Saturday, August 18, 2012

high-low, home

I have just wrapped up night 21 of 22 consecutive days without my husband/partner/best friend/children's father.  This is the longest we've been separated since before our first daughter was born.  Juniper, Hazel and I became a tight little pack of women, moving through our days with purpose, thinking three steps ahead, prioritizing every minute.  48 hours ago, we returned from a week and a half stint at grandma's house.  We came home to a filthy house, laundry piled on the couch, stinky garbage, mouse poo in the stroller, 150 head of over-ripe garlic, more squash, loads of green beans ready for harvest, a grouchy toddler lonely for her daddy...everybody, everything, needing me RIGHT NOW.  Round trip, we had made it through 4 airplane flights, 6 hours of driving and 5 hours of layovers without a scratch, but once home, we collapsed.  Our little pack blew apart and sent us flying every direction.  
^Juniper painted on the wall then dumped her paint-water on the table.^
Today, Hazel was teething and tired and wouldn't nap without me.  Juniper was whining for things I didn't want her to have, fighting against everything I wanted her to take/eat/wear/do.  I wanted to throw in the towel.  I wanted to get in my car and come back in two days.  I considered checking us all into a hotel in a different town so I wouldn't have to be home, not yet.  I called my husband, to admonish him to COME HOME, even though he's still several states away.
^Hazel and the first two-thirds of our garlic harvest.^
But I'm a mama and we rally.  Hazel nursed.  Juniper found a toy.  My husband and I talked.  Our broken little pack napped: Juniper in her room, Hazel and I in mine.  I swirled through dinner prep, alternately browning antelope burger and donning a twirly-girl skirt Juniper insisted I wear so we could twirl and ride the merry-go-round (a.k.a my suitcase).  No matter how much shit has to get done, I cannot pass up an invitation to twirl.
I twirled and browned, shredded zucchini and passed Hazel a spoonful of peas and apricots, leaving it to her to find her mouth.
I boiled and twirled, shredded and passed, browned and dipped, and passed and twirled.  And in the end, Hazel was satiated, Juniper and I had antelope spaghetti with fresh oregano, thyme and zucchini plus an enormous bowl of shredded zuccs to sprinkle into eggs and bread, or bag and freeze.
Since we've been home--and because shit hit the fan and because we were always already two steps behind and because sometimes I had to make the decision between not showering for another three days or letting Hazel wail while I shaved my armpits--Juniper has been sleeping with me and Hazel at night (which she hasn't done in many, many months).  We had all shared a room at Grandma's house and she was, understandably, a little scared to be alone again.  Once Hazel fell asleep, sandwiched between my two daughters, I turned to snuggle Juniper.  She was still awake as we lay there, tête-à-tête, the dark orbs of her eyes boring into mine.  A smile creeped across her face.  She started to whisper something--probably about merry-go-rounds or white horses or red trains or the beach--but I shushed her and she nestled into me.  If I moved just a little she'd whisper, "No mama, you wanna snuggle me more?"  And it was then that I realized in these intense days of raising young children, when every cell of your body is immersed in motherhood, the same days that deliver the lowest of low points also deliver the highest of highs.  
:: ::  

::  Up next: Grandma's house.     

2 comments:

  1. Hang in there Mama and keep enjoying the highest of highs! I so enjoy your Blog. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can SO relate to "everybody, everything, needing me RIGHT NOW." It is such an intense and sometimes maddening place. And twirling TOTALLY helps, I very much agree with that.

    xo
    Nici

    ReplyDelete

What say you? I want to hear it!