HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

This year, for the first time ever, people started forwarding "Mother's Day emails" to me. Of course, I have had no time to read them because since Sunday night I have been on my own with Frankie and Floyd.

Yep. Just me. Just me, Frankie and Floyd Coden. That's it.

No Cody--he's at camp.

How did we do? I think we did OK. Here's how it went:

We were at camp for the first time last Thursday-Sunday to spend the weekend as a family before leaving Cody there for the summer. It was a great weekend. The ride up, however, SUCKED.

Cody left early Thursday morning and we left several hours later. I didn't know what to expect, and for the first hour-- it was great. Frankie was sleeping, I was jamming, and Floyd was just breathing hard. Floyd knows I-75 means "camp weekend," so he pretty much breathes hard 75% of the trip. He then allots 20% of his time for this annoying type of dog whimper that means that he wants to bark but knows I will kill him if he does, and the other 5% is allotted for the actual barking he slips in for major occurences like really big trucks or other dogs. Those of you who have had the pleasure of a ride up to camp with me know what Floyd is like in the car. It's...well...it's an experience--but I'm used to it and it was fine. We were doing fine.

Until Frankie decided to wake up.

She woke up crying. NOT FUN. It wasn't too loud at first, but it quickly ascended into simultaneous crying sprinkled with screaming. Then the screaming took over and the crying started to dissipate. Of course, that's when a car with a big dog pulled up in the lane next to us so then I had crying, screaming AND barking.

SWEET DRIVING EXPERIENCE.

After about 20 minutes of the "PLEASE KILL ME NOW" symphony going on in back, I pulled over, calmed everyone down, did a few shots of Tequila and got back on the road. (Just kidding about the last part).

We finally made it to camp and everyone just breathed. It was so nice to be back Up North. There really is no place like it, especially Camp Tanuga (shameless plug). Floyd was happy to be back with his buddies on a zillion acres of land and water (wet dog--YUMMY), Cody was ready to get a jump start on the season, and I could R-E-L-A-X. Frankie basically drooled and smiled all weekend. I honestly don't think she ever stopped smiling except when she was crapping her pants, and even then, through her contorted, red face of sheer determination, there was a faint smile of accomplishment.

This is how our weekend went: We ate, we hung out, we spent time with good friends, we read magazines, we ate, we played, we ate, we walked, we ate, we shopped, we ate, we hung out some more, ate some more, shopped some more, rinse and repeat. It was a stellar weekend.

But then we came home, without Cody. It was just US.

I had some help on Monday and Tuesday until 3:00, so I could go to work, but from Tuesday at 3:00 until Friday at 3:30, it was just us until Cody arrived for the big Mother's Day weekend. (Ok, Ok, one of our friends, Mr. Brian Aaron, who is more like family, came by for about and hour and half on Thursday so I could shower and do a little work without interuption-- but other than that--yeah...JUST ME).

I actually think I had most everything under control. I even thought I was doing fairly well and I was having a lot of fun (except when Frankie cried, which is--thankfully-- not often). I managed to stay on top of the laundry, the bottles, the meals, the feeding, the changing, the diapering, the baths, the moods, the spit, the "this," the "that," and all things Floyd.

I really think I did OK at the single mom thing. It's the single mom thing mixed with the working-full-time-at-home-and-at-the-office-while-doing-all-the-Mom-stuff-thing that is not so easy. I felt that Frankie was only getting 50% of me and work was only getting 50% of me, but I must say, I had a killer week at work and Frankie seems happier than ever, so I must have done something right. Right?

Now Cody is home until Monday morning and it's Mother's Day weekend. (Please note that I am making him do pretty much everything while he is here, but whatever--he is awesome at it and he missed FJ like crazy).

We survived our first stint of the summer without Daddy and yes, I miss sleeping, and exercising, and showering, and reading, and breathing...but I can not believe how much I love being a Mom. I love being a mom to Frankie. I think she is just the coolest kid ever. She's fun and funny and changing every day. It's all happening so fast. She's already growing out of some of her clothes. What is that about?? She has only worn some of the things once, and others not at all!! Plus, I swear, her cheeks are also getting bigger, it's the craziest thing--it's like someone shoved a tennis ball on either side of her mouth. I think she is hiding furniture in those things.

I absolutely love being a Mom and I'm excited for my first Mother's Day. Plus, I know we're going to have a fun day tomorrow and I get a present because "someone" sent Cody an email link (anonymously, of course) to a great gift idea for me.

This is a very important weekend to all the Mother's out there and though I haven't had the time to read all the forwarded emails this week, one of my close friends brought one to my attention so I gave it a quick whirl. I'm glad she made me read it, though I didn't get much farther than this line: "This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes."

That line hit home and I knew why she wanted me to read it.

I'm sad for the woman in China who gave birth to Frankie because I know it couldn't have been easy giving her up. I won't assume that anyone reading this knows what is currently going on in many parts of China, Child Labor Rings Reach China's Distant Villages , and I don't know what would have happened to Frankie if the woman who gave birth to her didn't give her up, but I have to believe that she has a much brighter future here with us.

I hope that brave woman all those miles away can sleep safe with the knowledge this Mother's Day that her child is being mothered with all the love there is to give. Admittedly, this Detroit Mama may not know what the hell she is doing, but she's doing her best.

I hope she knows Frankie is safe, loved and getting chunkier by the day--and to her I say "Happy Mother's Day" because she was a good mother for letting Frankie go.

And to all you mother's out there-- I say "Happy Mother's Day," to you because I know you're good moms too. But not as good as me, because I'm freakin' awesome.

Just kidding.

I'm totally clueless. I just thought I'd end on a light note.

XO