My job.

A few weeks ago Andy told me, "I know being at home with the kids can be tough, but it's not work.  It's not a job.  But I know it's hard..."  GRRR.  I was so annoyed.  This is my job.  Duh.  And it's way harder than a "normal" job. 

I don't get any sick days.

I can't leave my office to go home.

I have to wipe asses, deal with tantrums, clean up excessive amounts of spit up... Has Andy ever had to wipe a co-workers ass?

Sometimes I get NO adult interaction.  I watch Nick Jr and talk to small children all day.  It can be mind numbing. 

Not only do I raise the kiddos and clean the house, I also do everything to keep our household functioning.  Grocery shopping, buying clothes for the kids, buying birthday gifts, wedding gifts, sending out cards to family, taking pictures of the kids, making their baby books, taking the kids to doctor appointments.... I seriously mean everything.  I keep this house running.  Andy just doesn't get it. 

There are days I would give anything to go to work.  But I'm here with the kiddos because I love it.  I choose it.  And I'm incredibly lucky we are able to make this work. But let me be clear.  This is my job.  I am raising awesome little people, and it's hard!  So that's why my previous post documented my day.  Being a SAHM isn't glamorous, but it's rewarding.  I just wish I'd get a little more credit sometimes. 

A day in my life...

Um, this took forever to write.  I just noticed I kept switching tenses while writing this.  So just ignore that.  I'm blaming it on the yummy glass of red wine I just finished and exhaustion.

Thursday March, 15th 2012

7:10am:  The kiddos are waking up.  I am hiding under my covers praying they will both magically fall asleep.

7:20:  Brevin starts crying and Isla is screaming for juice and a flashlight.  I must get up.

7:30-8:30:  I walk in and grab my smiley little man from his crib.  His legs and arms flale around like crazy as he flashes me his gummy smile.  My heart melts.  We head downstairs and get Isla out of her room.  Isla goes potty, I change Brevin's diaper, then I grab milk for both kiddos and a Mountain Dew for myself.  We plop down on the couch and I turn on Nick Jr.

8:30-9:30:  I finally decide I should drag my lazy ass to the shower.  I leave the kiddos in front of the TV.  I put on an episode of Bubble Guppies so I know I have 24 minutes to shower.  Brevin is strapped into his bouncy chair and Isla knows she cannot touch him when I'm not in the room. 

After showering I grab my little man and bring him into the bathroom.  He is obsessed with watching me blowdry my hair.  He gets so excited and squeals the entire time.

I turn the TV off and Isla plays with her toys in the living room.  It takes me 20 minutes just to dry my hair.  By the time I'm done with that, Brev is getting restless.  Unfortunately he doesn't get the same thrill out of watching me straighten my hair, so my hair goes up in a sloppy, half frizzy bun.  I quickly apply makeup and grab some clothes. 

9:30-10:00:  Time for another bottle!  Brevin normally eats 3-4 hours apart, but his first 2 bottles are always close together.  So we are back on the couch watching an episode of Gabba.

 After Brevin's bottle I realized I forgot to feed Isla breakfast. Oops! So I warm up some pancakes and feed my starving child :) 

10:00-10:30:  Brevin fell asleep in my arms, so I laid him down in his Boppy on the floor and sent Isla to the basement to play in her playroom.  Brevin refuses to nap in his crib, so whatevs.  I deal with it.  While the kiddos are busy, I clean. 

10:30-11:15:  Brevin wakes up after 30 minutes so I throw him in the Ergo and continue to clean.  I get a text from my lovely friend Erin asking if we want to meet her at the park later.  That is a no brainer!  So I start packing up the diaper bag and getting ready for our afternoon out.  Isla comes up from the basement around 10:45 and plays in the living room until I get her dressed and ready to go.

11:15:  We are in the car heading to Panera to meet my friend Jess.  We met back at Messiah back when I was 15.  Yes, I used to be actively involved in church! 

11:30-12:45:  Yay!  Panera is virtually empty!  We grab a table in the corner and the kids are angels.  Seriously, they are so good.  Jess and I catch up..we haven't seen each other in a year.  Brev smiles and laughs the entire time.  Isla chats with us while eating her grilled cheese.  Eventually I bust out her video game and she plays for a while. 

