AnchorMommy

Evolution of a stay-at-home mom

November 10, 2010 by Shannon

It shocks me that it’s been this long, but I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for a year and a half now. Can that be right??? But yes, when I look at the calendar, it’s true. I’m no newcomer to the world of SAHM-hood.

But perhaps what I find even more shocking is how I’ve evolved. I’m most DEFINITELY not the same kind of mother I was a year and a half ago. I’ve had another baby since then, so of course things were bound to change in some way, but the differences are pretty dramatic. For example…

1. I know the words to 99% of the songs at the library’s music hour. The first time I took Kellan to music hour, I was appalled. The room was packed full of kids, and every mom was singing along. I remember thinking, how do they all know this? Are these songs something all mothers know except for me? Do these families listen to this music every day at home? I now know from experience that if you go to the library’s music hour every week for a year or so, you too will learn every lyric to every song. Every song. Because you don’t just hear them at music hour. Those songs get stuck in a preschooler’s head, and therefore, get repeated over and over and over again everywhere you and your preschooler go. I mean everywhere.
2. I can handle chaos. This is big for me. In general, change and I do not get along. But now, especially now that I have two kids, I’m much more adept at jiggling a baby on one knee while wiping a preschooler’s nose, shooing the dog away, and holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder. My ears can handle a high decibel level without putting me into a panic. Five-day-old mashed bananas stuck to the floor? Whatever. Another wet painting project brought home from preschool in a backpack? Okay. Screaming baby, hyper preschooler and dinnertime prep, all at once? All in a day’s work.
3. My mommy radar is very finely tuned. I don’t have time to hover over Kellan’s every move. Not that I was much of a hoverer before Ella came along, but I’m definitely not now. That means I have to eyes in the back of my head. My ears are highly sensitive to the sound of silence, and can detect from the aforementioned silence the tiniest of noises that might indicate trouble is afoot. For example, when Kellan and I are baking, and he tries to sneak a lick of the spatula while my back is turned to grab the baking soda. This is usually what follows: “Kellan, STOP.” (silence) “Mommy, how did you know I was going to do that?” It’s the mommy radar, kid. Don’t mess with the mommy radar.
4. Bodily fluids don’t scare me. And I was the kind of child who had nightmares after somebody puked during class. Now, if something’s leaking – be it diaper, nose or any other orifice – I’m mommy-on-the-spot with a tissue or wipe. Or t-shirt. Or hand.
5. I can’t tolerate a shoe with a heel for more than 30 minutes. This one caught me by surprise. I got all gussied up recently to shoot an infomercial. (I know, I’m such a sell-out.) All I had to do was drive to the studio in my heels, walk in, sit there for a couple hours, walk out and drive home. Easy right? Wrong-O. Pain. My feet hurt for a week. I have no idea how I used to haul a 20 lb. Kellan and carseat into daycare every day while wearing heels. What has happened to me???

Now, I judge the quality of my day by how many preschooler tantrums I have averted and how many nice long naps the baby takes. A day with no tantrums and 2-3 baby naps is a good one. As long as I’m wearing flats and have a tissue in my pocket for bodily fluid emergencies. Mashed bananas on the floor, you say? What mashed bananas?