Going Public

Coming oh so close to the 24 week mark. Basically, I start rounding up to the next week the day after I achieve the previous week. I hate counting in months. It's all inaccurate anyways and it doesn't have the same amount of constant gratification. Counting the weeks, however, will make for some awkward moments, because most people ask you (if they dare) "How many months are you?" And then if you are like me, and don't keep track, and you answer, "Almost 24 weeks" you will sound stupid. Then you will sound even more stupid if the person presses the issue and says "So....how many months is that?" and you have to fumble around and say, "Uhhhh...um....what is that...like....6? Months? Right?"

Now that it is supremely obvious there is a bun in the oven (I think. I hope) being out in public has become v. interesting. If I am out with just Dominic, I get lots of, "Ohhh, having your second? Are you hoping for a girl?" So I will mention, "No, this is the third....and we already have a girl....so...I guess...doesn't matter what this kid is?" And that is when a few people have looked confused. Because I have broken the two-child, boy and girl paradigm. They look at me and I can tell they are thinking...."Just what ARE you doing...." I don't have enough kids yet to start garnering any rude comments like I know many large families are sometimes subject to. Right now I just feel like a mild curiosity.

Then there are the times when I am out with both my children, and I'm sporting the belly, and the kids are acting like total lunatics. I feel certain that people are looking at me and thinking, "Look at that woman and her wild children. And look at that...she's having another one!"

I felt for a long time I had to be the poster child for getting married young and starting a family but I realize that for one thing, I'm just not that important, and for another....it's ok for the crazy to show. This is real life. Sometimes having a family is like this

But then sometimes, it's more like this

real dads read Little House in The Big Woods

 I used to think I was just living for the quiet, peaceful moments, but talking about Dominic walking up to a table of VerySeriousBusinessMen at Chipotle and showing them his animal tattoos is so much more interesting than waxing poetically about whatever cute thing he said. Turns out the crazy stuff makes a much more interesting story...good thing because we have lots of crazy around here.