RAISING MY SON

I HAD TO QUIT MY JOB WITH THE FOREST SERVICE AND LEARN HOW TO BECOME A MOM IN SANTA ROSA AND UKIAH. IT WAS TRICKY WITHOUT A FAMILY NEARBY. SO I BECAME ASSOCIATED WITH A MOM'S GROUP WHO HAD THE SAME ISSUES. NO FAMILY WAS NEARBY AND OUR HUSBANDS WERE WORKING OR SOME WERE DIVORCED. WE VISITED EACH OTHER'S HOUSES FOR PLAY DATES. I HAD ATTENED A LAMAZE CLASS BEFORE MY BABY WAS BORN SO I KNEW , THESE GROUPS WERE IMPORTANT TO MY SOCIAL NEEDS AS WELL AS MY SON, KEVIN. HE ENJOYED FROLICKING WITH OTHER BABIES. I ALSO ATTENDED A CLASS ABOUT YOUNG CHILD DEVELOPMENT AT THE JUNIOR COLLEGE WITH MY SON. MANY OF THE YOUNG LADIES HELD HIM. ANOTHER CLASS WE TOOK WAS IN BABY NASSAGE. SO HE COULD BENEFIT FROM THAT CLOSENESS AND HEALING. I ALSO WENT TO A GROUP CLASS WHERE E LEARNED ABOUT EARLY CHILDHOOD BEHAVIOR AND HOW TO BEST BE A MOM. AS THE MONTH'S PASSED I LEARNED THAT RAISING A BABY AND TENDING TO MYSELF WAS TRYING. MY SON WOKE UP DURING THE NIGHT MANY TIMES UNTIL HE WAS THREE TO FEED. I TRIED GOING BACK TO WORK AFTER ABOUT 8 MONTHS BUT IT DID NOT WORK. I WAS EXHAUSTED AND I KNEW MY SON WAS A CHALLENGE AS HE CRIED A LOT. I THOUGHT HE WAS TEETHING SO I GAVE HIM BABY ASPIRIN.

AFTER A YEAR WENT BY HE WAS A LIGHT SLEEPER AND WAS A FUSSY EATER. WE PLAYED A GAME TO INTRODUCE NEW FOODS. IT WAS TRYING ONCE WE MOVED BACK TO HEALDSBURG FROM UKIAH. I WANTED TO GET INTO A MOM'S CLUB AGAIN AND I DID AT A CHURCH. I BEGAN TO LOOK FOR A PART TIME JOB USING MY ART BACGROUND. IT HELPED ME FEEL GOOD ABOUT MYSELF. I BEGAN MAKING SMALL FOUNTAINS AS I HAD AN AHA MOMENT AFTER VIEWING A CLASS IN FOUNTAIN MAKING! I COMBINED MY ARTISTIC SKILLS WITH SOME OTHER PART TIME WORK. ONCE MY SON ENTERED GRADE SCHOOL I BEGAN EXPLORING OTHER JOB OPTIONS. I DID SOME CATERING AND I CALLED SOME HEALTH FOOD COMPANIES TO SEE IF THEY HAD PART TIME JOBS. I INTERVIEWED AT AMY'S AND BEGAN TO WORK AS A FOOD DEMONSTRATOR. THEN I EVENTUALLY HAD A MAJICAL MOMENT AND HEARD THAT ALVARADO STREET BREADS NEEDED A FOOD DMONSTRATOR AND CONSULTANT. IT WORKED FOR ME AND MY FAMILY AS I COULD CHOOSE MY HOURS AND THE STORES AT WHICH I DEMONSTRATED.