I'll be honest. I've been a little overwhelmed lately. Working full-time with a 5-year, 3-year, and 6-month old is difficult. Throw in the fact that my husband works until dusk every evening as well as every weekend and I feel like a single mom most of the time.
So when I made a trip to the dentist this past Monday with all 3 kids in tow I was feeling a little frazzled. In the waiting room Livi and Will were fighting over a game system attached to the wall (note to dentist: I appreciate you trying to appease my children while they wait for their visit but this really creates more problems than it solves). Lexi starts fussing because she is sick of sitting in her car seat. So as I am literally peeling my son off the Wii trying to get him to go back with the dentist with Lexi hanging over my other arm, I am giving myself a little pep talk about how I can get through with this visit without yelling, threatening, or bribing my children.
Then in walks a mother with her middle-school and upper-elementary aged children. I can't help but eavesdrop as she is telling her daughter how she had to fire their most recent assistant because she wasn't doing her job well enough and complaining about all of the things she had to get done. She exasperatedly says, "Oh, I just need to clone myself!"
Clone yourself? I'd give anything to have that assistant you just fired to sit with my baby in the waiting room while I try to listen to what the dentist has to say to me instead of absentmindedly nodding my head while I try to hold a binky in the baby's mouth and make sure my other two aren't going to get into a wrestling match over those stupid video games.
Breathe. And then I get mad at myself for judging this woman's woe's-me attitude when I, myself, have been feeling like that a lot lately. I don't know what her life entails and I shouldn't judge her based on a 5-minute encounter in a waiting room. I would hate to think what some people have thought of me in my most hideous parenting moments.
Yes, I have felt overwhelmed lately. It seems like I can do my job well, be a good mom, or get my house in order but all three will never coexist. But, I also know I have an absolutely wonderful support system of family and friends who will always help me whenever I ask and can commiserate with me about being pulled in all directions.
I truly do love my life. I love my job even though it can be difficult to balance with young kids at home. I love living on a farm even though that means sometimes cows and sheep come before me or the kids. And I love each of my children even though they can really push my buttons sometimes. I am going to try to get over the fact that I cannot be the best at all things. I may not be the best mom every day but I'm doing the best I can in each moment I have with my kids.
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Muddy Mess
I usually despise this time of year, the tranisitional period from winter to spring when everything around here is a nightmare. Anyone who lives out in the country or on a farm can likely relate. It is a sloppy, wet, muddy mess that sucks you in. It's like quicksand...the more you fight it, the deeper you sink in.
My husband despises it even more than I do. He fights with it day in and day out pulling newly delivered calves out of it so they have a chance to survive and using his tractor to pull other machinery out of ginormous mud pits. No wonder he is extremely cranky this time of year.
So I've been complaining about it the last few weeks. Nothing like running late for work and out into mud that suck up your high heels. After changing shoes, and sometimes pants, there is usually no hope for me being on time. I have spent the last few weeks lecturing my son about walking on the sidewalk, directly to the car so we can get to daycare without having to change his clothes. But he can never resist. There is just something about the splashing of puddles and the way mud pulls at your boots that appeals to little boys.
Not only is it muddy because the ground is finally thawing but it rained pretty much nonstop all weekend long. What were little puddles tripled in size during our trip to the store so Will got out of the car when we got home, he just could not resist running to the biggest puddle and hopping right in. It was one of those moments as a mom when you have to ask yourself, is this really that big of a deal? Sure it was raining and he wasn't dressed very warmly and he was making an absolute mess out of himself but it sure did look like fun.
We had nowhere to go and he'd want to come in if he was really that cold, right? What was it going to hurt if he got a little mud on his pants and coat...and face? After watching him joyfully hop from one puddle to another and hearing him say, "Mommy, you jump into the puddle!" I decided what the heck. We had a great time splashing around and getting muddy.
But tomorrow, when I'm running late, he better be able to resist that puddle that will be calling his name.
My husband despises it even more than I do. He fights with it day in and day out pulling newly delivered calves out of it so they have a chance to survive and using his tractor to pull other machinery out of ginormous mud pits. No wonder he is extremely cranky this time of year.
