Letter to me when thinking of having #8

Dear Stupid Head;

If you are reading this you are considering having another baby.  While we think that babies are wonderful gifts, let me remind you of some of the things you have forgotten in the last year(?).

- You will be super sick for 15-16 weeks.  Not get out of bed sick.  Want to die sick.  The medicines that help make you not throw up make you sleep.  After a few weeks, Mike looses it and cannot handle you not helping.  Then the crying begins.  That's really fun.  You cry because you don't feel well.  You cry because you cannot do anything but sleep and throw up.  You cry because you fail at simple things.  You cry because your kids fight.  You cry because they don't listen.  You cry because you cannot stop crying.  Hormones are awesome.

- Then the vomiting stops, and the crying lets up.  You are at least 2 sizes smaller than you were when this all started.  And your appetite returns, with a vengeance.  You eat everything in sight.  You eat like a man for a while.  You cannot function if you are slightly hungry.  The voice in your head tells you to curb that eating spree because it is so hard to lose that weight after the fact, and then you are more miserable.  You continue to walk/exercise but that only lasts until the exhaustion hits again.

- Then the third trimester hits.  With that comes extreme exhaustion.  You are so tired all the time.  You need 12-15 hours of sleep, but only get 8.  Mike becomes that warm body in the bed that you never talk to because you are always sleeping.  He resents that.  The kids are mad because you make them go to bed at 7 every night because you cannot keep your eyes open another minute.  They fight you, they win.  You don't get enough sleep.  You try napping at nap time, but then are late to pick up kids.  If you don't nap, carpool becomes a battle to stay awake.  Coffee is the only hope.  Don't forget that pregnancy brain is in full effect.  Write everything down because you will forget.  EVERYTHING.

- Start cooking and freezing meals now, because you will not want to cook anything for the first 15-16 weeks , and will burn whatever you try to cook for the last 10 weeks.  Then you have the baby and cooking becomes that biggest challenge because you have to use a brain that doesnt work, and do it with one arm tied behind your back.  Pulling food out of the freezer is even a challenge for a while because you have to think about it in advance.

- The first 7-10 days postpartum are incredibly hard.  You hurt.  No getting around that.  Things take time to heal.  You are feeding baby all the time.  That hurts too.  Everyone tells you what not to do, but no one does it for you.   You and Mike are so tired that  neither of you can think or speak coherently.  People ask why we don't ask for help, but we cannot think far enough in advance to ask you to put it in your calendar.  We survive that time, but it's not pretty.

- Babies don't care that you have to get up and stay awake all day with 7 other kids.

- Babies spend the first 2-4 weeks with their days and nights backwards

- Babies cannot tell you what they want; and you cannot read them for a few weeks.

- Your family doesn't understand that you need a solid month to figure out which end is up.  After 2 weeks you are so sleep deprived that driving is more dangerous for you now than when you were younger and would drink and drive.

- Kids don't understand that you are only one person and will drive you crazy with the nonstop requests for attention.  There is not a break from the demands with 7 kids.  It will only get worse with 8.

All this said...it all passes.  By the time you are a year out (9 months of pregnancy and 3 months of a newborn) things get much easier.  The light at the end of the tunnel appears, and gets a little brighter each day.  By the time you get to nine or ten months with baby, you have forgotten all of this.  And it is  all worth it.

Kids are a blessing.  They make your days brighter and challenge you in ways no occupation ever could.

Just some food for thought.  Be prepared for it all.  It's a marathon, not a sprint.  You've done it before and can do it again, if you really want to:)

love,

you

It's Monday!

Mike spent the wee hours throwing up.  That's how our day started.  I got the 7 dressed, fed, and packed for school, delivered 6 to assorted schools, came home, fed baby, fed sickling toast, cleaned up house, started laundry, dishes, and made beds.  Now its time for me to eat.  My stomach will not allow me to wait another moment.  Okay.  Now I can think.  Let me update you on the kids

Oldest has baseball tryouts this week and has not touched a baseball in at least 6 months.  I feel like he is our Sue Heck.  Good thing there is Carrollton Boosters to play in the spring if the school team doesn't pan out.  He is also on the chess team at school and is playing basketball at Carrollton.  He has a very "Gambel" attitude towards school and grades and is driving his father crazy with his laziness.  I wish I knew what to say or do to motivate him to do his best work all of the time.  Unfortunately, I feel the same way he does.  He received a drum set for christmas and is loving learning to play those better.

Second child is playing soccer 4 days a week and is loving every moment he is on the field.  When not playing soccer, he is shooting hoops, playing with his friends, challenging someone to a chess match, or if all else fails, reading a book.  He used his christmas money to purchase an electric guitar, and is learning to play.  He is doing really well in school.  His teacher and classmates think he hung the moon.

