7 Quick Takes for Sleepless Week with Jen & Ladiez
Sleepless life. That’s what 36 weeks of pregnancy has given me. I’m a total insomniac. Leg cramps & stocking up– elevate your legs. Heartburn–keep your chest upright. I need one of those trapeze artists’ bars so my body can both be up and down and down and up at the same time. Because you all love to hear about pregnancy woes, I’m going to regale you with seven things to do when you can’t sleep. Right about . . . . now.
Number 1 is obviously scratch out some blog posts. And read some of your favs. Did you ever know how Cup of Jo started? Interesantes. Or how Kendra’s day looks? Or how Lindsay’s two year old is so stinking cute. (Now that SweetPea is 2 and one day, she’s looking more and more like a big girl.) Or what kind of donuts you could be baking? Don’t think I didn’t do some zullily shopping and get a donut baking sheet. You tell me.
Shop for King Sized duvet cover & bedskirt. Let’s be honest. I love to sew. But not things my household actually needs. Remember that I sewed about a dozen little girl skirts? And I’m having a boy? Oh, yes. Back to my sewing list of things for the household. I won’t tell you how many items are in the mending pile. You either won’t believe me or you’ll think I’m even more horrible than you already think I am.
Shopping online for this bad boy. I need something before BabyLoves arrives. Right now I’ve washed our uncovered appropriately sized duvet, and it’s sitting in a corner “clean” while we use our old queen comforter that has the most beautiful duvet cover (pictured in our guest bed below before I snagged it). Guess what? Not letting him spit up on this. And it’s too small. And evenings like tonight while I’m up writing, AA is covered under half a comforter because he’s worried the other side won’t reach me. And he’s right. King sized beds are way bigger than queen.
// NOT this one.
// Maybe this one? Too brown & dark?
// Maybe something like this without the pastels.
You can see this is a struggle.
Lie in bed and pray for sleep. Literally.
Pray.
Toss.
Turn.
Pray.
Hope.
Charley horse in the calves.
Stabbing baby arms in the ribs.
Oh, that’s the out-door, BabyLoves, and it’s not time yet. Stop hammering on it.
Toss.
Pray.
Repeat.
(Yes, even though this was him 16 weeks ago, he’s punching me right now, just like he was doing so then–it used to be adorable.)
Make more lists. Lists are your best friend when you’re very pregnant because you can feel accomplishment in the small things. And feel organized. And feel productive. And feel like you are ready for three children. Really? Who are we kidding.
Find your list wadded up on your child’s work table that’s in your work studio. Find that he has used your embroidery scissors on the sides to give it a “ragged” effect. Realize you can’t read much of the list.
Delighted, resign yourself to re-writing the list. Adding, never subtracting, and ensuring you cross off things you’ve done. Never omit them. You want to see what you’ve done.
Plan for activities for the summer. Things your children can do to delight themselves! And their beloved grandparents who will be accompanying them to said activities. What’s that about swim lessons? Oh, I’ll have a nursling. But NuNu can slip into the pool! Continuing down the path of Suzuki with SuperBoy? No probs. NuNu has it covered. And what should SweetPea do that’s extra special for a two year old girl?
There’s the baby-movement class at the rec center 5 blocks away. Would she just get diseases and injuries? Would she even notice she was there? Is this how it always is with second children? Maybe another baby-music class? We very much enjoyed our last go ’round at music, although she did spend much of the time chasing an errant balloon one class, exploring the teacher’s don’t-touch stash the other class, and laying face-down on the hardwood floors away from me, her brother, and the group at times.
Maybe she’ll be hanging with me.
Gaze at piles of laundry. Dirty and clean. Try to decipher which is which. Conduct the smell test. Instantly regret. Resolve to color coordinate towels with bathrooms so there’s not always a dearth of them in our bathroom, a plethora in the kids’, and a smorgasbord of them in the linen closet, not folded but crammed. Resolve to purchase lavender towels for the kids’ bath, now that it’s redone and almost almost really done.
On my sewing list? Recovering the stool in there. I actually have the print! Just. Have. To. Do. It.
Put that on my list. Where’s my list?
Contemplate eating. Should I go eat something downstairs? Do I want cereal? Will the milk just make matters worse with the heartburn (calcium et al)? I really want chocolate, but that will definitely make it worse and keep me awake. Do I want crackers? Do we have any that weren’t in a kid’s snack pack today, i.e., not totally stale? What about a piece of fruit? Too much work to cut it up?
Decide it’s too much to go all the way downstairs. Resolve to eat extra in the morning. And keep going until I drop from exhaustion, and then trust that I’ll sleep. {I may or may not have awakened my sainted husband and he may have trotted downstairs for crackers & cold water for me. Loving sad saint that he is.}
Also wishing I had started these tonight so I could enjoy them tomorrow morning. Recipe back here.
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