So I've been complaining about it the last few weeks. Nothing like running late for work and out into mud that suck up your high heels. After changing shoes, and sometimes pants, there is usually no hope for me being on time. I have spent the last few weeks lecturing my son about walking on the sidewalk, directly to the car so we can get to daycare without having to change his clothes. But he can never resist. There is just something about the splashing of puddles and the way mud pulls at your boots that appeals to little boys. Not only is it muddy because the ground is finally thawing but it rained pretty much nonstop all weekend long. What were little puddles tripled in size during our trip to the store so Will got out of the car when we got home, he just could not resist running to the biggest puddle and hopping right in. It was one of those moments as a mom when you have to ask yourself, is this really that big of a deal? Sure it was raining and he wasn't dressed very warmly and he was making an absolute mess out of himself but it sure did look like fun.We had nowhere to go and he'd want to come in if he was really that cold, right? What was it going to hurt if he got a little mud on his pants and coat...and face? After watching him joyfully hop from one puddle to another and hearing him say, "Mommy, you jump into the puddle!" I decided what the heck. We had a great time splashing around and getting muddy.But tomorrow, when I'm running late, he better be able to resist that puddle that will be calling his name.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Potty Talk
WARNING: This post is not for the faint of heart...or anyone who is embarrassed or gets queasy at the mention of poop. I counted and the word "poop" is used at least 20 times in this post. This is only for seasoned parents, those who have fought the long, hard battle of potty training.
Potty training may be my least favorite task of parenting. You're supposed to be all supportive and happy if they try to even just sit on the potty. You're supposed to clap and smile even if they pee all over the floor in front of the potty. You're supposed to grin and supportively say, "maybe next time buddy!" when they have pooped in their big boy/girl pants for the umpteenth time. But all you really want to do is shake them and say, "I know you know when you have to poop. You hide behind the chair and tell me to 'stop' when I come near you because you know you are pooping your pants. Instead of pooping in your pants and crying when I have to clean it off of you, just put the poopy in the freaking potty!!!"
Not all of potty training is terrible and difficult. Our kids have done fairly well with the potty part and we have been lucky that they have both been able to get through the night dry as soon as they started going potty. But the pooping part has been a battle that we have been fighting and it just stinks...literally.
We have tried everything to get the poopy in the potty. I had our child sit on the toilet while reading books. No poop. I made up a song, "Go poopy in the potty! That makes Mommy so happy! Go poopy in the potty! You'll get an M&M-y!" As you can imagine, that wasn't super motivating. I've bribed with candy and toys. No poop. I've tried hard not to get mad but it is so unbelievably frustrating!
We've tried sitting our child on the toilet at certain times, putting the potty chair in the favorite pooping spot (behind Daddy's recliner), and just plain leaving undies off so our child will go on the toilet. All that resulted in was yelling and screaming because our child didn't want to be on the toilet and poop piles left on the floor. My favorite was a time when I was getting the kids out of the tub. The first one out came running back in asking for a diaper. That should have clued me in that he had to go poop. I told him just to wait a second but he obviously couldn't. When I went into the living room he's standing by the toy box with a terrified look on his face while he's pooping on the floor. GRRR! And the poop piles have not even been our worst experience...read "Clean Up in Aisle 1" if you want to hear a real whopper of a poop story.
Finally, we have had success in the last couple of weeks. Knock on wood, we haven't had a poop accident lately. What has been the answer you ask? We sit the potty chair in the middle of the living room floor so our child can watch TV while he goes.
I know some of you are probably judging what kind of parent I am right now. Go ahead. I am at the point where I don't care what we have to do, I just don't want any more poopy pants. Some day our child will figure out that maybe it's not quite appropriate to poop in the potty in the living room and he'll decide to actually use the one in the bathroom. Someday, right?
So here's to pooping in the potty even though it is sitting in the middle of the living room floor in front of the TV! It's been a long road with lots of ups and downs but we are proud of you!
Potty training may be my least favorite task of parenting. You're supposed to be all supportive and happy if they try to even just sit on the potty. You're supposed to clap and smile even if they pee all over the floor in front of the potty. You're supposed to grin and supportively say, "maybe next time buddy!" when they have pooped in their big boy/girl pants for the umpteenth time. But all you really want to do is shake them and say, "I know you know when you have to poop. You hide behind the chair and tell me to 'stop' when I come near you because you know you are pooping your pants. Instead of pooping in your pants and crying when I have to clean it off of you, just put the poopy in the freaking potty!!!"
