Eight Weeks

Eight weeks today. I think. I called my doctor's office yesterday and - what they do is, you call and make an appointment and then the nurse practitioner calls back and chats. So I was talking to the np and I swear, I felt like I was in trouble! I'm sure I was projecting, but she was all, "do you want to take the screening because you're (way) over 35?" I said no and she said, "I didn't think you did but I have to check". And - I'm sure she does have to check but ... oh I just felt like a jerk. I feel like a jerk a large part of the time anymore. A jerk that eats a LOT of oreos. Anyway, I am going in Monday for an ultra sound and Thursday for my appointment with my doctor. My doctor is great and I anticipate that I'm going to feel better once I see that ultra sound and talk to my doctor. One could make the argument, I suppose, that I should just go ahead and feel better NOW, but I just can't roll like that. I have to fret a little.

I was watching Bethenny Ever After last night and it's when her baby is still pretty tiny and she and her husband go to his hometown, which is presented as this insanely small town, backwards, almost Ozarkian in it's small-townness. What's funny is that my cousin lives there and I just think of it as a normal town, but I guess the comparison between NYC and there is supposed to be made and you're supposed to realize how GREAT NYC is and how hard everything else sucks. And the thing is, to a certain extent I agree, I love NYC but it annoyed me last night. ANYWAY. She and her husband have to talk to his parents about them wanting to suck up all the time with the baby, and how maybe it's unrealistic to expect them to visit every weekend, and have every first holiday with them, etc. Todd was sleeping next to me, and it probably wouldn't have mattered anyway, but I could RELATE. I still get white hot mad when I think of my MIL assuming that Joseph could come and SLEEP OVER when he was an infant, a newborn! I mean, he was my first baby! I could no more imagine dropping him off at her house for the weekend than I could dropping him off at a church or hospital under Safe Haven laws. In Bethenny's case, she has it a little harder because her in-laws lost their other son when he was very young, so B's husband is their only child and the baby is their only grandchild, etc. But she is better than I am at handling it, and she says, UP FRONT and OUT LOUD, that they have to do things by themselves, as a family on their own. It's uncomfortable but at least they're talking about it. We would never talk about that with my in laws. There could seriously be a big pile of shit in the middle of the dining room table at dinner and no one would ever mention it. Freaks.

I wish I could tell people about the baby. I have a terrible cold and of course I can't take anything and my Dad was saying the other night, "take some Nyquil!" and I was thinking, I'd LOVE to but I can't. I can't take anything except worthless Tylenol. But I can't tell them that, and I put "ultra sound" on the calendar for next week and then I thought, crap, my MIL will probably be up here this weekend, so I had to cross it out and just put the time instead. I'm glad that Todd knows, and my sister, so at least I can come clean with some people. I guess we'll wait until 12 weeks, but that feels like a long time, particularly considering that my birthday is in a few weeks. Also, I feel nuttier than usual and I would maybe get some sympathy or something if people knew I was PREGNANT and tired or PREGNANT and kooky.

As usual, I have no way to wrap this up. Oh, I forgot! We are having NAME issues. I guess if you're going to have this many kids, at some point there will be some disagreement about names. The name that I thought of for a girl is like #782 in 2009. So, it's unusual, I suppose. It's a saint's name, which I am very into, and she has a great story, very compelling and having to do with motherhood. So I really like it. Plus it's long, which I like, because my kids' last name is short and one syllable. I thought Todd liked it too but the other night he started saying we should give her a 'normal' middle name, in case she ever wanted to go by that. And I mean - HOW am I supposed to think that he likes that name? When he calls another name 'normal'? And here's the thing, the 'normal' name that he wants to use for the middle name is #763 in 2009! Nineteen places different than my insanely crazy loony name! So I think, it's not a 'normal' name that he's looking for for the middle name, it's ONE HE LIKES BETTER. So why not just say that? If he didn't like a name, I would not use it, I wouldn't. There was a certain boy name that I always loved and thought I would use for my first boy, but my MIL wrinkled up her nose in such a way the first time that she said it that I knew I would never use it. I couldn't see her wrinkle her nose that way for the rest of my kid's life! And now that's how I feel about my perfect girl name, that her father has ruined it. So now I am just hoping it's a boy.

Six Weeks

So, I am six weeks pregnant today. I think. I suppose it's possible that I got pregnant before I think I did but probably it's not likely, so let's go with six weeks. I think I mentioned that I lost like almost 30 pounds in the months preceding this event, and I swear to God, I would like to get in to the doctor and get weighed so someone will have a RECORD of this but I am eating for like 100 and I am afraid that I'm going to gain it all back before I get in to the doctor.

