Shortly after Sam was born I mentioned to my friend Elaine (a social work buddy who like me, has worked with Alzheimer's patients) that I was afraid that I might be in the early stages of some type of dementia, perhaps even Alzheimer's. I felt so scattered, I couldn't remember anything. I would nurse Sam on one side and fifteen minutes later, when he was ready to nurse again, I had no idea what side he had just nursed on. How do you forget something like that in fifteen minutes? Elaine laughed and explained that when you deliver the placenta, a good amount of brain cells go with it. That was her theory, and I agreed. However, now that I have two kids I think there might be more too it. I think it really is a type of dementia.
A while ago I wrote about pouring apple juice instead of cream into my coffee....well that's not the half of it. Last week I put a full pound of American cheese on top of the fridge (which is where I keep the bread) and didn't discover it until the next day. Several times a week I put coffee in a travel mug and leave the house without it. On a regular basis I make trips to places like Target or the mall with the intention of returning something only to discover that I have left the item on the kitchen table or worse, gone shopping, spent $100, have both kids in their car seats and the item is still sitting on the passenger seat. I walk through the grocery store saying things like "don't forget laundry detergent, laundry detergent, laundry detergent...." over and over and leave without getting it. I put clothes in the dryer and forget to turn it on. I made cookies the other day a couldn't remember if I'd added baking powder or not...Sometimes I have a really hard time with word retrieval...
The incident that really got me wondering if something might truly be wrong is this: I left my house one day not too long ago without putting underwear on. There were none in my drawer so I put on a skirt and I intended to get a clean pair out of the laundry basket in the basement...on the way I changed a diaper, answered the phone and got Sam a snack. We were late for our play date and I totally forgot. Some may say that this is no big deal, and I agree...ten years ago I did this kind of thing on purpose...but at this stage in my life, lets just say I really didn't want to be the mom at the park wearing a jean skirt and no panties.
I know I'm, not alone...we all have our "mommy" moments...My mom calls me "Sue" (her sisters' name) on a regular basis and has since I was a little girl....sometimes she gets mad when I don't answer! I'd love to hear about the things that you've found yourself doing (or not doing) since becoming a mom. I'm planning to make a game of it. This year I am the hospitality coordinator for our local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group. Part of my job is to come up with silly little games to use as ice breakers...I thought it would be fun to make a list of mommy moments and have each mom give themselves a point for each thing that they have done. The mom with the most points would win a prize as well as the mom with the fewest points. I have a lot of my own material, but I'm betting that I haven't done it all! Tell me your stories! I'll post a top 10 (or 20) if I get enough stuff.
3 comments:
Here is mine. I am copying it from another forum I was on where they were discussing similar things...so if it sounds a little funny as far as a response here that is why saving time typing it out again. HUGS
I am one of those people that usually tries to do 10 things at once. I discovered soon after my first son was born that this wasn't going to work well for me anymore. I was in a rush to get out of the house and trying to gather my things, get my little guy ready, and as usual doing 10 things at once when suddenly I needed to use the bathroom so I quickly ran in and pulled down my pants and started to go there was a warm liquid running all over the place....I thought is my toilet overflowing?? Then I suddenly realized that I had pulled my pants down but forgot to pull my underwear down. Needless to say there was a big mess and it took me longer to get out the door.
Another time I headed out to the grocery store first thing in the morning to go shopping. I always put my keys in my pocket for fast access because in "my old diaper bag" they would get lost. So I am in the store with my son and realize that my keys are not in my pocket. I sit on the floor of the store and empty out my diaper bag looking for them and still can't find them. So I call my husband to tell him I think I locked the keys in the car but that I was going to finish shopping first. He had just gotten to a job 30 minutes away so he wasn't too happy with me. I finished shopping and headed out to the car with my full cart when I noticed the cars lights were on....I have a Subaru and the cars lights don't stay on....unless the keys are still in the ignition!!!! Sure enough I had not only locked my keys in the car but locked them in the car with the car running!!!! And it was that way for at least 45 minutes. I really don't know how I did that because I had to get my little guy out of the car seat and everything...you would think I would have noticed. So it is starting to sprinkle and I am standing by my car with my baby and a full cart of groceries waiting for my hubby when who should pull up next to me....my sister in law. She looked at me strangely and asked what I was doing. When I told her she nearly died laughing at me. When my husband pulled up and saw the me standing there and the car running he lost it too. We all got a good laugh. I learned that I am no longer the same person after having kids and getting hardly any sleep and nothing surprises me anymore. But I have learned to laugh at myself and all the embarrassing moments are worth it when I look into my babies sweet faces and see their smiles.
I think the problem is that we mega-multitask. I can be in the middle of 6 things at once and then screw up all 6 things! Ack.
I swear, not one meal goes by that I don't burn something. Too much multi-tasking!
Oh, how I CAN RELATE. The stories are endless. Really endless. I should make a list.
Sarah, when you talk about walking through the grocery store repeating your mantra of "don't forget laundry detergent," you made me think of something that I do. I am heading home from RAW, which is only an 8-minute ride, have to stop by Mary's house (around a few corners from my house) to drop something off or grab something, set my intention to do it, and then make a bet with myself. What are the odds that I will remember to do this? I will often even try to give myself an advantage by reminding myself of my errand as I start to cross the causeway. At that point, I am only about 5 minutes from the spot where I would turn to Mary's house.
I make a game of it, and then can at least laugh at myself when, as predicted, half the time I am already in the driveway or even in the house before I remember that I have forgotten!
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