Separation Anxiety and a Pearly White

Momma and her little man - then and now
1 day old and 6 months old 

When Ricky was born, there were a few concerns among the people around me that I may struggle to bond with my new little bundle. Due to a few complications I spent the first day and a half of Ricky's life tucked away in what appeared to be a storage room in High Care while he was safely ensconced in the nursery in the light and airy Maternity Ward. But, despite a separation that felt like eons, all I could think about was my little man and how much I wanted to see him. And when I did, the bond was instant. Of course, for the first few weeks of Ricky's life, I was little more to him than a milk machine and changer of nappies, but something in his eyes when he looked at me let me know that he knew I was Mommy. Now, six and a half months down the line, I have my incontrovertible proof - the onset of separation anxiety.

Uncle Scrooge and Rhinokey Walk Into a Bar

If you know who these guys are, your childhood rocked!

I love cartoons. I unashamedly admit that I am a bit of an old school cartoon junkie. I was one of those kids who would anxiously wait for my show to come on so that my parents could tape it for me to keep and rewatch a million and one times at my leisure. In fact, I still have seventeen VHS tapes in our TV cabinet from the late '80s filled with the sort of gems that are next to impossible to find today. The tape is stretched out and the sound is going, but they work well enough for me to remember how much I enjoyed what TV had to offer. Don't get me wrong, I was very much the tomboyish, outdoorsy sort, but when it came time for lunch, in went the next video and Blaine and I would sit down to enjoy a little bit of Smurf or Wuzzle action over our toasted cheese sarmies.

Superheroes and Epiphanies

Oooo-eh-eh! It feels like just yesterday I was sitting on my couch typing up a helluva rant, just casting my anger out to the universe... And then today I look up to see we're already in October! But I will forgive myself this minor delay, the last two weeks have been decidedly busy in the Ghobril household. But more on that later!

Last Wednesday saw my little man turn six months old! He chose to celebrate by being quite a bit fussier than usual. What a blast! But in amongst the random tears and excess need for mommy hugs, I did manage to get a few pics of a smiley little bee.

A Bit of a Rant

"A lot of mom's out there are so busy complaining that they don't take the time to see what a beautiful miracle and blessing it is to be a mom..."

A few weeks ago I received an unexpected, but rather nice, message from an old varsity friend complimenting my enthusiasm and involvement in the raising of my son. She works with kids in the psychology field and, to put it mildly, I was quite flattered but, at the same time, saddened. And more than a little angered. Not by the message, but by the truth in the above statement. The above is from that same message, and it has stayed with me these past weeks. I wish I could say that I disagree with the sentiment, but in my own experience I have come across many a mother who, simply put, does not know how to embrace the joy of mommyhood. I once knew a girl who admitted to me that she was trying to concoct a way she could kill her child without anyone knowing because she didn't like the life she was forced to live after the birth. This is, of course, an extreme case, but it does highlight, in a very real way, a very real problem that society is facing - the plague of the disinterested and disconnected parent.

Spuh-RING!

And yet again I am late with my post!  Alas, this time it was no fault of mine! For some reason unknown to men and gods alike, Blogger decided that Wednesday was not a good day for me to access my account and temporarily limited me to simply viewing a blank screen with a poorly worded error message.  All seems to be back in working order now though, so I guess the little feedback button in the lower right corner of my screen is good for something after all...  And then yesterday was WEDDING TIME, rendering me incapable and entirely unwilling to sit at my laptop and compose what you now read.  Rod's cuzzie Vida married her long-time beau Nic in a pretty outdoor ceremony at The Moon and Sixpence in Muldersdrift.  If you're keen to see a few snaps of the proceedings taken by yours truly, I've posted a few on my other blog {Jade & Jasmine}, so head on over and have a squiz, and perhaps click on the "Follow" button while you're there ;)

And, of course, the fact that wedding season is upon us here in South Africa means only one thing - spring is here!!  If there's one time of year that I love, it's spring. With my bloodlines hailing from Scotland, Ireland, England, Germany and Sweden, I feel I am fully qualified to state that I am too European for our sunny South African climate!  But spring is just perfect.  The gentle warmth of the evenings, the scent of the jasmine blooming beside our front door, everything fresh and green and GLORIOUS!  And the colours! I am in awe of nature's ability to surprise me anew each year with its simple beauty. There is a sense of promise in the air that nothing can imitate.

Some of the flowers blooming in our garden