Motherhood of Two

Being a mother of two is not double the work, as one might think, for me, it feels like quadruple the work! I am just now, nearly 30 days later, starting to catch my balance. But for the last month, I have felt like the captain of a sinking ship, desperately trying to stay a float.

So far, it is all I can do to assure that everyone has eaten and maintains a certain level of hygiene. I am not referring to a state of cleanliness, I simply mean to keep them from sitting in their own shit. If I have accomplished these small tasks, it is a days work done and I am a satisfied mum.

Though, there are days in which all involved suffer on these two apparently "simple" tasks.
Amara may sit in a dirty diaper for over an hour, Juani may scream from the bathroom for me to "check his butt" for a good 20 minutes and Claudio may eat frozen pre-made burgers and fries for dinner, something unprecedented in my household. But at the end of the day, we pass out, stomachs full and arses dry. And as for complaints, well they don't even go in one ear in order to come out the other.

As for the men in my life, Juani has had his ups and downs with big brotherhood - some days I think he loves Amara so much he wants to smother her to death with kisses and other days he will say things like, "Mommy, the blue car is me and the red car is Amara. Oh oh! Amara died," pushing the red Corvette over the table's ledge and allowing it to tumble to its "death."

But besides a few meltdowns clearly driven by a need for attention, he is helpful and loving.

Claudio has also had his ups and downs. Initially he confessed to feeling as though he was having a sort of "affair" with our new little lady, as he had never loved anyone as much as he loves me until she came along. However, when his lack of breasts came to light and her love for her mommy grew with familiarity, he suffered a bit of emotional rejection saying things like, "She wants nothing to do with me," sniffle sniffle.

But all this will pass with time.

36 weeks!

Hello there!! 36 weeks, nearly full term!
I have thought about writing all this week, and last week too and, as you are probably sick of hearing, life just seems to get busier and busier with each day.

This pregnancy has been full of differences from that of Juan.
1 of the main differences is sensation of nesting I have had. Nesting this time around doesn't have so much to do with the baby and preparing for his or her arrival, but rather the organization and preparation of things at the school so that I will be able to take time off without worrying if my business is going up in flames while I am away.

So I have been spending long hours organizing, preparing and communicating. And you know what, the more I do, the more I feel I have left to do. It is a strange feeling of never arriving at your goal as there is always something more to be done.

Another huge difference is that I am suffering a tad from insomnia. What does this mean? I wake up most days in the middle of the night, 3 or 4am, if I am luck, 5 or 6 like today, and I can't seem to get back to sleep. This has both its advantages and disadvantages as I have become quite productive in those early quite hours of the day. The disadvantages though are that I fall dead to the world around 8pm.

Oh and something no one ever tells you, the second pregnancy is far more difficult. Why you might as, I never remember feeling or being so aware of the sensation of the baby as it slowly moves itself into position, wedging its little head into the birth canal. This provokes the most outrageous cramps that start at the lower back and run all the way down to the back of my knee. So, I can simply be out for a stroll and woops! Hold on! I'm nearly on the ground with a debilitating hip flexor cramp!

Other than that, I feel great! The doctor predicts that I have around 10-15 days left and that it will be an quick and easy delivery.
I have only gained 17.5 pounds, so once the baby us born, that should leave me with a little less than 10 pounds to plump him or her up with.

Here is a little photo for you to feast your eyes on. All in all, while I know it is a big ole belly, I think it is quite tiny in comparison to other mothers to be I have seen.

32 weeks and counting!

Hellooo!!!! January flew by faster than the speed of light! We have been so busy at the school that I have barely had time to rest, let alone update the blog! But, due to doctor's orders, I have now begun slowing down, delegating my classes and cancelling others, in order to enjoy the last 8 weeks of my pregnancy.

So - 32 weeks and here is the scoop - the little one is already head down - she/he is weighing about 4 pounds 2 ounces. He/she will likely be born weighing somewhere around 7 pounds, just a bit smaller than Juani who weighed 7.8.
He/she is still REALLY active and spends time wedging her/his heels into my left rib cage and tossing and turning from one side to the other. I wonder where he/she gets her antsy pants tendencies?

Juani is now showing a few signs of panic and jealousy at the arrival of the new baby. While he kisses and loves the belly, he has become a bit defiant and has started talking back in an "I'm too big for my own britches" kind of way, and has, at the same time, become extremely emotional, crying for no apparent reason. This, for me, can only be explained by the coming changes.

Claudio is now the star of the Spanish institute (we knew it was just a matter of time) and has caused quite a ruckus between the students, fighting over who will have him next as a teacher and complaining when they must settle for second best. He is thrilled with himself.

Other than that, I am in the state you can probably imagine me to be in - round - but not so much as I would like. I have only gained 11 pounds so far, which, while my doctor says is perfectly fine, feels a little on the thin side.