Thursday, March 17, 2011

27 weeks and Life Around Here Right Now

No, this picture is not a joke.



I am 27 weeks along and so crazy tired that I can sleep with kids sitting on top of me.  As long as I get to close my eyes and lay down, I don't really care that there are extra bodies piled up on me.




For the past 2 or 3 weeks I have been far more tired than usual.  Not 2nd trimester tired.  It felt like I stepped back in time to those early days of my 1st trimester.
Life for me right now finds me falling asleep on the couch at 7 pm, reading 2 pages of a book to my kids in the afternoon and starting to make no sense at all because I'm falling asleep as I read, and having to take a nap in the afternoon.
It's been so bad that I was sure I had made it into my 3rd trimester--what else could explain the fatigue?




Then a friend pointed out that I don't start my 3rd trimester until the end of my 6th month.
Oh.
Duh.
Wishful thinking?
Perhaps.  Haven't I done this enough times to know what I'm doing?
Guess I'm just too tired to figure it out.
And math was never my subject anyway.




All I can say is, if this is how it looks now, where will I be in 95 days?  
(that's how long until my due date)
It's not looking pretty.  We already had the sprinkle incident.
Who knows what this place is going to look like in June.
My kids are going to be sitting on the couch with giant glasses of chocolate milk they mixed up themselves, watching their 18th movie of the day, while I'm buried under them somewhere saying, "Mommy just needs to sleep a little bit longer."
Oh vey.




Yes, I an exaggerating.
Kind of.
Mostly what I am learning right now (besides the fact that we need a bigger couch) is that I have to slow down.  And that it is perfectly reasonable.
I don't usually schedule much in a week for us.
If we are not home enough, schooling gets left undone as do the chores around the house that make life livable.  
But the past couple of weeks have found us to be far busier than normal and it was wearing on me.
Even the kids noticed.
Me to William: "I'll be so glad when our baby is born."
William to me."Me too."
Me: "Why?"
William: "Because then you won't be so cranky anymore."
Ouch.
Leave it to William to say it like it is.



It is hard for me to accept my limitations.  I feel "less than" because I'm letting the laundry pile up each night, not reading as much to the kids and because I have to nap in the afternoon.
Have to.  
Like the other day when I was watching my friend's daughter and I parked all the kids in front of a Veggie Tales video with paper and markers while I took a nap on the couch.
I never let my kids watch a video while friends are over.
But it was that or let them run around completely unattended, poring themselves glasses of chocolate milk.  At least this way I knew they'd stay put.
And my friend didn't judge me.
But still.
It is hard to not be myself.
Even though I know it's for a really good reason.

When I look at these pictures, I can't help but laugh.  Do you ever look at your life and say, "I can't believe this is real"?  That's where I am right now.
It's not bad.  Just kind of crazy.

I'm looking forward to the weekend.  
Aaron will be demolishing our counter tops and taking out our sink.  See here for the remodel details..
That means the kids will be busy watching him wield a sledge hammer and I can have the whole couch to myself.
Happy Thursday everyone!

Love from,
Greta 
PS.  I also got tested for this.  I had never heard of it, but when I told my dr. about the intense itching I've been experiencing, without a rash and not due to changes in food, lotion etc, she suggested I get my blood drawn, just in case.
At first I was kind of overwhelmed by the thought of it, but I am hoping that the itching is just my bodies way of saying, "lady, you are stressed out and you don't even know it. Go take a nap!" 
I'll get the results next week.  Even though I'm hoping it's just a random pregnancy thing, I'd still appreciate prayers.  Thanks!

7 comments:

Four Flights said...

Oh Greta, I feel for you. Poor thing. Hang in there, and if the house falls apart in the process, at least you have Aaron around to pick it up right? :)

Katie @ minivan diva said...

I don't know when you last had your iron checked, but I was low iron with all my pregnancies. However, it is probably just the fact that you are growing a baby and taking care of 3 kiddos. : ) I think Linda S. had the itching when pregnant. Maybe shoot her a message. Praying that it stops.
Hugs,
Katie

Pam... said...

Greta, wow. Praying for you. Let us know about the tests. Hey, I think you should drink lots of water to flush out and help your organs work well. As Katie mentioned, ask about your iron levels. Yellow dock tincture brings it up in remarkable fast time. It's bitter though.
You need someone to come, a teenager? She can keep an eye on the children and do a meal or some laundry, and play with the kids for a few hours a day. Many homeschool or church families would be more than willing for free, to learn and to serve God. Please ask around. Take care of yourself, girl.

Nicole said...

Hey Greta- if Matt and I lived nearby, this is what we would do for you:

1) We would come over to your house.

2) Matt would play with the boys and Lilly, running around the background (or the park) until he completely exhausted them.

3) I would happily 'go to town' on whatever dishes, laundry, cleaning, etc., were in sight.

But, sadly, we do not live nearby. So all I can do is say a prayer for you. Hang in there!

Nicole

Betsi* said...

Is it just me or does Lilly have that Bunny the dog on your mom's stomach look about her? Hehe
I get the weariness! It's like no weariness I've had before and usually gets worse in the days following a "good, productive" day! We're growing human beings while raising three others. Let's agree to give ourselves a break!

Summers Family said...

Oh Greta - being pregnant while already having little ones is so exhausting. I hope you are able to get some rest and that the kiddos don't destroy the house in the process.

Keep me posted on the test. I don't think you remember but I had this while pregnant with Benjamin. Not so fun, but once diagnosed I was able to take medicine to stop the CRAZY itching. I will pray you don't have it but we can talk more about it at a later time if by chance it comes back positive.

Thinking of you :-)

Nic

PS - thank you for your notes this week. I went off line for a day so I just read though the last ones and will write you back soon. THANK YOU FRIEND!!

Tyne said...

Hey Greta, I found you through No. 17's blog and will definetly be back to see how things are going around your place. I loved this post and it so resonated in my heart. I remember being pregnant with my fourth and dang near crying every night from PURE exhaustion! You will survive! I had four in five years and now that my youngest is two, I am really enjoying it. And sleeping again. :)