Crazy Mommy

I love my daughter down to the core, but sometimes she can really drive me nuts.

“I’m crying just so I can see how my mommy will react!”

Now that she’s a year old, I’ve noticed that my sweet little baby has been replaced with a real human being, complete with the ability to push other people’s buttons.

Although she’s still sweet 99 percent of the time, the remainder is spent testing her limits — throwing things on the floor then staring at me to see my reaction, touching things I specifically told her not to, and doing backbends when she does not want to get picked up. Fun.

When she gets into one of those moods, I approach the situation as calmly as possible.

“I want to tear my hair out!”

Other times, I just do a serene face to help my little darling calm down.

“Grrr.”

I think it’s safe to say that after a whole year of being a mom, I’m an expert at handling a fussy baby.

“Let’s just wait for daddy to come home.”

On those days, one thought keeps me going: I’m not here. I look forward to when I can finally step away from taking care of the baby and catch a break.  Mothers, I am learning, need a breather from the emotional rollercoaster that comes with the territory of raising a person.

So, I take a break. Maybe I can even devote some time to blog. Frankly, these breaks don’t last very long. I come running back to my baby because even if she can drive me crazy, I’m just a mess without her.

 “Waaaah. I miss my baby.”