8 Months Down

On Monday morning I noticed there were a few crumbs in the silverware holder while unloading the dishwasher. So I decided to clean that drawer out. I cleaned the one next to it too, and then figured the cupboard with the glasses could use a little organization. By the time I had to go get Erin from school, I was still in my pajamas, but every last cupboard and drawer in the kitchen was cleaned, organized and decluttered (along with the bathroom "hair" drawer--which took a while). Yep, all the Tupperware and lids match. The next day I tackled the oven, refrigerator and microwave and today the linen closet looks great. Let's not forget last week's project: our bedroom closet, complete with going through and getting rid of several bags of clothes (FYI: it's an interesting time to go through clothes when you are twice as fat as most of them. I could only speculate about which ones my tush would eventually fit in again).

Whatever flippin' hormone is floating around my body has taken control and is held responsible for these strange events lately. Why every nook and cranny must be turned over and set right before a baby comes is beyond me, but the pressure to get it all perfect before the big day is all too real, at least for me. This is why I found myself on the floor scrubbing grout daily for weeks until Marissa was born. Maybe I'm subconsciously afraid of what the baby might think if he came home to what is normally here; or maybe I want him to think that our house is always spotless and organized and that it will never be okay to mess it up (though that never worked with the others). Really, my mind tells me that my life will be over for an indeterminate amount of time so I had better get the grunge out of the back of my fridge now or I might end up like the trash hoarder (did you see that last episode of Hoarding? Crazy!).

I felt pretty crummy for a few weeks, which is why I haven't posted much. This week I'm doing better. There seems to be more pressure that the baby is putting on my body so walking, standing and sitting on the floor aren't so comfortable. I don't know if it's his position or if he's just a big baby, or maybe it's my body reacting to the fourth pregnancy in six years. The other three babies were all breech at this point, if that makes a difference. Luckily, this one has been head down for weeks (I'm a little paranoid about it which is why I know). Knock on wood that he'll stay that way. Just over a month to go!

One sanity saver for me right now is doing a kid swap every week. We have friends that conveniently had their last three kids about the same ages as ours. One day a week her youngest two come here and later that week I take mine over there. It's good for our kids to have friends and not be bored, even though it can get a little crazy. The two almost two-year-olds are partners in crime. One unlocks the front door while the other opens it and before I know it they are making a run for the street. Or they'll help each other pull the chair over to the fridge to get cups and cups of water and ice to dump on the floor. And they're always helping each other into the sink to soap up their bodies or wash their pants. Definitely rascals! I'm not sure what goes through their minds most of the time, but they are on the same level at least and get along great. The sanity saver is that I get one day to myself. It's usually spent going to the doctor, shopping (with no kids!), painting the house or something else that makes me really tired, but I always have this precious time to look forward to. It keeps me going. Thank goodness for great friends with rascally kids like mine!

This was a few months ago. She only uses a pacifier when he is here (and it's always upside down).

This was last week when they decided to bury themselves in the laundry. We must have had another kid this day. The more the merrier! (or bigger mess I have to clean up)