Momnesia

Momnesia (n.): the inability to remember anything not written down or on your blackberry task list. Often occurs after childbirth. Worsens with age.

I once read that the aluminum in coke cans has been linked to early Alzheimer's, but I wonder if anyone has documented the effects on your brain that come from raising children.

Exhibit A. In the past 3 months I've left work twice oblivious to the fact that I was missing important items. Once, my laptop bag WITH my laptop. Another time, my purse. Not just my lip gloss, sunglasses, or snack for the ride home. The whole thing. Yesterday I pulled into the garage and reached down to turn the car off.

Turns out it helps to put the car in park before turning off the ignition.

Thank God for technological safety advances.

If you've seen Something to Talk About with Julia Roberts and Dennis Quaid you remember Julia's character constantly leaving to go somewhere and accidentally leaving her daughter behind.

I sincerely hope this is not what's next.

What causes this complete memory lapse? It's true that motherhood is busy. Very, very, busy. Maybe we all just have too much to do? Maybe it's learning to do all of those things on less sleep than we're accustomed to? Maybe the part of your brain that used to serve as your common-sense memory organ now swirls with Baby Einstein songs and verses from Goodnight Moon?

I tend to think it's because you get so used to focusing on one thing that you tend to let the rest fall by the wayside. Has Madelyn been fed? Yes. Is she clothed? Yes. Am I clothed? Yes.

Except for the time the mailman came to the door and I answered in my nursing bra. But that's another story for another day.

As I told my mom last week, I often feel like I'm a doctor in the triage unit of my life. Tend to those things in the most critical condition, the others can wait. Stop the bleeding (crying), bandage the wound (provide sippy and baby doll), move on to the next crisis.

Lord help me when we have more children.

And please say a prayer for our mailman, bless his heart. I fear he may be scarred for life.