Mommy brain? or plain crazy?

Three babies in, and this parenting thing isn't exactly getting any easier.  You would think, perhaps, that with each kid you would master some of those basic parenting skills. But instead, it seems that each child comes out with higher level skills of trickery and manipulation.  Either that or each one wears you down over time, and my ability to stand fast has ever waned? For example, I just spent the last hour trying to get Matthew to take a nap. An HOUR.  He is asleep now, but only after nursing multiple times, singing every lullaby song to infinity, rocking, and soothing.  I would try to leave the room and let him soothe himself... but my skin crawled up my neck as I heard him screaming and hyperventilating in his crib.  3 kids in, and the sound of my baby crying still rips right into my heart.  The small victory of his sweet face sleeping in his crib is a very small reward compared to the hour long battle we just endured! Which is why I so often don't fight him on his naps despite knowing how important sleep is to his development and health.

It isn't all fun and games. An exhausted attempt to get Matthew to sleep in the car and take NJ to the park... gone bad!

My bed on a Saturday at 6:00am. Not as comfy as you think!

 But we are making it along all right. Our days are full of play, exploration, learning, and growth right here at home! Nevertheless, Adam has been growingly disappointed with my rigidity about traveling, camping, and adventures in general. He is right, I avoid activities that involve packing, sleeping outside our own home, or excessive planning of any kind.  The bottom line is it is just TOO much WORK! I hardly get any sleep in my own bed, the idea of attempting to get Matthew to sleep somewhere else makes me panic!  I do daily loads of laundry at home, usually more than one load.  If we travel... my lord by the time we get home I'll have 4-5 loads to catch up on!  Then there is the fact that my brain can't seem to remember the basic needs and tasks in our every day routines. I'm always forgetting pump parts at work, or to send diapers to the babysitter. I forget to pack a jacket for a cold day or Jack's library books for library day.  My brain is a constant real of "don't forget" "need to do.." which then turns into "what was I just doing?" "why did I come in here?"  "where did I just put..?"  So the idea of packing all those things up, toting them along on our adventures, and then being able to FIND those items when I need them??? I have anxiety just thinking about it.  Which is bad news for my husband who thrives off of travel, camping, and adventures of every kind.

Adam's new form of excitement and adventure :) Protecting your UNO cards
from baby Matthew!

See, adventures in the mundane :)

I continually promise him that once Matthew gets a bit older that I PROMISE to resume our adventurous ways.  For now I am happy as a lark having adventures in our front yard.  Taking trips to the library or park are good to me. I finally understand why my mom had sticky notes all over our home with lists of things to do with the silliest of tasks written on them such as: trim finger nails.  Because my gosh... I can have been meaning to trim my finger nails for a week now.  A week!!! How does that happen? I should stop what I'm doing right now and go trim them.  But then I might forget that I was working on a blog. See my dilemma.
So, either this is normal "Mommy brain" stuff, or I should seek a counselors support :) But either way, I think these kids are growing up to be beautiful little people.

Painting our pumpkins

Pictures that were released by Hallmark!

Updates on the kiddos

Going on a bug hunt

 

Jack is 6 now, and he is already a quarter of the way thru Kindergarten.  How?  I dunno. But it happened.  Things have been changing so fast with him that I can't keep up.  He jumps off the bus after school and runs off into the yard to play.  He showed me how he can swing so high that the swings jerks back and forth.  He can even kick the branch in the tree by throwing his body backwards and extending his foot up into the sky.  He wants to climb trees, and runs around the yard with an active imagination that I have never before seen from him.  His interest in reading has exploded even more, and I find him reading every single thing that he can find.  He started driving. He did! I mean it's just a golf cart, but he is pretty darn good at it.  I even taught him how to take a shower, but I'm thankful that he is still enjoys getting into the bathtub and playing with his little siblings too.  I know our time it limited, but I love seeing their three cute little bods in the tub together :)  (sometimes I see how I could possibly turn into the Mom on the Goldberg's. That show cracks me up!)

NonaJane was excited to ride the ponies at Deanna Rose a few weeks ago. We sent a picture of it to her Aunt Nicole who sent back a picture from a year ago with NonaJane riding her horse.  It brought almost instant tears to my eyes, as I could barely recognize that little girl from the picture a year ago. How can she have changed so much? So I tortured myself and pulled up some baby pictures of NonaJane... and literally realized that I could hardly remember that sweet baby face. How could I forget?  Someday I will be looking at those baby pictures, and won't be able to remember which baby it is... I never understood how our parents or grandparents could ever forget which child it was in the picture.  But here I am, my daughter only 3 years old... and yet I'm already letting those memories slip.  Sometimes I catch a glimpse of NonaJane in her carseat, or running thru the house and I'm shocked by her beauty.  Of course, then she tells me to "stop looking at me!" or "I'm not talking to you" and I'm put right back into my place ;)

Your sweet face with what I think is a drool rash...

Your 9 month overalls that are like high waters on you at 7 months..

Matthew. My baby, who seems to refuse to be a baby. Turned 8 months old a few days ago.  He seems to be "growing like a weed" which never really happened with Jack or NonaJane.  Is it fair that at 7 months he should be forced to go to the library in high waters?  Well, it's your own fault kid for having ridiculously long limbs.  I'm not sure how I am suppose to dress your arms this winter. Baby clothes are all made for babies with short arms.  Your monkey arms are too long unless I put you in 12-18 month tops.  The same tops that your brother and sister were wearing when they were toddlers!  Plus, you already have 5 teeth! They are so darn cute when you give us your goofy grin and shrivel up your baby nose. You still puzzle me with your cock eyed way of holding your head, the way you crawl with one leg hitched up, and how you twist your body in our arms when we try to hold you. You're our strange little one, but amazingly talented.  You already wave and clap.  You discovered how to cruise up and down the couch last week. You already stand outside my shower door with your sweet little hands banging on the door to hurry me along.  Absolutely nothing phases you.  Your siblings dump water over your head by the bucket when in the tub, and you laugh.  Your sister tackles you and pulls you over backwards from behind.  You quickly crocodile roll and attack her with slobbery hands and a drooley face.  Have I mentioned your drool??? You drool SO MUCH. You soak several shirts a day.. and the continual stream of drool has soured some of your onesies to the point that I had to throw them away!  Your drool also has given your face, neck, and belly a strange bout of a rash. So I lather your face in aquafor or coconut oil and let your go on on your greasy merry way.  You still like to play hide and seek (see how I turn that on you instead of saying that perhaps your mom wasn't really watching you as well as I should?).  You're getting pretty good at it. I'm thinking I should teach you how to play 'marco-polo' instead. So when I call out, I could hear you and know you're ok? We'll work on that.

Preparing for your first bike ride :)