Not all of potty training is terrible and difficult. Our kids have done fairly well with the potty part and we have been lucky that they have both been able to get through the night dry as soon as they started going potty. But the pooping part has been a battle that we have been fighting and it just stinks...literally.
We have tried everything to get the poopy in the potty. I had our child sit on the toilet while reading books. No poop. I made up a song, "Go poopy in the potty! That makes Mommy so happy! Go poopy in the potty! You'll get an M&M-y!" As you can imagine, that wasn't super motivating. I've bribed with candy and toys. No poop. I've tried hard not to get mad but it is so unbelievably frustrating!
We've tried sitting our child on the toilet at certain times, putting the potty chair in the favorite pooping spot (behind Daddy's recliner), and just plain leaving undies off so our child will go on the toilet. All that resulted in was yelling and screaming because our child didn't want to be on the toilet and poop piles left on the floor. My favorite was a time when I was getting the kids out of the tub. The first one out came running back in asking for a diaper. That should have clued me in that he had to go poop. I told him just to wait a second but he obviously couldn't. When I went into the living room he's standing by the toy box with a terrified look on his face while he's pooping on the floor. GRRR! And the poop piles have not even been our worst experience...read "Clean Up in Aisle 1" if you want to hear a real whopper of a poop story.
Finally, we have had success in the last couple of weeks. Knock on wood, we haven't had a poop accident lately. What has been the answer you ask? We sit the potty chair in the middle of the living room floor so our child can watch TV while he goes.
I know some of you are probably judging what kind of parent I am right now. Go ahead. I am at the point where I don't care what we have to do, I just don't want any more poopy pants. Some day our child will figure out that maybe it's not quite appropriate to poop in the potty in the living room and he'll decide to actually use the one in the bathroom. Someday, right?
So here's to pooping in the potty even though it is sitting in the middle of the living room floor in front of the TV! It's been a long road with lots of ups and downs but we are proud of you!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Happy Birthday Bucko!
By the title of this post one would think I'm talking to my 3-year-old son but "Bucko" is actually my little brother. A nickname that was so cute when he was little turned into a nickname I used to taunt him with in middle school. It has somehow morphed into Uncle Buck now that he has 4 nieces and a nephew. I'm sure he'll love me sharing. Just getting him back for some information he shared about me last night.It's my brother's birthday soon. He is turning 30 in a couple of days so my older sister and I headed down to meet him and some of his friends for supper and drinks. After a couple of drinks, everyone started getting a little nostalgic and that's when the stories started.
I haven't laughed so hard in such a long time. My cheeks hurt by the end of the night. Stories of our escapades as kids and then as high school and college students had us all in tears laughing so hard. My brother shared stories of some of my stupid antics as an undergrad that I forbade him to ever share again, especially in front of my kids. Not that any of us did anything terrible or incredibly stupid but we did have some fun. It was so nice to remember all of the great times we had together.
Of course we see each other often for birthdays, holidays, and other random family get togethers but I can't remember the last time my sister, brother and I got together without our parents and spouses. Not that we don't love them, it's just different when it's just the three of us. For all the moments I spent hating them growing up, I sure do love them and hold tight to all of those memories we have together.
And as we have grown, gotten careers, dated, married and have had children, those opportunities to get together have unfortunately become fewer and further between. It makes me a little sad to know those times in our lives are just memories now but I look forward to seeing the bond my three kids will have and the mischief they will get into. I'm just glad we were able to have those few hours together to remember all of the mischief we got into.
So happy birthday Bucko! Cheers to 30. Let's not wait another 10 years before we get to hang out and reminisce on our youthful days.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Just Go To BED!!!
I hate bedtime. I hate it! At our house it is the epitome of chaos. Whiny kids, short tempered adults, yelling, giggling, bed jumping...AHHHH! I just want everyone to go to bed!
Our bedtime routine is at least an hour long process. It starts with bath time right after supper. This may be my all time least favorite parenting chore. The kids complain because they don't want to take baths. They are fully capable of tearing off their clothing (most of the time I am telling them to get their clothes back on) but I am the one wrestling them out of pants, shirts, and socks and into the tub.
Once in the tub, the kids are squealing, singing "Five Little Ducks" at the top of their lungs and pretty much making it impossible for me to wash them. The acoustic onslaught of the splashing and yelling grinds me in a way nothing else does. Then there is the whining. "It's too hot. Now it's too cold!" Grrrr! Of course I get bubbles in their eyes because it is physically impossible for them to sit still for five minutes while I wash their hair so there usually are tears shed. To top it off, they whine about having to get out. Are you kidding me? I had to force you in there to begin with!