I'm afraid to go see her though. I know they are going to do an ultrasound and last time I went for my first 'dating' ultrasound the tech said, with a sigh, 'let's see how many are in there' when she started. It had never occurred to me that I might have TWINS but it scared the hell out of me then. I have a friend who had three kids, thought she'd have a fourth and ended up having twins, and then boom!, five kids! I'm not just scared of that, I'm scared in general. I hope everything is okay with this baby. I had a miscarriage between my first and second children and now until I get to ten weeks, which is when it happened, I am sort of nervous and disbelieving about the whole thing.

We haven't told anyone - well, I told my sister and a friend of mine who is in very similar circumstances to me. Todd told a good friend of his, but we haven't told our parents. I am so tired, though, and it's always a giveaway with me because I am a drinker, so I have just been lying low. But can I lie low for like six more weeks? My birthday is in four weeks, St. Patrick's Day, etc., people would wonder. Also I feel like a lazybones, telling people how I couldn't do something because I was too tired, or that I went to bed at 9:00.

I'm also afraid that people are going to judge me. I think *I* might judge me - I mean, I think I am. I have three kids under five and one has autism and ... I'm afraid I am a mess, and that everyone knows it. Sometimes I feel like I just wasn't built for this, that I am a bad mother and wife, that not everyone gets this crazy over this job. I'm afraid I'm going to tell people that we are expecting our fourth and people are going to be shitty and I just can't take it. I don't want the pregnancy besmirched by a shitty attitude, does that make sense? I feel very positive about it, I'm very excited about this new member of the family and I hope everyone feels the same way. People are ALWAYS going on and on to me about "are you having more kids?" and "you know, there are WAYS to prevent that!" and "do you have a television? A hobby?" So now I'm afraid that those same people are going to say things about how we could have PREVENTED this baby who actually exists now, and I just - I don't like the bad mojo involved.

But this is just one small part of it, at six weeks. Mostly at six weeks, I am tired, emotional, forgetful, and excited. We are thinking of baby names, well, just girl names, since we already have a boy name. I am thinking of how I can stretch my stretchy clothes through a pregnancy, since I gave away all of my maternity clothes. I am trying to drink enough water, eat some vegetables, and take my vitamin every night. I'm having crazy-ass dreams, which I totally forgot about. My breasts are gigantic and sore. I have to pee all the time. Crazy. I forget, every time, everything that happens.

News

I am pregnant again. It is BLOWING my MIND. I am not young, not anything but elderly, as far as babyhaving is concerned and I'm afraid at this stage, I might even be ADVANCED elderly. Oy. I am happy, as ever, every time I see that the test says positive, but man. I am shocked! From the looks of it, it would seem like my husband and I are having sex every spare minute but really? It's not that often. We did sort of take a chance last month, in that we had sex after I had my period but before I (thought I) ovulated. I can only assume that this is what is supposed to happen. I feel very optimistic for several reasons. They are:

1. Babies! Yay!

2. Another person to meet, as my husband says.

3. There are four in my family, and I like the sound of it.

4. It is forcing me to quit some bad habits, wine, occasional cigarettes.

5. Time off when in the hospital.

6. We have a bigger house now.

But I'm worried for several reasons, too. They are:

1. I just started losing weight and feeling good about myself.

2. I am so old.

3. I keep thinking I will get back to my life someday, get a job someday, and this just postpones it for another two years or whatever.

4. I'm worried, as usual, about the higher risk of birth defects, or autism, or whatever.

I'm trying to not worry about the worries, though. I keep thinking, generally, in my life, I try to believe that I am right where I am supposed to be. That I am ready for whatever happens. So I am going to try to go with that now, when it seems more important than ever. I'm trying but failing, story of my life.

Unhappiness

Here is the thing about being unhappy in one facet of your life. It's very hard to separate it, for me anyway. Our son Joseph has been having some major problems lately. He has autism and he's been really struggling with communication and meltdowns. His communication skills are non-existent, and he gets frustrated and has this mind-blowing tantrums. It happens a lot when he first wakes up and - I mean, I know he is a little boy and I mostly feel for him, but the best comparison I can make is if I lived with someone who hit me. Like I try to walk on eggshells and I try to make everything right for him, but I am always nervous and kind of waiting. So anyways. We are working through it, we are hoping that it gets better and trying to employ all these techniques. I am also trying to keep him away from the little girls because I don't want him to inadvertently hit them.

So...it can suck. And it can make me unhappy, even though I try not to be. And when I'm unhappy in my *family*, in my *house*, I feel unhappy in my marriage. But I am NOT unhappy in my marriage, I just feel like the unhappiness that we have is so pervasive that it invades everything. It makes me feel super impatient with my other kids and also with my husband.

