Life Lessons from Boys: Mrs. Hot Mess

With pregnancy and a new baby comes some seriously crazy emotions. I knew that. Make it a special needs pregnancy and you are talking about recipe for disaster. But hold on, try this: you move a week before you deliver, your 5 year old graduates from preschool 5 days after delivery back at his old school, he starts summer camp in a new town with new kids the following week, you are at different specialty doctor's every week with the baby, maternity leave ends so you have to leave the baby to go back to work and then your 5 year old starts kindergarten at a new school, with new kids. Again. All of that within one summer. Yeah, I'm a hot mess.

Deuce had been at Kids R Kids for two and a half years. He loved it there. The staff was great and he made some really great friends. The day that Kendall was born was his graduation picnic. I had been looking forward to it because we had moved the week before so I knew Deuce would be excited to see his friends back in Greensboro. He had been staying with my mom in the interim. Well Kendall decided to show up 3 weeks early so Nana had to take Deuce to Greensboro. She sent me this picture to make sure I knew he was having a blast. Hot Mess.

We went home from the hospital on Saturday night and preschool graduation was Tuesday. I didn't have enough forethought to worry about what I was going to wear so at the last minute I was trying to go through my closet that was still full of unpacked garbage bags to find something. I'm not supposed to have to think about dressing nice 5 days after giving birth dammit! But whatever. I scraped it together. Hot Mess.

I cried when they played pomp and circumstance for the kids to walk out on the stage. Ed looked at me like I was crazy. I totally blame it on the hormones. I spent the entire ceremony furiously fanning myself with the program until I basically creased it all to hell. Hot Mess.

We went out to dinner afterwards to celebrate. Me, Ed, all 3 boys, Grandma, Nana & Papa and Wawa. My car wouldn't start in the parking lot afterwards. We're in Greensboro. Where I don't live anymore. Luckily Laura had some jumper cables and Papa drove it back while me and the littles rode back with Nana. Hot Mess.

That first week home from the hospital was rough. No camp or school for Deuce, Ed was working from home (remember we are in a tiny apartment temporarily), a new baby and an exhausted mommy. We couldn't really take Deuce to do much and he was going crazy. By the first day of summer camp, which was just 6 days later, I couldn't wait to get ~~them~~ him out of the house. Hot Mess.

Deuce spent the summer at the YMCA where he went on 2 field trips per week, had swim lessons and free swim every day and spent many hours on the playground. It was a great camp, the staff was great and super organized. It really worked out well for us. He is also in after school there so he was very comfortable riding the bus there the first day.

Then before I knew it, the baby was 10 weeks old, it was time for me to go back to work and Deuce had to start school. I tried to get the doctor to push out my leave by 2 weeks so I could get through Deuce starting school before I went back but he wouldn't approve it. Ugh. Told me it would be good for me to get back to a routine, including work. Thanks dude, because you've birthed babies and started kindergarten plenty of times. (Yes, I just referred to myself as starting kindergarten because I kind of am).

The first day of school came and Deuce held both me and Ed's hands as we walked him up the sidewalk to the cafeteria. I was hanging in there until we walked up and I saw Val at the door wiping a tear. She was holding it in good though. Harrison was totally not feeling school that day. Deuce gripped my hand a little tighter. We went in and saw Aja who was beaming ready to start kindergarten. She had her two fingers on her lips and the others in the air, just like a little teacher lining the kids up, silently telling them to shut up. I tried to push Deuce over with her but he wouldn't let me go. Then the tears started. For him first. He was trying to blink them back and kept asking why he wasn't with Harrison AND Aja. Then Hot Mess over here tried to talk to him about how they all have recess together and lunch at the same time so he will be able to play with Harrison all the time. Trying to convince your scared kid to go out on his own when you are crying too isn't such a bright plan. And an unattractive one at that. But I did it, I walked away and left him there. Left him to start this new journey. And he loved it.