So by the end of bath time I am ready for them to just go to sleep but that would make my life way too easy. They still have to get jammies on, hair dried, and teeth brushed, all of which can produce tears and irritable comments from me...hurry up, come here, how many times have I told you to put your pants on!!!
The cleansing and dressing are only the beginning. We then have to search the house high and low for all beloved objects that are needed for going to sleep. "Where's my dankie?" "Mom, can you find my bitty?" "I need my baby." And my all time favorite, "I want my little, green monster truck!" I am not kidding. Will likes to hold on to it sometimes while he sleeps. Real nice and cuddly.
Lovies found and time to march upstairs. Each kid picks a book and gets a song. Will typically picks one of the 20 Elmo books we have that have been read a billion times and then wants me to sing the ABC song. So every night, I sing the ABCs, trying to make it into some sort of sweet lullaby while keeping it interesting by doing a mash up with Twinkle Twinkle. I have to keep my sanity somehow.
Livi's choice of book is always unpredictable. One night we read a science book about stars she had checked out from the school library. Pretty sure that put her to sleep within five minutes. If she doesn't fall asleep during story time, there are the endless demands. "Scratch my back." "Sing me a song." "Get me a drink." And she has the oddest song choices. Sometimes they are the standards like You Are My Sunshine, sometimes she prefers ones I have sung to her since she was a baby like Godspeed by the Dixie Chicks and I'll Sing a Luv-a-Bye To You from Winnie the Pooh. Other times she goes through months of requesting Christmas songs (White Christmas and The Christmas Song being her favorite) in the middle of the summer.
Most of the time I fall asleep before the kids do. Many evenings I have awoken up crammed in Will's toddler bed with him. Grumbling because I fell asleep and my body is sore from being scrunched up in a tiny bed for who knows how long, I look at my sleeping kids and am reminded that we are one night closer to them growing up. And when they are grown up they won't want me to tuck them in anymore. So, I crawl back in for a few more snuggles with each of them while they are sleeping.
I really don't like our bedtime routine but I do love those last moments of the day when we actually have special time together snuggled in bed talking about their favorite moments of the day. I really do cherish those giggles, stories and snuggles and know that these will be fewer and further between as they grown up. As I lay with Will I tell him, "I love you" and without fail he sleepily replies, "I wuv you mama. You da best mommy in da world." And I whisper back, "You're the best Bubba in the world." And that makes the craziness totally worth it!
Our bedtime routine is at least an hour long process. It starts with bath time right after supper. This may be my all time least favorite parenting chore. The kids complain because they don't want to take baths. They are fully capable of tearing off their clothing (most of the time I am telling them to get their clothes back on) but I am the one wrestling them out of pants, shirts, and socks and into the tub.
Once in the tub, the kids are squealing, singing "Five Little Ducks" at the top of their lungs and pretty much making it impossible for me to wash them. The acoustic onslaught of the splashing and yelling grinds me in a way nothing else does. Then there is the whining. "It's too hot. Now it's too cold!" Grrrr! Of course I get bubbles in their eyes because it is physically impossible for them to sit still for five minutes while I wash their hair so there usually are tears shed. To top it off, they whine about having to get out. Are you kidding me? I had to force you in there to begin with!
So by the end of bath time I am ready for them to just go to sleep but that would make my life way too easy. They still have to get jammies on, hair dried, and teeth brushed, all of which can produce tears and irritable comments from me...hurry up, come here, how many times have I told you to put your pants on!!!
The cleansing and dressing are only the beginning. We then have to search the house high and low for all beloved objects that are needed for going to sleep. "Where's my dankie?" "Mom, can you find my bitty?" "I need my baby." And my all time favorite, "I want my little, green monster truck!" I am not kidding. Will likes to hold on to it sometimes while he sleeps. Real nice and cuddly.
Lovies found and time to march upstairs. Each kid picks a book and gets a song. Will typically picks one of the 20 Elmo books we have that have been read a billion times and then wants me to sing the ABC song. So every night, I sing the ABCs, trying to make it into some sort of sweet lullaby while keeping it interesting by doing a mash up with Twinkle Twinkle. I have to keep my sanity somehow.
