This guy



Chase and Eric...with Eric's "I'm going to kill you" face

 This guy does it all these days.  It's hard...really hard lately. 

Me?  I'm up to my eyeballs in dirty diapers, attempting to clean up the house a bit, wash/blowdry my hair every 3rd day or so, juggle endless nursing sessions with Chase, exhaustion from being up at night and trying to have some sort of dinner on the table by 6pm (thank God for neighbors/friends and freezer meals I made while pregnant)...not to mention trying not to lose my sh*t on Ethan these days. 

Ethan's school was closed last week and it was a tough week.  I did good on Monday and Tuesday.  Monday I made it to the park with both boys by 10:30am to meetup with Kendall and Gavin and their mom's.  Tuesday Gavin and his mom came to our house for a morning playdate.  Wednesday and Friday I had help!  ;) But Thursday?  Thursday was a bad day.  Ethan was not listening whatsoever.  And it's hard to threaten him when I have Chase attached to me.  But I do.  I get up and deal with Ethan and poor Chase is the recipient of having a sassy older brother.  Sorry Chase!  Naptime could not come soon enough and he was in his room by 12:15.  He's asking for me (this happens daily for nap/bedtime).  I ignore him because he just went pee and plays this game of "I need to go potty"...then, "I don't need to go".  Chase had just woken up so I was feeding him, meanwhile ignoring Ethan.  I finally go up and he pooped his pants!!!!  Luckily he's in a night diaper but gross!  It was my fault for ignoring him but...OMG!   Chase is screaming because he isn't being fed and Ethan keeps getting out of his bed and sleeping right in front of the door.  We've changed our tone (because clearly he does this so we come up) so now he's sleeping in front of the door if he wants.  Ugg  So I see this on the monitor and go up over 5 times to tell him to get in bed.  Each time taking books out of the room.  At the end he's left with nothing and is screaming.  It's well past 2pm at this point.  I contemplate scrapping nap but I'm so spent and can't deal so guess what?  He sleeps in front of the door.  I'm over it.  (Chase will be in his crib until he's 5 years old)  :)

I text Eric that I'm so over Ethan and that I HAVE NO CHOCOLATE in the house.  I felt like a failure on Thursday. 

 Sweet Eric came home early from work to deal with bad boy Ethan, had a Pizza Hut pizza in hand (that was my lunch and dinner as I hadn't eaten lunch that day) and donuts, Rollo's, Snickers, carrot cake and ice cream in hand.  HE WAS SPEAKING MY LOVE LANGUAGE THAT DAY!  :)

OK, the point is...Eric is keeping this household afloat these days and I could NOT do it without him.  He deals with a sometimes short and snappy wife who is sleep deprived and who's hormones are still adjusting.  He packs a lunch for Ethan every day...even if he's staying home with me, he cleans and cooks and deals with Ethan which is the majority of the challenges these days.  He feeds Ethan breakfast lunch and dinner and puts him to bed every single night (since Chase has been born) and naps on the weekends.  He does it all.  Hands off ladies!  ;)

This time of our lives isn't glamorous.  There are no candlelit dinners these days or romantic overnights at a fancy hotel.  Heck, I'm lucky if I don't have Chase attached to me during my 5 minute "family" dinner most nights.  It's hard right now but I am really trying to remember that THE DAYS ARE LONG BUT THE YEARS ARE SHORT.  Ethan is just a 2 1/2 year old little boy and is just doing his thing.  Life will mellow out again (countdown to sleep training :)) but until then we live like crazy people.  I'm telling myself life with boys is hard right now but we'll have a much easier teenage years than friends with girls.  Right? 

Thanks to my sweet love Eric for keeping this ship afloat!  xoxo