Tales from the Crib

With the incentive of free tickets, Nate and I decided to be brave and take the family to Summerfest.

We take our 9-month-old baby, Anika, just about everywhere. Our family toted her along at a mere 3 weeks old to our favorite Japanese restaurant. She celebrated her two month "birthday" at a Brewers game.

But now that she's crawling, she is rarely content to stay still on my lap or tuck into a Baby Bjorn for a snooze.

On Friday, minutes after deciding to take Anika and her big sister Mia to Summerfest, it started raining. I was sure that solidified our plans of staying in the house, but Nate had different plans. Never one to pass up a festival, he figured the rain would pass and the fairgrounds would clear out -- leaving a perfect spacious area for our family.

I was skeptical, but with free tickets and a free parking pass, we had nothing to lose. Even though my gut was telling me that there was no way we could pull this off, I packed an overstuffed diaper bag and shoved the stroller in the trunk.

We arrived and went through the bag/stroller check with none of the problems I had anticipated. To my surprise, things were looking positive.

Our first stop is always Mia's fest favorite, the corn stand. Immediately, Anika was fussy. I thought she must have been over-stimulated and suggested we sit alone at the lakefront. Nate shrugged and said, "Try this." He took Mia's corn on the cob and gave it to Anika. A few licks and a bite of corn and she was calm. Leave it to relaxed father intuition.

We danced, played games and shared food until an impressive 9:45 p.m. It was the perfect time to leave, because as the sun went down, the air chilled and fair-goers became magically drunker.

Sometimes our plans actually work out, sometimes they go dreadfully wrong. But days like this remind me why we keep trying.

I’ll be honest, when I was first approached to write a blog, I responded with a firm no.
 
My answer was most likely inspired by some self-help book I vaguely remember reading (skimming) in my 20s about busy women who are not able to graciously and guiltlessly say no. As someone who worked three jobs while writing a college thesis, I was never that woman to turn down an opportunity/job/volunteer project.
 
Still a new mom, I worried how I could fit it in. Or worse yet, how I could remember to post.
 
When I was pregnant with Anika, a veteran mom asked me if I was suffering from “Mommy Brain.” I was completely unfamiliar with the term, as my silent glare revealed.
 
“It’s true,” she said. “You get forgetful and flighty, but don’t worry, you’ll get it back—mostly.”
 
Mostly? It didn’t make sense then, but now I get it. I can testify to the existence of the urban legend of mommy brain.  
 
I "officially, for the last time" leave the house at least twice (on a good day). I’ve misplaced the electric bill. Three times. I’ve even forgotten to put diapers in the diaper bag.
 
Yesterday, for example, I tried to mail a birthday package to Anika’s grandmother. Overlooking the fact that her birthday was two weeks ago, the package was ready to go—photos of the children, a birthday gift and card. I planned to hit the post office on my lunch break, but before I left my office, I realized I’d forgotten the envelope with her address written on it.
 
I called home, ordered Anika’s daddy, Nate, to shuffle through my address book (I don’t know when or how it became so disorganized). I wrote the address on the back of another envelope.
 
As I walked in the door to the post office, I did a double- and triple-take through my purse. The envelope I wrote on minutes ago was still sitting on my desk.
 
Through clenched teeth, I planned to call a co-worker for the address. But my cell phone was sitting on my desk next to the envelope.
 
Her package still sits in the back of the car for when I re-attempt to send the package, hopefully within the month of her birthday.
 
Even with my forgetfulness, I’m hopeful I can write a blog people will find interesting enough to read. And I must have forgotten about my firm no, because when I was asked a second time to do a blog, I responded with a firm—and enthusiastic—yes.