When they say "do this" they mean it, and more advice to ignore...

Woo, I had a rough weekend! I had been wondering what the baby blues were exactly and I got hit hard the past couple of days. One day (can't remember which now) it was so bad once Ben got home from work I handed him Whit, ate, and promptly took a shower and cried the whole time. Thankfully I feel much better today! I think it was a combination of not enough sleep, Ben being at work a lot right after paternity leave, one of our dogs, Foster, hurt his eye again and the vet bill was outrageous and there's a chance we may be moving again. Oh, and I can't figure out clothes right now. It was all just too much to deal with at once. So what have I learned?



Sleep when the baby sleeps... for reals. That lack of sleep catches up to you fast. I thought I could run on 5-6 hours a night (plus a little caffeine) and I was sooooo wrong.

Forgive yourself. I am the one who manages this household. I love my husband, but I would much rather just do whatever needs to be done than to ask him three times, then growl about it, then get pissed he rolls his eyes about it. The arguing is more work than the chore! I read an article the other day that said as long as everyone's alive and the house is still standing at the end of the day, you've done well. If everyone's clean and somewhat sane, you deserve a medal!

Make sure you eat and stay hydrated. And if that food is somewhat healthy, pat yourself on the back. I've been battling a horrendous headache the past week and in the beginning it was thanks to me not eating very much. Whit is very much a day baby right now and won't nap for more than ten minutes at a time. So I've learned to force myself to eat the nearest meal once he's down. And if he starts yelling and I'm too hungry to be nice, I eat something then get him. 

Ask for help if you need it. I still struggle with this. Really, I only have Ben's mother here to help if I need it, but I just cannot ask her favors. I hate asking people favors. I don't know if it's pride or I hate feeling like I owe someone something, but I just don't do it. Part of it too might be the whole time I'm gone I worry about what work she's undone. I had Whit sleeping a little more during the day recently and not eating a ton, and after one afternoon with his grandmother he wants to eat 3 ounces every hour and a half! No sir! 

Shower. Whenever you can. Normally I'm a shower in the morning to help wake me up kind of gal, but no longer. And honestly, the shower at night helps me go to sleep in about two minutes flat. And then there's some mornings when I have to wake Ben with a "Not it!" while I jump in the shower, just in case Whit wakes before I'm finished. 

and as a side note, DO NOT think about what your body looks like right now! I'm having a hard time finding clothes that fit well enough to keep the important bits covered, so I went to Target to find some just plain t-shirts. Mistake! I thought I was doing fairly well, but try one a few shirts and instantly I'm making a list of everything I hate about my body right now. #1? I ended up with lots of stretch marks, which I could deal with, but a few are on my lower belly. I've always prided myself on having a decent stomach, so now I just don't know what to think. And no amount of "your body had to do that to make room for your precious baby" talk makes me feel better about it. I wish it did, but I have to be honest.

Ahhhh, but today has been so much better! Whit took a TWO HOUR nap and so did I, I've managed to eat and drink plenty of water, the house is a mess and I don't care, I'm showered and in clothes that fit and Ben is off tomorrow. Thank goodness!