And Then There's Burnt Fish...

Hours after my last entry, I decided to apply my newly acquired learning on baby nutrition to Amelia's dinner experience. Now, to begin with, she missed her late afternoon nap. That's mama-speak for having cried and played instead of slept. By 4pm, she was antsy and over-tired, and I decided to take her to her favorite park for a little entertainment and distraction. By 5pm, she was down-right grumpy. Still, I was on my mission and pulled out the chicken, brown rice and fresh green beans from the fridge. I toasted, ground and boiled the brown rice; trimmed, boiled and pureed the chicken; and trimmed, steamed and pureed the green beans; all while picking up her dropped toys and biscuit every few minutes and entertaining her with smiles and song. Whew! She was in tears, exhausted, by the time that dinner was ready, though she seemed to love every bite! After bath and nursing, I happily passed her along to my husband, and came down to clean up, prepare our dinner, and relax. I was feeling so proud of my accomplishment (the first "complex" home-made dinner for Amelia, since introducing meat), that I even called my mom to boast about my feat. I then suddenly remembered the salmon and veggies that I had completely forgotten on the stove and in the oven! All of this attention on Amelia's dinner, and I forget to tend to my own dinner. Still, I enjoyed a nice glass of chardonney as I ate my over-cooked dinner, and remembered the two most important components of being a good mama: sleep (this needs its own category) and taking time for myself. Otherwise, forget mission, forget purpose, forget dinner, and forget which keys go with which object (yes, I've stood in front of my house door pressing the unlook car door key)... We are, after all, still human.