ne thing that constantly amazes me about being a mom is how the mood of your child can affect your own. Obviously, if your child is in a bad mood, it definitely influences your outlook, but the same actually happens for me when Iris is in a good mood. I woke up this morning grumpy. This is really not a usual thing for me. Though I'm not a morning person, after I wake up, I have a generally good outlook on the day. However, not only am I worn out by this third trimester, but Josh's new job makes him get up and leave earlier (and I'm trying to get up at the same time so that I can have time to exercise in the mornings). And, I have a cold, which has been nagging at me for the past week. So I woke up rather exhausted, only to walk out into the house and find that the hours I spent doing dishes yesterday meant nothing, because I still have a pile overflowing the sink today--we desperately need a dishwasher! This sent me into a brooding mood, thinking about how my days as a stay-at-home mom now consist of cleaning the same things over and over every day. But I couldn't brood for long, as Iris and I had to be at her toddler class a little early this morning for a field trip. I went to get her up, and this picture is what I saw. She had a huge smile on her face, and all of her hair was sticking straight up. It's amazing to me that she has as much hair as she does in the first place, but that hair is so fine and wild and gravity-defying that it constantly gives me cause to laugh.My cheerful girl helped me a little as I scrambled to get ready, but my day still kept going downhill. All, of course, little things like hurting my hand on the edge of the pergo flooring that the previous owners put ON TOP of the laminate that was already there (and, for the millionth time, wondering what they were thinking when they made their "improvements" to the house), but all things added up, I was not happy when we left. This abruptly changed when we arrived at the Little Gym. Iris took a couple of minutes to warm up to the other kids, but then she was off. I was actually very surprised at her skill level. She is one of the youngest kids in her class, separated by at least 4 months from the older children. However, she keeps up with them. She was very excited to find the balance beam, which she walked repeatedly holding only one of my hands. She also was very excited to try hanging from the bars when she saw the older kids doing it, and though she doesn't yet have the strength to hold on, loved the attempts. It was so much fun to watch her run around and explore the equipment, much braver than most of the children to try new things, that by the time we left, I was downright cheerful.
That was until I ran my errands. It seems like bad days simply plague you, and I had more than the normal share of the usual frustrations of shopping in a small town with a toddler. I also found out the price of the Little Gym (which seems criminal in this economy), which put a damper on my mood. So when grumpy Mommy and Iris returned home, I was ready for my down time. I decided to try to put Iris down for her nap a little early (she no longer sleeps in the morning, but she was really tired after the gym), and when I set her in her crib, she sat down and began to hug her pirate doll. Of course, this didn't last until I could get my camera, but it was sweet to see my daughter, who doesn't cuddle at all, snuggle with her doll.
Sentimental as I am, I would say it was heartwarming. She continued to play and giggle while I tried to take a non-blurry picture, and even after I left the room, she sang and laughed with her toys. Leaving her in a good mood somehow changed my own, and she even inspired me to write instead of doing housework. Her good mood keeps putting this day back on track, keeping it from becoming too overwhelming for me. There are days when I feel like it's all I can do to carry myself through the endless hours, and then there are days when somehow, my little one-year-old carries us both.