12:45-3:15:  We are headed to the park!  Erin has her 5 year old daughter, Kennedy and twin girls (6 months old) with her.  Right when we get there all 3 babies are fussy and crying!  EEEK!  We finally were able to get all babies happy after they had bottles, and Erin and I chatted while Isla and Kennedy played.  They are so freaking cute together.  There was not a cloud in the sky...gorgeous day to be outside! 

3:30-4:15:  Brevin fell asleep at the park and was amazingly still asleep when we got home!  So Isla and I played outside and took advantage of the lovely weather. 

Squirrel Salmen needed to take a poop.  Duh mom. 

4:15:  Isla peed her pants.  Idiot me had forgotten to ask her if she needed to go. 

4:30:  Bath time! 

4:30-6:00:  Ugh.  Worst time of the day.  I was about to have a nervous breakdown.  The kiddos were crabby and tired.  Isla hadn't napped which always makes for a questionable afternoon.  We played, watched TV, and colored.  I'm was wishing Andy would walk in the door 5 hours early.  Since he was driving home from Minnesota, I knew this wouldn't happen.  Isla has several mini melt-downs including one where she was trying to escape outside.  I totally sympathized. 

6:00:  Dinner.  Yeah, it was totally random. 

6:30:  Since Isla had a bath earlier, we skip that part of her night time routine.  We read 2 stories in the living room and sang 2 songs (2 stories/2 songs...that's the rule!).  Brevin enjoyed being part of the routine...normally he would be in the living room with me, while Andy was doing Isla's night time routine. 

7:00:  Time to put Isla to bed.  I leave Brevin in the pac-n-play and he had a near meltdown.  He HATES being put down.  Seriously.  Like he will scream and cry and get pissed that you are not giving him all of your attention.  The screaming was not good for my tired mind and body. 

Yes, she sleeps in her tent.  And yes, it drives me NUTS!

7:15:  Isla was in bed so I grabbed the green beans for Brev.  At this point I'm pretty sure my eyes are bleeding.  I am not used to doing this all on my own.  I am dead tired.  I start feeding Brevin when Isla screams that she has to poop.  By the time I drag my ass to her room she has pooped in her diaper.  So Brevin goes back into the pac-n-play while I dealt with the diaper change and getting Isla back into bed.  Brevin screams.  I don't blame him. 

7:30:  Brevin finishes his green beans and then he gets his bath.

8:00:  Once Brevin is clean and in his jammies, he rolls around on the living room floor and plays with his toys while I do a quick clean-up.  Soak the bottles, clean the kitchen counters, pick up the millions of toys that have been scattered throughout the house...

8:15:  Plop down on the couch with Brevin and a bottle.  Scan my DVR to decide which show to catch up on.  Settle on Teen Mom 2.  Total guilty pleasure. 

8:30:  Brev falls asleep in my lap.  Phew.  I made it. 

8:45:  Andy comes home but I almost immediately send him back out to CVS for ice cream.  We lounge on the couch, catch up on Facebook, watch TV, and indulge in ice cream. 

10:30:  BED!

She is definitely mine.

I have been known to have a crude sense of humor and an overall dirty mouth.  Not in public though...so if you only sort of know me, you might think I'm polite and well rounded.  But that's not really the case.  I would be lying if I said I've been on my best behavior in front of the kids.  I talk about poop, farting, and many other inappropriate things.  Andy is starting to wonder where his lovely wife went.  Anyway, my child has picked up on the dirty talk too.  Not cool.  Guess I really need to censor myself.  It doesn't help that when she says these things I pretty much drop to the floor belly laughing. 

Isla:  Where is Daddy?
Me:  In the shower.
Isla:  Oh yeah.  He has to wash his stinky wiener. 

Isla:  Mom.  I gonna be so crazy.  I gonna poop in the yard like Torii!  Otay Mom?!

Isla:  (Talking to Brevin) Me and mommy wear big girl undies.  But not you Brev, you too tiny.
Me:  That's right!
Isla:  Maybe when Brevin gets big he can wear big girl undies?
Me:  He's a boy so he will wear big BOY undies.
Isla:  Well why don't we just buy him a jeener (vagina) at Target?
Me:  I'm pretty sure Brev likes his wiener.
Isla:  Otay.  We buy Brev a BIG pink wiener at Target.  You want a pink wiener Brev?

Isla:  Mom.  Check out my poop.  I got a Brevin poop and a mommy poop. 

