Monday, March 25th, 2008

A lot has happened since the last post. 3 weeks ago we found out that we are expecting another baby at the end of October/ beginning of November. I feel like things have been a bit of a whirlwind since then. The house is falling apart because I'm not feeling up to cleaning during the day. We just had Easter weekend, which like all holidays around here involves preparation and lots of running around. It's been crazy!

Most grateful moment: When Tommy got home. It was a long day of being tired and not feeling great. It was a huge relief to see him walk in the door!

One thing I learned today: There is a new book called The Ten Year Nap out that I am dying to read. It is about 4 different women who are stay-at-home moms. When I heard the name of this book, I laughed out loud and almost started crying at the same time. It's such a perfect explanation of how I feel about this stage in my life. I feel like I am hibernating from the real world- hiding from the stresses and rigors of a business life or of being a teacher. To me, this is the plus side of it....But I also feel as though my brain is taking a nap and I am not as sharp as I was. It takes energy to keep your mind stimulated and learning and connecting and bright. Frankly, I don't have that energy right now. I feel like I pour it all into thinking about my kids' well-being and happiness and it leaves little time for my own intellect! In no way am I unhappy about where I am right now. But sometimes I worry that letting my brain take a 10 year nap is not good for it!

One moment I wish I could re-do: Eating jelly beans for breakfast. It set me out to a sluggish, nauseous day after a night of no sleep.

Best life tip: Reason with your toddler...don't demand. Tommy just went in to Jack's room for the 4th time in the last 15 minutes to quiet him down. Instead of just telling him to go to bed, he said "Listen, Mallie's not feeling well. I need you to be quiet so that she can get some rest and feel better". Jack said, "OK" and we haven't heard another peep out of him!

Biggest laugh of the day: At about 5:30 tonight, I finally went up to take a shower. When I came down I caught Jack off guard with my wet hair and different clothes. He ran up to me to hug me, but stopped short and stood in front of me awkwardly, trying to figure out what to say. He started laughing his fake, forced laugh and said, 'Mommy, this shirt is funny", pointing at my sweatshirt. So I said 'Why is it funny?' and he must have felt bad or something because he gave me a hug and said 'No, Mommy, I love this shirt."

Best Tommy moment: I called Tommy at about 5:15 this afternoon. He was in the driveway and answered the phone anyway. I asked where he was and he said 'I'm in the driveway, did you know there are 2 cats next to the garage?'- as though we were going to battle. He came inside and opened the blinds and stared at the cats for several minutes, until the walked away. He then called me into the kitchen to check and see if the one cat was 'abnormally large'. To end the Day of the Cats, I was in Mallie's room putting her to bed. He poked his head in, with a victorious grin on his face and said, "Do you hear that? Something is getting that cat!" and with a fist pump he left the room. I'm not sure what the cats ever did to him, but he sure doesn't like them!

Best Jack moment: Claire took Jack on a little drive this morning. They stopped at the lake for a while and she looked back at him staring out of the window. She asked him what he was thinking about and he answered, "My mommy. I love her so much".
While I was out getting dinner, Tommy was talking to Jack about Mallie's new tooth that's coming in. (We had been making a big deal out of it earlier that afternoon). Tommy said they were sitting there chatting and Jack asked, "So Dad, will Mallie have teeth tomorrow?"

Best Mallie moment: Mallie's been struggling with a cold and a little bit of a fever all day. She was up all night last night... When Tommy got home tonight, he noticed that her first tooth is poking through! She's almost 8 months old, so we've been waiting for this!!!!