Saturday, March 20, 2010

I LOVE my minivan, BTW

Hi there! Same story as last entry: alive, kicking, Em still not a super awesome sleeper (but she is getting better), put away champagne glasses.


Believe it or not, I have had a decent social life over the last few weeks. And I'd write about it, except sleep deprivation has robbed me of my memory. Pretty much the only thing I can remember is the stuff I do every single day: feed children, change children, reprimand or cheer the larger one, burp the smaller one, count down the minutes 'til naptime, then miss them when they're sleeping (that's how I know I still love them).

I sound so sad. I'm not! Really! I'm trying to be funny, but it's just coming out as whine whine pathetic whine whine.


Okay, so having two children this small is really tedious. There is no doubt about that. I am sick of diapers. I am sick of picky eaters who can't yet feed themselves. I am sick of nursing a baby for 5-7 hours a day. I am sick of reswaddling an enraged baby in the middle of the night (she DOES turn the most lovely shade of purple, and the face! it is hilarious!). Almost every day is exactly the same. And that sucks.

But! It was the same story with Grace, and after just a few months, it was suddenly fun again. So I know that will happen, and I just have to wait and appreciate the good things that we do have in the meantime.

Like the fact that Em is getting fatter and fuzzier every second. I think all babies look like some animal or another. Grace looked like a koala. Em looks like a hedgehog.

I am getting my very own elliptical machine in about a week. The weather has been gorgeous, and we've gotten out for a long walk every single day this week (except today, which was miserable, and I refused to even look out a window until the smelly garbage HAD to go out because I couldn't stand it any longer, and James was busy). Carrying an 11-pound baby and pushing a 25-lb toddler at the same time is incredibly good exercise. Especially if there are hills. I also hacked apart a gigantic downed tree limb that got frozen in the snow all winter. I felt very proud after that. Like a lumberjack wonder woman. That was Wednesday, and I'm still sore.

I finally got to meet an internet friend and her little one, and despite my fears of totally dorking out and lots of awkward silence, I had a great time. And she left, and I was sad because all these really cool people live everywhere but here. But we're talking about the good things, right?

I stumbled across this crazed childfree website, and I was *mad at first, but now it's become a new source of endless entertainment (which I need, since Em likes to take foreeeeever to eat), so long as I skip the topics that I know will make me angry. But seriously, if you want a good laugh, and you have a pretty thick skin, find a militantly childfree website and go nuts.

(*One of them mentions me by name and castigates me for my name starting with "Mrs." The hilarious thing is that half of these people have names like No_Kids_4_Life and Happy_and_Childfree, and what? I'm a loser for having a name based on family I DO have, and your name based on the family you WON'T have is any different? Oh, right, it's DIFFERENT because having my name start with "Mrs" means I'm a mindless moo whose identity is entirely bound up in her husband and children. Good to know! I'm sure James will be happy to know this.)

I have cooked several meals over the last couple of weeks (most of the rest of our meals have been sent home with us on Sundays from our lovely church people). After Grace was born, the idea of this terrified to me. I am not the Queen of Getting It Together While under Stress (do you remember any of my crazed entries during finals weeks throughout college?). When I'm this tired, everyday tasks become insurmountable hurdles. It's a miracle James and I made it through college without getting scurvy. But this time, I have made real food. I have concocted dishes off the top of my head that actually tasted good. There have been vegetables! And herbs! And spices!

Now I just need to start playing the piano and brushing up on Hebrew again. Then I'll know I've got it together.


Okay, there was more, but I just realized it is time for feed the little squid again. Yay for abrupt endings!

3 comments:

  1. Sorry about the tediousness of the early weeks! But you're right, it will get better. After all, we had our two and are now waiting for #3 (who is to be another girl, it seems). Ours were a bit further apart, but it might be to your benefit, once your younger one starts walking and talking, they should be able to play together really well. And having your older daughter to entertain the younger will be a lifesaver.

    The childfree boards sound pretty funny. I'm not sure if I'd be amused or angry, so I'll have to wait until I'm pretty desperately bored (maybe in August while I'm in the same constant breastfeeding stage that you're in!) to try it.

    That's great that you're cooking again. Cooking a meal and having the kitchen clean afterwards always makes me feel like I'm succeeding as a stay-at-home mom. If it would only *stay* that way for more than, oh, 2.4 seconds!

    I'm jealous that you met somebody else and not me. I mean, Massachusetts and Wisconsin are *practically* neighbors, after all!

    Hope you continue to enjoy your social life! Just don't wear yourself out too much. :) And give us updates every once in a while, nice to hear how you're doing!

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  2. Okay, I took your challenge and read a few entries on a childfree board. Was so funny when I saw somebody repost a story I'd *just* read on the etiquette boards! Totally different perspective, of course. But kind of interesting. Wow, they sure are militant! I feel bad for the person who posted the original story, although of course she'll probably never know it was reposted.

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  3. I think I know what you're talking about. Yeah, I actually kind of agree with them on that one, but I don't think it was evidence of those parents being absolute heels. People misjudge situations all the time; parents don't have a monopoly on that!

    What I find funny isn't that they don't like or don't want kids, or even that they dislike bad parents. It's that ALL parents get lumped in together. I've read some of their commentary on some of our other forum posts, and my head goes *pop*. One in particular, all but one poster was in agreement that the mom was completely out of line (I did, too, but didn't feel like posting on that one; I usually stay away from the really popular threads, so I don't have a thousand new replies when I go back). The people on the CF website all concluded that it was ONLY because all the moms hadn't woken up yet, as it was before noon. The funniest thing about that is that they're constantly citing lack of sleep as one of the reasons children are a nightmare. Can't have it both ways, people: either we sleep in, so you hate our lazy butts, or our kids never let us sleep, so you hate them. Can't be both.

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