Andy was tucking Isla in bed and she heard me starting the bath water...
Isla:  MOM!  You taking a bath to wash your stinky jeener? 
Andy:  Oh. My. God.  Stop teaching our child these things!

So yeah.  I am totally watching what I say.  While hilarious at home, I would be mortified if she said these things in public. 

We got the sicks.

Oh.  My.  God.

Make it stop!  We are so sick here and it's driving me nuts.

I am such a baby when I'm sick.  All I want to do is lay in bed all day.  But with 2 small kiddos, that really isn't an option.  So I usually mope around feeling sorry for myself.  But last week when Brevin, Isla, and myself got sick, I was screwed.  There was no time for moping.  My step-mom texted me and said, "This is when you get your super mom powers."  And it's totally true.  I have no clue how I got through last week, but I managed.  Yesterday when we all still woke up sick I decided we needed to get seen by a doctor, especially little Brevin.  I knew I had a sinus infection from all of my years in dealing with them.  This was one of the worst I've had though...it didn't respond to anything OTC.  Thank goodness I got a prescription...it's already working like a charm.  Brev's meds for his ear infection seem to have kicked in a little...but he's still a mess.  I'm waiting on a call back from the nurse regarding some grunting he has been having before and after his coughing fits.  Isla's cough seems to be getting a little less deep and frequent.  Maybe we'll all be healthy by the end of the week?? 

I'd give anything to be able to take this little man's cold away.  He has been a trooper, but I just feel so bad for him.  He loves hanging out in the Ergo and getting extra snuggles from his mama :)

And no, my boobs are not size 36Z.  The cleavage in this picture is somewhat alarming.  But I'm too lazy to censor it :)

Sleep

I'm not sure which is more dangerous.  The 2 comforters we are sleeping with, the pillows, or the drool and morning breath coming out of my [wide open] mouth.  Good God can't I just breathe like a normal person?!

I'm not a fan of co-sleeping, but I am a fan of squeezing in an extra 30 minutes of sleep.  And on this morning, sleep was more important than moving Brev back into his Rock n Play after his bottle.  No way I was risking waking him up.

Plus, look how cozy and content he looks. 

Brevin is a great sleeper but he has bad sleeping habits.  He hasn't even spent a night in his crib yet!  Yikes.  His spit up issues have made the Rock n Play our best option.  I know I have to just bite the bullet and get him sleeping in his crib or pack-n-play soon...but I'm not ready for that war.  And he still can't sleep without being swaddled.  Ugh.  Completely the opposite of Isla.  She was in her crib and in her own room the day she was home from the hospital!  The thought of having Brevin sleep in his own room makes me sad! 

Plus, who wouldn't love waking up to this every morning??

He melts my heart.  And his unusually loud morning farts have become my new alarm clock.  I just can't let go of my little man!  I'm amazed at how much my parenting has changed.  2009 Betsy wouldn't dare co-sleep and certainly wouldn't even think of having Isla sleep in the room with her in fear of starting bad sleep habits. 

Hmmm.  So right before I sat down to blog I had swaddled Brevin and put him in his crib awake to see if he'd nap.  He was a little fussy so I figured why not?  At the very least he'd be entertained by his Dream Screen for 20 minutes.  But he just fell asleep!  Unfortunately he spit up a TON prior to falling asleep, but he had the good sense to move his head away from the enormous wet spot.  So maybe the transition will be easier than I thought?  I was sort of hoping he wouldn't fall asleep so I could keep him in the room with me...

Crap. 

Two is Better than One.

When I was pregnant with Isla, I had many women share with me how difficult the transition from one kid to two kids was for them.  Seriously almost everyone had a story about how tough the adjustment was.  I didn't think too much of this.  I mean, obviously adding another kid to our family meant more work.  2 kids to feed, bathe, clothe, play with, snuggle, love...you know...keep alive.  Clearly there would be some sort of adjustment period.  I was a little worried about how I'd handle it all.  Isla and I had fallen into a lovely little routine, and I really had no idea how throwing a baby into the mix would effect our day to day stuff.

Enter Brevin:

He is seriously the most amazing little guy.  He has been nothing but an easy baby.  Well, his spit up issue is slowly killing me, but whatevs.  His easy-goingness totally surprised me.  I considered Isla an easy baby, but in comparison to Brevin, she could be considered a high needs baby.  Seriously!  She never cried, was a great sleeper, never spit up, and was generally just a super happy kid.  BUT she need constant stimulation.  She wouldn't sit in her swing or bouncer for more than 10 minutes.  She always needed a change in scenery.  She didn't love being held for long periods of time, but she didn't like being on her own either.  She was a tricky little thing to figure out. 

