memorial day weekend

As the rest of the world was counting down the days until their three day weekend...
I was dreading its arrival.

Lance went back to work Friday.

I anticipated much more anxiety than I really had, Friday was good.

We didn't sleep well Thursday night.  (but what else is new)
We woke up to a phone call that my grandparents were in the area and were going to stop by.
I apologized for the messy house and pajamas but told them to come on...

Maddox missed his daddy like crazy on Friday...
Beckham spent the day practicing his smile.

After Lance got home, we went to Bridgeport to pick up a prescription for Beckham's bleeding and peeling bottom.  (the 2nd Rx)
We stopped at Chicken Express for food on the way home and each got a large drink.
Lance had brought a cup of tea from the house and I was going to finish it off so I could set our drinks in the cup holders.
To my surprise, my husband cleared him phlem into the cup, shortly before I got a drink.

Immediately, I was hurling.
Lance pulled the car over so I could vomit.
I'm talking about the from-the-bottom-of-your-toes ear-wrenching sounds were coming from this body.
...Only to look up and see we had pulled into the yard of a family trying to enjoy a summer's BBQ.

What a joke.
What a disgusting, horrifying, still-makes-me-nauseous joke!

We left there and headed to mom's.
She had promised Maddox he could come up and water her flowers and he ended up spending the night.
Lance and I were in bed by 10:00...  but Beckham didn't get the memo.
We fed at 10:00, 1:00, 3:30, 6:00, and 9:00.  (I even tried "topping him off" with formula that night, to buy some extra sleep.
(I should have got a refund)

After the 9:00 feed, I headed to mom's to pick up Maddox.
Together we went to the antique mall in Azle and Walmart.
Both boys did really well while we were out... 
Saturday was good

Saturday night, however,  was a disaster.
Beckham woke up every 3 hours to feed.  (typical)
He peed all over my side, on my pillow, and soaked his nightgown during a diaper change.
He refused to go back to sleep after his 1:00 feed... keeping us me awake until 3:30.

Coinsidenly, Maddox (who has always been a great sleeper) woke up on an alternate schedule.
to tell me he needed to go potty...
and then he fell out of his bed...
he cried because there was a monster in his room...
and by morning, would not stop talking or touching sleeping Beckham.
Oh, and he was starving...
(incredibly atypical)

Lance and I may or may not have divorced during the night when he told me to calm down after the pee episode.  (the pee catastrophe fell at the end of the 2 1/2 hours of wake-ness)
Calm down?
I have not slept in 6 weeks... even if I wanted to sleep, my side of the bed is soaked, and it is inevitable-- the moment I close my eyes someone is going to need me--
do. not. tell me. to calm down.

Oh, wait is it 3:45?-- is that your alarm wailing in my ear?-- are we really going to hit snooze 3 times?
For the love of all things great and mighty... Can't I just sleep?!

Calm down, he says.
Sheese.

On, what felt like a minute of sleep, I crawled out of bed to begin my day.
My very busy day.

I realized, rather quickly, that the "perfect baby" that I have been gloating about for weeks-- may only have been so perfect because he was touching me the first 5 weeks of his life.
He is sort of spoiled.
And I am not writing this in the cute-- 'oh-my-baby-is-spoiled-rotten' sort of way.
I am writing this in the, 'stabbing-myself-in-the-eye-with-a-sharp-object' sort of way.

Now that I don't have an extra set of hands, he is showing his true colors.
Which are vivid!!
Every time I put him down longer than 5 minutes, he fusses.
He is still not a big cry-er... but he is certainly not content without his momma, either. 

The swing... he hates it.
The bouncy seat... it sucks too.

By 10:00am I was spent.
And crying...
and feeling like I wasn't cut out for this job.

So I did what any good wife would do.
I called Lance at work.
In hysterics.

He picked up the phone to a tearful, rambled mess of, "I am so tried!", "I could do this if I could just sleep.", "I am sorry, I thought I could handle it..."  "I am not a good mom"... "I am not patient"... "I am taking it out on Maddox."... "If I could just rest"... "sleep."... "so much to do today"... "I just need sleep"... "could Maddox please just shut-up"... all with a screaming infant in the back-ground.

He thought I should stay home and try and rest, but I knew that was impossible.
The house is a disaster, the 2 year old won't sleep...
If I stay here, I'll be practicing my swan dives off of the back porch by noon...
I'm leaving.

So we did.

First stop; Kade's 3rd birthday party.

Kade's mommy (Mandy) and I have been friends since the first grade.
She was my very first friend in Paradise, and together we made a million memories.
Our brothers were the same age and also BFF so we all grew up together.
Mandy and I fought like sisters, laughed like sisters, and ended up having babies together too. 
Kade is just a couple months older than Maddox; and Beckham and Grant are 3 months apart. 

I have been telling Maddox about the party since we got the invite and he was excited to go!
He picked him out a beach ball sprinkler and 3D bubbles that have stars in them when you wear the special glasses.
For days he has talked about his "little brother A" and how he is going to share the bubbles and the ball with him!

Mandy did a BLUE themed party (Kade's favorite color) and everyone was supposed to dress accordingly!
The kid's played their hearts out in the bounce house and swing set... and stuffed their faces with cake!

I got to chat with Po and Randi (my SIL)
And for a minute, I forgot how tired I really was.

From there, we picked up Lance and headed out to his sisters' for a cook out.

Jenn is the queen of snacky, can-I-copy-that-recipe, food!
She made a grape salad (that I will dream about for weeks), a broccoli salad, stuffed ritz crackers wrapped in bacon, chipotle cream cheese dip, and Texas caviar.  (but a better variation than I have had before)
It was all delicious!
Lance's dad brought burgers, brauts and hot dogs.
We brought steak and chicken, and Lance's brother brought salmon and veggies.
YUM.

The kids played and played...

The babies slept, ate, and were passed around for the gaulking!
[My BIL's baby, Lorna, is about 3 month older than Beckham, and they got to meet each other for the first time.]

We played the xbox Kinect game.
I enjoyed a glass of red wine and we did what we do best when we get together.
We laughed.
 
I felt delusionally tired on our drive home, probably more tired than the day we came home from the hospital, but was so glad I decided to go to all of our planned events for the day.

What started out as the worst day yet, parenting these two...
turned out to be an awesome day.

And get this... an even awesome-er night!

Beckham slept from 11:00-4:00!!!
Nursed at 4:00, back to sleep by 5:00.
Up again at 7:00, but only for about 10 minutes and then was awoken by his brother at 9:00.

Boo-ya-ka!!!
How' that for some sleep!!

Yesterday, refueled, we went to mom's to soak up the sun.
$15 was a great investment for this little plastic pool.
Maddox did not want to get out!

5 hours in that little pool [most of it naked] + multiple layers of sunscreen = one happy [and tired] little boy.

Mom grilled chicken and pork chops-- red potatoes, mac'n'cheese, corn, and baked beans.
I cleaned the kitchen--
and we headed home.

It ended up being a fantastic holiday weekend... despite my fear of the unknown!!

[and guess what?!  It is already Tuesday (Lance's Friday)... so I have my husband home again for the next 2 days!!]  :)