A Little Venting

*Skip this first paragraph if you don’t want to hear complaining*

No one warned me motherhood would involve this much crying, not only by the kiddos, but by myself personally. Some days I am just totally at wits end and falling apart. I keep blaming it on being 30 weeks pregnant, hormonal, and unable to sleep. Jason just returned from a week-long work trip and the boys and I were kicking the week’s ass right up until Friday when I was certain I had gotten William’s cold and Christopher woke up with another stomach bug. 12 hours of puking later and Jason was met with a crying wife and then spent his first night back sharing a twin bed with a 21 month old who couldn’t settle to sleep alone. I’m irritated that I can’t keep up with the boys, or the house. My neck has been jacked up for a week after a particularly restless night of sleep. After 7 months, I’m tired of being sick, being tired, pregnancy sinus congestion, a nasty gag-reflex, lack of a decent appetite, wearing all of my worn out maternity clothes, and being out of shape. My body is morphing into something unrecognizable which Jason (bless his heart) still finds attractive (I assume because he is desperate and/or mentally unstable). I keep assuring him that at some point he will again be allowed past first base, but it is anyone’s guess when that will really happen. It is time for Spring (and this baby) to come!

*End Rant*

Christopher is spouting more words by the minute and is putting together more and more short phrases as well. His favorite words are of course “mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy”. I find myself saying “Yes Will?” because up until recently William was the only one uttering “mommy” on repeat. Christopher seems to have a more sensitive stomach than William ever did. I hate to admit he may have gotten his affinity for stomach bugs from his mama. He is quite opinionated, but with a devilish grin. The last week he has been on a strike against wearing his coat to/from daycare for instance, not really sure why, since he loved it only 2 weeks ago. He likes to dance and tries to sing (loudly). He is obsessed with making sure there is soap in the dishwasher constantly. Currently his favorite person on Skype is Grandpa Bruce (Ampa feeds Ows with his Actor). On occasion he finds ways to play with big brother William. He is the chief block tower knocker-downer; brother builds and he destroys. He is also still my snuggler which would be more satisfying for us both if I had more of a lap. He seems interested in my baby-belly and last night he was pressing on it and giving it kisses. Today at daycare he told them Jason was having a baby, so he may still only grasp the concept abstractly.

William was an amazing helper the week that Jason was gone, and has proceeded to be (mostly) unhelpful since his return.  He moved to the top of the new bunk-bed in preparation for Christopher moving out of the “baby room” sometime in the next month. He has mastered using the potty, and getting up and down from the sink to wash his hands. He’s pretty good at dressing himself these days, although not particularly interested in actually getting dressed most mornings. We talk about having a new baby brother and he seems generally excited about it. Every-other day he still asks me “how long until Christmas?” so his concept of time still needs work. We put up some decorations for Valentine’s day, and have been talking about his birthday coming up, so maybe Christmas will fade into the background eventually. It has been non-stop Angry Birds level building since his new Angry Birds figures arrived at Christmas. I apparently won the lottery in Christmas present buying. I can’t say that he’s actually played with much else. Some of his creations are quite imaginative. Sometimes he’s a smarty pants. He runs around telling Christopher “I got your nose”–apparently grandpa Lee showed him that. Driving home from daycare last week I asked if he could see the moon, and he informed me it was a “crescent”…back in my day, I think I just knew it was moon-shaped.

I am counting down these LAST 9 weeks of pregnancy. I am trying to feel blessed as each day I learn of more and more people trying without success to get pregnant. Along with my blessedness, I mainly feel tired. I read the Facebook pregnancy announcements of first-time mom friends, and although I remember their excitement, I am SO glad to not be in that boat again. There is some peace of mind on knowing a few tips and tricks from the first two boys.  In other household news, I’m currently shopping for a buffet table and pot rack for our kitchen and daydreaming about the gardening I will do post-winter. Interior house projects have come to a stand-still after the bathroom remodel due to lack of energy and lack of funds. I suppose I could find something to paint on the cheap, but they don’t really encourage painting while pregnant unless necessary. I have committed to returning to work post maternity leave–at least for the summer–and I’m hoping that will make it very clear whether I should be working or staying home full time.

Jason continues to learn and grow in his new job. His new boss (Vickie) sent him home with the nicest baby blanket for our new arrival. She seems like a pretty good boss, with a decent sense of humor, understanding of family/work life etc. So far signs are that this transition was a good fit–even if his schedule is slightly less predictable and I deal with him travelling to Nashua, NH several times a year. This trip he bought two lottery tickets and figured we should have about 50/50 odds of winning the big one, but we’re both still going to work so don’t look for a big announcement any time soon. He says his co-workers often mention wanting to meet his wife. I’m not sure if I should take this as a compliment (because I must be so cool), or a diss (like “who would marry this cat anyways?”). I will continue to believe it’s because I’m cool until proven otherwise.

Here are a few more pictures of the boys. I have omitted any pictures involving snot, puke, poo, or tantrums to allow you all to continue visualizing them as the two best little gentlemen in the greater Salt Lake area. 🙂 Take care!