Roller Coaster for Mums

I'm really chancing it here, taking time out of Fifi's precious nap to blog. But I do it for the fans.

As if all the obvious things about being a mum isn't tiring enough, today I've thought of another reason we are always so tired. The emotional roller coaster we ride all day long are extremely draining. We go from cheerful to exasperated to loving to cross to proud to disappointed - all before lunch!

This morning, little Fi woke me with her bright-eyed grin to ask 'Daddy?' with her hands outstretched (sign for 'where'). Daddy had slept in her room since he has a cold, and Fi was confused as to where he was when she woke up. It was really cute. She convinced me to get out of bed, begging for her morning 'ba' and 'go' (banana and yogurt). I wearily but smilingly fumbled out of bed and down the stairs to feed her her breakfast. After breakfast she wanted to draw. She then tattooed herself with her markers. Daddy and I had a good laugh.

Once it was getting dressed time, though, she turned into Fifi the Grump Monster. She moaned and whined and kicked and refused to be dressed. Grrr.

We dropped Daddy off at work and came home to play. We made big construction paper gloves and played with them. I had fun playing with her and really cherished the fact that I get to spend so much time with her.

She played with her lunch, but didn't eat it. I tried to remain patient. Sometimes we just aren't hungry, right? She then told me she needed to 'poo', so I brought her through to her potty and stripped her tights and nappy off. She sat on the potty, stood up, looked in, nothing there, sat back down, repeat. After the third or fourth time of standing up and looking in, she pooed. On the floor. Again I had to force myself to remain patient. It was just bad timing, I reminded myself as I calmly if not grudgingly cleaned up the mess.

It was then I received a text that her playgroup was being canceled for this afternoon. No! I desperately look forward to playgroups as a chance to let her run free and get myself a cup of tea. She was already getting pretty sick of being inside (awful rainy day today), so I scooped her up and took her to the shop where I was planning on buying a new DVD player. She helped me carry some of the equipment around the shop and was very cute and endearing, with her hands full of electronics and her sad little scraped up nose. She 'helped' me pay, and we moved on to the shop next door for a browse.

In the shop, she kept running away from me, but only a short distance where I could still see her, so I didn't let it annoy me. But when we were checking out, she kept trying to run out the door into the street. I kept doing my best 'FIFI. NO!' She would look at me, grin mischievously and take another step. 'FIFI, I SAID NO. COME HERE NOW.' She'd run back to me... then run off again. I was so annoyed with her! The lady at the register looked sorry for me and helped me keep an eye on her as I paid, but Fifi kept testing me. Finally, I grabbed my shopping, chased Fifi down and gave her a swift smack on the bum (which I hate doing). She just giggled and shouted, 'Bad!' and smacked herself on the backside again. Stupid nappies! That's when I smelled another poo in her nappy. Great. I was annoyed, cross and exasperated all at once.

In the car, she tried to reconcile herself to me, but I just ignored her cute intentions and told her 'Mummy is very cross with you for being naughty and running away.' She fell asleep in the car, and by the time I got home, I wasn't annoyed anymore, just tired and desperate to keep her asleep. I almost didn't manage it, but now she's asleep, and I'm halfway through a cup of tea, and I'm starting to relax.

After this it's on to the obvious mummy-tiring stuff like cleaning up the construction paper mess we made this morning.