Ah insomnia, thy name is pregnancy. Whether it be 3 am or 5, or even 12, it still sucks as I have much to worry about these days and given one inch of leash my brain will go on a tear around the whole neighborhood peeing and digging up gardens wherever it may roam.
Sigh.
It hit me during date night that I have not even considered what it's going to be like caring for an infant and three toddlers on days when I have 'no' help. I suppose I rarely have none, I'm going to have to really get over my asking for help issues with my husband and wake his butt up to help me when I need it. And I am going to need it. But how does one breast feed one kid, prepare breakfast for three others and get them all dressed and out of the house? Seems a little overwhelming right now. Not something I should be thinking of at 5 am. There is no solution until I'm in it making it happen.
Then I start thinking of all the areas in my house that need cleaning up, reorganizing and so on, so we can have a nice place but also because we are going to start the 'finding a new house and selling the old one' process pretty much immediately after I get home from the hospital. We can not afford this house any more, we have delayed long enough, and it's time to get outta town. So I have to get paint touched up, all surfaces emptied, all clutter donated or stored and then find time to look at houses elsewhere. That sounds doable while incapacitatedly pregnant right?
Taxes. Ugh.
Taking the kids to the dentist. This I have been talking about for a year. I know I'm delinquent. I suck at caring for my own teeth. I need to do better for them. I am not feeling like it's going to go well, but what's new. And they could surprise me.
Breastfeeding and all that goes with it is another minefield. Let's not even go there.
Is my cat Piglet sick or just old? How many times am I going to take her into the vet thinking something is wrong only to have no findings supporting it? I have never had a cat make it to 13 before. They all got cancer or something terrible much earlier on. Witnessing the aging combined with the guilt of them having to adjust to triplets is wearing on my usually great animal wellness radar. I have lost faith in my ability to tell if she's healthy or not.
Is that a contraction? No, wait, is THAT one? No. Dammit.
I'm hungry. Do I have the energy to get out of bed and do something about it? No.
What have I done by deciding to have a large family? I obviously can't turn back now. Am I going to really be able to do this? Will I ever have the energy to feel like I can keep up with the kids and keep them happy and entertained and healthy and not be dragging myself around like I have for the past year or two? Have I really just been sick and overwhelmed or is this who I am? Oh, to have a weekend on my own without kids and see if I really miss it. I mean, was I happier single, reading my paper with my cats and watching TV alone? Sure seems delightful now. I'm sure I must have been bored. And these amazing personalities I have created could not be returned but still, lord it's hard to consider the next 17 years.
Am I capable of ever living in the present and just dealing with today? Not looking back at what used to be or forwards at what might be but really just sitting here with my current life and experiencing it? This is what I need to practice. My guess is the insomnia might just go away too.
Thanks for listening to my list of worries. Feel free to add your own!
An old mom with triplets plus one and an elderly mom to take care of. It's a party all the time.
Considering that the kid is going to pop out at any minute, it might be a tad late to worry about whether or not you can handle it.
ReplyDeleteJust sayin'.
It'll work out. Always does. OR, they can put you in a nice, padded room.
Not going to add more worries to your list--you've got enough! Living in the moment--while picking food off the floor, dragging screaming kids around by my legs b/c my arms are occupied wiping the third's snotty nose, cleaning up toys for the trillionth time--is something I've been trying to work on as well. It ain't easy. But I know from experience (ODD) that it goes by quickly, it doesn't come back, and you'll miss it when it's over. Really, you will.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll have to be realistic and realize you probably won't get a lot done the first few weeks (months) when you come home with your new little one and definitely ask for help as much as you can, including waking up hubby (he can at least help with the schedules on the weekend when he can catch up on sleep (hopefully)
ReplyDeletedon't try to be super woman and just get done what you can get done; like I said before, wish I lived closer; I'd be there helping out as much as I could
betty
I can tell you from (this morning's)experience that it is possible to breastfeed an infant while spoon-feeding three toddlers the bowl of stuff you don't want to see thrown all over the floor. And I now know that I have to plan a solid 30 minutes to change diapers, dress, get socks/shoes/coats on all four kids, while leaving 10 minutes to load everyone in the van. Oh, and a quad stroller has saved my life. WAY better than my old peg perego triplet. Still checking in on you and hoping it's going well. It's just comforting in a way to know someone else knows EXACTLY what I am going through! :)
ReplyDelete