The Scary Squad

This might come as a surprise to some of you, but I did not dress up for Halloween.  Perhaps the first time ever?

 

Let’s face it, I’m not doing so hot right now.  I am still 25 lbs up from pre-pregnancy weight.  I’ve been losing weight at the rate of 0.5 lbs per week since my six-week postpartum checkup, which is not very fast at all, when you think that in ten weeks I have only lost five pounds.  I look hideous, even though I do a pretty hardcore workout two or three times a week, plus running and walking when I can fit it in, which is less often than I’d like because now it is cold and dark and cold and cold.  The pressure of work is nearly too much for me; we have been in the process of moving Goodwinds to a larger location for a couple of months now, and what started out as negotiating leases (no easy task) has turned into managing cash flow (moving can sink you, and leveraging ourselves further is not something I want to do) and construction and fighting with the utility company to get phone and internet service.  You know, because we run a web-based business and it would be “helpful” or something.  Or vital.  Or impossible to continue doing business without.  Take your pick, I guess.  Before then, Leland was out on vacation and then Paul, so September was crazy, too.

 

There are the cakes to bake for school and church parties, there’s Charles’ 3rd birthday to plan.  There are my parents and their dog to host while they’re in town helping us move, and there’s the horrible eating I do while they’re here – we eat lunch out every day and dinner isn’t nearly as lean and easy as I would normally make it.  Then, next week, we have LOTS of people in town for Charles’ birthday, and isn’t it so wonderful that he has family that is willing to travel to celebrate with him?  But what am I going to cook? 

 

And then there’s the sleeping.  I don’t get much.  James goes to bed early these days, waking up for the first time around midnight.  From that point on, he wakes up every one to two hours, which is a lot, especially after four months of this.  And I shouldn’t complain because I know it could be worse; it was SO MUCH WORSE when Charles was this age.  But still.  AND he is a champion pee-er, soaking through diapers and clothes several times each night, throwing the whole get up-change diaper-feed-sleep thing off a bit.  Woe is me if Jamie wakes up completely during any of those stages, and a full outfit change will do it.

 

Long story long, I haven’t had the brain power to devote to a costume.

 

My how things change.  The week before Charles was born, I wore two costumes for Halloween.

 

At least the kids dressed up.  And we don’t have to do any work with trick-or-treaters anymore.  Charles took right over in that arena and it was adorable to watch.

 

Here’s Train Engineer Jamie:

 

 

And Spiderman Charles with a whole bunch of cake on his face:

 

 

 

I told Leland that I was just going to go as “Harried Mother” and he asked me what I was the other 364 days of the year.  I guess it’s not a costume if you wear it all the time, huh?