MOMMY*MOMMY*MOMMY*MOMMY*MOMMY

I can remember when I was little my mom would say, "My name is not Mom or Mommy anymore!" It was a very puzzling sentence for me to process. Of course her name was mommy. What other name should I use? Debbie? ....huh? You are MOMMY!

Well, now that I'm the one being called "mommy", I'm tempted to utter the same phrase:

MY NAME IS NOT MOMMY!

Of course, that logic is utterly worthless on a two year old. He barely registers that I've even said something before the next battery of MOMMYMOMMYMOMMY comes out of his mouth. He breathes in, with the sole purpose of inhaling enough breath to utter that beloved name. I'm sure you're thinking, "oh what a poor little boy. He's desperate for some attention". Let me tell you straight up that it doesn't matter if I've just spent 15 minutes making choo-choos out of play dough, or 15 minutes cleaning up the kitchen. I can be standing across the room, or in front of him, and he still calls out "MOMMY". For 20 consecutive times, I reply "Yes, Joshua?" and his response was another "MOMMY!" Then I tried ignoring it, but that was just an exercise in frustration. Then I tried to respond with eye contact instead of a verbal response. That startled him! My undivided attention was lavished on him AT HIS REQUEST and he had nothing to say.

Brian came home for lunch and I ran out of the room for a few precious moments of quiet. I know he's two. I know he's not going to desire my attention, approval, involvement forever.
Brian reminded me of the quote that I put up in my kitchen:

These are the moments I thank God that I'm alive.

I want to see those words every day. To remember that even in the crazy moments, the frustrating moments, the overwhelming days as a mom, that I thank God I'm alive and that this is my life.