No alarm going off, no babies crying, no dog whining, nothing.... It was nice to wake up without being woken up. The babies slept until about 10 after 8, which is highly unusual. They're usually up the minute the sun cracks the horizon, if not earlier. Sr got up, got in the shower and took Jr with him to work. As MIL is in VA, I didn't know what to do with myself. Silence in the house is such an unusual occurrence. So, I took the baby monitor outside and had a cup of coffee while enjoying the morning sun. The last time I did that was several years ago on a weekend get away in Williamsburg.
As soon as my cup was empty, baby #1 began wriggling in her crib. Of course going into the nursery to get her up woke baby #2. Thankfully, both seemed happy and well rested. Since then, the morning has been somewhat of a whirlwind.
- washed, dried and reassembled both crib sets
- fed 1 jar of baby food per baby
- washed, dried and put away a load of towels
- washed, dried and put away 2 other loads of laundry
- washed and sanitized at least a dozen bottles and their accessories
- picked up baby toys
- made a bed
- gave both babies baths
- walked the dog (with babies in the stroller) around the block
- straighted the kitchen
- began dinner preparations for tonight
- straightened master bath
Wow, now that its all typed out I'm sort of proud of myself. I almost feel like I need to reward myself somehow. I know, the babies are down for naps and I can go back out on the porch with another cup of coffee. If that little bit of rejuvenation gets that much accomplished, then I need to make that a priority!
To be honest, I get through most days wondering what I did with all my time. It feels like all I do is pick up after everyone and wait for them to leave something lying around again. At times its overwhelming and I get grumpy if I see Jr expecting me to pick up after him, same with Sr. I don't mean to be nasty but it just happens. I don't get cranky over having to pick up after the babies because they can't pick up after themselves. But Jr & Sr both know how, but don't. I guess that's partly my fault. MIL & I have done for them for so long that they just expect it, I suppose. Now that the babies are here, I'm having a very hard time doing the things I used to do. Asking them to pick up after themselves just frustrates me, because I turn around and there is yet another pair of socks in the floor and I feel like they just ignore my request.
Sorry to rant and complain. I was hoping that you might have a little insight on how I can work through this, aside from going into a temper tantrum. I don't want to do anything drastic like going on strike, as a friend suggested. I feel like that would simply elevate the situation to another level.
Otherwise, all is well here. I'm fairing pretty well without MIL's help. She really does help out a lot around here, doing the dishes, helping with babies, meal prep and grocery shopping. I'll be glad when she's back though. Its nice to be able to run to the store without an hours worth of preparation in getting the babies ready. Not to mention, my Rover's down again, so I'm toting the babies around in MIL's 2 door sedan; getting backward facing car seats in and out of that back seat - NOT FUN! Not to mention you can't really push a shopping cart and a double stroller at the same time. Too bad they're not big enough for those carts with the big toddler seats. Back on subject - I think I've been more productive the last few days. Partly because I'm not running around doing errands, but staying home more. We'll see how I feel as next week rolls in.
Jr seems to be enjoying his summer. He's addicted to World of Warcraft. If any of you have loved ones considering playing that game.... tell them NO! I've begun to refer to it as World of WarCRACK. He & Sr both play and are continually working on their characters and missions. Its good that they have that to share. They've also been going to the gym nearly every evening together. Both of them are trimming down nicely. I didn't think Jr needed to lose weight, of course, but he's beginning to get definition and looking like a grown man. It's terrifying and amazing all at the same time.
As I mentioned, Sr is really losing weight. Every time I turn around it looks like his clothes are too big for him. He's doing amazingly well at maintaining his eating habits and keeping motivated to go to the gym. He got a membership for me too, but as I'm sure you can imagine, I've not had the opportunity to go yet.
Well, I'm signing out for now and heading to the porch with a cup of java. So as always, keep moving in that direction!!!
