Friday, August 15, 2008

Mommy the Hut

About two months ago Jon was going to sit on the couch and he sat in the wrong spot. My spot. MY spot. You see, I had practically become one with the right side of the couch. It is the side closest to the window where I can put my drink on the sill. It is the side more directly in front of the tv. And it is the side most comfortable to me. You see, I spent many, many hours nursing and holding a sleeping or non-mobile awake baby on the couch in THAT spot. MY spot.

I ruled all from that spot on the couch: Nursing the baby and watching the other two play. Breaking up fights. Giving directions on what to get started for dinner while I finished feeding the baby. Changing diapers. I slept in that spot on the couch holding Graham while he slept for the first few months--while the other two napped of course. I stayed up late at night watching movies with Jon and nursing the baby in THAT spot on the couch.

And of course I perfected the art of waiting for Jon to get up from the couch or his recliner before asking in a sweet voice, "honey, would you mind getting me some water? some ice cream? my magazine I forgot on the table? the phone? some coffee?" I have to admit that it is hard to get out of that habit. (Insert sheepish grin) But, when I am strapped to the couch holding or nursing a baby it usually goes in my favor.

So, when Jon sat in MY spot on the couch a few months ago I felt very protective of the spot and asked him why he was sitting there. I felt out of place sitting on the other side of the couch. Uncomfortable. And I did not like it one bit. It was then he made a joke about how I am no longer Mommy the Hut. (Imagine Jabba the Hut language here): "Da Wo Ee Hoo A O Way, hahaha" Translation: Bring me a glass of water, hahaha. As soon as he said it he thought I would take the joke the wrong way and think he was calling me a big, fat slug. I knew he didn't mean it that way at all and I laughed hysterically. Sitting on the couch feeding the baby all the time did make me feel sort of like a big, fat slug--especially before Graham was sleeping for any long stretches at night. But he was joking that I can't rule from that spot on the couch anymore and it is time to share the spot since I don't need it as much. It is just that now that Graham is mobile, and nurses only a few times during the day--and only for a few minutes at a time at that--I don't have any excuses to make MY spot on the couch my command post. In fact, I barely sit down at all during the day and I enjoy the time when Graham nurses because it is a break for me to not have to do anything else but sit and enjoy him.

I felt a little mourning moment as I said goodbye to the Mommy the Hut command post and the advantages of having water brought to me when I wanted. If you ever come to my house, you are welcome to sit anywhere you like, except in my spot.

5 comments:

Grace H. Lin said...

I have a spot on the couch too! Haha... and it's noticeably more worn than the other two spots (kinda embarrassing).

I just tell John he's in my spot and ask him to move.

I guess I should learn to have more tact.

Darlene said...

Yep I got a spot too! Too funny!

Dawn said...

That is so funny; I have my spot too, and I have no intentions of letting it go. :)

I recently weaned Eli (as you know) and I really miss those times of quiet on the couch when I could take mini-breaks. No, now it's "hit the ground running" from dawn till bedtime. So when the kids go to sleep, I still ask Dave for footrubs from my "perch" - the ones that began during pregnancy #1 - and praise God, he obliges.

This was a really cute post!

Sharon M said...

LOL, that reminds me of my sister -- she has "her" spot at the dinner table at my parent's hpise, and if you take it... well, you have been warned!

Anonymous said...

One small edit: As I remember it, she came to the couch, looked at me with a surprised look and said "What are you doing?"
To which I just looked at her and said:
"Broo-tee-to-ta-ta! I am Mommy the Hut!"

We took the kids to see the Clone Wars on Fri and when Jabba came on, we just looked at each other and laughed! =)