Momnesia

If you have never heard of "momnesia" then you are obviously not a mom.  Momnesia is a form of forgetfulness moms get after giving birth.  Since I have given birth 3 times now you would think that it would be something I am used to but  I'm not  I think it must get worse each time or something because I have never had it this bad before.  Maybe your brain never fully heals or returns to normal after each birth so the more times you give birth the worse the condition becomes.  If that's the case then I don't know how Michelle Duggar even remembers how to walk or talk haha.

Usually with momnesia is not that big of  a deal.  People like to tease you for being so silly and forgetful.  You normally forget little things, like what you went to the store to buy, where you put your car keys or cell phone, maybe occasionally what your kids name is.  Its usually nothing big or life changing just annoying little things.  This time around I am forgetting the normal mundane things but also much bigger things as well.

I forget so much stuff I cannot even sit here and list to you all the things I have forgotten, because I forgot them all.  Most of the day I walk around in this sleep deprived haze and I am always anxious because I know I am forgetting something, I just can't remember what it is.  I usually remember everything I forgot to do that day while laying in bed trying to go to sleep.  I will tell myself I will remember everything in the morning but of course I don't.

This time around I am even forgetting bills!  We just paid a $90 trash bill last week, not because we didn't have the money to pay the bill before then but because I kept forgetting!  I don't even know how many months it had to be in order to get that high but it was SEVERAL.  We only pay $20 a month!  I am surprised they kept picking it up honestly.  Not that I remember to take the trash out either.  I have forgotten the trash 4 weeks in a row now.  I always remember on Friday afternoon, too bad the trash truck comes early Friday morning and therefore needs to be put out on Thursday night.

The biggest bill I have forgotten, so far, is car insurance!  We pay our car insurance on 4 monthly installments but the policy is a 6 month policy so you get 2 months in a row where you don't have to pay the bill.  I thought our 2 free months were August and September and then the new policy started in October. WRONG!  The free months were July and August with the new policy starting in September.  I didn't realize it until we got the notice in the mail saying "your policy has been canceled for nonpayment" WHAT!?  Its bad, you name the bill I have forgotten it at least once in the past 3 months!  I got the DirecTV bill in the mail a few days ago and couldn't figure out why it was 2x the normal amount.  I could have sworn I paid it in August but obviously I didn't  I am going to be like that lady on Dr. Phil getting the electricity shut off and cars repoed not because the money was not there to pay but because I can't remember to pay.  OK, so hopefully it will not get THAT bad but its pretty bad.
Honestly, now that I think of it our water did get shut off 1 time after Kimmy was born because I forget to pay it so I guess I am that bad sometimes.

I also spend half my day looking for things.  Constantly looking for the TV remote, my phone, my keys, Snappis for the diapers, so and so's favorite toy, the bills, etc.  I just spent 3 days looking for a missing diaper cover only to discover it had been in the diaper bag the entire time, SERIOUSLY!  WOW!  That is bad!

The scariest Momnesia moment yet happened yesterday, as I was getting ready to leave to pick up Teddy from preschool.  I was trying to load the 3 girls into the van.  Kimmy and Karma were running around crazy because they wanted to play outside, not go bye bye.  I had to catch each of them and put them into the van.  Then I got into the van and started it up.  I was about to pull out of the driveway when my dog ran in front of the van.  She is very bad about this and I am always paranoid I will hit her so I watched her to see where she was going.  As she ran around to the other side I saw Sariah sitting on the walk way strapped into her seat just staring at me like "where are you going mom, I think you forgot something".  Its funny now to type it but it was not so funny yesterday.  What if I had drove away and just left her sitting there!!  That was a terrifying thought!

I need to find something to help me get over this annoying condition.  Its no  longer just forgetting silly little things its now to the point of forgetting bills and my BABY!  Its beyond ridiculous now.  Seriously, how do you get over momnesia?  I am willing to try just about anything to rid myself of this.  I tell people all the time my brain is mush and I laugh about it, but it seriously is.

I also believe that there may be a such thing as "Dadnesia" too, that or my hubby is very spoiled haha.  Probably the later is true.  He will take the trash out if I say "hey tomorrow is trash day" but he rarely remembers on his own.  He makes the money but leaves it up to me to make sure the bills get paid every month.

You know your a mom when......

Anyone who knows me knows this phrase comes out of my mouth at least once a day, usually followed by some crazy or funny thing that my kids have done that day.  So I have decided to make a reoccurring post here filled with all the crazy and funny things that have happened to me that week.
I haven't actually been keeping track all week, but here are the few I can think of off the top of my head that have happened this week:

You know you are a mom when you hear the words "don't stick your head in the toilet" come out of your mouth and it sounds completely natural and reasonable to say.

