Very tired today. Isabelle is having sleep issues. All my other children were fairly good sleepers and the one who wasn't, we realized, ( through the Dr. Ferber sleep book) that she had become used to being rocked to sleep. So after a week of crying it out, she was 100% cured and I never had another probelm.
With Isabella, who is 7 1/2 mos. old, I have tried just about everything to get her to sleep and she will not hear of it! I nursed on demand, for the first several months, to rigid scheduling, sleeping with her, sleeping without her. Oh and did I forget to mention, she does not take naps. Well, little ones, two to be exact. Fifteen minutes each. Yes, just enough time to rest her voice box! She now pretty much rules the roost with her up and down schedule and her fiesty attitude. She'll probably grow up to be the dictator of a small Latin American Country.
What gets me is the up and down behavior. For a couple of weeks she only woke once at 3:30 and then at 6:30. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Well Heaven was short lived. She now wakes at around 1:30 and nurses off and on for the rest of the night. Well maybe someday. So until then I being the horrible mother that I am, will on occasion give her a dose of Benadryl, per the doc., just to get a straight 4 hours. Yes, she does not even sleep well drugged!
Well, time to go catch a few winks before the rooster crows!
As I stood blowdrying my thinning hair this morning, I found myself pondering the joys and woes of motherhood. Now don't misunderstand, I love being a mother. It is the best job in the world. The part I am having trouble with, is the short end of the stick we seem to have in this whole thing.
First, 10 long months ( whoever said it was 9 months couldn't count ) of pregnancy. Vomitting, fluid retention, leg cramps, Varicose veins, weight gain, aching muscles, constipation, shortness of breath, Sciatica, frequent urination, fatigue, hemorrhoids and my personal favorite, heartburn. Did I forget anything? To then have our bodies ripped apart by the labor process. Which can last anywhere from fifteen minutes, (usually saved for those fortunate enough to have previously birthed a whole herd, ) or for the less fortunate, such as myself, which lasted for just a few hours short of eternity.
Then after all that joy, comes the sleepless nights, engorgement, left over baby weight, dirty diapers, colic, more back pain, permanently stained clothing, etc, etc, etc. And just when you think your out of the woods, then the hair starts falling out! Not just a few strands, here and there, but fistfulls! Yes, thats right fistfulls. Whatever happened to a womans hair is her glory? Well, my glory keeps getting stuck in the bottom of my vacuum cleaner. And now ( as if I don't have enough to do ) I can add one more job to my list, dehairring the vacuum.
In Genesis it says that we would be cursed with childbearing. I did not however realize, it meant that my body would turn into one very large hairless toothache. Come on, enough already. Makes you wish you could have a word or two with Eve!
Now, because of Adam's sin, men would be cursed with hard labor, yes I said hard labor. I know, stop snickering. The spelling word for today is MACHINERY. And I think I'll just stop right there. As far as I'm concerned, there is no harder job than motherhood. Anywhere. However, I do realize there are many men out there, who are very helpful in every part of their families lives, but believe me, there are just as many who are not.
After all this whining, do I really think we got the short end of the stick? Absolutely not! Only a foolish woman would trade one precious moment of this.
Can you say teething?
Well, time to go re-shingle the roof!
Wow, am I glad that today is coming to a close. I worked last night until 12:30, before finally going to bed. Isabelle woke at two thirty this morning and decided she would serenade mommy for awhile. After several attempts at putting her back to sleep, she decided firmly against it. I was quite sure of that, when I cracked my eyelids and took a peek. I could see her little hand moving back and forth, like she was waving to an audience, from a float in a parade.
After only receiving two plus hours of sleep, I was far from my peppy self. I carried along a massive headache all day and felt as though I would eventually collapse in a heap. The bags under my eyes grew large enough to carry two weeks worth of groceries! I made it through dinner and finally brought our orders to the post office. I came home and found that I had been walking around with my slippers on the wrong feet!
Well, I'm too tired to write anymore tonight. Goodnight and sleeptight.
We just received notice that our electric bill is going up a whopping 21%, as of January 1st. I almost fell over. That is more than the interest rate on any credit card I own.. What happened to a nice 5%, or even 7 %, yeah that's good. As it is, the cost of fuel is so high and the house is so drafty, we are bundled up like Arctic explorers.
