Hello, what have I been up to? Well, a lot of things and basically not a lot of things when you get into it. So let’s do a bullet-point summary, yeah?
- Wow, I can’t even think of a single thing so sum up into a bullet point.
Okay, so scratch that. Did you ever do writing exercises where they call it “brainstorming” but it was really a free-for-all pass to write whatever is in your head in order to spark some kind of inspiration? No? Yes? Either way, that’s what’s about to happen here.
The most recent thing I can think up of what’s been happening lately is that I’ve been sewing a lot again. It feels great because before I gave birth to Ari, I really thought I would never find time to do it again. Everyone kept telling me that I won’t have time to do the things I loved. And I believed them. I actually had packed up my sewing machine, I put away all my fabrics, and said an emotional goodbye to my hobby. But Ari’s been teething and taking 2-3 hour naps and here I am folks, sewing. Part of me wonders why people felt the need to tell me that I wouldn’t find time to do the things I used to do. Did they want me to bury the part of myself that was me before I was a mother? Were they being honest? Cynical? Well-meaning? I really want to know. For now, I’ll keep sewing and keep being a mother while also still being who I was before who I am now.
Another thing is that some days are good and some are better. I think it’s tied to Ari’s sleeping habits and how much rest I get during the night. I need the routine and expectation of how much Ari is going to sleep at night to keep me sane. And I’m not sure if that’s ironic or not because I used to hate routine and the principle of bedtime. Ask Russell. Part of our first year of marriage was me begging–not successfully–him to go to the 24-hour Tofu House with me at 2 a.m. I wanted random trips and no bedtimes. Oooh, flashback to 3 minutes ago and now it makes sense why people told me I wouldn’t find time to do the things I used to love. Because now, if you told me to go to Tofu House at 2 a.m., I’d laugh at you as I breastfed Ari and cried from lack of sleep.
Speaking of which, they said babies would sleep through the night by now. I believed you, whoever you are. And curse you for giving me false hope! We got about a week of magical full-nights sleep when Ari turned 5 months old, but that was a trap. We got comfortable and now we’re paying for it because Ari is acting like a newborn again and wants to be nursed every 3 hours in the middle of the night.
Another thing is that Ari is outgrowing his baby carseat. This giant Henry baby weighs over 20 pounds and his little legs actually stick out of the car seat. So Russell installed the toddler carseat. After a weekend of that, I made him install the baby carseat again because I couldn’t bare the thought of Ari being like a toddler much less looking like one. So I’m back to lugging Ari around a baby carseat only this time it’s 20 pounds of misery and I have to practically swing his carseat into the car to gain enough momentum to get the seat to latch onto the base. But he’s still a baby! Ugh, I don’t want him to grow even though he’s doing that no matter what mom wants. Is this a sneak peak into the teenage years? Oh my gosh, I shouldn’t even want to think that far.
Russell and I will be in Reno for a week in October and none of Ari’s jackets fit him anymore. For the first time, I will get to buy Ari new clothes.
Russell is acing his classes and loving school. I don’t know how to expand on this.
I’m still writing and have a goal to finish writing by the end of this year. I might meet that goal.
And that’s all folks. Thanks for reading!