Livi's choice of book is always unpredictable. One night we read a science book about stars she had checked out from the school library. Pretty sure that put her to sleep within five minutes. If she doesn't fall asleep during story time, there are the endless demands. "Scratch my back." "Sing me a song." "Get me a drink." And she has the oddest song choices. Sometimes they are the standards like You Are My Sunshine, sometimes she prefers ones I have sung to her since she was a baby like Godspeed by the Dixie Chicks and I'll Sing a Luv-a-Bye To You from Winnie the Pooh. Other times she goes through months of requesting Christmas songs (White Christmas and The Christmas Song being her favorite) in the middle of the summer.
Most of the time I fall asleep before the kids do. Many evenings I have awoken up crammed in Will's toddler bed with him. Grumbling because I fell asleep and my body is sore from being scrunched up in a tiny bed for who knows how long, I look at my sleeping kids and am reminded that we are one night closer to them growing up. And when they are grown up they won't want me to tuck them in anymore. So, I crawl back in for a few more snuggles with each of them while they are sleeping.
I really don't like our bedtime routine but I do love those last moments of the day when we actually have special time together snuggled in bed talking about their favorite moments of the day. I really do cherish those giggles, stories and snuggles and know that these will be fewer and further between as they grown up. As I lay with Will I tell him, "I love you" and without fail he sleepily replies, "I wuv you mama. You da best mommy in da world." And I whisper back, "You're the best Bubba in the world." And that makes the craziness totally worth it!
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
'Tis the Season to Be STRESSED
I love Christmas. I always have. I love the magic of believing in something. I love the snow. I love celebrating traditions. I love spending time with my family. But as I have become an adult, gotten married, and had children, I also have come to realize how much stress and work goes along with the holidays.
Christmas as an adult definitely is a lot more stressful than I had ever anticipated. I still love all of the traditions and the magic of the holiday season but I couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed this year. There's a lot of pressure to make sure your kids have the "perfect" Christmas experience. There's the baking, the gift purchasing and wrapping. The trip to see Santa Claus and preparations for family and friend get togethers. Christmas cards to get out (which will be late because I put them in the mail on the 23rd), groceries to buy and food to make for the big day. And in the midst of this, trying to teach my 3 and 5-year-olds what the true meaning of Christmas is. No pressure!
I was reading one of my favorite Christmas stories to Livi the other night. It's called "Mooseltoe" and it's about a dad who tries to create the perfect Christmas for his family but forgets to get a Christmas tree. In the end, he finds a solution that's not "perfect" but is pretty close. As I finished reading it, I thought about how much pressure we put on ourselves during the holiday season. Traditions and activities that are supposed to be fun and be part of that "perfect" Christmas turn into disasters because I'm overstressed and short on patience. I'm pretty sure when I was baking sugar cookies with my kids a couple of weeks ago I was yelling at them after about 10 minutes of their "help." It made me so angry at myself that I projected my stress onto them.
So, with all the stress leading up to the holidays, I was expecting Christmas to be stressful as well. I'm not going to lie. I was getting a little short with my kids while I was trying to bathe and dress them and myself for church but the conversation on the way into church dissipated the stress I was feeling and changed the whole mood of the season. We were discussing how we were celebrating Jesus' birthday and a heated debate between Livi and Will ensued about whether Jesus was a boy or girl...Will thinks he's a girl which most likely has something to do with the fact that the statue of Jesus at church has long hair and is wearing a "dress." I couldn't help but laugh at the kids' conversation and how seriously they were arguing their sides, and then at myself for getting so caught up in all this holiday frenzy. I decided it was time for me to chill out and just enjoy this time with my family.
And I really did, after mass we came home for pizza (a Primrose tradition), opened a present, and then enjoyed an evening playing games, reading stories and preparing for Santa's arrival. Livi left a bag of toys by the door they had collected from their room for Santa to take to other boys and girls. She was very giving while Will needed a little persuasion. He kept trying to give away Livi's toys and stuffed his footie pajamas clear full of toys he was afraid would get taken away from him. Maybe next year...
At bedtime the kids convinced me to let them lay in our bed. I laid between them and it was hard not getting caught up in their excitement as they talked and giggled about their anticipation for the next day. Livi fell asleep and as Will calmed down he grabbed my face and said, "You're the best mommy in the world!" Ok, so he's not extremely giving but he is incredibly sweet.
