has annoyed the crap out of me (he has a superb knack of looking at me and making a "YOU'RE A BAD MOMMY!" face), it pains me to hear him whimpering, so of course I have to entertain him and tell him he's a "good baby."

I realize I'm setting myself up for a disaster if I ever have to take my kid to daycare. I'll probably melt into a puddle in the doorway bawling my eyes out. I guess my armor has some holes in it, huh?

Anyway, days for me really aren't that long. If I had a couple of additional hours of sleeping baby time I'd do better meal planning or getting my writing hustle on, but I'm not really missing out on anything huge.

So, that's what I do all day.

Posted by Tiffany at January 5, 2007 10:07 AM | TrackBack