03/31/2007

I just finished picking the last macaroni noodles off the floor. It seems Nathan is incapable of grasping the concept of cutlery. Today I made him Macaroni and Cheese for lunch. He has reached the stage where he is confident in his own abilities (albeit false confidence) and simply will not allow anyone to assist him in any way, shape, or form. At first I tried giving him a fork. The noodles eluded the prongs so many times that he threw the fork down in frustration and demanded a newer, better replacement. Then we tried the spoon. This worked with slightly more success, but as any capable adult would tell you, a spoon works better when it is not inverted. Finally Nathan succumbed to his frustrations and simply threw the entire bowl of Macaroni on the ground. When it comes to food throwing, however, I am one step ahead of him.

The other day I scrubbed the stubborn stains out of the carpeting surrounding Nathan's high chair and covered the kitchen eating area with a rug. Now, he can throw food all he wishes. I simply look at the rug, quickly acquiring a series of unsightly stains, and remember that when Nathan grows and becomes civilized the rug will be thrown away--and with it, any evidence of my son's unruly eating habits.

I'm not always one step ahead of Nathan, however. In fact, I would say as a general rule he leaves me breathless and messy. Today I put him down for a nap with the crumbs from breakfast still stuck in his hair. I was too busy attempting to protect his life to do something like wipe PopTart from his head. He may continue the rest of the day in this sorry condition. Tonight I will give him a bath and try to scrub him down, but I've noticed that even after I bathe Nathan and remove all the obvious confections from his body, he often emerges feeling still slightly sticky. Oh well. To aim for perfection when the next catastrophe is likely right around the corner seems pointless...

Speaking of pointless; I don't think there is any reason to try and keep a clean house while one still has young children. It is about as effective as attempting to shovel the driveway in the middle of a blizzard. I'm considering renting until Nathan and Nia/Nolan (as of yet, not creating messes!) are grown. Then, when they've moved out Nick and I can have the home of our dreams. I will gladly allow the apartment complex to come in and repaint over the fingerprints, replace the stained carpets, and scrub the crayon off the woodwork. I suppose that before our children achieve perfect Godliness we will want a house, but I do relish the ease that accompanies child-free living. Yet, every Mother I ever meet tells me to savor these moments because in the blink of an eye my children will be all grown. I smile politely, turn away, and blink furiously...it never works.