You know you are a mom when you have multiple TVs in your home but they all have insert annoying preschooler cartoon name here on them.

You know you are a mom when you write a blog about how much you enjoy doing your laundry.

You know you are a mom when your brain is so mushy you start having "typos" in your everyday speech.  Example:
I was talking to Ted about Kimmy needing winter clothing and said "Nimmy is going to need some clothes this winter" NIMMY?  That's pretty bad.  That's worse than mixing up your kids names.  That's worse than calling your kid by your dogs name.

You know you are a mom when you get peed on and it doesn't even gross you out, even worse you may or may not change your shirt.
OK-Confession here.  While out grocery shopping I was carrying Sariah in a Baby Bjorn carrier and she peed on me.  Second time this has happened, when I put her in it it caused a shift in her diaper creating a gap.  Bu the time we got home the shirt was dry and I honestly had forgotten about it.  I didn't remember until I went to get ready for bed that night, WHOOPS.

You know you are a mom when you go to do the dishes but realize there are still some dishes in the dining room on the table from the last meal so you go in there to collect them.  While in the dining room you notice some toys on the floor and you decide to quickly pick those up and take them to your child's room to put away.  While in your child's room you smell that someone has made you a nice little poopy package so you take them and quickly change their diaper.  When you go to put the dirty diaper in the laundry room you realize you forgot to start the washing machine full of dirty diapers so you quickly get that going.  On your way out of the laundry room you see a sippy cup on the floor which reminds you that you were trying to do dishes.  On your way back to the kitchen and dishes another kid sees the cup in your hand and asks for a drink.  As you get that child a drink every other kid you have runs in and ALSO wants a drink.  You realize there are no more cups to be found in the kitchen, clean or dirty.  You hunt through the entire house looking for more sippy cups and spot crumbs, dirt and ground in who knows what all over your floor.  Cups finally located and kids happily drinking you bust out the vacuum to clean up the dirt.  As you are vacuuming 1 kid steals anothers cup and runs as fast as she can but trips and falls and starts to cry.  You realize its she is tired and, YEP, its nap time so you quickly scoop her up and lay her down for a much needed nap.  On the way back out to finishing up vacuuming you step on the offending sippy cup and almost break your leg which reminds you once again that this all started because you wanted to do dishes.
YEAH- That happened in my house several times this week, in that exact order at least once haha.

I HEART Econobums!

When I saw Ted walk in the door with the little white package 2 days ago I knew exactly what was inside, my Econobums covers I had ordered days earlier.  I was so excited to rip into the package, even though I had been cloth diapering for a few weeks, these were the first covers I had been able to pick out and buy new.  Everything else I had was given to me by a good friend, but these were "mine".

The first thing I thought when I saw them was how cute and teeny tiny they looked, they were set on the smallest setting.  I wanted to immediately put them on my girls but decided it was best to wash them first.  It seemed to take forever to get them clean. I couldn't believe I was this excited about anything that had to do with diapers but I was. 

Once they were clean I put 1 on Kimmy and 1 on Karma, Karma is rocking hers out in the picture to the right.  They may be plain white and not as much "fun" to those familiar with the cloth diapering world but they were min and I loved them.  I loved how they fit, the other covers I had been given were like most CD covers and added more bulk or "fluff" as they call it.  The Econobum covers fit so sleek, paired with only 1 prefold you can barely tell they have a cloth diaper on.

The other reason why I love these diapers so much is their wallet friendly prices.  The 2 I bought were on a seconds sale through cottonbabies.com and were a mere $4.95 each.  This is pennies compared to the prices of many other covers.  The regular price for an Econobums cover is $8.95.  The cover plus 1 prefold is only $9.95 and then they have great starter kits.  They have a trial pack with 1 cover and 3 prefolds for $11.95.  They have a day pack for $48.95, this comes with 3 covers, 12 prefolds and 1 wet bag and its all you would need to cloth diaper a baby for 1 day, possibly 2, depending on how often you have to change your baby.  Then they have a complete set, all you would need to cloth diaper 1 baby full time for under $100  It comes with 6 covers, 24 prefolds and 1 wet bag.  These are great prices for families like ours that may not have a lot of money to invest in CDing but want to make the switch.

I have decided from now on I will buy people either the trial pack or day pack, depending on finances at the time, to give as baby shower gifts.  I believe if people could see a cloth diaper, touch it, feel it and learn to use it they would like them.  So many people, me included, think of cloth in terms of old school cloth diapering.  The stuff our parents or grandparents used and its so much easier now. 

