I said some ridiculous things while I was pregnant with Jonah. Statements totally bereft of logic, yet they seemed completely logical to me - for the 10 seconds it took my brain to catch on to what was happening. Like the time I suggested a walk across the Stewart Street bridge - that had been out for the past 6 months! Yes, I know I can't drive across it, but I bet I could walk across, right? No?! Huh. I actually remember the moment (about 10 seconds later) when my brain woke up to tell me my idea was impossible. Too late. My co-worker was politely smiling at me as realization sunk in & I made some lame excuse for my lapse in logic. *grimace*
For the most part I was okay with these random occurrences. I did have one brief, terrifying moment of panic when I realized my fear that "baby brain" might assert itself in the middle of a workshop presentation I was giving at a national conference; the attendees were MD's, PhD's, and other hospital executives. Not cool! I was fortunate. There was no appearance of "baby brain" during my presentation and I counted down the days until Jonah's due date - eager to have my fully functioning grey matter all to myself again.
The sad reality is: this cerebral malady doesn't reverse itself post-delivery; at least not completely. And..."toddler brain" (as I now call it) can be a little more pronounced if you are a Stay-At-Home-Mom (SAHM). I mean, really, I spend all day listening to incomplete sentences, witnessing emotional outbursts, identifying what is/isn't edible, playing with toys in imaginary landscapes, and laughing hysterically at nothing. It's no wonder my brain looks like swiss cheese.
Toddler Brain struck a friend of mine with a vengeance the other day. She was using the sink & tried to turn off the water by way of the light switch. Two thoughts struck her: 1) Why didn't that work? and 2) Why was she standing in the dark? I laughed sympathetically (and hard) when I heard this tale. I completely understand, though, this is a perfect example of what I experience routinely.
A light case of Toddler Brain snuck up on me yesterday. When I recognized the first sign, I should have stopped what I was doing & switched tactics - like take a nap. But...I didn't, which is too bad because once it takes hold, it doesn't let go.
Yesterday, I decided to carve up the pumpkin we bought a few weeks ago; I wanted to toast the seeds & make a fresh pumpkin pie. This would be a good activity for Jonah - he loves to help in the kitchen. At first, everything went smoothly. I chopped up the gourd, washed the seeds, boiled them in salt water & toasted them in the oven. Done! So far, so good.
Once the pumpkin was done, I pureed it in the food processor and began to make the pie. When it came time to mix in the pumpkin I checked Betty: "1 Can Pumpkin (15 ounces)." Hmmm. Well, there are 8 oz in a cup - so that makes it roughly 2 Cups. I put in a little more to finish scraping out the bowl & give it a nice pumpkin-y flavor. Can't hurt, right? I added the sugar & spices and checked Betty again, scanning the page:" If using fresh pumpkin, use 1 1/2 Cups." What?! You gotta be kidding me! I put in over 2 Cups. Who is this covert editor on the loose in my house. It's like the something the Pink Panther would do in his cartoons (do I hear a giggle somewhere?). Well, I didn't have any other option other than to keep moving forward.
I didn't have condensed milk on hand, so I made my own: 2/3 Cup non-fat dry milk & 3/4 Cup water yields 1 Cup condensed milk. I poured that in and checked Betty carefully: "1 Can Condensed Milk (12 ounces)" Sure wish I'd noticed that before; I didn't make enough. What is wrong with me today?! And then realization: Curse you, Toddler Brain! *sigh* You are causing re-work; and I hate that! I added more condensed milk (not a deal-breaker for the pie).
The rest of the pie was assembled without much incident. And I'm told it tasted great; which is the important part!
The sad thing is - yesterday's Toddler Brain incidents were rather tame. Shocking, I know.
As Jonah grows and witnesses these ridiculous lapses in mental fortitude, please, someone remind him: "Your momma used to be really intelligent; She donated the best parts of her brain to you!"