The Babies Outside of Me - Andrew

Doesn't he look even older than one year old?

So I decided that, instead of just talking about my pregnancy, I should also include little updates of how my outside children are doing. Andrew's going first just because he's just had a birthday - and his recent milestones are fresher in my mind at the moment.

I'll start with a confession - when Andrew was born, it took me a bit to get used to his smell lol. I just had never had a baby that smelled like a boy before! Along with the fact that his reactions were so manly (yes, even at weeks old), and that my first baby had been so feminine, it kinda threw me off. I was stressed wondering if I'd ever really "get" him - if I'd really know how to raise a boy.

Today, I still don't always "get" him lol, but I do enjoy him! He's a lot of fun to be around, always giggling and playing games. And amazingly enough, his smell became so familiar to me that I actually craved it. When visiting my family alone in Brazil for a week, the only thing that calmed me from missing the kids was thinking of conversations with Melissa and - who would've known it - smelling Andrew. I so wanted to dive my nose behind his year in a hug and just inhale. Isn't it crazy that the thing that had thrown me off had become my soothing scent? :)

Well, now things are starting to change once again. His sweet baby aroma is becoming more of a boy on the run lol. He's still nice to cuddle with, but he's much more interested in exploring around. And while it's so much fun to watch, it definitely makes him more sweaty! I'm starting to get scared again - can I handle his little-boyhood? Is he still going to like me even though I don't share his same adventurous spirit?

Don't get me wrong, we still have great huggy and kissy moments. They just don't last as much as I'd like them too. And he's so manly and daring that often I really have no idea where he's coming from. Like, Melissa can get difficult, but I always know why she's throwing a tantrum. I see a lot of myself as a kid in her, so I can predict (or at least understand) her reactions pretty easily. Not always with Andrew, though. Sometimes he's mad at me and I have no idea why. Sometimes he starts laughing looking at me and I have no idea why either lol. He can lean over to kiss me, then bite me, and then decide he's done with me and just wants to crawl away. I need a manly toddler decoder! :)

Now, not that I mind his personality either - I do LOVE how low maintenance he is for some things, like being put down in his crib if he's tired enough. And today I didn't even have to take him up the stairs in my pregnant hips, because he crawled them up all by himself (with me behind, of course) - fast and determined, although he can't even walk yet! So yes, I do love having a rambunctious little boy. I just hope to be the parent he needs me to be so he can achieve his full strong and manly potential. 

How to Survive a 1st Birthday While Pregnant

- Include chocolate. Yes, making the 52 mustache cupcakes for Andrew's party almost did me in. BUT it would've been much harder if they were not chocolate! Especially since I used Kandee Johnson's recipe, which is super moist, light and awesome. 

- Don't Cry. Much. I mean, when the foil balloons you ordered online then fought to have filled out at the local grocery store fly away in the parking lot. Yes, it'll make you feel like sobbing all the way home, but don't! It'll ruin your make up, and there are pictures on the way. Plus, you'll be driving, and the best gift for your child is a live mommy :). 

- Let people hold the birthday boy. Part of my mom-guilt during the party is that I felt like I should've been playing with him the whole time. But honestly, after baking all day, and then having a frustrated grocery shopping experience, I felt SO thankful for family members who just took him over. Special thanks to grandpa, his favorite person in the world (Andrew never wants me when he's around - except when crying broken hearted when he thought grandpa was telling him "no" lol)

- Post pictures on Facebook. I know you're tired and the last thing you want to do is sit in front of the computer, but do it. In pictures, your day will look flawless, like your feet don't hurt from all the standing and you didn't make twice as many cupcakes as you needed to (and could've saved much energy/sanity). No, there you'll only see the adorableness of your child tasting his first cupcake, and the proof that you've reached the milestone of now having a boy instead of a baby.

So maybe it's ok to cry, just a little :).

Preggo With My 3rd for the 1st Time :)

11 weeks micro-bump 


Yes, people of the world who didn't know it yet, it's true: baby #3 is coming up! And it's coming with a vengeance lol - lots of nausea, exhaustion, and all that good stuff. Means he/she's a good one, 'cause he/she's a LOT of work to make!

What's funny about being pregnant for the 3rd time is that everyone reacts to it differently than your 1st. Sometimes it's not even much of a reaction, but more of a knowing nod, as if they already know you produce babies lol. No news here :).