I am so happy I made the switch and I want to help others to learn that cloth is just as easy as disposables.  Before I switched I thought it was going to be so hard, they were going to make my whole house smell and add a lot of work onto my already overflowing plate.  In reality they were easy, added no extra work and if anything they help me because they make me think about laundry on a daily basis so that my laundry does not build up on me.

So if you are thinking about trying out some cloth, give Econobums a try.  They are so cheap that if you decide cloth is not for you you don't have to worry about some big upfront investment.  As I said before, they are kinda boring, only coming in plain white.  They have announced color trims coming soon though.  If you give them a try and decide you like cloth then you can experiment with other brands and buy the fun colorful covers they offer.
 I am perfectly happy with my plain white little bums though.

I HEART ECONOBUMS and I HEART CLOTH DIAPERING!

I never knew being a mommy meant....

Before I had children when I envisioned mommyhood I, like most I am sure, only imagined the good. The sweet baby sleeping on your chest, the cute chubby toddler running around squealing, the little boy bringing you flowers for the first time, smashed cake at first birthdays, cute Halloween costumes, the list goes on and on. Don't get me wrong, I knew there would be tough times too, sleepless nights, sick kids, temper tantrums etc. There were just so many things about motherhood I never knew and couldn't imagine in my wildest dreams, good and bad. I saw it as they present it on TV with only the moments of fun and excitement and none of the day to day monotony in between. There were so many things about this new role of Mommy I had taken on that no one shared with me. So let me share just a few of them with you, it would take a novel to share them all but these are a few of the main ones I have encountered.

No one told me that when women brag about their baby's "sleeping through the night" the translation really meant that junior slept 5-6 hours with out waking. When I heard "sleeping through the night" I thought that meant that my baby would be sleeping 8-9 hours by 2-3 months. Imagine my surprise when my first baby was colicky and barely slept more than 2 hrs at a time until he was almost a year old. My first did not "sleep through the night" until he was 22 months. I am a mommy of 4 now and I haven't slept more than 6 hours in a row for over 4 and a half years. I also didn't realize "sleeping in" would take on a whole new meaning as well. It used to mean sleeping until noon and was reserved for Saturdays. Now it means anything past 8 am and its a very rare occurrence indeed. When it happens you feel like you have won the lottery.

No one told me that after you have kids you develop "levels" of cleanliness. Before I had kids I did not consider my house clean unless it was spotless and pristine, looking like a picture in a magazine. Now that sort of clean is a "special clean" or the very top level of my cleanliness chart, reserved only for very special guests which usually translates to strangers we have never meant before.
The next level of clean is the "family and friends level" This is the type of clean that usually involves your house still somewhat cluttered, or "lived in" as my grandma always put it. There will likely be some toys on the floor, clean laundry on your bed waiting to be folded, dishes in the sink from breakfast or lunch. There probably will be at least one door shut and off limits so no one can see inside because that's where you threw everything real fast when you saw them pull in the driveway.
Then there is the third level of clean or what I like to call "its just us and we have no where to go today" clean. This level would appear dirty to those without children, but is still acceptable to you once you have kids. In this level there are probably dishes in the sink from the previous day, dirty laundry piles waiting to be washed, a mine field of toys to walk across and you are a little scared to walk into your kids room.
When you are a mom things are not dirty until you can no longer see the floor. You have to climb over the laundry pile to get to the washing machine. There are curious things in the sink that look like they could be a science experiment and you think one of your kids may be lost in their room. Only then do you concede to the fact that there is cleaning in your future.

When you do finally break down and clean take pictures. Once you are done a tornado, or in my case 3 little tornado's, will mysteriously come through your house and set everything back to the way it was before you started. You will find yourself questioning your sanity because you will remember cleaning but it will look like you never touched it. That's why moms learn to live with these levels of clean, because if you didn't you might drive yourself crazy trying to keep up that picture perfect first level.

No one told me that moms are gifted with iron stomachs and dulled senses of smell in certain areas. They have to be to deal with some of the messes they have to deal with. Just watch a dad try to change a poopy diaper and you will see what I mean. Men can't even open the diaper without involuntary gagging. Sometimes dads have to leave the room because they are so overwhelmed by the smell. This is one of the many "super powers" a mom is given. It is this gift that allows a mom to get through the first night of real vomit. I am not talking baby spit up here. I am talking about the first time your child wakes up in the middle of the night and calls for you. You know what has happened before you even enter the room because of the smell. This was a major concern of mine about mommyhood, I always had a weak stomach and didn't think I would be able to handle messes like this without getting sick myself. I am not saying its fun, its still gross but somehow you are given the strength to get the job done. This is the strength you need when your 2 yr old decides that her poopy makes a great finger paint or playdough. If this has not occurred in your home yet, just wait.