Of course the excitement was contagious again today as the kids woke up and raced downstairs. Will's face was absolutely priceless as he spied the workbench he requested. Livi got her pogo stick and loved it even though she wasn't able to use it yet. They loved their gifts and we enjoyed spending time with them playing games and with their toys all day long. Even Lexi seemed to be enjoying the day and let us hear some of her giggles for the first time.
So, I may have failed to make Christmas "perfect". My Christmas cards are late, my house was not perfectly clean, and I'm pretty sure we were in our pajamas all day long but I got to spend Christmas at home with my three kids and husband (plus parents and brother) just hanging out and playing with toys all day. I truly enjoyed my children and that is what made my Christmas perfect.
As I look back on the past month, I feel relieved that we are over the craziness of the holiday season and that I can relax and enjoy my kids again. As look back at the past two days, I wish time would stand still and we could experience this feeling every day of the year...the excitement and the enthusiasm of the season. I need to write a memo to myself around the middle of November 2013...Don't stress. Enjoy your kids and the magic of the season. Be thankful for all God has given you. Maybe that note will help me take it day by day and remember I don't need all of that craziness to make my Christmas perfect enough.
Christmas as an adult definitely is a lot more stressful than I had ever anticipated. I still love all of the traditions and the magic of the holiday season but I couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed this year. There's a lot of pressure to make sure your kids have the "perfect" Christmas experience. There's the baking, the gift purchasing and wrapping. The trip to see Santa Claus and preparations for family and friend get togethers. Christmas cards to get out (which will be late because I put them in the mail on the 23rd), groceries to buy and food to make for the big day. And in the midst of this, trying to teach my 3 and 5-year-olds what the true meaning of Christmas is. No pressure!
I was reading one of my favorite Christmas stories to Livi the other night. It's called "Mooseltoe" and it's about a dad who tries to create the perfect Christmas for his family but forgets to get a Christmas tree. In the end, he finds a solution that's not "perfect" but is pretty close. As I finished reading it, I thought about how much pressure we put on ourselves during the holiday season. Traditions and activities that are supposed to be fun and be part of that "perfect" Christmas turn into disasters because I'm overstressed and short on patience. I'm pretty sure when I was baking sugar cookies with my kids a couple of weeks ago I was yelling at them after about 10 minutes of their "help." It made me so angry at myself that I projected my stress onto them. So, with all the stress leading up to the holidays, I was expecting Christmas to be stressful as well. I'm not going to lie. I was getting a little short with my kids while I was trying to bathe and dress them and myself for church but the conversation on the way into church dissipated the stress I was feeling and changed the whole mood of the season. We were discussing how we were celebrating Jesus' birthday and a heated debate between Livi and Will ensued about whether Jesus was a boy or girl...Will thinks he's a girl which most likely has something to do with the fact that the statue of Jesus at church has long hair and is wearing a "dress." I couldn't help but laugh at the kids' conversation and how seriously they were arguing their sides, and then at myself for getting so caught up in all this holiday frenzy. I decided it was time for me to chill out and just enjoy this time with my family.
And I really did, after mass we came home for pizza (a Primrose tradition), opened a present, and then enjoyed an evening playing games, reading stories and preparing for Santa's arrival. Livi left a bag of toys by the door they had collected from their room for Santa to take to other boys and girls. She was very giving while Will needed a little persuasion. He kept trying to give away Livi's toys and stuffed his footie pajamas clear full of toys he was afraid would get taken away from him. Maybe next year...At bedtime the kids convinced me to let them lay in our bed. I laid between them and it was hard not getting caught up in their excitement as they talked and giggled about their anticipation for the next day. Livi fell asleep and as Will calmed down he grabbed my face and said, "You're the best mommy in the world!" Ok, so he's not extremely giving but he is incredibly sweet.
Of course the excitement was contagious again today as the kids woke up and raced downstairs. Will's face was absolutely priceless as he spied the workbench he requested. Livi got her pogo stick and loved it even though she wasn't able to use it yet. They loved their gifts and we enjoyed spending time with them playing games and with their toys all day long. Even Lexi seemed to be enjoying the day and let us hear some of her giggles for the first time.
So, I may have failed to make Christmas "perfect". My Christmas cards are late, my house was not perfectly clean, and I'm pretty sure we were in our pajamas all day long but I got to spend Christmas at home with my three kids and husband (plus parents and brother) just hanging out and playing with toys all day. I truly enjoyed my children and that is what made my Christmas perfect.
