Baby Brain and Letting Go

One of my coworkers has been enjoying laughing at/with me every day lately as the condition known as baby brain settles into my noggin. Yes, this is a very real condition and many pregnant women suffer from it!

Under normal circumstances, I would say that I have a very good memory. I can usually remember names and faces, messages from 30+ parents as they drop off their kids in the morning. As I chat with them I usually can recall the messages they requested I pass on to various teachers. I have our family schedule not only in my iPhone but also etched into my brain. I don't consider myself a scatterbrained person at all.

However, now that I am pregnant with large amounts of hormones running through my body, the brain is not always on the full-function mode. Hence my coworker's amusement.

I still remember most appointments and the majority of the parental messages passed to me, but some days I could not tell you what little Tara's mom asked me to tell Miss Julie. Whoosh, gone! Hole where that bit of information used to be! (It often comes back in a couple of hours, so it's not completely lost, just temporarily not accessible).

I most definitely see the humor in the situation and join in on the laughter. Enough people know I'm pregnant so they can all appreciate the situation as well.

Thankfully, the amazing hormones haven't reared their ugly head yet. I'm not at all weepy or impatient, but I have noticed that I am more appreciative of little things. I really love snuggles from a child, extra help with housework, or someone making just what I had been wanting to eat. It's the little things that mean a lot to me.

Speaking of little things, Shawn and I help with a high school's fall musical every year. This year, the school is doing Seussical, the Musical. Having not heard the music in a while, I found myself choking back tears during one of the rehearsals as the young man playing Horton sang "A person's a person, no matter how small." The first time I heard it was the evening after we found out I'm carrying twins for B & R. I was really excited about two babies, and then with that song, well, I was kind of a goner. Its a sentiment I have carried my whole life, and it never feels more real that when I'm pregnant. Very cool, Horton. (What was I saying about not having a lot of crazy hormones?)

Being firmly planted in the first trimester and with full-blown pregnancy symptoms going on (I'm living on Zofran, soup, and soda today) there are some things I have resigned myself to letting go of. I'm not a perfectionist, by any means, but I do strive to do things well. However, with low energy, an unstable stomach, and baby brain in full swing I have temporarily given up some things. Made from scratch healthy dinners have been replaced with take out or Trader Joe's "pop in the oven for 45 minutes" creations. My family's laundry is mostly washed, but a big chunk of it is still in a basket instead of neatly folded in appropriate dressers. And my daughter's birthday party next weekend has been reduced from my usual "made from scratch and practice decorating it the week before" cake to cupcakes and ice cream novelties that I just have to open the box and hand 'em out. And her theme? In the past we've done a huge theme with our front porch decorated with a queen sized pirate flag or two 8 foot tall castle turrets greeting guests as they enter. Not this year! We are going for the super generic "girl birthday" theme with pink and purple flowers. Oh, and the party is at a bowling alley so games not required! Score!

Letting go isn't a bad thing. Natalie isn't bothered by her generic themed birthday party. She loves flowers and bowling, so to her this is perfect. Thankfully, neither me or my husband have jobs which require us to wear business wear, so the fact that our shirts probably have been pulled out of a basket and given a squirt of wrinkle release isn't the end of the world. And my kids have been more than happy to eat chicken quesadillas and lasagna while mommy takes a break from cooking. It means I probably have time to snuggle with them as dinner is thawing in the oven instead of extra meal prep time in the kitchen. 

One humorous thing and I will wrap up this very random post. Today, as I was helping my 5 year old out of the car after church, she commented "wow, mommy. Your tummy really IS getting big!" Thank you, daughter dear. 

Good thing I believe miracles are worth all of this. After all, "a person's a person, no matter how small."

8 weeks 5 days with B & R's twins!