No one told me that complete strangers would suddenly feel it is ok to share their opinions and offer you unwanted advice. I can still remember the first time this happened to me. Teddy was a tiny baby, only a few months old. It was a hot day outside, in the 90s, and he had nothing but a onsie on. We had to run into the store for something real quick. I, of course, was carrying Teddy because he hated his carseat. He was never the picture perfect baby you see on TV or out in public contently sitting in or even sleeping in his car seat. He screamed his head off from the second his tush hit the seat until the second you took him out. The idea of driving around to try and settle him down or put him to sleep was laughable, car drives were torture for us. So here we are, walking around the store and a little old lady just ahead of us smiles as we approach. As every new mom knows, babies have this magical lure about them, people will walk across an entire store to come up and smile or talk to them. We get closer to her and as we pass she stops and smiles at Teddy. She reached out and softly touched his head and without even looking up, she continued to look at him as if she is speaking to him and said "mom, you really need to keep a blanket and socks on him at all times, its cold in here." I felt like someone had just punched me in my gut. Did she really just say that? I am sure these strangers are well meaning and only trying to help but having a complete stranger offer you mommy advice, especially with your first baby is hard to accept graciously. I am sure she did not mean her comment to come off as rudely as it did .  Fair warning though, you will occasionally run into that stranger who is just down right rude with the things they say but we won't go there now.  That's a topic best left to its own blog.

Another thing every mom I knew seemed to forget to mention was the fact that all forms of privacy would be lost. I rarely get to use the restroom, take a shower or get dressed with out at least one child in the room. One the rare occasions that you do try and do this on your own crazy and bizarre things occur like one of your kids may decide to try to give herself a bath in the toilet. What? Sound crazy, trust me it happens.

No one told me about all the things you would "give up". Maybe give up is not the best way to describe this, perhaps what you would "trade in" is a better way to put it. They didn't tell me that my go to hairstyle would become a messy ponytail or that make up was reserved for special occasions and even then would consist of some light powder, chap stick and maybe some mascara on those really special days. I never knew my clothing would become nothing more than spit up rags and a place to wipe a runny nose or messy hands. Or that I might walk around all day with my clothes on backwards or inside out and never know it. What? Again, it happens.

The biggest thing no one told me was how much everything was worth it. Before you become a mom (or a dad) you really have no idea what the words "love" or "sacrifice" mean, you think you do but you don't have a clue. I never knew I could so completely love one person until the day they placed that baby boy in my arms. I knew in that split second I would lay my life down for him without hesitation. Its a love on such a deep and primal level you can't even explain it, only other moms (and dads) will truly know what you are talking about. Its a love so deep and so pure that I remember experiencing anxiety with my second pregnancy because I thought there was no way I could feel this so completely for more than one person. I had nothing to worry about, a mothers love always has room. It can stretch and grow as needed. A mothers love does not have to be divided between her children, it simply grows and compounds with the birth of each child.  As a mother who has adopted I can also tell you that you do not have to go through a pregnancy or birth to feel this love.  I feel the exact same love for each my my children, it is not different in any way based on how they came to me.  

I feel so blessed to have each of my babies.  Although I do have to remind myself of this many times a day, another thing no one told me, but that's ok.  I know it is so worth it in the end.  I have learned not to rush things, not to pray for time to hurry by so that I can finally sleep or go pee in peace.  Sure, those are nice benefits of having older children but along with that comes a whole new set of trials I am sure no one has told me about.  At least I know I am armed with many mommy powers to help me navigate through the new trials as they come.

Mommy is funny.

So I have already posted 1 blog today but this was just too funny, I had to post.  This would only happen to a mom.

I am sure the picture to the right seems odd, keep reading and look closely and it will make sense.

It was 9pm, I was holding my Tub Tub (Aka Sariah) when she spit up on me. As I was wiping my shoulder off I noticed what appeared to be a seam on my shirt. I looked over at the other shoulder and YEP seam there too! I looked down the side, seam running all the way down to a TAG!!


My shirt was inside out! I wore it ALLL DAY like this! It wouldn't be so bad on a normal day but today I ran some errands and went grocery shopping.

Even worse, as I laughed at myself for this and pointed it out to Ted his reply was "Oh yeah, I noticed that this morning". THANKS A LOT! MEN!
 
So in light of this discovery I treated myself to a Milky Way.  I started to turn the shirt around the right way but stopped myself, its bedtime, whats the point now.
 
P.S. In my hubby's  "defense" he said he noticed "after" I got home from my errands and didnt see a reason to point it out because he figured I knew....... Yeah, not much of a defense hehe.