Praise for the Perfect, Appreciation for the Annoying

So Monday was a great day.  Not necessarily great in circumstances, I had been up all night with a sick and teething baby who was not in a great mood. I was very tired, my house was a disaster with a capital D, I’m pretty sure the weather was blah. But by about 9am I was in a fantastic mood.  Boy, if they could make a pill that made me in that kind of mood every day, I would be an addict.  For some inexplicable reason I was completely overcome with delight for every facet of my life, snotty baby, sleep deprivation, dirty house and all. I could not wait to work hard all day restoring my house to cozy order. Baby was uncharacteristically sad and needy for a good deal of the day, so I had to hold her on my hip while I was doing laundry, while I was wiping counters, while I was sorting through paperwork.  I had to take many breaks to nurse and soothe her into a series of short and fitful naps.   Really, there was no particular reason to love Monday, but strangely and happily, I loved Monday.
I was grateful for my little house. It is cute and charming and safe and warm.
I was grateful for my stay at home mom status.
I was grateful that my baby had nothing but a simple little cold.
I was grateful that I could nurse her (literally) back to health, I do not take a single day of breastfeeding for granted.
I was grateful that despite my sleep deprivation I had the energy to clean my house and take care of my kids.  I was even able to exercise, even though I was horrified when I saw my reflection jogging. Something like this:

In short, although it was a very busy, tiring,  moderately stressful and exceptionally unglamourous day, it felt complete and perfect. At the end of the day, I got almost everything I set out to do done, and  I was finally able to get my tired sweaty body into a nice warm bath. My deliciously squishy bunned baby joined me. She kicked happily and nursed peacefully, staring up at me with her huge, clear eyes and I could not have dreamed of anything more sublime or satisfying.
Then came Tuesday.  I was not in a good mood yesterday, the sleep deprivation really caught up with me and even though the weather was glorious,  pretty much everything else was annoying.  So (and only because I knew I’d have to write about it),  I decided to play a game with myself and find something to be grateful for in every one of my annoyances. Pollyanna? Why yes. Annoyingly so. Here are a few things I was annoyed yet grateful for.
1. I was annoyed by, yet grateful for my baby’s unending fussiness, because it gave me increased appreciation for her usually super easy going and sweet disposition. I was also grateful that even though she cried probably more yesterday than she has on any other day of her life, she does not have a loud, jarring cry.  I feel so blessed by this because I am extremely noise sensitive and am stressed to the max by the sound of loud crying. She cries politely.
2. I was annoyed but grateful that when baby finally dropped off to sleep,  Gabe decided to practice violin.  I was annoyed because it felt like it was searing through my tired, overstimulated brain (see above noise sensitivity), and I am really not crazy about the sound of a solo violin at close quarters. I was grateful that he played his song very well, he practices without being asked to, and he has the opportunity to do the things he wants to do and to develop his talents.
3. I was annoyed, yet  grateful that my baby freaked out when I got into the shower, because it means that she is developmentally on track, and that she loves me a lot. It also meant that I hustled to get done washing my hair,  so that I could spend longer cuddling her super soft squishy little body under the nice warm water. (For which I am also soooo grateful). Warm clean, plentiful water, and clean dry soft towels. How can we take these things for granted?
4. I was annoyed but grateful for the noise and chaos of my kids being home for the day because it means that they are healthy and they are mine.  (It also gave me an increased appreciation for the peace and quiet that I enjoy when they are in school )
5. I was annoyed yet  grateful for the fact that my baby became perfectly charming and delightful the moment my husband walked through the door, that she ate happily for him and did not utter even one whimper in his presence because…well…we’d had enough crying and sadness for one day, and he deserves a happy baby to come home to, especially when he comes home to wife like this:
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