The Art of Frazzle

I think I may have perfected it tonight.

First let me start with some background information: I decided over a year ago that, after working from the house and being, more or less, a hermit 5 days a week for the past year, I needed an extracurricular activity. In moves the Junior League. When we found out I was pregnant, I started to doubt my decision but soon realized that, in my being with child, I was now in the majority of those in Junior League. If they can do it, then so can I RIGHT? hmmmm

For our provisional project this year, we are renovating the playroom and playground for the Penelope House, a home for battered women and children. I was in charge of the design of the Playroom. It was kind of a daunting task to take on right smack dab in the middle of having a baby. (the time frame for the design was the month of January...I'm crazy right?) I had a great committee though and it ended up working great.

As provisionals, we have Large Group meetings once a month.

Ok that's enough background info...on to Becoming Frazzled.

Around 11am this morning I received a call from the girl in "charge" of our provisional class. I was busy at the time so did not answer it. Around 2 I checked my phone messages, one of them being from this call. She asked if I would stand up and give a talk to the Provisional Class tonight at our meeting to update everyone on the status of the Playroom (that the rest of the class had been working on for the past three weekends). I said "Sure" and my mind was saying "huh? Meeting tonight? Since when?" Right then and there my list of things I was supposed to do this afternoon went flying out the window. I packed Bennett up (who was really hoping for a nap) and we headed over to the Penelope House so that I could get a look at this aforementioned "status" (I have not been there for the actual work, my volunteer hours were over after all the design work).

I came home, then realized Stephen had a softball game at 8. Junior League at 6:30. Lasts prob an hour and a half. Bennett eats dinner and goes to bed by around 7:30 every night, and he tends to be quite particular about this. Hmmmm

I decided that, instead of Stephen bathing, feeding, and putting Bennett to bed in his car seat and then bringing him to the Junior League headquarters before his softball game and me then taking him home after the meeting and trying to THEN put him to bed again, (whew), I would just take him with me, and he would do the whole bath, eat, to bed routine a little later than he was used to.

We start out great. Happy baby in a car seat, everyone ooing and ahhing over him (just a side note: there are babies/kids of all ages periodically at all the different meetings, so I wasn't doing something out of the ordinary by bringing him with me). He is being a ham, smiling it up, spitting it up a smidge (whats new), overall Yay. Well the meeting starts and when the girl starts talking over the microphone, he is startled and the bottom lip goes out. Starts to shiver. On comes the start of a low whine. I get him out of his seat and hold him. Ok now. Looking around, standing on my legs, looking at my friend Whiting sitting beside me. A different girl takes over the mike. Startled Bennett again. He starts to make more noise. I take him to the back of the room to the hall, and he whimpers a little bit, but then starts to nod off (yesssssssss).

I start to walk back to the room since my turn to speak is coming up, and what happens???? Yea any tried and true Mom could have guessed it. He b.l.o.w.s. out his diaper. The noisy, out the back and all over his outfit not to mention moms outfit kind of blowout. sweet.

The sleepy baby now becomes a very awake and angry baby. He lets me hear about it. I walk around the back hall to the bathroom, knowing any second now they are going to introduce me and I will be nowhere to be found. I wrap him up in his little blanket and try and cover up the large spot on my shirt. He calms down a little and I walk back into the room right as it is my turn to talk. I hand him to the girl in "charge" of our provisional class (who happens to have a 15 week old) and grab the microphone. I was so flustered and frazzled and made a mess out of everything I was supposed to say. I don't even remember what I said, just that in order to hide the huge spot on my shirt I had to take on an incredibly awkward stance. I did everything my 9th grade speech teacher Mrs. Marsh would have frowned upon.

When I was done butchering the english language and everything that is public speaking, I grabbed my baby, car seat, diaper bag, and what was left of my dignity and ran for the hills.

I made it home and threw the baby in the bathtub. And by "threw" I mean placed very lovingly and gently, as he is an infant, duh. I couldnt help but laugh with him as he remembered how happy the bath makes him. He had an active dinner and fell asleep as I was walking him to his crib.

And here I am. Writing this insanely long (what has now become a) short story of a post. Deciding that I have now perfected

The Art of Frazzle