Monday was a blast (insert sarcasm) …Liz left at 6:45am to catch the train. I had a 7:15 and 8am conference call that I hid in the guest room to take while PBS cartoons babysat the boys. I walked the boys to school since I had turned my car in 2 weeks earlier when I started traveling. So I stashed the stroller in the courtyard and took an Uber to work. Having been away for a week I had about 700-800 emails to work through…. it’s the kind of ‘clean up’ work that makes me want to punch myself (or the email senders) in the face. My boss had sent 65 of those emails. Yes, I took the time to count.
The rest of the week was filled with doctors’ appointments and every single kid drop off and pick up. I shouldn’t complain…Liz has done it 85% of the time on her own since school started in September. Shockingly I didn’t have to show ID when I dropped them off. Tuesday’s doctor’s appointment led to a full day of appointments on Thursday because the baby was measuring big and there was extra amniotic fluid. The doctor basically diagnosed late term gestational diabetes but ordered the 4-hour glucose test and an appointment with the nutritionist to be safe. Friday was the last day of school for the kids so they had their holiday Hannakah celebration. I took my first of 6 calls for the day in the parking lot at their school, popped in for their celebration, drove to the office for all of my other calls, and then drove like a maniac to get back for pickup. It’s days like this when I do know if I should consider myself super mom or half-assed employee/mom. On my way the doctor called…gestational diabetes test negative. Back to the drawing board.
That first weekend back we got our Christmas Tree in the 60 degree California weather. A little different than what we are used to but the boys were so excited for Christmas it didn’t matter. Liz drank warm apple cider and whiskey (jealous), we listened to Christmas music, Gabe put 15 ornaments on one branch, and the kids were inspired to get naked and decorate. It was a great day.
The kids winter break is two weeks long so the week before and the week after Christmas school has been closed. Not exactly feasible for Liz to take weeks #2 and 3 off to watch the boys so we have been supplementing new babysitters and our good friend Anne for a few days each week while I make frantic attempts at catch up and pretend to be deserving of my paycheck.
One of the toughest things right now is how physically limited I am and how active the boys are. Week one I took them to the aquarium and my baby doctor visit. Let’s just say 5 hours at the aquarium with them was more bearable than the 10 minutes the doctor was in the office with us. The boys asked the doctor for rubber gloves to play with, McKay snatches one of Gabe’s gloves, Gabe screams and cries at the top of his lungs, I lay on the table with sonogram gel on my belly and shoot them the best ‘Mommy is PISSED’ look I can…which they are apparently impervious to. Friday December 23rd will not go down as my best day as a mom. I’m upset about their behavior at the doctor, hormonal, impatient. Santa threats of ‘you will get nothing’ fly out of my mouth at record numbers.
Christmas Eve was a good one. It’s strange to be spending it with only the four of us…typically Christmas Eve has been with my family and I have hosted the last 3+ years. I have always tried my best to recreate the Italian Christmas Eve that my grandfather’s heritage brought us. It has evolved though the years but began as the 7 fishes. This year I let McKay make the marinara sauce and the meatballs. We kept it pretty simple since it was just the 4 of us. After dinner the boys opened a Christmas present from Liz and me…superhero PJ’s and we baked homemade cookies for Santa. Just before the kids went to bed Liz pulls out a giant red velvet cupcake with bright red icing on it for the kids to split. She knows I hate anything with red dye in it and I remember her exact words while they were eating it “I love to mess with you about this stuff”.
We spent the rest of the night playing Santa and wrapping all of the presents. The anticipation of their excitement brings back all the joy I remember about Christmas when I was little. Exhausted we headed off to bed knowing we’d be up early.
The next morning sometime just after 5am McKay woke up. He was ready to see his presents but I made him promise we wouldn’t go downstairs until the sun was awake. He told me his belly hurt, an assumed ploy to go check out his gifts. He went into his room only to return a few minutes later visibly upset…” Mommy, I threw up on lamby”. I hurry into his room to find bright red #40 throw up all over the grey carpet in his room. Now, my gag reflux isn’t strong to begin with, but cleaning up red chunks of throw up at 9 months pregnant wasn’t a pretty sight. Liz and Gabe woke up as McKay was starting round 2 throw up…on my feet. Merry Christmas! After 5 throw ups he was good for the day. The boys loved all of their presents and were so excited to put them all to use. We made the most out of technology by talking with my in-laws, nieces, sister in laws and my mom via Facetime.
This week has been marked by the ‘oh shit we have a baby coming any day now’ vibe. We put together a new dresser/changing table, retrieved boxes of baby ‘stuff’ from the attic, put the rock and play (where our kids sleep for 3 months) together, and did plenty of newborn/blanket/bib laundry. This baby doesn’t have a nursery or his/her own room because selfishly we want to keep a guest room/office. We will see how all of this plays out over the next year or so.
These couple of weeks’ home with the kids have been exhausting and rewarding all at once. You don’t realize how much you miss out on until you get this kind of QT with your kids. There are plenty of completely frustrating moments surrounded by special moments you would never get without the time. I would have missed car conversations about cranes and the Goodyear blimp, questions about how trees stand up, why ice floats in water, and how buildings stay up straight, and serious conversations about God, death, and black jaguars (not necessarily in that order). The boys blew bubbles in their underwear on the beach, we baked cookies and made dinners together, we grocery shopped, tried out a new restaurant for lunch, went to doctors’ appointments, got our hair cut, played soccer and follow the leader at the park, and watched Christmas movies while we snuggled on the couch (pre-pregnancy Angela doesn’t sit down much—ever).
As my due date draws near, I’m acutely aware of the dynamic that is about to change for the 4 of us. The sudden shift from man to man to zone defense, the diapers that haven’t been in our house for a year, the infant naps that lock you in the house vs. the active toddlers that need to get out and run, and a totally new Biswold personality that will make us a party of 5. McKay has been saying it’s a girl my whole pregnancy and is still holding strong. Gabe says he’s getting a brother. We’ll see…14 days to go!
Thank you for all of your love and support during our big changes in 2016. We wish all of you a happy and healthy 2017! Love, Angela, Liz, McKay, Gabe, and Baby #3…
