week 3 of the rotten 8

first off, let me apologize for being so absent these last few weeks.  secondly, let me thank you for sticking around to see what's happening in our lives.  And finally, let me disclaim that I may or may not be fully awake while writing this...because we're in the middle of week 3 of what I like to call the rotten 8.  As in the first 8 weeks of an infant's life that are so exhausting that I have blackout periods.  I am feeling so much physically better after my crazy postpartum hospital adventure, thank goodness, and really the only issue we're still facing is the fatigue of the rotten 8 weeks.

Before I had Grey, everyone was trying to warn me of how tired I'd be after he was born.  The thing is, there is nothing anyone can say that can prepare you for this level of exhaustion.  So as our second time around through the rotten 8, I was already fully aware that this was going to happen...only now with the added bonus of chasing a little energized gremlin posing as my toddler around all day.  The only thing really to do is laugh at the hilarity of how it's possible to somehow function on zombie-autopilot to get through the day.  The following description of our morning earlier this week is in no way an exaggeration.  I'm not kidding.

While nursing Gem on the couch, Grey wanted me to throw a hockey ball across the room to him so that he could hit it with a hockey stick.  He'd walk over and hand me the hockey ball and before he could get to the other side of the room (what is that? 10 feet away, MAX), I was already sleeping.  S.L.E.E.P.I.N.G.  So that every.single.time he got across the room, he had to yell at me, "Ready, Mumma?  Ready now!"

It's a sad, sad state of being around here.  I'm trying to take as many pictures as possible so that in a few weeks when I properly wake up to life again, I will have an idea of what the hell was happening in our lives during the rotten 8.  Thanks to my dedication to this visual reminder, I know that some of these things have been happening so far in our first 3 weeks:

1. we've had amazing visitors that bring food and help clean and entertain my children while I lay half asleep nearby while occasionally lifting my head to say "no seriously, thank you for coming."

Uncle Jonny & Ninna

Gemma's best friend Lila (and her mum Stacy &dad Corey)

our husbands are best friends & now the girls will be too:)

my sisters introduced Gem to a little SCF time

snoozing with Aunt Uch 

my parents; Abba & Chum

Jojo, aka Grey's best friend

my best friends Katie & Allison (aka Karpy)

Brandon's parents Pappy Butch & Gigi

2. Grey has entered a 'rain boots are for all occasions' wearing stage.  as in he puts them on when he wakes up and then doesn't want to take them off.  all day.

here he had announced, "see ya Mumma.  Going to work"

He told me he was going to a 'basketball game" on this morning

indoors or outdoors - its always the rainboots

3. we've also done some visiting with friends and family members which meant I got to do more laying around only at my parents' house while other people tended to my offspring

getting energy out with Chum on the trampoline

Gemma meeting her cousins the Hagerich girls

Gemma gets to meet her 'honorary grandmas' Becky & Pam (my mom's friends)

more energy releasing:)  Hockey with Bryce & Al

My Grandpap and 2 of his (5) Great grandkids

4. And my husband and I have never acted more like partners as we've been attempting to tag team the two small humans in our house.  It really feels like us (me&B) versus them (Grey&Gem) and with the exceptions of our bedtime woes with Greyson right now and Gemma's growth spurts...it feels like he & I might be on the winning team.

for those concerned:  we did NOT have a carbon monoxide leak.  it's just side effects of the rotten 8

In any case, we're attempting to get through these next few weeks with any sort of dignity possible.  Did we both fall asleep on the couches with the front door wide open last night?  I'm not going to say we didn't.  Did I attempt to brew coffee without putting coffee into the machine this week...more than once?  I'm certainly not going to deny it.  We're getting by, even if its only because our toddler has started to repeatedly shout, "Come on, Mumma!" when he sees me moving a little slow.  As we turn into the half way point next week, we're hoping that means climbing back up into semi-normal tiredness.  Until then, here's to not falling asleep while standing.