I myself always thought that, by the time I'd expect my 3rd, I'd be such a pro that I wouldn't be as emotional about it as my first two. WRONG. I'm a mush ball, maybe even bigger than before. Now there's 3 reasons for me to tear up! And another surprising thing is that it truly does not feel any different excitement-wise than the other ones. Hence my title - it might be my 3rd, but with this one, I'm pregnant for the very 1st time!

So let me count the ways that it's easier this time around:

- No Fear of Labor

  Talking about it actually gets me excited! Which was NOT the case ever before. Now, my body's like, if I hadn't died from it twice, bring it on! :) I just can't wait to try things I haven't before, and am more curious about how it'll turn out (since my first 2 were so different) than afraid of it.

- No Need for Baby Shower

  With my first, I agonized over the possibility of no one throwing me one. With my 2nd, less so, since I wasn't even sure I'd be allowed to have it, but still hoped I would (not for gifts but for celebrating-baby purposes). Now, it's SO good to honestly not even have it cross my brain! I feel so been there/done that about the whole thing. Celebrating with a prenatal massage when I'm big and miserable sounds just fine.

- Not As Much Time for Bad Preggo Habits

  Like eating junk food (can't afford to lie on the couch afterwards in an eternal sugar crash - have kids to chase!) or just plain feel sorry for myself. Whenever I lower my head in defeat, my oldest nudges me and says: "Are you happy, mommy? I think you need to go to the dobtor!" (yes, with a "B") And then I can't help but smile :).

Now, not all is perfect... Here's my list of things that are a lot harder this time around:

- Processing The Pregnancy

  It's not just lack of time that's against you. It's also people's perception, who already see you as a mom and don't baby you as much anymore. It's your husband who's got his hands full with 2 little ones (which is nice enough of him) and therefore, no hands left to massage you. With all the noise in the house, it feels like every wail is responded to, except the one from the poor mother who just needs one freaking day off....you get the picture. 

- Avoiding Strenuous Activity? What's That?

  If I had a dollar for every time I heard this from a nurse AND could comply to it, I wouldn't have any dollars :). It's amazing that it doesn't matter how many times I explain to them that I have 2 children who cannot grasp such concept, they still tell me not to "lift heavy stuff", or call them if it hurts real bad. Ha. When you have 2 1/2 kids, you gotta work through the pain, sistah. 

- Finding (New) Pregnancy Material To Read

  Why does everything have to be from the never-gone-through-this point of view? What about the rest of us, who have a whole new set of challenges now? Don't our bodies change differently? We could also use advice about how to re-adapt to new family dynamics. Should't there be a book called "Ooops, I Did It Again" or something?

I don't mean to be a downer - I AM super excited about this child. Imagine that! It seems like every blog post I read on the subject talks about how panicked they were to have a THIRD (oh the horror), as if more than 2 was just for the procreating-obsessed people lol. Which I think is SO unfair! And which is also the reason why I decided to blog regularly throughout this pregnancy, just like it's my 1st. I'm as thrilled about it as I was then, or maybe even more, since now I know I can go through heavy-duty motherhood and live to tell the story. Will it be hard? I have no doubt. But instead of dreading, I actually feel proud of myself for making more adorableness, and for our family to have come this far.

The (Other) Unmentionables (or why I've been MIA)

No, I don't mean underwear :). I mean stuff that you don't usually tell people - even when they insist to know how you're doing, they don't really WANT to hear: "well, wondering if I still smell like the poop I just cleaned".

Or like when I'd just had Andrew, and everyone kept asking me how it was like to have 2 kids with HUGE smiles on their faces. And I mean, I love it now, but back then? Sleeping 3 hours a night? Having a few breakdowns a day? I was still getting the hang of it. So it annoyed me that people seemed to expect me to reply that things were just peachy.

So this introduction is to apologize for not blogging much in the last few days (or months) - I just haven't felt like my motherhood sounded interesting enough. Which is silly, I know, since I love reading about everyone else's motherhoods. But as I've gotten more and more used to my stay-at-home mommy life, 2 things have happened:

1- I've enjoyed it more, since multitasking is now more second-nature;

2- But I've also had less new things to say about it (I was pretty sure I'd already written all my deep thoughts on housekeeping or raising children ).

And I know this is me overthinking this blog, but I'm here to assure you, things WILL change. There ARE more regular posts coming up, horray! :) Just bear with me for a sec. Like I said earlier, a few details of everyday life just aren't too easy for me to mention. Or necessary. Or timely (like NOW I talk about the hard first days of having 2 children, since they're behind me). 

Anyway. Stay tuned for more posts from this mommy who isn't bored at ALL!! (still kicking myself for picking that title - I just happened to be bored the moment I signed up lol :)