But what to do? I don't feel depressed, necessarily. I don't feel ... out of sorts - I mean a lot of it sucks right now, is all. I don't think it will suck forever, we are taking steps to make it better, I just - I feel bad that I feel bad. I feel bad that I am mad and I stomp around sometimes and say "My life SUCKS!" and "This sucks!" and, if I'm being honest, "I want to run away from here and never come back" and, to be completely honest and tell what a jerk I can be, "I wish I were dead and buried in the ground!". I know. I know it's not nice to say.

But you know what would help? What would help is if my husband would say nice things to me. It's so lame, I know, but like, I have often thought if he complimented my house keeping or child rearing or LIFE DEALING WITH as often as he talked about my ass, I'd be perfectly sated. I would be happy to never hear another word about my stupid ass if I could just get some real-life compliments.

RANDOM

Lucy is going to be one this weekend. ONE. It has gone fast, even with her sleeping in our room. I keep thinking she will soon be old enough to share a room with Kathleen, who is almost 2.5. But it doesn't seem like anyone is ready. Lucy just started sleeping all night and now I am afraid to mess it up. She is a sweet thing, such a happy and nice baby.

I am going to wean her here soon. She has finally learned the finer points of the sippy cup, which is exciting. She is not much of an eater, but we are working on it. I'll take her next week for her one year checkup and hopefully she'll have gained. She was only 16 pounds at her 9 month appointment. I feel sad and also excited about weaning her.

Kathleen is driving me mad. I will be a SAHM for five years next year and I don't like it any better than when I started, although I recognize that there is no way I could do anything else. I couldn't have these kids and work, I can barely get out the damned door to a PARK. She is chatty and bossy and she wants to go out in the car every second of the day.

Joseph is doing well in school, and in general, but he had a period a few weeks ago where he was MISERABLE and so were we. I fought with his school because they wanted me to GIVE him TYLENOL and to TAKE HIM TO THE DOCTOR and there was nothing wrong with him except that he was ... really unhappy? Going through a rough period? Having a lot of tantrums? Having major sensory issues? Jeez, I don't know. That's why he is in a SPECIAL SCHOOL for KIDS WITH AUTISM, I felt like telling them. Anyways, he is better now. For now. Whenever he has such tantrums and is so miserable and unable to communicate what is hurting him, I get veryclose to panicking. I picture him bigger and older and kicking my ass, or hurting the girls. It's terrifying. But I am trying to be faithful, we are doing what we can, he is a sweet boy and I am hoping he remains so.

My mother is driving me mad. She thinks Kathleen watches too much tv. She said that she - well, it's too weird. Kathleen knows her letters and how to count to 10 and sometimes 20. She knows every color that there is, and lots of animals. She has an excellent memory and she is a good singer. I think that's pretty good for 2.5, but I don't really know, because Joseph isn't a good comparison. But my mom started saying how Kathleen "couldn't count" and "didn't know any letters" and "couldn't hold a conversation". It was INSANE. I told her that she had to leave, I told her I couldn't take it. I am worried enough, I am always looking at the younger two, worried that they are going to be autistic, and I can't have her LYING just to make her case about the freaking TV, which is NOT really watched that much. It's better now, too. But man. It's weird - she is the most overinvolved mother I know. I'm more than 40 years old! Leave me alone!

Todd is fine. He is very good, actually. I think we are, at long last, finally starting to communicate a little bit better. It's hard, I don't recommend getting married and having a baby immediately. It makes it very difficult to talk about anything but pregnancy and babies for the next several years. We are trying to not only make it work, but to be happy and enjoy our life, and that is so much more challenging than I would think.

I am doing Weight Watchers. It's been like five weeks and it's going very well, I'd say. I really like that point system. I'm also doing a fitness challenge with one of my mom's groups where we are working out for a certain amount of time per month and I like that too. I've been sick the last two days, but other than that I've been doing something like six days a week and it's great. It's great because a) I am getting activity points for WW so I can eat more and it's great because I am b) doing well in the challenge and also I can c) get away from all this for a short period of time and just think about me. Well, me and whatever bitch is leading my exercise of choice. Ha!

I guess that's it? For now?

Autism

Autism is so many things, to me. It is a big pain in my ass, and I sometimes get so, so mad at it. But then I think my baby boy has autism, and I love him and I even love his weirdness and quirkiness and ... well, downright ANNOYING behaviors and a lot of them are because he has autism. So I love it? Maybe?

I'll tell you what I don't think about autism. I don't think it makes my son into some kind of unicorn or something, I don't think I should leave him just as he is. Because as he is is kind of ... well, socially unacceptable. Selfishly, I want him to talk more because I want to hear what he has to say. I want him to say "NO!" to his sister when she is being a pain or taking something from him. I want him to say "I love you" to me or to his father. I would love to just have a conversation with him, ask him how his day went, something.

