IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

JESUS CHRIST.

It's been way too long since I've posted. You understand, I know, but I still feel a twinge of guilt at leaving you all hanging for MONTHS.

Well, life and this pregnancy have pretty much taken over EVERYTHING. So much drama with this pregnancy, I'm glad we only have 26 days left. TWENTY SIX DAYS. Less than a month and we'll have the newest little Murphy, Korben Michael.

I've done really well through most of this pregnancy; my biggest complaint being my irritability. I am your worst nightmare right now. Vastly pregnant and raging like a bull in the blink of an eye. Then there's the other side to that coin: the tears. I cry over EVERYTHING, including being totally, irrationally emotional. Yeah, it's been awesome.

My emotional state as been hard for everyone to deal with and life hasn't been all rainbows & sunshine. A few storms have broken over us but we've weathered them and come out the other side. Phoenix has been having an especially hard time because he can see I'm not my usual self. We've butted heads HARD and I've felt like an absolute failure more often than I care to admit lately.

I know I'm not in my right mind but that doesn't make it easier to deal with shit; it just leaves me more frustrated because I feel like I should have the patience, knowing it's not really my fault or the kids'. AH, brain. You are so awesome...

Good news is we've had a ton of help in getting ready for Korben's arrival. It's been so humbling. I realize how lucky I am to have so many wonderful people in my life, people I am so proud to call friends. We also have family coming in from out of town to help out; Jay's Grammy Murphy and my mom will both be here to help us celebrate and make sure we survive the first week or two. We're hoping his dad & step-mom can make it out too.

There's no better excuse for a little family reunion than a new baby, right?

Well, that's all I can manage right now; kids are screaming upstairs and Jay should be home soon. I'm not going to say I'll be back soon because chances are pretty good I won't be. I'll try to stay in touch & maybe I'll even get a couple folks to guest post for me so you all aren't left in the lurch for another 3 months.

Until then, be good to yourselves and each other.

MHO Monday Mingle #12 -- Pregnancy!

Starting my week off with a post to keep the blogging mojo flowing and I can't think of a topic more suited to me right now than this week's Monday Mingle from Mothers Helping Others: PREGNANCY. Being in the middle of my third, quite literally, I feel obligated to participate and offer up my two sense on the joys and perils of pregnancy.

This week's theme: Pregnancy

1.  Have you ever been pregnant? If so, do enjoy being pregnant?

I have been pregnant twice and am currently in the middle of my third (possibly my last). Daddy Jay is one of three boys and guess what? All three of mine are boys. Yeah. Go figure...

2.  Do you wish to be pregnant?

Well, I AM pregnant and Yes, I did want to be but there are drawbacks. We knew we wanted to try for more and while we tried for a girl to kind of round things out, there is a bliss to be found in having all boys. It's definitely had some unexpected "side effects", though, and caused some issues that leave me wondering 'What the Hell is wrong with people?'. There's a 'dark side' to this whole pregnancy thing that I'm encountering for the first time & I'm finding that it's something no one really talks about it or the shit it can stir up. Like jealousy. That's something I never dealt with during my other pregnancies and IT SUCKS. 

3. What do you think is the worst part of pregnancy?

Giving up my body to a parasite. I'm one of those unlucky ones that deals with morning sickness constantly because of low blood sugar. Since this is my third pregnancy and because I'm thin, I'm already aching and sore. My feet swell. I have heartburn and a back ache that never goes away. My belly is already HUGE and there's still a whole trimester to get through.

4. What is the best part of pregnancy?

Sure feeling the baby move around in there is pretty cool and incredibly surreal but my favorite thing about being pregnant are the BOOBS. Before this pregnancy, I was rocking an A cup on a GOOD DAY but thanks to baby, I've jumped up to a C already. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's no Pamela Anderson status but for me, it feels great to actually HAVE boobs. 

5. What advice would you give those who have never been pregnant? If you haven't been pregnant what question would you ask for those who have been pregnant?

Do not expect it to be perfect. Enjoy the bright and shining moments and try to get through the trouble spots quickly. Pregnancy is a very temporary condition but it's one that has a profound impact on you. If you have a "bad" pregnancy, it haunts you; if you can make your pregnancy as pleasant as possible, you'll probably forget most of the nasty stuff and pretty soon, you'll find yourself wanting to do it all over again!