Getting the Hang of Things

Okay, so I have to admit. At first, this hole motherhood thing scared me half to death, but after a couple of months, I was starting to get the hang of it. Now that my little Monkey is mobile, babbling, giggling, responsive, and actually knows who the heck I am, I just can't get enough of being around him. These are the moments I am thankful for summers off. I get to spend time actually being a mom :). The hats I wear get a little fewer, and that is nice. Hope you are able to take some time in the next few days to enjoy and cherish the little things.

Hey, remember me?

Well, hello there. It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm still here. Don't worry about that. I've just been a little busy.

You see, a few days before the last posting, Pat and I found out we were pregnant. Seeing as this was our third positive pregnancy test in the past year, we didn't want to get our hopes up too high. Fortunately, this pregnancy went full-term, and we were blessed with Murphy Patrick on December 19th, 2010. He is absolutely adorable. His laugh and smile are a highlight of my day! And I am so calmed by the scent and warmth of him. I wish I could smuggle him with me everywhere I go...but I cannot. I have to share that I absolutely love being a mom. I was so afraid I would fail at it, but it seems thing just come naturally, Thank Goodnes!

There are days I may complain becuase I am tired, but when it all comes down to it, I enjoy putting the men in my life first (by men, I mean the 20 week old one, the fuzzy four-legged one, and the one I've been in love with since 1998). I am learning now, though, that there are times were I really need to put myself first, or I get pretty blue. For example, I am getting my hair cut tomorrrow (finally); my last hair cut was in the middle of October. I also need to set aside time to work out, whether it is on the Wii, with weights in the basement, or my preferred mode, running outside. Not only do I need that "me time," but I need that time to let out any frustrations I may have from home or work. Also, I really thought I would have this post-preggo weight gone by now, but I'm learning the 9 months to gain it, 9 months to lose it is pretty realistic. Although I love my smile in the pictures I see lately, below the waist is kind of hard for me to look at. I worked really hard to lose quite a bit of weight about a year and a half ago, and to see a portion of it back on my body is tough. I do not regret the gain; it was more than worth it, and an understandable gain, but I am ready to get back to the body I was proud of. It is just going to take time, and I am not patient.

Between keeping Murphy happy, and keeping things kind of caught up at home (laundry, providing healthy dinners, basic cleaning up and I do mean basic, and at least 4 hours of sleep a night), it seems that my personal needs get put aside. I wish there were enough hours in the day to provide me with enough time to feel like I can play the role of mother, wife, teacher, friend, sister, and daughter well...but lately I feel like it's too much to balance. Will something give? Or will I finally figure out the juggling act? My hope is for the latter...