We are so, so lucky that we live in a state that has an autism mandate. If we didn't, I don't know what we'd do. There is a therapist at the school that J goes to and her brother has autism. He's like 27 or something and there was no mandate when he was growing up, and her father had to quit his job to stay at home with him and do ABA therapy. He quit his job! I can't imagine. I mean, I am home anyway but there is no way I could do ABA with J, I am busy with those needy sisters of his.

Autism makes for strange bedfellows, or playgroup fellows anyway. I know that sometimes people don't invite us to things because of J and I think it's bullshit. BUT I understand it. J isn't rough or anything, he never pushes or starts fights, and he really likes to be around people. He also likes to wave his hands in front of his face and make goat boy noises and I guess some people aren't comfortable with their kids being around someone like that. Whatevs.

I always start to follow Autism Moms on Twitter and then sometimes I have to stop. I cannot worry about vaccines having caused my son's autism. I don't think they did, and even if they did, (which they didn't, I am sure of it, he's been who he is from Day One), what good does it do me to worry about it now? I have too much to do trying to advocate for my son, I don't have time to advocate for Jenny freaking McCarthy or her idiot boyfriend.

Autism hasn't ruined my life, or my marriage, or my son's life, as some ads from Autism Speaks would want you to believe. While it's true that we have challenges, more challenges than parents of typical kids, I swear to God, Kathleen is twice as challenging as Joseph right now. And Todd and I are so, so dumb about it. Joseph was so non-verbal at Kathleen's age that we are always like 'what is UP with all this talking?' It's exciting and annoying and a little bit sad, to us. Just like Parenthood! Ha!

Random, some more

• My mother and I are fighting. Ugh, it's the dumbest thing - I asked her if she would like to come and stay with me while Todd goes on a long weekend trip. She is in her winter, snow bird home, and I said we'd fly her up here if she wanted to come. I only did it because before she left after Christmas, she went on and On and ON about how much she'd miss me and the kids, and how she wished she could be in two places at once, etc., etc. So she said sure, and then immediately started to say why she couldn't come. She said she was going to drive - for two days to stay here for three days - which seemed screwy. She told me everyone she's ever known has gotten sick after flying. Finally, I emailed her and said FORGET IT, my sister would come and stay and help me out (there are really only a few times a day when it would help to have someone here, as Joseph is kind of stringent about his schedule). She wrote back and told me that the UNDERWEAR bomber was the problem, had I not heard about him? Sheesh. ANYWAY, I asked her WHY did you say you'd do it if you didn't want to and she told me that she likes to be helpful. Um. NOT helpful. Anyways. It's disappointing but I honestly feel like I'd rather know. Mother OFF babysitting list. :)
  
• Kathleen turned two. It feels like she should be 20 or 30 by now. She is so unbelievably relentless. I am hoping as she gets older it will get better, OR maybe I will lose my hearing and it will stop bothering me.
  
• Lucy is getting so big and sitting up and starting to do some pat a cake, which is fun. I wish she babbled more. She seems quiet and of course I am nervous because of Joseph, I'm worried she'll have autism too and if she does I want to get started helping her. This is crazy thinking, I'm aware. She is only eight months old and she's pretty engaged and I'm sure she's fine but man. I am up in the night a lot and I have lots of time to worry.
  
• Joseph is ... oh, he is mostly noisy! The noises that come out of that child! Again, deafness seems not so bad to me right now. I am taking one day at a time with Joseph. He is so sweet and gorgeous and I feel my heart breaking every day when I look at him. I know he'll be all right but ... again with the late night worry.
  
• I am up in the night because that 8 month old baby is far, far, from sleeping all night. She is up usually twice and ... it's wearing. I'm worn out.
  
• As soon as she is weaned, I am going to go away for the weekend, with an old friend of mine who also has three kids. I can't wait and I am also worried. I'm worried the kids will be mad, mostly Lucy, but I have never spent a night away from Kathleen either. Todd and I are planning on going away together in the summer, just for a weekend, so I hope they get used to us being gone separately first.
  
• I talked to a friend of mine about Kathleen starting at a co-op preschool ... I guess next year? When she is three? I don't know when typical kids go to preschool. I love the idea of it. I just don't know if I can wait a year.
  
• Todd and I are fine. He is so good in so many ways, mostly I try to ignore/subtly correct the ways that bug me. Today, it's good so I'll take it.
  
• I have been working out a lot, I'm almost done with the couch to five K. I am still as fat as butter though. I just can't eat as little as I should. I'm hungry. And also? I like ice cream when I'm nursing. But I'm working on it. I wish it were easier but it's NOT.