Love and Hate

Yummy love...Anna and Blake checking the stock simmering on the stove. I love that Anna appears to have a mohawk.

Our weekend has me feeling mixed emotions of love and hate. Although hate is a strong word that I rarely use, I had trouble coming up with another word that fit well, because...

I hate teething. I hate that it makes Anna so terribly uncomfortable, irritable, and unable to sleep. I hate that it keeps us up for hours at night and leaves us feeling exhausted during the day. I hate that teething requires us to give Motrin to Anna day after day. I hate that, after giving in and administering Motrin or Orajel, it doesn't always work, and she's clearly still uncomfortable. I hate that I try everything in my arsenal, from nursing her to letting her cry alone, but she still can't rest. I hate that Blake and I argue over what to do because we feel so tired and frustrated and sorry for Anna. I hate that this is only the beginning of the growing pains she'll have in her life.

On the other hand...

I love the smell of Thanksgiving that fills our house today; we roasted a whole chicken this morning so we'll have homemade chicken noodle soup tonight. I love that, after I cooked dinner all week, Blake happily took on making the soup, and he decided to simmer the bones and veggies so we have stock to freeze for the future. I love that we worked as a team last night; Blake grocery shopped while I put Anna to bed, cleaned the kitchen, cleaned out the fridge, washed diapers, and cleaned up toys. I love that Anna gave us her big open-mouth kisses this weekend, even in the midst of her new hitting phase. I love that we balanced work and play this weekend fairly successfully. I love that, even when Anna is hurting, she still smiles so much of the time, and even though Blake and I are exhausted, she makes us smile, too.