Flips and Philosophy

Okay, so I am going to do it. I am going to take a picture of my belly and post it for the world to see.

Drum roll please...

This is what 33 weeks pregnant looks like - at least on me - and I am trying to embrace it.

I feel huge. Enormous. Kind of like a beluga whale. And as excited as I am about creating and carrying this life, pregnancy has been HARD. Really, really hard.

I have puked. I have experienced some pretty decent flowing bloody noses. Now I have mucus coming out of all sorts of body parts. I used to walk - like a human. Now I waddle - like a duck. I used to run up our stairs in 2 seconds flat. Now I heave myself up them by gripping our stair rail with all my might. My boobs ache. My back hurts. My hips throb. I have peed my pants - a lot. Glowing is the farthest thing from what I have done the last seven and a half months.

And so I haven't wanted pictures, for me, for you, or for anyone else to see.

Until today.

Because today I recieved the news that a dear friend passed away yesterday after a very long and unfair battle with cancer. I knew this day wasn't far off after visiting her in the hospital on Mother's Day, but I nonetheless am so, so sad that my friend is gone. This friend taught me that age is not a predictor of connection or friendship, and that joy can always be found in really good food, really good stories, and in the idiosyncracies of marriage. This friend always rejuvinated my teaching spirit and opened her home to all of us without expectations or conditions. I love her deeply and I will miss her dearly.

So today I celebrate life, particularly the one growing inside me. Because as hard as pregnancy has been and as huge as I feel, life is fleeting and fragile and often times unfair.

Today, my belly is a sign of all that is good in the world. As my little one flips and kicks and thrives within me, I celebrate LIFE and I am so, so thankful for that.

Mother's Day Surprises

My husband made my heart sing yesterday, and in fact, I am pretty sure my heart is still rocking out today.

Here's the thing - when I met Trevor, I knew immediately I loved him and I knew immediately I would marry him. Leaving out the sordid details nobody wants to hear anyway, let's just say that on about day 11 of our dating relationship I told him I loved him (there may have been some innebriation involved), and instead of making him run far, far away from me, he reciprocated my sentiments shortly thereafter. I would like to tell you that it has all been a fairytale story from then on out, but the truth is, there have been moments where I am pretty sure that running far, far away from me has been on his mind. Perhaps I will delve into this topic later, but let's just say that infertility can take its toll on a marriage, and in the end, we both have often been left to feel unheard by the other.

But yesterday, my husband showed me that his love for me has never wavered. Yesterday, my husband showed me he has been listening the whole time.

I was told I needed to be out of our house for six hours. I was told I was going to a movie with my mother, and so I did. While I watched Robert Pattinson petting an elephant and making out with Reese Witherspoon, I ate a crap load of nachos smothered with a crap load of nacho cheese. It was HEAVEN.

The truth is, the movie would have been more than enough, but apparently not for Trevor.

By the time I got home many hours later, I arrived to a home with freshly cleaned carpets... including the stairs. The same stairs that I have complained about literally WEEKLY for the last 6 months. The same stairs that have become more and more covered with pet hair, reminding me every day that I simply cannot keep up with my home. In short, and perhaps most importantly, the same stairs that have represented my feelings of inadequacy as a mother and a wife.

And my husband cleaned them.

He cleaned the carpets and he cleaned the stairs and I wanted to cry because he HEARD ME. My husband heard me and responded in kind. But it didn't stop there.

On the kitchen counter was our laptop with this waiting for me:

Because you cannot see it, here is what he wrote:

"The last eleven months have been an amazing time. I can look back with wonder and joy not only at how we have gotten to watch little man grow but also how we have grown as parents. You are an amazing mother to Nicolas, the amount of love that you have for him is amazing and the joy and wonder that you show as his world expands is a lesson for us all. You really have made him the center of your world. Just as we are fortunate that Nicolas is in our life and that he will be joined by a baby brother in the near future, they are lucky that they have been delivered to you. I know that the future will be full of life, laughter, and love."

Let's ignore the fact that he forgot the "h" in our son's name, because as I stood there in my kitchen reading these words, I cried and cried and cried...in front of my in-laws and my mother and my baby and I didn't care because my husband HEARD me.

A movie, clean carpets, clean stairs, and words just for me.

God, I love that man.

He heard me and my heart is singing.

A Fresh Start...

I am ready to give this a go again.

It has been more than six months since I have blogged about, well, anything. I have thought about coming back here often, but then sleeping sounded much, much better than blogging about, well, anything.

The thing is, there has just been too much.

Too much good, that is.

First there was this - a home purchased that needed much tender, loving care. A home I was ready to sand and paint alongside my husband. A home that literally tripled our living space and was placed perfectly next to a community pool and across the street from a playground and an elementary school. A home to raise our baby boy in, and I was pumped.

