Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Recovery

Recovery is a tricky thing and there's so many things nobody tells you and then there are things you won't know until you are the one recovering. And just because you've done it before, say five other times, doesn't mean this time will be the same.

Right now, I am in the fourth trimester of pregnancy. Baby is no longer causing discomfort from the inside, but rather from the outside. Emily is a little colicky and I am sleep deprived. Which, sadly, makes for a mom that is as cranky as in the third trimester of pregnancy. We love her, don't get me wrong, but after a few hours of fussing and walking holes in the carpet, she may join the other children on the sidewalk with a for sale sign on her forehead. It's a good thing she's so yummy!

(They weren't for sale here, but they were attempting to sell their wares at our annual neighborhood yard sale.)


One of the more difficult things about recovering when you have other children, is the fact that they insist on eating and having clean clothes. And since I'm such a big fan of laundry, having a newborn doesn't help the situation at all.



Life doesn't stop just because you have a baby and unfortunately Dad can't take six months off to do all those things so I can lay around the house.

The other difficulty in recovery is this:



She doesn't look at ALL mischievous to you, does she? She likes to do such things as dumping the rest of my Pepsi in the front seat of the van, drawing on herself with marker, eating dirt and/or rocks, joyously dumping toys etc. It makes it hard to sit and rest whilst chasing a VERY busy toddler. I'm starting to think recovery is the wrong word for the stage I'm currently in.

Then there's the fact that I hate laying around the house. I love my house, but I don't want to look at it all the time and I get antsy. People like to make comments on how amazing it is that I'm out and about, but what they don't realize is that it's a matter of sanity. If I don't get out...well, let's just say everyone is happier when mom can get out of the house a little. Even with a newborn. (Heck we went to Fiji when Andrew was three weeks old. I think a trip to the park is not a big deal!)

Of course, there's always moments that make it all worth it. (Even though I offered to sell my sister my children last night. Funny thing, she didn't take me up on it!!) I love my children so much it hurts. And sometimes it does hurt.



6 comments:

Julia said...

I love that picture of Emily!!

Russ said...

Great post, Stacey! I really enjoyed your thoughts and pictures. Thanks for sharing that with us.

Stacey said...

I can't get past the fact that she dumped out your pepsi! The nectar of the Gods shouldn't be wasted. ;)

The picture of your girls are adorable!

That stage is always so hard and full of adjustments. I'm sorry she has been colicky,I hope it ends quickly so you can get some more rest. *HUGS*

Lori said...

I love the pictures. I agree with you totally. You are my hero for handling so many children. Hopefully things will get better soon. Hang in there!!!!

Jen said...

So sweet! I'm already thinking about begging my mother-in-law to move in for a few weeks so that I can just lay on the couch and feed baby after baby after baby. And then every once in a while maybe I can escape for a walk around the block because I'll be doing good if I can make it that far.

Erica said...

Adorable. What a sweet baby! Good luck with the healing process...you can do it!