Mommy-Lucas Day
Today was a Mommy-Lucas Day. These are precious Fridays during which I try hard to ignore my clients and make up for lost time with Lucas—the time when Lucas has been with other caregivers. Sometimes Mommy-Lucas days are magical and fun and serve to recharge my batteries, reset my Guiltometer nearer to zero, and remind me how amazing and delightful my little boy is.
Today was one of those days. Despite the huge pile of work on my desk, the looming deadlines, and the two offers of MORE editing projects, I took my kid out for a morning of fun-but-ordinary errands.
First we went to see Dr. O’Brian, Mommy’s chiropractor. My back is doing better now, thank you. I may have just one appointment next week instead of two! Lucas likes Dr. O’Brian because he has toys and tuning forks and a giant orange gym ball that makes an awesome “boing” when Lucas dribbles it in the exam room. I like Dr. O’Brian because he folds and twists and hugs my spine into a popping-cracking bliss. For a doctor, he gives really good hugs.
Next, Lucas and I headed toward the fish/aquarium store. My poor fish are suffocating in a dingy tank with a very, very old and scudgy filter. Lucas and I both like to peer into fish tanks, noses on the glass. We like all the colors fish come in, especially the blue ones. On the way, though, Lucas announced that he had to go potty, so we had to make a detour back to our house.
OK. Then we went to the fish store. Alas, they were closed. We headed for a nearby pet store instead. Their back room has some nice fish. We saw orange fish and turtles and lizards with blue tongues. We watched the bunnies and saw tiny mice running on a wheel. Lucas thought they were pretty funny. The love birds were too loud, we decided. We bought blue and green rocks to go in the tank, after I clean it.
Lunchtime. We walked across the parking lot to the “Round Tables.” Lucas has been asking to go there for a while. The kid polished of three pieces of pizza! Then we drove down the road a little way to stop in at Baskin Robins. (Yeah, I know it’s junk food.) He ate a sherbet called “Wild & Reckless.” It was bright blue, green, and purple. It takes a really long time for a 3-year-old to eat a single scoop on a sugar cone.
We stopped in at Ross next. I bought him two toys there for $10. One is an indoor bowling set with a soft ball and six soft pins. The other is a lacing kit that has wooden cards with holes to lace or “sew.” They show pictures of vehicles, including a train. Some crankiness set in at Ross. Lucas wanted a toy that I didn’t want to buy and he was getting tired. He conveniently waited until I was naked in the dressing room before he announced that he had to go potty. But I took it in stride. I bought myself a light jacket.
Other good things happened today too: Lucas napped! I worked for an hour. We bowled … inside. We visited Grandma Sydney, and when Ian and Papa got done with work, we all went out for Chinese food. And at bedtime, Lucas didn’t fuss or argue.
And now, after 14 1/2 good hours with my son, I can finally turn my attention to my husband. Goodnight.