We try, (actually, I try) to be as frugal as humanly possible, when using electricity, so the bill will stay in check. Unfortunately my housemates, aka children, and husband are not quite as thrifty.
So, since contrary to popular belief, I cannot personally generate enough hot air to power the entire house, I have posted notice... If the lights are not turned off we will:
Wash one load of clothes a week, per person ( my dd ought to have no trouble with this, I can barely get her to do one load per month!)
Hang them to dry ( no one like crunchy jeans)
Shut off all computers as soon as finished
Cut out all TV time, for one week a month
Maybe this will get their attention. If not, next will be candlelight!
I have been a bit distracted today, ok, that's an understatement. Well, and I suppose it's not just today but nevertheless, my daughter, being the patient (NOT) child that she is, asks me a question and sees the glazed over, I'm on Mars expression on my face. She proceeds to hum the timer tune from Jeopardy, while she is waiting for me to snap out of it. Lovely child. I suppose she knows me all too well!
I guess my theory on the whole thing is, yes we are wonderfully made but how much information is too much before OVERLOAD occurs? Just curious of course. ( I really don't want to find out the hard way)
I have posted my to do list below, which is not yet completed and does not include the everyday things like, nursing the baby six times, homeschool, regualr meals, housework, business, etc. but you get the idea. I'm wondering if it is just me or is everyone this busy. I think a life re-evaluation is long overdue. Either that or may have to escape to a desert island and drink coconut milk and babble to a volleyball named Wilson!
Install Zone Alarm & Norton on other computer
Work on Social Security worksheet
Check to P.O.
Target for car seat
Sarah's Lesson Plans
Sarah's birthday present
Sales Tax due Mon 16/01/06
Returns to : Old Navy, Babies R Us, Kohls
Put away Baby Clothes
Post Office
Plan meal for Barb
Note to Ann Marie
Make Jail & Bail box
Inventory
Install Sarah's Comp. Ink
Cotton Tights
Make teething biscuits for baby
Pack Maternity clothes for Barb
Take down Christmas Tree
Change Shipping Rates
Change eBay Prices
Carbon monoxide detector
Call Nancy
Call bank about check 100 ?
Call about Sarah's Art Lessons
Bradys Present
Belles' Doc. Appt.
Make Sarah's dentist appt.
Batteries for Fire alarm
Appt for taxes
Apply Customer Payments
Add all invoices to Versa Check
50.00 to dad for camera card
Prepare business tax stuff
What a day! Of course I seem to say that at the end of everyday.. I still have loads of work to do. Everyday it seems to snowball and I wonder if I'll ever get caught up. I keep having this dreaded feeling that someday the fire department will be called when someone finally realizes that we haven't been seen in awhile. The neighbors will be reading the headlines, "Woman and Her Children Located Under Debris" Hahaha!
So I guess that means that I should be doing something other than this right now, but I'm pooped and I needed to vent, even though I doubt anyone is reading this!
So, our new web site is in the process of being designed and it will be a major undertaking, entering products and learning the new system. Probably was not a good time to fire the housekeeper. I thank the Lord he gave me a child who is such a good typist and organizer. Well it's 11:30 and the baby will be wanting to nurse soon, so I had better catch a few zzzz's while I have the chance.
So I wake up to find five or so inches of snow on the ground. I got up and made coffee and let Sarah ( my eleven year old) know that she can make her usual five bucks for shoveling the driveway. So my hubby, unbeknownst to me, proceeds out to the driveway and starts to shovel.
So why am I irritated you may ask? Well my darling husband, has for the last six months, been on crutches with an external fixator ( looks like an Erector set) attached to the bones in his lower leg. Which also means it cannot be covered and his leg and foot are bare.
So your next question may be, how does he shovel with a broken leg & crutches? Well how else, on his knees!
I swear, the neighbors must think I am Cruella DeVille! He might as well wear a sign around his neck that says my wife is a horrible woman! He pulls this same sort of stuff in front of his mother and sisters all the time, and you can imagine the response. " Oh you poor thing! Let me help you." When I have already offered my assistance and been rejected repeatedly. I am convinced he gets some type of sub-conscious gratification from this.
I know, move on.
Baby awake, gotta run.
