Just another day in the office

I've been playing single mom again, and not enjoying it. Last week Jon was in sunny Miami, this week he was in brisk Boston, and in between he was in the home office working on his final paper. So we haven't seen much of him lately. Surprisingly, these past two weeks have been easier than I expected. Not "easy" but "easier." Jack is still as active as ever, but he hasn't been so clingy lately. In fact, he may be becoming a little too independent. He's officially learned how to "crawl" down the stairs (actually, he turns on his belly, puts his hands in the air and slides down, and usually make my heart stop in fear for a few seconds). He's also figured out he can climb off Mommy's lap when she's reading a bedtime story and head for the stairs faster than she can turn the page. Oh, and last night he attempted to get out of the bathtub on his own - twice! About gave me a heart attack! But with this newfound independence also comes an ability to play longer by himself and find new entertainment without Mommy's help. It's been very nice! I'm beginning to wonder if the previous few weeks were "just a phase." He's almost like a completely different kid now!

Well, when Jon's away he takes the laptop (i.e. my home office) with him. Which means I have to do all my work down in the cold, dark guestroom. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm able to accomplish A LOT when I'm down there, with no other distractions, but only when Jack's asleep. When he's awake, which is the better part of the day, it's "a whole nuther story" (I think that's my favorite grammatically incorrect phrase).

First of all, it is deadline time in my world. My phone is off the hook, and my email inbox keeps sending me warning messages that I've reached 497.5MB of my 500MB limit. I think this is the first time in at least a year I've been geniuinely stressed. I almost forgot what it felt like! So I'm spending much more time on work than usual. Unfortunately, the office is our least baby-friendly room in the house because Jack isn't down there very often. When Daddy got back he was in for a little surprise.

Take the other day for example. I gave Jack some toys to play with on the floor while I logged in to my email. The toys were fun for a few minutes, and then he found the tissue box and pulled out all the tissues. I took that away and then he attacked the trash can, spreading papers all over the floor, which are fun to walk on when you're a 14 month old with little balance to begin with. After he broke the candle holder and Daddy's barometer, he started eating my plant. The one that I've brought back from the brink of death on numerous occasions. We'll it continues to teeter on in the land of the living, despite several Jack attacks.

At this point I thought I'd better step in. So I held Jack with one hand and typed with the other. Then Jack noticed my eyeballs. For some reason he thinks they are fun to poke. I couldn't take it anymore so I put him back on the floor, where he crawled under the desk, and hit the blue, blinking button that turns Mommy's computer off. Right in the middle of my work.

Needless to say, I was perturbed. While we were waiting for the computer to re-boot I took Jack for a spin in the computer chair. He likes this and it keeps him calm for a few minutes. Probably because he gets a little dizzy. Well, I may have taken a few spins too many. I could hardly see straight. I closed my eyes for a few second and when I opened them Jack had managed to shut himself in the dark, windowless bathroom and couldn't figure out how to get he door open. Mommy to the rescue! A nap soon followed.

Much to my delight, the hubster is now home and these weeks of single-mommyhood are ended. Even better news is that we'll soon be on our way to Pennsylvania where I know Jack will get all the attention he needs and I'll get the break I deserve!