~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
We made it! We are happily mostly settled in Houston, in our lovely furnished apartment. No, really, the apartment is pretty nice–just not home, you know? I've been working on getting things set up and organized so we have a little of that homey feeling.
There are some obstacles, though. First of all, Freddie. You know. He's awesome, but organization is not his strong suit.
Second of all, Dino 2. He (yup, another boy!) is also just fantastic, but often forces me to use my time napping instead of tidying/cleaning/etc. We could think of this afternoon nap as being MY fault…but we won't.
Third of all, The Quack. No, just kidding, he's the greatest. Really this is also Freddie's fault. We put the pack-and-play in the (very well ventilated!) closet, which is working well, but since I'd really rather not have the one-year-old start his day before 5 AM, all Daddy's work clothes have to be stored out in the living room.
Anyway, it's a work in progress. And I only have three more months here, so who knows if I'll find a solution! (Spoiler: I won't. Not to all of it, anyway!)
{pretty}
The church is pretty; the boys I would call handsome. (Cathedral of St Louis, New Orleans)
You know, I'm sure, that moving is just THE WORST. I won't go into the details, I'll just trust that you know, and say thank goodness I had all these handy-dandy pregnancy hormones to help keep me on an even keel.
Oh wait, that's not how those work.
ANYWAY, as it turns out, driving 21 hours over the course of three days was a great way to leave all that behind. We drove through some truly beautiful country–our route took us through Virginia, Tennessee, a tiny bit of Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, before arriving in Texas.
We spent the second night in New Orleans and got a little bit of time to see the city.
{happy}
In June, besides moving, we had one wedding (the Quack's sister!), one first Mass (the Quack's college friend), and one ordination (my college friend), and one first birthday!
Freddie turned one on our first day of driving! We had a small party in the park behind our old apartment a few days before we left. (At that point our apartment was way too far gone in the packing process to host anything.)
And here he is at a rest stop on his actual birthday!
And now he's just ridiculously big.
{funny}
I was dreading the road trip, but as it turns out I really enjoyed it. Lots of time to talk, lots of country to see–I'm looking forward to doing another trip, this time with more leisure to stop in fun places.
But I'd like to do it in a bigger car.
Close quarters. (The two seats unoccupied by humans are occupied with luggage.)
One very tall man, one rather pregnant lady, one toddler in a large carseat, plus four months' worth of luggage, all in a Toyota Corolla…it's a tight fit. I think we probably looked fairly comical.
{real}
Well, that escalated quickly.
It's just the lens cap, not a weird black blob on my underarm. Sorry.
I'm 24 weeks now. Feeling pretty good, trying my best to stay cheerful in the face of Houston's temperatures. I've got plenty of symptoms (see above re: hormones and napping), but no concerning ones, thank God.
You know all the rules about what to say and do around a pregnant lady? Well, I have an amendment: you can go right ahead and help the lady out.
Last month, the day after my sister-in-law's wedding, we went to the First Mass of a friend of John's from college. It was fairly long, as these things tend to be, and Freddie got antsy, so I took him out to the foyer, where quite a few people were standing–enough people that I couldn't really let Freddie run freely as he wanted.
After about 20 minutes of wrangling him in my arms, letting him toddle around a bit, then catching him before he got too far, a lovely woman came up to me and said, “I'm going to hold him for you now. You're tired, you have another one on the way, [and here she patted my belly] I know how it feels. It's hard. My babies are grown, but I remember. I'll take him now.”
So, here are the rules that she broke:
1. She assumed I was pregnant (and honestly, at that point it wasn't super obvious).
2. She touched my belly.
3. She tried to take my baby out of my arms.
And honestly, I was so grateful I could have cried. I WAS tired. It WAS hard to keep bending down to grab a little crawler.
It didn't work, because Freddie didn't want to be held by anybody (including me). But I just want to toss out there that sometimes somebody does need help. Of course we all need to be polite about it, and respect boundaries, but let's not erect random boundaries that keep help away.
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Laura says
Afternoon naps are one of my favorite parts about being pregnant! It’s the one of the only times I feel I can justify letting the housework go since I can’t get through the day without one!
You look great and that dress is adorable!
Becky says
Playground birthday parties are the only way to go if you have a child’s birthday that can in any way accommodate it. I’m also a big fan of the church playground/social hall combo. Both options tend to be cheap, have built in entertainment, and mean you aren’t trying to decorate cupcakes with this idea that sounded soooo simple before you actually did it. Go you for figuring it out for the very first birthday party in your family!
My favorite part of being pregnant is that you are always being productive- even when napping.
Becky says
Sorry! I’m glutting the comments today. It should read: “decorating cupcakes AND cleaning the house.”
Becky says
I also just had a thought… Is there any chance you or the Quack is handy enough to make a PVC clothes rack? That would be a fairly cheap and simple way to organize his clothing in the living room unless it would be a problem with Freddy- I’m not sure if you could put it in a place where he wouldn’t try to pull up on it and tip it over. Or maybe they are more stable than I realize.
Suki says
Haha, yes, I fear that Freddie would take something like that as a personal challenge. 🙂 Right now they’re hanging on some over-the-door hooks, which works.
And yes–productive ALL THE TIME! I am making a BABY!
Annie says
When my family moved from PA to Houston 16 years ago, I’ll bet we took the exact same route you guys did. Enjoy Houston (but I have to say, I don’t envy you re: summer temperatures!!)
