A Pregnant Lady's (Limited) Adventures in Brazil

Bad cell phone picture, but you still can tell everyone's more awake than me :)

I've come to a sad conclusion at the height of my 24th week of pregnancy:

I'm tired.

I know, obvious statement - but the thing is, when I felt tired before, I'd think, "oh, I just didn't sleep well enough/had a long day with the kids". Now, I don't have any excuses. I'm spending a few low key days in Brazil with my dad, who's permanently in bed with ALS, and as much as I daydreamed of this break back home, it does NOT bring the independence thrill I thought it would.

I'm not even talking about being away from the kids - that's something I'm forcing myself to ignore, so please allow me to skip that subject. There are SEVERAL things wrong with me besides missing them. Such as:

I lost my mall stamina. I feel so disabled!! A walk through the first floor takes my breath away. I need to stop at one of their awesome little cafes to recharge. Also, I'll see something I want to take but often don't for lack of energy to go to the cashier. How sad is that?? It's like I lost a super power.

Sitting and walking BOTH drive me crazy. You'd think I'd just want to lay on the couch with my feet up, right? Well, ANY position (even relaxing ones) annoys me after a while. When I'm at home, I feel like I should be out walking, and when I'm out and about, I wish I was relaxing at home.

Baby kicks aren't always magical. Don't get me wrong, it's always magical to realize that little Holly really is growing inside me. But I can't remember this 24/7, so sometimes a kick just means my bladder received a violent punch and is about to overflow.

I could list several other super fun pregnancy symptoms, but might start losing followers if I sound any more like a grouch lol. It's been great here too - spending time with my parents and catching up with friends I hadn't seen for years is pretty awesome. Last Sunday I went out for pizza with people from my old church (see picture), and tomorrow I'm meeting a girlfriend at the mall. Don't I sound like a college student or something? :) Except that back then I didn't have swollen feet/hands or a little human squishing my stomach.

Anyway, I'll probably only blog again after I'm back home - this Saturday morning!! I'm counting the days, but at the same time wonder what I'm going to do when I'm back to being pregnant in a land where food isn't this amazing and I can't have spa services for half the price I'd pay in the States. Am I going to survive?? I'll just have to give my kids an extra squeeze everytime mommy craves a nice Brazilian chocolate/mani-pedi :).

Dear Non-Pregnant Me

I long to meet you! :) I feel like I haven't been you in forever. Or at least not for long periods of time. Can't wait to see how it is to have all your kiddos out of you and live life without reproduction.

You're not considering a 4th, are you?? Think long and hard about that one. I mean, I know in the end even if you had dozens of kids (DON'T) you'd have lots of fun and lots of love and all, but may I remind you, it's a LOT of work. Unless you have the epiphany that 3 still isn't your magic number, don't empregnate yourself again just for the sake of missing the bump. The bump HURTS. The bump is heavy, makes it hard to sleep, and if you have other kids to chase in a couple of hours, oh well! 

Don't mean to sound negative - you ARE doing good so far (although exhausted). I wonder if you look back on my current frazzled mornings and laugh a crazy, tired kind of laugh. But I hope that means you don't sweat the small stuff as much - for lack of time, arms or whatever. If you've kept the kids fed and cuddled up to this point, I proclaim you've reached your goal (even if Super Nanny wouldn't eat off your floors :).

Now, promise me you're showering everyday (or as close to that as you can). Remember, Mom Time is as important as Baby Time because without mommy, nothing happens in this house (at least not until Dad comes home). It's in your children's best interest that you're clean (not smelly) and don't feel like ripping anybody's head off out of exhaustion. 

I know, I speak from the innocence of having "only" 2 children. If things happen to be too stressful, remember how in the first couple of months after Andrew was born, you cried almost everyday. But you were also surprised how enjoyable nights were (much quieter, and much better nursing experience). Still, during the day it felt so overwhelming that you wondered if you'd EVER get used to having more than 1 kid. If you'd EVER understand Andrew (such a manly boy he even smelled like he'd been hunting lol), EVER get him to sleep through the night, EVER feel like yourself again. And yet, all of it happened. Many times over, it seems.

Speaking of Andrew, hope you two get some special cuddling time everyday. That you've found a way to encourage his independence while continuing to enjoy your mamma's boy. Melissa's probably a great helper at this point, but if she isn't, don't sweat it. She's still your baby too, and might be needing some reassurance of that. Which reminds me of how awesome it must be to have your own mom around for the 1st month - make sure to take lots of fun shopping trips just the 3 girls (or 4, counting Holly)!

I'd better finish this letter, since I doubt you've got much time to read. Is the whirlwind of having a baby as devastating on your body/mind as I remember? Probably more, I bet. And is the legend true that the 3rd child transition doesn't feel like much (after you've been through the 2nd)? I hope so. But whatever happens, I look forward to meeting you and enjoying you - oh non-pregnant me - as long as possible. Like for a lifetime lol. Let's just hope mom-of-3 me doesn't drive us too insane :).