And then we found out about this - literally the day after we signed the papers on the above. This was not planned and this meant weeks of worry that perhaps we would have to relive the grief of two prior "this-es." But this time was different. Immediately. This time there was a dot at 5 weeks, a bean at 6 weeks, a very tiny human at 12 weeks, and a bouncing, baby boy at 17 weeks who was very pleased to show us his parts multiple times. This time I puked for 20 weeks straight and therefore I wasn't able to help with the sanding and the painting of the home bought for our baby boy - now our baby boys. And now at 31 weeks today, I look forward to seeing this little man face to face, to introduce him to his brother, and to have his father carry him for a little while. It is amazing how with a little bit of faith and a whole lot of surrendering, the family you always dreamed of can come to fruition before your very eyes.

Which brings me to him - the very BEST thing that has ever happened to his mama and papa. He has sprouted a couple teeth, a bit more hair, and a few more inches. He has taken his first couple of wobbly steps all on his own and he LOVES to get down to some good music. Best of all, he sleeps through the night with an occassional display of displeasure at not being able to find his binky in the dark. Our Nico continues to show his unbelievably strong will and has proven that you can communicate exactly what you want and need without uttering a single word. He waves goodbye in the morning now, meows back at the kitties, and gives the hugest most slobbery-est kisses ever known to humankind. In just a month and half our baby will be one and will shortly thereafter become a very little older brother...

... so here I am, friends, starting over with a new background, a new title, and a new appreciation for letting go and letting what will be, BE.

Here is to a fresh start...and a clean one at that.

Feet

It began with just one...
...but quickly turned to two.

And then they went in the mouth, which is currently where he prefers them to be.

Does someone want to tell me why we even bother with rattles?

Firsts...

October marked the first of many firsts...

There was the eating of cereal and peas. The peas won out by a land slide.

There was the sitting up in his little rubber seat (I forget what it's called), which made him look like a man. We are still waiting for the rolling over but the boy loves to stand and loves to sit in his seat.

And then there was the first Halloween. While he felt awful and struggled with a fever and the vomiting of phlegm, he and his cousin still made the best Thing 1 and Thing 2 I have ever seen.

And for the record, we are still patiently waiting for the first sleeping through the night.

4-months-old

This is what 4-months-old looks like...

I really do wish I could take credit for his gorgeousness. I know every mom has spent hours and hours staring at their babies, yet there are moments I feel like there must be something wrong with me because I can't take my eyes off this boy. My sister forecasts many a phone call from teenage girls in the future. Let me make this clear...NO. Enough said.

At four months Mr. Nico continues to be fascinated with his hands and has finally figured out that instead of trying to shove his whole fist in his mouth, a couple of fingers will suffice. Plus, he loves to hold your hand, especially when eating and falling asleep. I want him to do that forever. He has also discovered his feet and grabs for them as much as possible. Rolling over is just around the corner and while he has been scarce with his laughter, when he lets it roll, it definitely rolls. Smiles and sounds, however, are never scarce, and he loves, loves, loves singing. He almost loves it as much as the moment his papa walks through the front door from work...that is the highlight of his day for sure. I need to get that stuff on video. The thing is, plain and simple, the boy is a complete and total joy. I wish I could take credit for that too, but I really believe it's just how he is wired. I find myself picturing him in the future and then I have to remind myself to enjoy the now because it has already gone so fast.

The sleep thing could be better, though. While in the last week he has made great strides and is only waking up once a night, I don't think I have ever felt this tired, well, ever. I have been told the sleeping-through-the-night thing will happen soon. I am just afraid that when it does, I won't actually be able to wake up. It is amazing, though, how functional you can still be when sleep deprived. Granted, every once in a while the sleep deprivation shines through...like when your husband puts the ice cream back in the fridge instead of the freezer, and when you catch at the very last minute a typo you were going to give to students that would have been very, very bad ("cummer" is NOT a good replacement for "summer"). And I must say that I hate acid reflux. I despise it. I loathe it. I want it to go far, far away from here, especially the gagging cough that sounds like he is about to give birth to his insides. Acid reflux can kiss my butt.

In short, our boy is growing like a weed and continues to make our world go round. May the teenage years stay very far away and may he want to hold my hand for a very long time.

8

Today my Ana turns 8.

And this was our phone conversation this morning:

Me: Happy Birthday Ana! Can you believe you're 8?

Ana: No, I can't.

Me: I know, me neither.

Ana: Yeah, when I started 2nd grade I felt decrepit and today I feel even more decrepit.

Me: (Silence, thinking to myself, "Is this what the new 8 sounds like?")

So today Miss Smarty Pants turns another year older, another year smarter, and another year funnier. I love this kid with all that I am.

Happy Birthday, Ana Banana!