My Girls are getting so big.   They both are playing in the chess club after school and taking piano lessons.  They are also playing basketball together.  3 is the point guard for their team and plays with such fierce determination that is entertaining to watch.  She loves making art and reading books.  She is also a wonderful assistant.  She loves to help cook dinner and is an excellent little brother wrangler.  She still buts heads with her older brothers and is trying to find her place in this world.  It can be hard to watch somedays, but it is definitely a more entertaining day when she is around.

4 has practiced shooting so much that they call her Automatic Ellen.   She thoroughly enjoys learning and will ask a million questions about a subject, but does it so quietly that sometimes you do not hear her.  She is reading and writing well beyond her grade level and is intrigued by math.  She asks tons of math questions and selects leapster math game to learn more.  She has lots of friends and is loved by her teachers.  She is the middle man in our family and needs extra attention.  I think she feels like the odd man out sometimes.

5 is playing his second season of soccer and is learning more and more with each practice and game.  He is a natural athlete and has the determination to become something to recon with on the field.  I am excited for him to be able to play baseball this summer.  He has been playing with his sibling for years and it will be fun to see him on the field.  He is often found riding his big wheel up and down the street, grinning from ear to ear, or killing the monsters with younger brother,6, in tow.

6 is my big boy.  He is sweet to his baby sister and plays well with the older kids.  He is thoughtful and sweet with his friends.  He is also 2.5, so he is willful, and belligerent sometimes too.  He loves books and puzzles and is very happy sitting quietly with a book or chasing down monsters for 5 to kill.

Baby girl is finally starting to settle down a bit and make life a bit more bearable.  She laughs and talks and sleeps more and more each week.  I'm hoping to get her schedule more defined so that I can better plan my day/weeks so as not to interfere with her sleeping and eating plans.

Mike is the assistant coach/stand in for the basket ball and soccer teams for the kids.  He is also getting ready for his JPRD team to resume games is a few weeks.  He is working really hard lately.  Maybe harder than he ever has.  I'm really proud of him and try to make things as simple as possible for him at home.  I feel like I fail at that more than I succeed, but I'm trying and that has to count for something.

Me?  Still tired, but not as badly in need of sleep.  Two cups of coffee each morning with my protein shake gives me enough of a boost to make it through each day.  I'm hoping to add some exercise time back into my life, but I know I have to take it slow.  Maybe my Lenten promise will be to exercise everyday no matter what.  It's just hard to find the energy.  It's comforting to know I usually get my 10,000 steps in each day, so its not like I'm sitting on my but all day.

Day 5 - Superbowl Saturday

Another exciting Saturday in our house.  9am Basketball Practice, 2:30pm and 5:20pm soccer games, and an exciting excursion to Babies R Us to purchase a stroller!

That's right, you are correct, I finally did it!  I finally picked a stroller that does everything I need it to for a reasonable price.  I am so happy that they have finally created one.  Gotta love Graco!!

The rest of the day will be chocked full of laundry, dishes and playing outside in this fabulous cloudless sky, 60 degree weather.  There is always nap time though, so we are inside now and enjoying the peace and relative quiet.

There is an intense chess game taking place, and assorted leapster and leappad games being played.  I'm sure someone will tire of that and resort to reading their latest favorite book.

I hope your Saturday finds you enjoying a peaceful moment too.

Day 4 -- Its Friday

So today is the Friday before the Super Bowl here in NOLA.  Of course 5 & 6 do not have school because of Parent Teacher Conferences.  I think they really just wanted to go downtown today and enjoy the party.  I, on the other hand, spent my morning at Sam's.  Woo Hoo!

On the brighter side, Miss Thing had a bottle at 1am, woke up at 2am, and again at 3am looking for her nuk, and slept until after 8 this morning.  That's what I'm talking about!  Now if I could only get her to repeat this over and over again...

I can actually think clearly.  Well, much more clearly than the day before:)  Today just might be the day I pick out a stroller for this little one.  Let me explain.  I never struggle to make decisions, that is, unless I am not sleeping.  Then I cannot make even the most simple of decisions.  It is frustrating to say the least, given the enormous number of decisions I make any given day.  Things as simple as "What's for dinner?", to "What are you going to do about it?" become impossible for me to answer and push me to tears.  And not because of the questions, but because of my complete inability to answer them.

So back to the stroller...do I get a double or single?  jogging or not?  simple to fold and carry, or lots of storage space?  What will I use it for?  What stroller(s) do I already have?  Do I really need a new stroller?

That one is easy...YES!  Umbrella stroller is moldy and jogging stroller doesn't collapse.

I know it would seem simple, but then there is the ultra "thrifty" part of me that doesn't see why I should spend any money on another stroller.  I could easily replace the umbrella for $20.  But it doesn't have storage space, and it is not good for little babies.  So I could get the latest and greatest Bob stroller, for the bargain price of $300...not!

So somewhere in between.  Good, there are only 500 strollers that fall into that category.  I'll look for a Graco (carseat) compatible stroller that folds easily and is rated well on Amazon, then just buy it. Unless the have it at Babies R Us.  Then I'll go pick it up.  Hope you have  a great decisive day!