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.

Inappropriate

Last weekend we headed southward to the Lex for my niece's first birthday. Before we hit up the restaurant for the par-tay, we went to Mass at the Cathedral. It was a typical holy time, 5 potty runs and 2 disciplinary trips for Doms, a few admonishments to G to pay attention and only a few randomly shouted phrases ("Where's the miracle???" and "I CAN'T SEE JESUS!") At least children sound pious.

About 10 minutes in to Mass, a dad with three sons in tow came trucking down the aisle and parked right in front of us. I had to hand it to the guy. His kids (I'm guessing....6, 8, 10ish or thereabouts) were all in polos and mostly un-disheveled and they made it in before the homily (always a success in my book.)

I was kneeling and praying quietly wrestling with Dominic after communion when I noticed there was some hub-bub in the pew in front of us. Two of the boys were beating on each other, but silently, and the dad had yet to notice. I watched in utter fascination. You might thInk this is the point where I declare, "Ugh. SO inappropriate!" but 2 kids and third pregnancy later, my energy levels and realistic expectations are such that a little brawling in the pews is par for the course. I don't have a lot of righteous indignation left in the tank.

No, what was inappropriate was my own reaction. I elbowed my sister so that she, too, could stifle the urge to laugh like a maniac, as I was doing. Then I had to nudge Brad, because heaven forbid he miss out on the bru-ha-ha. I contemplated the results of inserting Dominic surreptitiously into the fray since it seemed he belonged in that pew anyways. At one point the dad noticed the violence and gave the boys a very menacing look with a nice throat slice motion. It was good, it was authoritative, it meant business, and as soon as he looked away again, the younger boy smacked the older boy upside the head with a hymnal. I couldn't help it. I was laughing. So wrong, so inappropriate. I'm going to grow up one day, I think. Just not right now.