you've probably noticed that this ol' blog has been pretty image heavy lately and light on the words. and it's because i've been allowing myself to follow the rule "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all". not that everything has been bad, which is why there have still been a few posts here and there but, honestly, the last six weeks or so have been really, really hard. dealing with a newborn and a two year old in three rooms while half of your house is being renovated, your yard is a sea of mud and construction debris and the weather gods keep dishing out day after day of grey skies, biting wind and winter rain is just not fun.
NOT.
FUN.
and mae has hit the terrible twos in a big way. she has started waking up at night again, calling out for us, sometimes in a complete hysterical panic, and waking up at 6am, after waking at 7am for the past year or so. a combination of growing molars, developmental spurts, exhaustion and adjusting to a new sibling have made her an unpleasant kid to be around a lot of the time. and since sophie still wakes once or twice a night, i am ridiculously tired from dealing with both of them all day and night and my patience is withered and thin.
there is light at the end of the tunnel. we should have plasterers here next week and we ordered our kitchen on the weekend. mae is on a waiting list for one full day of child care which, combined with the afternoon she already attends, should give me a bit of breathing space. i've been moving sophie's bassinet into our room for a few hours in the evening so that i can get a bit of sewing done. i'm enjoying my new camera. spring is taking it's time but it's making a brief appearance here and there. warmer days are ahead, more rooms to move in, a deck to enjoy the sun. i am so ready.
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In the words of Dory: 'Keep on swimming, keep on swimming...'
ReplyDeleteYou're doin' good, girl. And it's going to get easier. Then harder. Then easier all over again. And so on. I've no idea how it good or bad it gets past eight but the teen years are scaring the LIVING DAYLIGHTS out of me.
I feel your pain - we are in the thick of a similar situation at the moment and I'm just trying to ride it out. Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteHang in there xx
ReplyDeleteI'm going by that motto too at the moment. Some days are such a struggle & I've only got one wee person to deal with!
ReplyDeleteThere is a light at the end of the tunnel. Your house will be awesome when it's all done & the sun WILL come out. I keep telling myself that it will. Winter is so very disheartening.
Have a lovely week. I hope it's a little bit easier.
I so know how you feel. That was me a few months ago...totally not fun and so exhausting. I think we're over the hump here thankfully, hope yours gets better too really soon...
ReplyDeleteEugh, that sounds really tough, Leslie. I don't have any children, so this is a bit foreign, but what I have learned is that nothing stays the same: everything's always in a constant state of flux. So when you're feeling flat, just hold on and it will change. We're all barracking for you!
ReplyDeleteI was feeling the same way about some months ago. Some of the things that were so heavy on my shoulders disappeared some weeks ago and I now feel ready to tackle the other duties :)
ReplyDeleteAnd you will also feel so much better once your house gets in better shape and Mae gets older (and hopefully will sleep more). Hang in there!
Greetings from Germany,
Johanna
hang in there!
ReplyDeleteArgh, this could have been my post! I have a one and a half year old, a 7 week old boy, a renovation and extension and yes we are sick of the rain and cold too! Glad to know I am not the only one dealing with all this. Oh don't I appreciate those few special moments when everything seems to go right for a change.
ReplyDeleteHang in there. It does get easier. I've been there with newborn twins and a two year old and it aint pretty. Good idea getting Mae into a little more child care. She will enjoy interacting with friends and it will give you some time to breathe.
ReplyDeleteOur babies must be close to the same age. I have a 3 month old little girl too (born June 4th). My older two, (4 1/2 and 3 years old) are good helpers. I've been so blessed that my baby hasn't had colic. But even with those blessings the days are hard. Caring for children is hard, rewarding, but hard. Trying to keep it all together is almost impossible. Hoping and praying your renovations are done quickly and then at least life will begin to be more normal and relaxed for you.
ReplyDeleteoh leslie, i, too, feel like i could have written this post! a newborn with colic and a two year old amidst a house that looks like it threw up on itself {as my husband likes to put it} the beginning of an alberta winter {yuck} and no childcare...my patience is wearing thin and it would be wonderful to sleep for more than an hour or two at a time! ella is going through a phase of waking up screaming in the middle of the night, too...i just keep telling myself that each of these things are phases that will, in time, pass...hang in there, spring will be so sweet for you when it finally arrives!
ReplyDeleteHang in there, it will pass!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's a lot to have on your plate at once - no way around it. However, you will get through and you'll even be able to look back and laugh at this. They grow so quickly. Cherish the beauty amongst the chaos. LOL!
ReplyDeletebring on the plasterers! woo hoo!
ReplyDeleteoh you poor thing!!
ReplyDeleteI can so relate on the small kids & renos bit, so much so that i'm fighting with my husband about the next round of renovations - I just don't think I can cope at the moment with all the mess and men and not being able to wee, or use the gas, or the electricity, or .. any of the fun .. even if the upside is a totally gorgeous house at the other end of the tunnel .. just.not.up.to.it :/
xx
take care
xx
Not sure I can offer much, but winter will end, so will the renovations & so will some of the other bits...the night terrors, the continual baby waking, the monumental tiredness. It is hard to believe when you are in the thick of it all, but it does pass (to be replaced by the next stages). The childcare will help, especially if you use some of the time to rest & some to catch up on the other things you want to do (try not to skip the resting part)
ReplyDeletei suspect we're doing the molars business, here, too! i can't see them, but something teethy seems to be happening. Emm isn't even two yet, but has taken to the tworibble behaviour with gusto. she love sher two mornings in childcare, i'm so glad she does, because i can't imagine having to deal with a newborn on top of the terrible twos... but i hope that like you, i'll cope well when the time comes. you're doing great!
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel! I have a 2 year old and a four week old newborn. Today it took me five hrs to get Zoe to sleep, then my toddler slammed cupboard doors in the kitchen and woke her up again. Our motto - this time will pass.
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