The Mommy Moment

Joey's 2nd birthday was marked by lingering uncertainties, as well as tremendous milestones.

He still wasn't talking very much, using only single words. But his pediatrician was confident that he would catch up soon. I took her word for it, but day-to-day living was becoming increasingly frustrating. Joey couldn't communicate his needs and it seemed that most of what we tried to communicate to him got lost in translation and frustrated him.
By 24 months old, Joey could speedily count to 10, recognize more colors and shapes, and loved to build with Mega Blocks. He liked lining up toys (to resemble a train), and also liked stacking common items. A full-blown tantrum would manifest if said stacked items fell.
It was at 23 months old that Joey easily transitioned from the crib to a toddler bed. He loved The Wiggles, and since I couldn't find a Wiggles-themed bed, I made one from a Winnie the Pooh bed. He loved it, but I worried that my little go-go-goer would wander the house at night. He didn't...but he was satisfied in giving me near heart attacks often in the middle of the night with his screaming. He's almost 7, and I still hear that screaming sometimes in the middle of the night.
You wouldn't believe the super human strength my little guy had. For at least 6 months, he had been pulling himself up onto the kitchen and bathroom counters. But he had the common sense not to get into anything...other than the cups...lol. And he knew the cold water from the hot, so if he did turn the water on, it was always the cold. It's like he was born knowing what was dangerous, what could hurt him. And because of this he wasn't curious about things like what's under the kitchen sink. But I digress; his favorite place to hang was the overhanging part of the kitchen island counter.
It was on March 10th, 2006 that Joey used the word "Mommy" for the very first time. I had left work for the day, and was driving to the in-home daycare, still worrying about the upcoming weekend. We would be hosting Joey's 2nd birthday party in our home. On top of the anxiety that comes with trying to make everything perfect for a party, I was also experiencing the stress that comes with hoping and wishing that your child will be on their best behavior. By the time I reached the daycare's driveway, I was nearly in panic attack mode. Would my house be neat and tidy enough? Would there be enough food? Would we make it through the 2 hour party without Joey going into meltdown mode?
As with most days, I collected myself and prepared for the inevitable "your child is bad...there's something wrong with him" nonsense from his sitter. As I opened the front door, the usual hustle and bustle of small children exploded, and from the center of it all came this happy, laughing toddler...arms stretched out, enthusiastically calling, "Mommy!". It took me a few moments to recognize this toddler as my Joey. I know there's a certain amount of emotion that floods a mother when her 9-12 mo baby first says "mama", and I don't mind telling you that I fell to my knees, took him in my arms, and tried to choke back the tears because I knew my crying would frighten him.
Ironically, on that same day, Joey was kicked out of the daycare for reasons unrelated to him, but completely related to my knowledge of the sitter's tax evasion. I won't elaborate on that though....I was now thrown into the tough situation of choosing between finding another sitter who could handle Joey's quirks or becoming a stay at home mom.