Windows

Windows of Opportunity (2), a photo by lamar.francois on Flickr.

One of the most frustrating parts of motherhood is waiting for a window of opportunity to open so that you can return to your former self for a moment. These windows rarely open for more than an hour or two, so when they do, it's crucial to take advantage.

My day is organized around Eliza's schedule. I wait for her to sleep so that I can shower, make the bed, clean the kitchen, do the laundry, blog, read, etc. If I want to leave the house, I must consult her feeding schedule to determine if it's worth going out at that particular time or if I should wait another hour until after she's had a bottle.

When I get together with my friends, we try to co-ordinate schedules in advance by aligning our morning feeds in hopes that the kids will stay on a similar schedule. This is particularly important when traveling together, as I have done twice in the past few months.

Right now, Matt doesn't know it, but he is missing out on his window of opportunity to go to the gym this morning by choosing to nap on the couch instead. Well, he probably knows it and is ignoring it because I made it clear that he should've left 40 minutes ago while she was napping. Once she wakes up, it will be bottle time again and the whole Groundhog Day life that we're living will once again commence.

My MIL came down Wednesday morning and I jumped right out of that window, onto my bike, and zipped up to Washington Street where I met our realtor (and dear friend) for lunch to talk strategy for getting us out of this one bedroom. Thank goodness I have a great MIL because I need to taste freedom once in a while.

I wish my family lived closer because then I would have a lot of help and could feel more like myself, more often. Having a baby has made me realize the value of communal living; if I win the lottery, I'm buying a massive spread of land somewhere beautiful and temperate, building gorgeous cottages, and I'm inviting all of my favorite people to join me in a shared experience.

And on that note, this window has come to a close, as my baby daughter is waking from her nap and it's time to feed The Cheeks.