Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Update on Three

A while ago I speculated on how life would be with three children. Here is the verdict: It was more difficult on me physically to be pregnant with two preschoolers, than to have a newborn with two preschoolers. I’m really very glad to be on this side of pregnancy. Except for being tired from being up throughout the night with a baby, I feel so much better.

The most challenging thing now is that I’m a lot busier. I have no time to take naps. There have been a few days when I think I’ll get lucky and be able to squeeze one in. But, inevitably, the baby needs to be fed again or there are other fires that need to be put out. Each day, I go from one thing to the next thing with my mind in a fog.

I have risen to new heights in multi-tasking abilities. I thought I was pretty good before but lately I’ve had to learn to be better in order to survive. My multi-tasking prowess is especially evident when I have to nurse the baby and take care of the issues that arise with two preschoolers in the house—cleaning up spills, nurturing wounds, breaking up fights and disciplining children, changing loads of laundry, etc., all while breastfeeding. You should seriously see me in action! I am woman, hear me roar.

Lately the most trying thing for our family is dealing with some of Sophia’s burp/gas issues. She cries a lot at night because of the pain. I am trying to eliminate dairy, broccoli and onions from my diet to help with this. So far it seems to be helping a little bit. It’s made me realize how much eating the foods I like bolsters the quality of my life. It also has made me realize how much food I eat mindlessly. I’ve never had to be careful with my diet before. I would put dressing on my salad without even thinking. I can’t do that anymore.

I asked Kevin, “What if I had to do this forever? If I had to live the rest of my life without being able to drink mochas, would life even be worth living?” He said, “Yes, you would just have to learn to like soy mochas.” Thanks, Kev.

3 comments:

Micah said...

Hang in there, Amy! It will get easier at about 6 weeks. And somehow, I now find time to sew for hours a day. You just have to be creative as to where to find the hours to do what you want to do, I guess ;). Baby Sophie is just adorable. I hope we get to meet her soon!

Monica said...

If it's any consolation it takes 2 weeks for the lactose from dairy products to clear your system. Hopefully, you'll see more relief for Sophie when that time comes.

I completely agree. There is nothing more exhausting than being pregnant and managing a household. Life is so much better with baby on the outside.

Queen of Carrots said...

The only way I found to ever get a nap was to lie down with the baby and nurse it and myself to sleep. (Of course, that didn't work so well with the twins: I had to keep rolling over to give the other a turn.) But it was better than nothing. On the days with no potty emergencies.