Finances are pretty tight, but D~ and I are trying to make a go of me taking some time off work to be a SAHM for a while. I feel like I've missed out on so much of little J~'s life up to this point. He's grown so much, and I missed out on so much of his babyhood. Now that I've been home with him 24-7 for a couple of months, though, I'm having some mixed emotions about our days.
Most times J~ and I just "hang out"
and spend the day playing around the house - trains, cars, playing with his baby (cabbage patch boy) or other toys in his toy stroller, blowing bubbles, reading books, playing with play-doh, playing with his kitchen set, etc. I love watching him play and trying to get into his world. I love talking with him about things, seeing his little mind processing what I say and then listening to him trying to babble-repeat the important word(s) of what I just said.I love this stage right now, but I literally can't get three minutes of peace while he's awake. If I'm not by his side playing, he seeks me out within a minute or two and tries to pull me to wherever he wants us to be. If I don't go with him or try to tell him to wait a minute, he screams/cries. I want to savor this time with him because I know this won't last for too long, but sometimes I get so frustrated with his inability to entertain himself for just five minutes.
I used to be a pretty creative/crafty person before he was born and literally have done *nothing* (save for three scrapbook pages) since he was born. I miss my crafty time, but I just don't have the energy (and my mind is zapped) after he goes to bed at night. I thought that after being home with him for a while, his clingy-ness would die down and I would be able to have a few minutes to just sit down and do *something* creative. I hoped that maybe I'd be able to sit down with a sketch pad for a few minutes and draw and that he'd either want to draw, too, for a few minutes or else go about doing his own thing. But that just doesn't happen. Maybe a lot of you have kiddos like this, too... always on-the-go from one thing to the next and always wanting you to be right there with them. Yes? Please say "yes"! :P
A while back I "liked" this one mom's blog on facebook but never really took a look at it. I just spent a little time browsing through the entries she tagged for when her kids were 15-19 months old, and I'm amazed at the things she did/does with them. I'm jealous of all of the educational/sensory toys and art supplies she has for them - not to mention actually having a home big enough for everything! - and envious of her enthusiasm and patience at letting her kids do so many art, cooking, and life skill activities at such young ages. I guess maybe I just need to try to work on "loosening up" and not worrying so much about messes. We just don't have much practical space for being messy (EVERY room in this place is carpeted except for the eat-in kitchen!) and we don't have a dining table at the moment.
*Bubble Art at the Friday Night Fair - He loooved this... and loves seeing his art displayed and talking about it.
I guess I should sit down some night and evaluate the house layout, the furniture arrangement, and so on... figure out what I activities I want to focus on with J~ and what I need to do to make the place more accessible for him (a lower clothes rod in his closet and maybe one of those hanging organizers so he can pick out his own clothes, bowls/cups/silverware at his level somewhere in the kitchen, etc.). Make a list of art/craft/cooking/learning activities that I want to do, find/gather/buy the supplies, and find a good spot for them. I think I'll feel better about our time together (and my lack of solo crafting time) if I can find more ways to be creative and productive WITH him.
