I had a wonderful weekend. I had the pleasure of spending a good deal of time with a special ten month old little girl. Many people would not consider a Saturday night being spent changing diapers and wiping snotty noses as pleasurable, I on the other hand found it to be just that. A night down memory lane, a night like so many others that I have had, when my own son was that age. Reality set in within the first five minutes of having her. My body, besides being fifteen years older, is just not the same. In my mind I could hear the first Doctor that had diagnosed me saying "you can do everything you always did, it's just going to be harder." I took his word for it and treated it like a challenge. Really how hard could it be? I raised a baby, it wasn't like shitty diapers changed themselves in my house. Parker didn't bath himself at ten months, or make his own bottles. I had been there and done that.
She had been with me a short time and it hit me, diaper changes. I prayed when I looked under that adorable outfit that there was a plastic huggies. I hadn't even thought about so many mothers nowadays going back to cloth diapers. If I had to use safety pins, this bundle of joy could be in serious pain before my right hand could get this mission accomplished. I was elated to find out her mother could give a rats ass how long disposable diapers stay in our land fills. They were good old Huggies and no pins required.
My next thought went to picking her up and carrying her. My right side is just not as strong as it once was. I thought about all these pictures you see in the tabloids of high fashion models carrying there young, always propped on one side, looking quite graceful. Now, I know I'm not looking like that, my point was that I would use my left side to pick her up. My mind kept going back to a day in the kitchen when I dropped a gallon of milk, I was sure the outcome would be much worse dropping this angelic baby, so extra care was taken and all was well.
I decided on the kitchen sink for bath time. Seemed much easier then leaning over the bath tub, and quite honestly once I remembered to move all the knives and forks from the dish drainer next to it, it worked like a charm. I had forgotten how slippery the little bambinos can be. Lets just say I pinned her like a pro wrestler, she wasn't getting away from this proficient parent. I have missed the smell of freshly bathed baby. I haven't however, missed the smell of freshly soiled diapers. I was reminded of that this morning. Apparently, I dumped one in the kitchen garbage last night. The stench quickly reminded me why I started taking my rubbish out nightly before going to bed.
When bedtime came, I was sure this would be what she was thinking. I wasn't sure I would be able to walk the floor to get her to sleep. We no longer have a rocking chair, and the thought had even crossed my mind about a car ride to get her to sleep. All of that was thrown out the window as I laid this little angel down, there was not a sound. She simply smiled and fell fast asleep. I was a bit worried about taking my night time meds and not hearing her if she was to awake. Guess I worry to much, last night every noise in the house woke me up.
Reality check, I'm not 25 anymore. Reality check, I have Parkinson's, but it didn't have me this weekend.
Today has been a good day.
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