Real Life

(written Sunday night, but just getting around to posting it now...)

An e-mail from a friend got me thinking. She said, "I don't know how you get it all done, you're so regular at blogging and obviously do a lot with the boys." Then, while glancing at Facebook as I de-stressed from a crazy day, I saw a post from someone that said it seems like everyone else has a good life while hers is tough.


Both of those posts got me thinking how we document/comment on the good stuff in life, but we don't often touch on the negative. Sometimes it's because we like to focus on the positive; other times, it might be a matter of keeping a certain image of the "good life". For me, it's not at all about portraying the image of a perfect family...it's just that I don't see the point of blogging about the lousy stuff when there's so much good in our lives!


But, just to keep it real, here's an honest look at our past few days...from someone who does NOT want to use the blog to complain, but wants you to see that our life is just as normal (and crazy) as everyone else's life...


Thursday night (into Friday) was a terrible night for Alex. He just could not sleep, woke up crying many times, and needed to be put back in bed repeatedly. Nobody got much sleep. Friday was a long day, and I was tired, had to go to a midwife appointment, and didn't do ANYTHING around the house...including actively playing with a bored (and, therefore, mischievous) Alex. Keith came home to a messy house, frozen pizza for dinner, and a somewhat cranky wife.


Looking forward to a good night's sleep on Friday night...well, it didn't happen! Max was nursing about once every hour - hour & a half all day long. I figured he'd sleep extra well that night, but nope...the boy who's been sleeping a 5-6 hour stretch at night woke every 1 - 1.5 hours ALL NIGHT LONG. And there's no taking turns with night wakings when you nurse. A still-tired mommy didn't want to do ANYTHING on Saturday, either. We cancelled plans with friends that night, got a pizza for dinner, and bummed around at home. (I did manage to scrub the kitchen floor for the first time since Max was born, though...it was getting pretty nasty!)


The constant nursing continued all day Saturday & all day Sunday, and I'm sure it was just a 6 week growth spurt. On top of this, Max hadn't pooped since Wednesday. (How's that for honest & real?! You probably didn't want to know that.) He was cranky, uncomfortable, and restless. Even in his sleep, he was grunting and moaning. He was uncomfortable on Sunday, and he cried almost all morning and early afternoon. We were all exhausted. I was so exhausted that I forgot to put Alex down for a nap on Sunday afternoon...and I *never* forget naptime!


The house is a wreck. The trash can and recycle bin are overflowing. The kitchen is filthy. The laundry is clean, but in need of folding/putting away. There are about 9,472 toys on our living room floor. I'd show you pictures, but I haven't even attempted to use the camera on this crazy day.

We've been bouncing, rocking, and doing anything else possible to keep Max comfortable. Alex wanted our attention, too, of course, so whoever wasn't bouncing & rocking was reading 37 tractor books in a row...or zooming cars around the living room floor...or letting the dog out for the 94th time today...or yelling at Alex for sitting in the baby's swing...or throwing something together and calling it a meal. We ate pizza three times this weekend. How's that for healthy?! (For the record, I could NOT have survived this weekend without Keith. He's a great daddy & a very patient husband!)


I'm sure this is more than you want to know, but Max finally had a 2 nice big dirty diapers on Sunday afternoon, which Mama celebrated by letting out a great big cheer and HAPPILY changing dirty diapers. He still had a lot of...uh...gassy issues to work through, so we spent the rest of the day taking turns bouncing an uncomfortable baby and keeping Alex occupied.


Now it's Sunday night. The house is still a wreck. Keith is at football night with the guys, hopefully enjoying some much-needed kid-free time. Alex is sleeping in his bed. Max is sleeping on my chest. (Ahhh, the sweet little moments...nothing better than a sweet-smelling baby cuddled on your chest!)


And I'm trying to relax after a crazy day...and let you know that we're just a real as the rest of you! :)