Brevin is chill.  He will sit in his bouncer or swing for long periods of time.  I bring him into the bathroom with me in the mornings and he hangs out while I shower, shave, AND dry my hair!  He is perfectly content in his bouncer.   Glorious. 

Anyway.  I have found that having two kids is easier than one.  There are lots of reasons, but it basically boils down to this:

1.  I am obviously experienced this time around.  I know what to expect.  And I'm a far more relaxed mom.  I'm not obsessing over routines and schedules.  I'm not googling every little worry I have about Brevin to see if it's "normal" or not.  I just go with the flow.

2.  Having two kids makes me less lazy.  Back when it was just me and Isla, I got a little too comfortable in my lifestyle.  We would watch tv together in the mornings, she would play while I'd read blogs/email/facebook, then we'd both take naps every afternoon.  I'd squeeze in some cleaning while Isla played, or some days I'd forgo a nap and do a deep clean.  Now that I have two kids I don't have the luxury of napping.  Actually, I find it quite hilarious that I was obsessed with squeezing in a nap every. single. day.  Now I'm much more strategic about planning my day.  I still don't have a routine, but each day requires a lot of thought.  If we are running errands, I need to get myself ready first, then Isla, then feed Brevin and immediately leave so I have 3 hours where I can be out of the house before the next feeding.  I have to figure out when I can clean the house.  Instead of lounging on the couch a lot of the day, I actually get stuff done.  Shocking concept.  Both kids are content and playing?  I will clean the kitchen!  Both kids are napping?  I will probably blog and catch up on my DVR...but I first do 1 chore before I have my "me" time.  I will admit I am a far more productive person now that I have 2 kids.  I totally have my lazy days where nothing gets done, but I try much harder to stay on top of things. 

Back when I only had Isla, I would dread running errrands with her.  Even a quick Target run had me panicky.  I had a babysitter each Wednesday for 3 hours so I could run errands without dragging a toddler along.  It was glorious, but a little silly looking back on it.  Now I don't hesitate bringing both kids with me.  It's just how I have to do things!  Sure it would be easier alone, but it's really not much harder lugging Brevin around too.  Plus getting out of the house is nice (and necessary for survival). 

I got lucky having two easy kids.  Really, really lucky.  My life has only changed for the better.  Sure not everything is easier with two kiddos, ie: getting out of the house on time, but it has certainly made me a better mama and a better person. 

This is the only picture I have with both kiddos.  Yikes.  Really shows off my lovely post-partum glow. 

I know I had said earlier that Brevin is my last kid.  But he totally isn't.  I'm shooting for one more.  And I'm hoping that three will be better than two...??  We'll see. 

Sick Day.

Being a stay at home mom is tough.  The worst part of the job is having no sick days.  Normally Andy would stay home and attempt to work while watching the kiddos, but he had so many meetings yesterday that he absolutely could not stay home.  Ugh. 

Anyway, this is how my day started out:



 

Oh God.  I know.  Horrifying.  My lovely husband snapped this photo after attempting to wake me up multiple times.  Once I was awake, I stumbled downstairs and went through the motions of being a mom.  Both kids had new diapers and were fed.  Thank GOD Brevin fell asleep around 11 and took a 3 hour nap!  Sadly, Isla fell asleep at 1:50 leaving me 10 minutes of alone time before my little man woke up.  Grrr.  Those damn kids.  I swear they planned it. 

Anyway, this is what a sick day looks like at my house:

Take it all in.  The TV is on.  My enormous bra is on the floor, the kids jammies are on the floor, and Isla has pulled out almost every single toy in the entire house.



My child has no clothes on.  Her lunch is in that purple cup (A cheese stick, breakfast bar, and pretzels.  Fancy and nutritious!)  If you look closely you will see 3 empty juice boxes on the couch.  But there were freaking 5 juice boxes laying around our living room.  5!!  She normally gets 1 a day.  I was so lazy I just left the box of juice boxes on the counter and she'd go grab one when she was thirsty.   Bad parenting at its finest.

Anyway.  We all survived yesterday.  I'm just happy no one called CPS.