This is why I want to move
The bugs here are huge and they will eat you alive! And I know there are bugs everywhere and it’s just something you deal with, but I’m not talking about piddly little nothing bugs. I’m talking HUGE, will fly away with small pets and slow children bugs. The city has a truck come around every night to spray the streets for mosquitoes, but they breed faster than the truck sprays.
Eliana is especially tasty and already has 5 bites on her. She scratches them constantly and now they are sores and look awful. Last year I remember being worried that someone would think we burn her with cigarettes because that was really how bad they looked. I’m going to have to bathe her in oatmeal every night just to keep her from scratching her skin off.
NOTE: We did NOT burn her with cigarettes, just so there is NO CONFUSION.
I hate the bugs here!!! HATE! Is it August yet?
7 years ago
(7 years ago yesterday, actually. It was blog or have wine with my honey. And did I mention it was a bottle from our wedding that we found in Oregon and brought back especially for our anniversary? Yeah, the wine won.)
The man never smiles in pictures. That was the first time (as his wife) I gave him “the look”.
Hey would you look at that! It worked!
I still have to give him “the look”.
Yep, still works.
Happy 7 years.
Bonus hilarious wedding picture! Woot!
In a funk
And not in a good, head-bop kinda way.
**Do not read if you aren’t in the mood to be depressed and/or bored.
I don’t know. I’m sure it’s probably a combination of a lot of things going on right now and maybe I’ll start feeling better soon, but BAH! I haaaate feeling this way.
I’m thinking the big thing might be the clomid. I just took my last pill last night and this is round 3 of the TTC #2 roller coaster. Well, round 3 of clomid. I’m sure that has a lot to do with it. It’s taking longer than I’d hoped (not unexpected though). The mood swings, hot flashes, headaches, over-emotional CRAP that comes with it. I hate every single bit. It is wearing on me. I am eternally pessimistic when it comes to my own life, which usually works to my advantage since nothing is ever as bad as I think it will be. But even this is getting hard. I also have no idea what my doc will want to do if it doesn’t work this month. This will be 3 rounds at 50mg. I don’t know if she’ll want to bump up to 100mg, or do a bunch of retesting since I haven’t actually had any fertility testing done since I was TTC Eliana.
The big big issue with that is timing. We are moving at the end of the summer. I have very few months left to try to get pregnant before moving and having to go through the whole STUPID process of finding a doctor who is actually willing to help me, not to mention getting the referrals and unpacking and I really really really don’t want to have to put it off. AND! I love love love my doctor. The woman is so awesome. I wish she could deliver all my babies (even though she was on vacation when Eliana was born and didn’t deliver her).
And it seems like everyone around me is getting pregnant and I’m jealous. Of course I’m happy for them and all the well wishes yay babies blah blah blah. But I’m sad for me.
Also, I’m completely unhappy with my physical self these days. I’m having a fat year. I’m unmotivated and lazy and I need someone to kick my ass into a gym, but I don’t have anyone. Well, I do. Just thousands of miles away. No help at all. I would do it myself, but alas, lazy. Excuses, excuses. I have a plan, but it doesn’t actually go into effect until we move. So for now I wallow and feel sorry for myself and dwell on the whole self-hatred thing and there it is.
And bored. Boring? Probably both. I feel like I do nothing all day because, honestly, there isn’t much to do around here. I can. not. WAIT to move!!!! It makes perfect sense, really. I have lived in this house longer than I have ever lived in any house ever in my entire life. My record is 2 years. We’ve been here for 2 years and 5 months and oh my god I can not rearrange my furniture one more time to make it new and exciting and different get me the hell out of here. And did I mention I hate the heat? I’m an autumn fan, myself. Cool days, light jacket = perfect. Hot Texas summer with the sweat and hot and bugs and stickiness? Notsomuch. Not that I haven’t really loved a lot about being here. In a way, I’ll be sad to leave. But I am definitely ready for a change. I want to get out and experience and do a live. Not sit on my ass and eat a vegetate and blah.
So there you go. I’m depressed and there’s nothing I can do about it and I’m just trying to get through.
What NOT to do
This is my own sort of Mother’s Day gift guide. I know it’s late, but it really works for all gift giving occasions. Tony did a great job showing me how much he appreciates me and really making me feel special. Unfortunately, some husbands miss the mark. And this is for them. A list of what not to do.
- If your wife is says she is going to the store to buy flowers for her mother (or your mother) DO NOT tell her to pick some up for herself.
- DO NOT ask your wife if she would mind if you took a nap.
- DO NOT tell you wife that you will clean the outside while she cleans the inside.
- DO NOT ask her what is for breakfast/lunch/dinner/snack.
- DO NOT get her a gift certificate so she can buy something FOR YOUR CHILD unless you want a bunch of board books and rattles for Father’s Day.
- DO NOT go hang out with your friends or do stuff for yourself while she takes care of everything at home.
- And most of all, DO NOT forget to tell her “Happy Mother’s Day”. It is such a simple thing, but it means SO MUCH to hear it.
Sadly, the entire list comes from friends whose husbands did a less that stellar job.
And since I’m nice, I won’t leave you totally in the dark. Here’s a list of suggestions to make her day a little better.
- Let her sleep in until she wakes up on her own. Kids are scary, but you can handle it.
- Make her breakfast or even take her some place. Just don’t make her cook. (This goes for all meals.)
- Try to plan something nice for the day. Better yet, ask her (before the actual day) what she would like to do. If she wants to spend the day relaxing at home, let her. If she’d like to go get a massage, pay for it and send her on her way.
- Clean the house. Maybe it doesn’t have to be perfect, but the effort you make will be much appreciated.
- Plan plan plan! Don’t try to run out the night before to get her flowers. If the kids are old enough, work with them on a craft project a few days before. Get things ready for a picnic at the park. The kids can play while your wife relaxes and she’ll love it. You don’t have to go all out, I promise. Efforts are recognized and it really really is the THOUGHT that counts. So put some actual thought into it.
These things really aren’t hard. I’m surprised in this TV/internet age men aren’t more informed about this stuff. You don’t have to spend a bunch of money to make a Mother’s Day special. Really, all a mother wants is to be understood and appreciated. Tell her Happy Mother’s Day and try to show her how much you care.
Yay distance!
Every Thursday my sisters go to my mom’s for dinner. They watch TV and hang out and talk and catch up on each others lives (though they see and talk to each other all the time, so there probably isn’t much catching up that needs to be done). For years and years I have been so jealous. I always feel like I’m missing out on a normal family thing.
Sometimes, when I need a trustworthy sitter or someone to talk to, I really wish I lived closer to my family. I feel like Eliana is missing out on developing important relationships. That’s one reason we try to be stationed closer to family. I want her to have the opportunity to know her grandparents and aunts and cousins.
But today, I’m going to make a list. Pros of living far from family. To make me feel better.
- Sisters = Drama. It’s nice to be on the outskirts of that and not pulled in to the drama.
- I rarely have to listen to “When are you going to turn her car seat around? She should/shouldn’t be eating that. Maybe you should (fill in the blank with any unwanted parenting advice).”
- I’ve heard stories of women being forced to go to the in-laws or host parties for other family members on Mother’s Day. Here, it really is just my day and as long as I remember the cards early enough and send flowers, I’m good.
- No one here knows me from when I was in diapers or did some other embarrassing thing growing up.
- I always have my Thursdays free?
Ok, I’m grasping for the last one, but there are good points.
I think I just miss my family today.
