7 Quick Takes - Beware the Mommy Brain

1. Pregnancy Amnesia - Oh Boy, we're there again.  It's that time in pregnancy when my brain gets all mushy and forgetful.  I am not talking just a little bit mushy and forgetful.  I am a lot forgetful.  This morning I took the kids to the library and on the way home I had a minor panic attack because I could not remember what I fed Alex and Kristiana for breakfast.  I started to wonder if I had actually fed them anything.  Not only had I fed them breakfast, as I remembered later, but I had also fed them a mid-morning snack.  I must admit that each one of them has missed a meal or two over the past few weeks.  It's not because I have not tried, it's because they will tell me they are not hungry when it's a regular feeding time and I am not going to cater to feeding children all day long.  Especially, when it's difficult for me to get around.  They need to eat at regular times.  They did not seem disturbed by it.  They just wanted to actually eat dinner as opposed to pushing it around their plates. ;-) (Some nights I swear I am just going to start serving them empty plates for dinner, because they never seem to eat anything.)

2. Huge -  As I said at the beginning of this pregnancy, I was hoping that would not be a big complainer toward the end.  Well, I am not exactly complaining, but I am not feeling like everything is an ice cream sundae with a cherry on top.  I cannot ignore my discomfort.  This is the point when it happens for me.  I do not feel my body can can stretch any farther.  I'm not just huge.  I'm HUGE.  I have a lot of time left in this pregnancy, so I am only going to get bigger.  I find it difficult to get up from wherever I am sitting or laying.  I am really trying to encourage the kids to be more independent about their needs and desires.  In order to wash the dishes in the sink, I have to turn my belly to the side to reach.  Poor Annie, has almost no room left in my lap.  She also wants to be picked up and cuddled a lot.  She's figured out that something is changing, but she's not ready for it.

3. Feeding Frenzy - Hmm, I might be huge because I am so hungry lately.  We're talking regular meals and snacks are obligatory.  After dinner, I clean up and the kids play a little.  Then we get the kids ready for bed, which involves a lot of chasing around tots.  Then I spent an hour reading to the kids and we put them to bed.  Then we put them to bed a couple more times ;-) By the time this is all over, two and a half to three hours have passed since dinner, it's late, we're tired and I'm hungry again! So I eat.

4. A Leg to Stand On - I have some awful varicose veins on one of my legs.  I have had trouble with this in past pregnancies, but this is the worst they have been.  My leg is all black and blue.  But, worst of all it hurts, burns and itches.  It is really uncomfortable by the time dinner has been cleaned up.  I have to lay down to stop it from hurting.  I probably need to try support hose :-/  Weirdly enough exercise helps it because the increased heart rate pumps the pooling blood out of the veins.  The problem went away after the other pregnancies.  I hope it goes away again after this one.  But, I know it's not going away until after birth.  We are just going to have to bear it.  And by we, I mean I really need lay down from time to time, so children and husband are just going to have put up with me laying down.

5. Easter - Sadly, today I was thinking I need to scale back my Easter preparations.  I cannot stand on my feet for many hours preparing our Easter basket as I have in the past.  I guess it is fitting since I have scaled back our Lenten preparations as well.  We are prayful, but the fast does not seem quite as sacrificial as in the past.  The fast from coffee creamer is still hitting home.  I do not know why coffee creamer has been such a challenge, but it is what we need I suppose…I digress…Thankfully! A friend just invited us to their Easter celebrations.  Praise be to God!

6. Projects - Well, I have a lot of projects in mind to complete before Lucy is born.  I guess they are just things that need to be done, but impending birth gives a good excuse to get them done.  I am going to mention them here in the hopes that it will keep me honest.  Finish my Great Lent Icons (I think this one will get done. Fingers crossed);  Weed the yard; Yard sprinkler system and new sod; Make a Mary garden in the backyard; reorganize my linen closet; reorganize my pantry; reorganize the baby/girls' clothing.

7. Quirks - My little Kristiana is a funny little girl.  Full of her own little quirks.  She loves/is thankful for grated cheese, chocolate almond milk, cereal and oranges.  Kristiana walked around the kitchen cradling a mandarin orange.  She said it was a baby orange.  And she talked to it like it was a little baby.  She told the orange that it was cute little baby orange.  Then she had me peel it and said it was a naked baby orange.  Then she told the orange that it was a cute tasty baby orange and then she ate her baby.

Last month, I made Andrew a big burger with all the fixin's. She thought I had made the burger have a face with lips since it had a tomato slice on it.  Before my husband made it to the table she grabbed the top of the bun and started flapping the top bun up and down as though it was a mouth talking.  She was jabbering away.  "Hi, I'm Mr. Burger.  I like sauce…"  Then my husband sat down, prayed for the blessing and then took a big bite.  As he lifted the burger to his mouth Kristiana said in a little, squeaky, puppet like voice, "Noooo, don't eat me."  Yeah, try to eat a burger ever again after something like that happens.

Somedays Kristiana changes her clothes five times in one day.  Yet, she'll tell me she needs help in the bathroom, because she has trouble with her clothes.  I'm not buying it.

Kristiana wore this little number out in the backyard to play one evening. It was 40 F degrees outside. It was chilly.  She came in to tell me she was cold. No kidding, Kristiana.

Alex's little quirk - People ask Alex if he is in school.  He tells them, "No, he does homeschool."  He started telling people he is in first grade (Btw, he's tiny.  He looks like he is no more than four years old).  He started telling people this because I brought out a first grade work book one day.  He has not worked in it all, since he has refused lessons.  I never correct him about his "grade."  For one, he is usually chattering away and I am usually busy as well.  Secondly, why not?  It's not entirely inaccurate.  He reads first grade books well.  He counts to 100.  He is working on addition and subtraction (he works on this verbally with me).  He could be a beginning of the year first grade level student.