Mama Monday - I Am Thankful For...

Now that I am home alone with two kids, one of which is a nursing newborn the other is an emotional toddler, I'm recalling the simple joys in life that I have often taken for granted in other times of my life. This is mostly because when I get to experience these moments NOW in the midst of chaos at home, I feel liberated for a split second. Here they are in no particular order:

* Taking a Shower - Although these are in "no particular order" this is honestly the single most precious of all amenities. By the grace of God, I have been able to shower every single MORNING (and yes, the time of day does play a factor) since I've had Landon. This is huge bc when Will was a newborn, I often went without showing for most of the day... Or even for a whole day. Usually I had to have someone else come over (i.e. Mandy) just to get a 5 minute scrub down!

* Drying AND Straightening My Hair - Now getting a shower was nice enough back in Will's newborn stage, but I have naturally "Mufassa" hair and with this humidity, it is not pretty. So although I hate to press my luck, I'm thankful for the times that I'm able to dry and straighten my hair. This may sound entirely superficial, but hey... My self image is pretty low right now (see fourth item on the list) and whatever I can do to feel "normal" helps tremendously.

* Putting on Makeup - I only wear mascara, but again... it helps me feel like a regular member of society.

* Finding ANYTHING That Fits and Looks Remotely OK - I have no shame. I will tell you that I'm going to be stuck in these maternity capris for a while. Partially bc I can't go shopping and partially bc I just had a baby and unlike the superwoman of the world, I was not able to zip my pre-baby pants up hours after labor. At this rate, I'll be thankful if I can fit in anything by the time I go back to work Oct. 1st! But that's another day's worries. Right now, I'm just thankful for the three shirts and two pairs of pants that fit me decently. Oh, and the washer and dryer that let me wear them over and over again.

* Sleeping for Five Consecutive Hours - Fortunately Landon seems to understand this. I know I should knock on wood when I say this, but he's only gotten up once a night every night since he was born. His routine has been to eat like a horse/stockpile for the apocalypse (nurse for 1.5-2 hours before bed) and then sleep for 5-5.5 hours. I'll take that routine over getting up over and over again.

* Leaving the House - I've only been outside of the house a handful of times over the course of the past week. It's sad that I can count them on one hand. The best was when Cathy and her mom were here last Friday and she asked if I needed to go anywhere for a short bit. Wow, if that wasn't the most freeing experience yet! I had a number of errands to run so hearing these words was like music to my ears. Note to self: The greatest gift to give a new mom is some alone time! I went to Shamas to pick a product up that had been on back order for over a month and had JUST come in the day before, then I swung by William's babysitter's house to grab the fourth swaddle blanket of the pack, filled up on gas at Kroger (saving $1.30 a gallon!), and then purchased four bags of groceries and got cash out at Kroger as well. I did all of this and returned home in 40 minutes! Yep, it's crazy how much one can accomplish when time is precious. I've also gone out three other times in a week with Dominic and the boys; last Wednesday to the Peds for L's one week check and to Mapleway for a final time as a family, to Woodland Park on Saturday, and yesterday to Meijer and Taco Bell (I've craved two things since Landon was born - one time it was chocolate and the other time it was a Mexican Pizza from TB, weird yes. Now Stromboli sounds amazing!) Regardless of where I get to go, leaving the house is an absolute blessing that I am super thankful for.

* Quiet Time - I know this will only get tougher as Landon gets older and therefore sleeps less, but the fact that I've had at least one hour a day when both boys are sleeping has been AMAZING. This is like a small utopia that I'm invited to for sixty glorious minutes, and I cherish every single one of them.

* Playing with Will - The biggest guilt I am experiencing is my lack of ability to play with William when it's just me and the boys. He gets plenty of attention when Dominic is home, but when it's just me he definitely spends more time alone. Of course when he's alone, he's either getting into trouble (like just now as he emptied a bunch of my files all over the den), crying/pouting about something out of my sight, or watching a show or movie. When I'm available to help him, I'm usually trying to get him to go to the potty, changing his clothes, changing his diaper, making his meals, or getting him to eat his meals. This leaves a small window of time when we can color or play his card game or read a book. :-( Trust me, I already feel like crap about this whole thing so leave the judgements behind.

* A Clean House - I think we were spoiled for a while there when our other home was up for sale. We had to keep it clean every day. Now that we have moved, and still have yet to fully unpack, we have what I would call a BIG mess everywhere. It definitely stresses out both Dom and me.  Little by little we are settling in our new home and making it out own.  We have invested in a variety of organizational assistants such as large storage shelves for the basement, drawer organizers, drawers for under the cabinets, etc. that are helping us.  I keep telling Dominic to be patient with the process as we figure out where stuff goes.  William is a VERY good cleaner and put-away-er so once everything has a home and he knows where that home is, things will be fine.  It just doesn't happen overnight and with a newborn it might not even happen for a month!

* Owning a SmartPhone - My how times have changed since '09. When I had William I still had a flip phone. All I could do was text. Now I'm on my phone all day and night. Baby ESP is my newest app obsession thanks to my friend Holly! And I didn't even sign on to FB after William was born for like 2 weeks, so I was overwhelmed with the hundreds of notifications awaiting me. Now I'm on FB all of the time, so I can stay on top of my notifications and I don't feel bogged down! I also feel significantly more connected to the outside world. In addition to these two apps, I've been able to do all my emails, budgeting, and banking, plus shop online, play Words with Friends, edit photos, get the news, and yes - write this blog. Oh, and of course I can still text. This has made middle of the night feedings a lot more tolerable! What a great technological advancement!

* Having a Fully Functional Body - I definitely appreciate the fact that I have two working arms and legs. I don't mean to be funny here. I sprained an ankle when Will was a newborn and it changed my life! I admire anyone who can do all of this with any impairments or injuries! I have to thank God for my health and for my husband. Single moms are my heroes!

* An Awesome Support System! - Everyone who has helped me and my family out at anytime either through assisting in the move, during my hospital stay, after we returned home, making us meals either randomly or through the website www.takethemameal.com that Mandy set up, and/or bringing Landon and William gifts has left a lasting impression on our lives. People have been so generous and the outpouring of love and support is enough to bring tears to my eyes. I am taking note of "what to do for a mother of multiples" so I can apply it whenever my friends or family members have their second, third, or fourth kid. Thanks to all of you, you know who you are.

* Blogging - I truly love blogging, but of course it's one of the first things to go when there is a laundry list of other tasks that need accomplished. I've written some pretty good blogs since Landon's birth, but they are all in my head. Perhaps I should try out the voice to text feature on some other apps. I just get frustrated with that when I have to go back through and revise and edit the entire post!

Ok, I've been lucky enough to write this much! Until next time... XO!

And of course what I am MOST thankful for . . . my two best boys!