So far, this second go around at having a child is taking a much greater toll than the first one did. The first one, obviously resulting in our currently 21 month old son, was a breeze compared to this current one. When my wife was pregnant with our son, morning sickness seemed to last only about 2 weeks after which there was just the perpetual tiredness. There were a few tough times when she tried to do too much and hurt her back a little bit, however, for the most part, she blew right through the pregnancy with ease. This time around, things are a little bit different. The most notable and obvious difference is that we already have one child, an almost 2 year old who is running straight into the terrible twos (which really aren't that bad unless you add in a pregnancy). Aside from the fact that we already have a son who demands our attention, morning sickness doubled in duration and was much more debilitating than the first time around. That has past, but it required extra doses of the vitamin B-6 to alleviate the nausea. Even now, if my wife doesn't eat at least every 2 hours, the nausea returns. But the worst of that has past and life is returning to as close to normal as we can get, which with a pregnancy and a son, isn't quite so normal. Yes, there is the benefit that both our children will be close in age, but the times right now are trying on both of us. My wife, who thought that she got tired quickly with the last pregnancy, is now exhausted by 7-730 and usually in bed between 830 and 9. There is so much that needs to get done around the house and seemingly no time to get it all done. My wife has even taken to napping while our son naps (she is a teacher who is off for the summer and can luckily do that). On the days that she doesn't get the ability to nap, I can usually tell the difference as soon as I walk in the door in the evening. My wife will be exhausted whether or not she gets a nap, but when she doesn't, her whole demeanor is completely different. Such is life, however, and it is only 9 months, not a lifetime.
This pregnancy has also had a greater impact on me. I have heard it said that when a woman gets pregnant, her husband does as well. I couldn't agree more with that statement in relation to this current pregnancy. No, I am not growing a belly to make my wife feel better, I am just going a little batty trying to keep up with what needs to get done around the house. I can't honestly expect my wife to maintain her involvement in the house when she feels the way she does, so I have taken on extra in the mornings and evenings when I am home. The summer has alleviated it somewhat since she isn't going to work and getting super exhausted, however, there is still a lot to do and not quite enough time to get it all done. While I used to have a few crazy days here and there, it seems like every day now is completely crazy. My life has gone to warp speed with the only break being the sleep I get at night. (Trust me, while I am writing this I know that some may take it as complaining, but it isn't, its just a story of my life and how crazy it currently is.) I usually do some extra dishes in the morning to help keep up, then comes my crazy work day in the heat and humidity. Despite the fact that I have a plethora of work that needs to get done and could probably work till 8 p.m. every day, I usually try to make it home by 6 so I can see my son before he goes to bed. The increased money from getting the work done quicker would be nice, but I would miss seeing my son and that is more important than the money. So after I get home, spend at most an hour with my son, and put him to bed, its time to make dinner, do some more dishes, clean up a little bit, and then actually eat dinner with my wife. By the time we are done eating dinner, she has gone from sitting up right on the couch to a reclined "on the verge of sleep" position. Depending on when we are done eating, I usually head outside to take care of some yard work that never seems to go away. There were a few weeks where nothing got done outside and it got to be extremely over whelming. So I try and chip away at it a little bit every evening. By the time it is getting dark, I then head into the garage to work on some project for the house, either building a shelf to keep electronics up and out of reach of our son, or simply fixing the toilet paper holder for our bathroom. By 930, I'm done, exhausted myself, and usually head inside to bed. So that's my day living with a pregnant wife, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Sure, I could refuse to help out as much as I am, but that's not who I am. Plus, if I didn't help out, there would be a lot more that just wouldn't get done around the house. Such is my life currently, a blur that I am trying to keep pace with. The unfortunate side effect is that I haven't felt like doing much in terms of keeping up with my business. There are phone calls to be made, estimates to be written, all the other B.S. that comes with owning your own business, I just don't feel like doing any of it. When my life is crammed as full as it is, I need a little down time. That down time comes in the evening before I got to bed and in the morning with my daily dog walk and my writing of this blog. That's my down time, the rest is crammed full. I know I just need to get used to it and start keeping up with my business a little more, I just can't do it right now. Perhaps its just the heat and humidity that's doing it to me. I can hope at least. So for now, my crazy morning must get started and my writing must come to an end for the day. Would I change any of this? No, while it may be tough, its my life and I am loving living it.
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