Sunday, January 23, 2011

I hurt my brain.

Rome says so many funny things throughout the day, but I wanted to share her most recent meltdown. I was in the kitchen making dinner and she was in her kitchen doing the same except Mulligan, the wonder dog, was helping her cook. I didn't get to see exactly what happened but I know it involved a toy frying pan full of pretend dinner and an attempt to ride the dog to the table. There was a crash then she came running to me holding her head and crying. I tried to calm her down and asked her to tell me what happened. In between the sobs all I could manage to understand was, "I hurt my brain."


I love the term spirited child...it's such a nice way of saying this kid is wild and I want to go hide. But in between those moments of chaos are these moments where I am nothing but amazed. I am amazed by the way she views the world and I realize I need to slow down and see through the eyes of a child. When her toy doesn't work or her figurines fall down she just says, "uh-oh" and moves on. There is no grumbling or mumbling or wondering why nothing goes right. Theres no hindsight replay and coulda, shoulda, wouldas. I am starting to realize that its not me who is raising this child but instead this child who is raising me. So from now
on I will be making a conscious effort to see through Rome's eyes, stop cataloguing my faults, and only flip out if I hurt my brain.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Friends, family, and catharsis

While standing in the journal section Of Books A Million, my friends Whitney, Elizabeth and I decided the new year would bring not only resolutions but also blogs. I laughed it off and thought, "yeah right. Like I have anything to blog about." But as I thought about it more I realized the Eggleston zoo has not only many friends and family in far away places but also many stories to tell. Yesterday,I walked into the bathroom to check on Rome's potty progress and I noticed she had gotten a little confused as her head was in the toilet and her behind was flying high in the air. It was at that moment I knew a blog would also be cathartic. Thank you to all of you who are joining us on this wonderful journey. We hope you can relate and laugh with us.