As I look back on the past month, I feel relieved that we are over the craziness of the holiday season and that I can relax and enjoy my kids again. As look back at the past two days, I wish time would stand still and we could experience this feeling every day of the year...the excitement and the enthusiasm of the season. I need to write a memo to myself around the middle of November 2013...Don't stress. Enjoy your kids and the magic of the season. Be thankful for all God has given you. Maybe that note will help me take it day by day and remember I don't need all of that craziness to make my Christmas perfect enough.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Wherefore art thou belly button?
I'm 3 months post baby and my belly button is still unrecognizable. Of course I can now see it which is a good thing but I keep wondering if it will ever return to that perfect little innie that Dr. Weideman created 32 years ago.
When you get pregnant you expect your body to change but you are silly enough to expect to look like the maternity models with a cute little basketball bump and no weight gain in other part of your body. Newsflash: I'm pretty sure none of those maternity models are really pregnant :) The harsh reality is your face swells, your butt gets big, and your fingers and/or toes may turn into fat little sausages.
And for some reason, you are naieve enough to think that as soon as the baby comes out your stomach it will miraculously shrink back to your pre-pregnancy tummy. The baby came out so there should be nothing left, right? The reality is you'll still look 4 months pregnant after the baby is born and have this jiggly pouch with a crater (formerly known as your belly button) in the middle of it.
As I said, I'm 3 months out and slowly my crater has again turned into an innie of some sort. But it's stretched out into a mishapen circle with wrinkly, raisin like skin around it. The dark line that showed up lengthwise down the middle of my stomach in the last month of pregnancy is still there, too, and I'm trying to remember how long it took to fade back to normal colored skin after I had my son. I think it was close to 6 months. I know, it's a pleasant image but us moms know this is the reality of a post baby body.
I wish the belly button was the worst part of it. I don't think my hips will ever be the same. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with one 7 1/2 and two 8 1/2 pound babies being pushed through the birth canal. I have to admit I did enjoy my pregnant breast swellage at times and my nursing breasts can look great when they are full of milk but they are sore most of the time and leak a little every now and then...sexy, eh? The worst part is when you are done nursing and they hang there like deflated balloons. I have the same cup size as before, I just have to roll them up to sit in the bra cups.
I know my body has changed and I'm happy to have three beautiful children to show for it. It's just frustrating trying to get back into shape especially when you are just trying to survive most days. I'm hoping that with enough diet, exercise, push-up bras, and Spanx I can look almost as good as I did before having my kids!
When you get pregnant you expect your body to change but you are silly enough to expect to look like the maternity models with a cute little basketball bump and no weight gain in other part of your body. Newsflash: I'm pretty sure none of those maternity models are really pregnant :) The harsh reality is your face swells, your butt gets big, and your fingers and/or toes may turn into fat little sausages.
And for some reason, you are naieve enough to think that as soon as the baby comes out your stomach it will miraculously shrink back to your pre-pregnancy tummy. The baby came out so there should be nothing left, right? The reality is you'll still look 4 months pregnant after the baby is born and have this jiggly pouch with a crater (formerly known as your belly button) in the middle of it.
As I said, I'm 3 months out and slowly my crater has again turned into an innie of some sort. But it's stretched out into a mishapen circle with wrinkly, raisin like skin around it. The dark line that showed up lengthwise down the middle of my stomach in the last month of pregnancy is still there, too, and I'm trying to remember how long it took to fade back to normal colored skin after I had my son. I think it was close to 6 months. I know, it's a pleasant image but us moms know this is the reality of a post baby body.
I wish the belly button was the worst part of it. I don't think my hips will ever be the same. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with one 7 1/2 and two 8 1/2 pound babies being pushed through the birth canal. I have to admit I did enjoy my pregnant breast swellage at times and my nursing breasts can look great when they are full of milk but they are sore most of the time and leak a little every now and then...sexy, eh? The worst part is when you are done nursing and they hang there like deflated balloons. I have the same cup size as before, I just have to roll them up to sit in the bra cups.
I know my body has changed and I'm happy to have three beautiful children to show for it. It's just frustrating trying to get back into shape especially when you are just trying to survive most days. I'm hoping that with enough diet, exercise, push-up bras, and Spanx I can look almost as good as I did before having my kids!
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