When do moms have time to write? At the end of a long work day, there is dinner to be made, kid to put to sleep, dishes to be done, and then couch time!
This week was a long one. Wednesday, I got home at 7:30pm. I hadn’t seen Jacob all day so I asked my husband to keep him awake a little bit longer so I could play with him. He was sleepy and I thought I could swoop in and snuggle in for bedtime. That plan backfired because when he saw me, he got super excited and wanted to play. I put him in the crib in our usual fashion but he bolted up and cried and cried and cried because he wanted me to hold him. After a few attempts of putting my hand on his chest through the crib rails, I had to let him cry it out a little bit.
Thursday I had to leave for work at 5:40am so I missed him in the morning. Thankfully it was a shorter work day and I was off on Friday so I felt a little bit better about missing him in the morning. The end of the day could not come fast enough but finally it was over! As grumpy as I was for missing my Wednesday and Thursday with him, I had to remind myself that I rarely have to work late or super early!
We planned to go to the Pumpkin Patch Friday morning in Del Mar when it wouldn’t be so busy and the weather was cooler. San Diego has been having a bit of a heat wave (80s) and the afternoons would get too hot and sunny. I know, I don’t know how we make it through the days here. Last Halloween was Jacob’s 1st Halloween and we had a blast at the Pumpkin Patch!
It was a pumpkin ‘farm’ that was created by putting some hay on top of asphalt and had rows of pre-selected pumpkins available for sale. The farm also had a lot of rides and games. There was no hay ride,unfortunately.
There were some rides that Jacob wanted to ride. He didn’t want to ride by himself so I rode cars and the train with him. And then he didn’t want to exit the ride when it was done. The other parents smiled in empathy as Jacob sat and cried before I had to scoop him up. The doctor mom in me looked at the bounce house and big inflatable slide and imagined all the potential dangers like broken teeth, elbows in the face, flying off the slide, sliding face first and mapped which ER would we go to. Would those worries ever go away?
There was a bigger crowd than I had imagined for a Monday morning. Lots of moms and children maybe 4-5 years old. It turns out a lot of schools were there for a field trip. As I looked around at all the moms (few dads) there, I had to wonder, are these most stay-at-home Moms (SAHMs)? Ninety percent of them were holding Starbucks cups, well-dressed and many BOB and double BOB strollers in tow.
To be brutally honest, I was nervous about what my future would hold. I silently promised Jacob and myself that I would ‘dress up’ in something fancier than Lululemon leggings and hoodies and put some makeup on. I knew I would have to interact with other moms and kids in the future aka play well with others in the sandbox. Most of my days have been interacting with my friends whom I’ve known for 20+ years or other physician parents. I try to interact with other moms at the playground but I usually am working and Jacob is there with the nanny or they have their own cliques and don’t pay attention to anyone else’s kids or people. Excuses aside, I know I will have to be open and social in this new world!
I welcome any advice from experienced parents in this arena. Happy Halloween and Pumpkin Spice Latte season!
Trust Me, I'm a Doctor Mom 