I have all the same issues other mommies do plus some

People act like I don't have the same problems other mommies do. How do they figure? My toddler is no less a toddler just because my life did a good loopy loop on me. Promise.

I co-slept. I am also battling getting him into his own room. I don;t like letting him cry it out. But I know he's going to cry/fuss a little. I know the difference between a frantic cry and an I'm tired and frustrated cry. My husband doesn't. So my husband will be putting him down and a few minutes later I hear the frantic cry of desperation. I go running and my husband claims he thought we decided it was okay to let him cry for a few minutes because it seems to be the only way he'll go to sleep. I have explained the cries to him, he just doesn't hear the difference. I chalk it up to a mom thing. My husband is a wonderful father and tries very hard.

Diet. OH, the diet struggle. My husband and I were not brought up with good eating habits. I understand what you eat affects you mental, emotional and physical health so I am in constant battle to find things that will properly nourish my son. I have an added problem here. I can't be on my feet for long periods. My feet hurt, legs hurt, back hurts and I start to feel physically sick. I have tried to push myself a couple of times and almost pushed myself right back into the hospital. So I make sure to listen to my body now. I have about 5-ish minutes. I do make nicer meals for dinner sometimes, but they are things where I can sit down every once in a while.

A great quick and easy lunch is a ham sandwhich - I cut in fours and he gets 2 squares. I save the other half in a baggies in the fridge. He's coming out of another growth spurt and eating less so it might go down to one square. Now, we do shop on a budget. I'll post how as soon as I get it down to a science, myself. But we are still experimenting. I still look at nutritional value. We get whole wheat bread. I'm a fan of honey wheat myself.

Back to lunch. I also cut a quarter of an apple. I don't do chunks as I see that as asking for a choking situation. I do strips. Like fries. He can't shove a whole strip in his mouth at once. He has to take bites. Then, the strips are thin (like fries) so if he does decide to bite of a hunk, it is harder to get lodged.

I also add a few teddy grahams. They are a good source of calcium and stuff and he likes them. Plus, he is lactose intolerant. Kid hates soy. I don't blame him. So do I. So we get the off brand of Lactaid. It's milk without lactose. Same benefits of whole milk. The whole milk version is dang close to milk. The low fat tastes like butt. Just sayin'.

Cleaning. Can we say pain in the rear? Let me remind you of my 5 minute limit. So it takes me like...an hour to do a load of dishes. I do a little every day. I do at least one load of dishes a day. I also pick up his toys probably twice a day.

Now, picking up the toys I've gotten smart on. I can sit down and do it. How? Well, I point to a toy an tell my son to either bring it to mommy or put it ___. This works. And I am teaching my kid to pick up after himself. This also works for bits of trash that somehow end up on my floor. He even brings trash to me now without me having to ask. It's rather nice. I recommend it.

My husband does do dishes sometimes. I also need help with some of the harder things. Like scrubbing the shower/bath. It's too awkward for me to get in there and do it. I also scrub the plates under the elements of the stove out once a month and lift the lid of the stove and do the same under there. I sometimes need his help if there is a particularly pesky spot that will not come up. Also, he has to move the microwave.

Comforting my child. This is my most difficult task. For while I have finally managed to be able to pick him up (just in about the past month or two), I can't hold him long at all. If I can lean in a corner or something, it's easier because I don't have to focus so much on my balance. Even then I can get 2-3 minutes. So when he is sick and wants to be held and walked around, I can't do it. I have to try to find another way to comfort him until his daddy comes home. This, of course, kills me. I was having problems when he was born so I was never really able to walk him like he wanted for comfort. Even then it was get from here to there and sit.

Playing with him. If we go to the park, it has to be with someone else. Even then, my options are limited to sit and watch. I can't get out there and play with him. The ground is very uneven. Plus, the areas under the slides and such are mulch. So the mush in and give. This is an accident waiting to happen for me. My circulation isn't as good as it should be. So sitting on the floor to long hurts. My legs fall asleep fast and take forever to 'wake up'. And there is serious pain during this process. I try. We watch more tv than I would really like. But he can sit in my lap, I can rest and we can cuddle and be happy. The bright side is we have no cable. I rent DVDs and I have some we bought him. So I have 100% control over what he sees.

I can't drive right now. I know how. I used to love to drive. I just can't right now. Lack of sight in my left eye and poor control in my right hand and foot may have something to do with it. I do still have a valid liscence. No one ever told me not to drive. I just decided this was common sense. So if there is an emergency, my options are:

1) Call the hubby to come home from work and bring Gabriel to the doctor. This is like pulling teeth. It is my last resort because it is the most difficult. My husband works for Domino's Pizza. They are not family friendly. My husband was a store manager when I was in the hospital for surgery. I was in the hospital for a month. An hour and a half away from everyone. My husband was only able to come 2-3 times a week b/c of work. When he was there, his boss kept calling him wondering why he wasn't at the store. In the end they demoted him for not being at the store enough. He worked 50-70+ hours a week and once went over 3 weeks w/o a day off. We need money and insurance. I hate Domino's.

2) Call a friend and see if anyone is free. I keep an extra car seat at our house. This is a hard one, as well since everyone I know with a car works a 9-5.

3) Call an ambulance. I will if I have to. I'm not to fond of this option because of cost, but my baby's safety and health are #1.

These are just a few things. My role and challenges as a mother are no different than anyone else's because of my circumstances. Just more challenging.