Julie says
We’ve had various babies in our closet for the past 7 years. We still keep our clothes in the closet. The way we make it work is that part of our bedroom routine consists of picking our clothes out of the closet before the baby goes to bed. If my hubby has to work later than the baby’s bedtime then I pick his clothes for him. And if we both forget, we sneak in very quietly well before morning (otherwise the baby won’t go back to sleep) and get the clothes out. If the baby wakes up you just pretend like they woke up on their own and you are just in there putting them back to sleep.
Julie says
The other thing is that we sleep with a noise machine right next to the (also well ventilated) closet, so if we do have to sneak in the sound is pretty much drowned out by the noise machine.
Annalisa says
Our babies are in our room for a while, so we have similar noise problems getting clothes in the morning. My husband has also found it works to get out clothes for the next day the night before. Kind of saves on effort too, because making decisions about anything is a bit easier when fully awake.
Mary says
Thank you for those wise words at the end. Such a good reminder! And you look beautiful!
Lorraine says
I’m not pregnant and the two times strangers have helped out with my baby (once at a restaurant and once on a long bus ride), I’ve been *thrilled*.
Emily says
Suki, I’m right there with you, in many ways! First of all, I’m 25 weeks pregnant. Secondly, I thought it might be fun to stroll the beautiful campus by our house on this lovely morning. The five-year-old was climbing trees in ecstasy. The almost-two-year-old was…laying on the sidewalks? We got deep into campus, far from our car, when she would not budge. The sun was getting warmer, it was time to go, and we were marooned. I had to pick her up, screaming and crying (the toddler, not me, though I kinda wanted to), and haul her back to the car. She refused to walk. Many people passed us, looked sympathetic, and moved along. What I wanted most in the world was for someone to take the toddler out of my arms, even if she screamed, and carry her for a bit for me. Twenty minutes later, when we got to our car, I called my husband, crying, and said, “It was all supposed to be nice and simple. It wasn’t! And I just wish someone had helped me!” Of course, people feel odd stepping into a situation like that; I don’t blame them. I came home, and I’m putting my feet up, per my husband’s orders, and I read your post. I’m right there with you: help the lady out!
Suki says
Aw, I hope your day has improved and you got a little down time.
I think we (we as a group) should be bolder about helping people!
Lauren says
That lady was so sweet!! I would be so grateful too. I am also 24 weeks pregnant and I take a nap everyday too. I feel super unproductive because the days kind of slip away but it helps me to feel so much better physically and mentally ;).
Amanda says
Last week at mass with my almost-1-year-old, the lady in the pew in front of us took her from me at the sign of peace. I practically wept with gratitude into my palms as the baby sat happily on this kind stranger’s lap, completely enamored with someone new (who was, incidentally, doing all the exact same stuff I do to keep Baby quiet/happy/not crawling me like a monkey up a tree, but of course with a stranger it was all so much more interesting and entertaining). Thank God for those older ladies who know what you need and do it so kindly and gently. That simple, 5- to 10-minute break saved us.
After mass, as I was exchanging names with the lady and her husband and visiting just a bit, a guy came up from across the aisle and asked if we knew each other or had just met, and we said, “Just met.” He said “that was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.” Um, ME TOO!
Mrs. B. says
I love the photo in front of the Cathedral: your husband makes Freddy look so tiny!! The contrast of their hands is especially cute.
In other {happy} news, I just went to the library, and in the books-for-sale shelf I found 8 volumes (1987 through 1994) of The Best of Gourmet Magazine for $2!!! Granted, it’s just the recipes, and I would have loved to find whole magazines, still, it’s quite a bargain, and I’m so excited!
Kelsey says
I loved this! I laughed my way through this post – I can so relate to your feelings regarding moving and doing anything at all with little ones. It took me a while, after my first was born, to realize that I wasn’t suddenly completely incompetent – that this is how it is for everyone – just sort of accepting the crazy and rolling with it. You seem like you’re doing a really good job keeping up your sense of humor!
Mckenna says
My little family of four just made the move in the opposite direction (Austin TX to Rochester NY). We’ve set up our pack and play in many of closets/alcoves along the way. We’ve been referring to it as “Harry Pottering” the baby. We are currently in an extended stay hotel and I know what you mean about the frustration of unpacking and moving in when you know its temporary. Good luck and try to stay cool in that heat 🙂
Maurisa says
Freddie is so cute and your new baby bump is adorable!
Lucy Armstrong says
I think it’s really important to be bold about offering help to strangers, and I’m glad you talked about that, especially because I’ve definitely seen other people complaining on their blogs about people breaking the “rules” you mentioned. I find that asking “can I help you with anything?” or “can I hold your baby for you for a few minutes?” or any blunt, direct question like that allows you to respect boundaries while still offering your help!
Jennifer says
We’ve done a lot of playground birthdays and everyone always says it was one of the best parties ever. Lots of fun and fresh air! No wonder you are exhausted, I am tired just reading about your adventure. Take some naps and enjoy your little guy, the cleaning can wait!
Ann-Marie says
I’m in League City if you ever want to get together! It’s pretty close to Kemah and there is a lovely splash pad to keep the kiddos happy in the heat.
Faith says
While in the airport- hugely pregnant and 3 kids a *very* flamboyant gay man helped me out tremendously. He said I reminded him of his sister. How thankful I was… I still think of him- I hope he thinks of me!
Suzette says
Welcome to the Gulf Coast! 🙂
Catie H says
Suki,
I love hearing your voice when ever you write! And now I don’t feel so bad about offering to help others!
Catie