My little boy just turned eighteen months old recently, meaning that somehow, a year and a half has gone by since he was born. Like most moms, I have NO idea where the time went. It seems like just yesterday that I was baby wearing an adorable sleeping newborn and learning how to perfect my squats so as not to disturb him. Now, I’m lugging a giggling thirty pound toddler around like a football because he gets into everything that he shouldn’t. Regardless of constantly being on my feet, running after him, being a personal chef for someone who will only throw my food on the floor, and being permantly exhausted, sometimes I reflect that I couldn’t wait for these days, and now that they’re here, I’m determined to soak them up.
The other night, I made chicken parm for dinner. Because of my son’s allergies, I fried the chicken in a mixture of chickpea and cassava flour, then served it over chickpea pasta. As shown above, I put the meal in his favorite cow-shaped plate, and I could have started to cry looking at it. When Harry and I first started thinking about having kids, it was moments like this that I dreamed of. I couldn’t wait until we could eat meals as a family (again, even though he throws most of it on the ground…). Even with our FPIES experience and navigating allergies, mealtime is still one of my favorite times of the day.
I have been a stay at home mom since my son was born, and though I am easily the happiest I’ve ever been, it hasn’t always been the easiest journey. I do recognize that I am extremely fortunate to be able to stay home – Harry is incredibly hard-working and I’m forever in awe of what he does to provide for us – and even though it’s the best work there is, it isn’t always easy. There are some days that I miss human interaction, hence why dinnertime is one of the highlights of my day. I’m not ashamed that I ask my husband to share every detail of his day, and I do mean every. I live for the workplace drama, and even if all he has is a story about going to the break room, I want to hear about it. Things are easier now that our son is older and we get to play together. I’ve made it our mission to visit as many local parks as possible, and there is always work to be done here on the farm. I’m just grateful that my toddler is too young to tell me that my stories are lame or that he doesn’t want to hang out with mom. He still thinks I’m the coolest person ever (aside from his dad), so I’m going to ride this wave for as long as I can.
All-in-all, this season of life has its challenges, without a doubt, but I am so incredibly grateful for it. Seeing my little boy grow is one of the best and worst things about parenthood, and the fact that I get to witness every single moment of it makes it that much sweeter. Even on the hard days, I remind myself how fortunate I am, and when he snuggles into me at the end of the day with that sleepy smile… Words can’t describe how rewarding it is.
Until next time,
Jill
The Glen Farm 