What Makes Me Happy Wednesday

I've been feeling particularly whiny and complainy lately, especially with regards to my constant, excruciating lower back pain and Will's insane schedule. In short, I haven't exactly been the most pleasant person to be around. I really, truly love being pregnant....except for this "end of the line" stage. Baby has dropped considerably, and while that's a good thing (hey, maybe I'll actually have a baby around my due date this time!), it's KILLING my lower back. Tony has been exceptionally clingy lately, and I feel guilty that I can't really pick him up like I used to without gasping in pain. Will's classes are stressful enough, but now he's trying to prepare for the military ball this weekend, plus his random "I really don't want to go to this stupid training exercise in the middle of the week for four days in the middle of nowhere without any cell phone reception but I have absolutely no choice" thing for ROTC, plus we're trying to get everything ready for the new baby and WOW. Deep breath.

So, I decided I would make a quick post about the good, positive things that are going on right now. Starting with...Tony time. I'm savoring this last month alone with my only child, and I'm feeling sad and excited at the same time. Sad, because these past two years have just been incredible, and I'm so blessed to have this sweet little boy as my son. I'm sad that our "mommy and Tony" time during the day is coming to a close, but I'm also excited to welcome another little angel to our family. I can't wait to see Tony in the roll of the big brother, and I always want him to know how special he is to me, how loved he is, and how much he changed my life. We had a little breakfast date today after dropping papa off at class (nothing big; I certainly wasn't going to attempt to take him to a jazz brunch with mimosas!), but we stopped at Starbucks and picked up a piece of banana walnut bread for him and a bagel with cream cheese for me. We ate in the car, listened to one of Tony's favorite CDs, and exclaimed over each giant truck that drove by. I want to be able to continue this, even with the demands of a newborn and a toddler who will most likely experience some intense sibling rivalry at first. 

Nothing makes me happier than seeing this smiley little face, even though Tony was being a non-napping stinker.

What else is making me happy? My 37-week belly. Yep, the same one that's been causing a ridiculous amount of pain, and makes me grumble about how I can't wait to have a margarita again and sleep on my stomach and dear GOD I'm so sick of wearing maternity clothes! It's that same belly, the one that holds our precious new baby who moves and stretches inside me, and responds to the beautiful music at mass every Sunday, and is kind enough to let me use it as a TV tray (don't judge). 

Notice the oh-so-organized (ha!) collection of baby gear in our room. No worries, I got this.

Oh yes, crawfish makes the happy list as well. Even though I gave up sweets and Easter candy is EVERYWHERE, and it never fails to taunt me as I walk past the shelves at Target, I take a great deal of pleasure in indulging my crawfish cravings during this glorious Louisiana season. Crawfish pies (similar to meat pies), Johnny's Sweep the Swamp pizza, and crawfish po'boys are freaking delicious. They are some of the things I missed the most when I was pregnant last time and we were living in Boston.

Last but certainly not least? My husband. (I realize some may find this gag-worthy, but what can I say? My man is pretty cool and he deserves a mention). I won't lie; when I was pregnant with Tony, I was a little nervous about Will's cavalier attitude towards parenthood. He would make comments such as "well, I know we'll be exhausted and those first few months will be difficult, but everything will be okay." Prior to having a child of his own, Will hadn't spent a lot of time around kids-particularly babies-and I was worried that he was seriously underestimating how much work we had in front of us. Make no mistake; I knew he would be an amazing father. I wouldn't have had a child with him if I didn't think that. But I knew so many other men who yes, loved their children and were good fathers, but had to be...let's say, prodded into caring for their kids. I've seen this in my family, I've seen this with my friends, and I've seen it with complete strangers. So imagine my utter shock when Tony was born and Will jumped head-on into fatherhood, without a moment's hesitation. He was just THERE. He had no qualms about waking up with a fussy baby in the night who didn't want to go back to sleep after nursing, even though he had to wake up early for work the next day. Will saw diaper changes as "his" job. He would come home immediately after a long, stressful day at work (at a job he hated, I might add) and snuggle and play with Tony. When I was recovering from my infection, and eight months later the removal of my gallbladder, Will took time off of work to care for both me and Tony. He would put Tony in the jogging stroller and go out for a run so I could get some rest, he would read to Tony and give him his meals and bring him to me for nursing and cuddle sessions. Even now, with Will more stressed out than I've ever seen him (and may I remind you, this is the man who went on five deployments in a seven-year time span), he comes home right away after class or reserve duties and gives me a break. Even though I know he has a ton of homework and a lot of responsibilities on his shoulders, Will always puts his family first. That's a man. And I am forever grateful that he's mine. 

Happy Hump Day, everyone. :)