As my 30th birthday looms on the horizon, I’m beginning to feel like I am no longer a child. It’s funny – this feeling is NOT stemming from this birthday milestone, or the fact that I am now a parent, or even that the idea of a good night includes a glass of wine at home and being in bed by 10 PM. This feeling stems from a recent debilitating episode of getting dressed one morning.
As I was pulling on my pants something in my back snapped. “Awch. Oh god, I can’t stand up. Is that the baby waking up?” As I massaged my lower back and hobbled into the baby’s room, I felt like an adult. When I called my husband, 6 hours later in tears because I could no longer stand up and hold the baby, I felt like an adult. Two weeks later as I made my 7th appointment at the chiropractor, I felt like an adult.
I’ve never before had back problems. Sure it was sore towards the end of my pregnancy – but that was to be expected – I had a HUGE belly in front of me. But this time my back was so strained I was forced to crawl on the floor. As an indication of my debilitated state I actually called my mother and begged her to be on the next flight to Connecticut to help me (those of you who know me understand that this is a big deal because I HATE asking for help).
When it all boils down – I realize that I’m not old (but I’m not young anymore either) and that my back problems stemmed from stupidity and not fraility. The day before my incident I carried my 20 pound son in a baby bjorn, a 20 pound bag of cat food, 3 gallons of milk, 5 pounds of chicken, and 5 pounds of walnuts (gotta love Costco) up the stairs from the garage and into my apartment all at the same time.
So, my back went snap; my spirit went crackle; and the bubble of youth went pop.
Baby Food 
Ai yai yai! (Or however you spell that.) And Ouch with a capital O. I really hope you are doing better.
I started feeling like an adult when I found myself with stacks of bills related to health insurance, property insurance, car insurance, home insurance, taxes, and at least 5 other types of bills that required checks/ phone calls/ forms. Is this what it feels like to be an adult? I wondered to myself then aloud to my husband later. To be drowning under this crap when there is SOOOOOOOO much other fun stuff I want to be doing?
Most of this adult stuff has just got to GO!
You just described my desk (literally – 3 separate types of insurance to pay, 2 doctor’s bills, a utility bill, a huge stack of receipts to enter into Microsoft Money, 2 wedding invitations to respond to, a mountain of credit card offers to shred, 3 parenting books, and enough dust to fill up my vacuum – and that’s just the surface). Ahhh isn’t adulthood lovely. 🙂
My Love warned me that when I turned 30, little things that didn’t bother now would. The next day after, I wrenched my back swimming. God save you, Greta!
Ouchie! Growing older sucks! Yes, it does.
Let’s not even begin to discuss the things that having a kid makes you do… like thinking you have wonderwoman strength and can carry an entire Costco load on your shoulders while weilding baby. Been there.
Hope you’re feeling better soon!
Greta- I hope you have recovered OK from the back thing…and that all else is OK as well.
Thee
A Reason My Favorite Number is Three
Once upon a time there was a young couple who had 2 children
As the song goes, “a boy for you and a girl for me”
After some thought, one convinced the other there should be three
And thus in 1978 on August 3rd there was thee.
And now thirty years later you,
Chris, Greta and Jack are the new three
Happy birthday to Jack’s Mom.
We love you,
Mumby & Papi