A million years ago

One year post baby, gloomy dark December days…(no, I don’t give a crap about X-mas trees, watching Lord of Rings for the 1000th time or stuffing myself 3 days in a row).  It’s feels like time for some reflection, and -I’m gonna indulge- a tiny bit of self-pity. tired-mom-2

The greatest, most beautiful moment of my life, Skye’s birth, now seems not just one year ago. It feels like a million years ago. More like another lifetime even. Although my daily conversations are now limited to toddler like babbling and fully satisfy my current IQ, I feel like I’ve aged 10 years in the past 365 days.

We’ve been through a lot since she was born. The first few months it was hard to choose between being happy over this New Life, and grieving over the loss of another one. I would have loved to show our daughter to my mother in law, but it will never happen. I vividly imaging mother in law bragging about Skye’s brightness, like only she could. Meanwhile, sleepless nights and all, new Lyme symptoms appearing from nowhere, house and all necessary machines in it falling apart. And on top of that; old, unresolved relationship issues coming to the surface. I would strongly recommend every expecting (or aspiring) couple to fight their battles now, instead of waiting until you’re (even more) unreasonable and hallucinating because of weeks or months without any quality sleep.

At the moment my health is deteriorating. Being exhausted, I can’t come to that point at which you feel well enough to handle even the lightest treatment. Don’t have the time anyway. Skye recently turned from sweet happy baby into dangerous, Kamikaze, all night screaming toddler. Boyfriend and I both feel like we ourselves are falling apart too, and cannot give any more. Of course we know this is a phase, it will pass. Never seen an eighteen year-old still crying at night because of teeth coming through or wanting a bottle of milk. As for the latter: I will just refer the addict to the fridge by then. I’m still sick to my stomach most of the time, carrying around 24/7 anti-puking pills. While the post-partum pelvic problems are finally resolving, a new painful injury to my shoulder causes me to lie awake and take yet another set of pills while we wait for an MRI to see what is broken inside me this time. New Lyme doc wants me to increase the amount of natural antibiotics (she thinks that regular antibiotics will only aggravate the illness), but every drop I take results in terrible neurological problems and extra tiredness (if even possible). Plan B will be to install a hyperbaric oxygen chamber in the house and try to force some oxygen into my sick brain. It will cost a fortune, and won’t look pretty in the living room (but still, prettier than a fake tree with electrocution-danger all over it), but being desperate askes for out of the box measures. And those are costly, it turns out.

Last month we went on a second holiday. Expectations were high, since the first one was a great success. Please, never hesitate to remind me not to have any expectations about “free” time when you’re with small children. It didn’t work. Skye didn’t like her bed, I wanted to go home the first night after hours of unsuccessfully trying to comfort her. When we finally went home she got sick in the car, throwing up her entire lunch in the car seat. Had to stop by hotel to de-vomit her as good as possible with little paper towels (I would suggest to don’t even try this: kid and seat will still be covered in smelly puke, better drive home at warp speed and throw everything contaminated in the bath tub). All things considered, it was a true nightmare.

Lately (and I must say I’m a bit embarrassed about this), I’m getting a bit sick of being a care taking machine all the time. Sometimes I feel like a prisoner in my house, only able to leave for small walks with child and dog. I was amazed at this woman who took my place a year ago. She was so admirably unselfish, had only one priority: keeping Skye alive and well. Of course, I still need my little precious to be alive and well, but I miss my friends, I miss dancing, I miss staring out of the window for a few minutes without someone disturbing my thoughts. I miss pooping by myself, alone in the room. I am almost never alone because of the help I need being the mother I am. But the tiger in me is roaring for some alternative action so things will have to change in the upcoming months. Unleash that umbilical cord a little bit. Do something completely useless and selfish. My subconscious is presenting me with not too subtle clues. Since TVOH is on the telly again, I have spent every sleeping minute dreaming about Waylon. Never saw his sexiness before, but being so deprived and all, the mind pulls strange tricks on a woman.  I cannot provide any details about the contents of the dreams here because of mother and boyfriend maybe reading this. Although completely out of my control, unconscious cheating on my boyfriend still feels a bit like cheating. So shame on me!

I will finish now but let me emphasize: I mean it when I say that I miss my friends. There is no one to blame for this. I simply cannot travel until I’m far better than I am right now. Plus: I have so much trouble organizing life with a small child and a difficult illness that there’s no room for thinking about a plan to revive my not so many, but very precious friendships. I hope you know this. And if you can (I know everyone has their own burdens), please give me a little help with staying in touch. I love you.

And for my fellow Lyme Warriors: hold on! Celebrate the little things. Soon it will be spring again. And although not everyone will be able to go outside to enjoy it, the birds will still be singing, so just open a window. Love you too.

 

 

 

 

 

5 gedachten over “A million years ago”

  1. Lieverd!!!!

    Breng skye een weekend weg en ga (evt met Joost) iets doen waar jij(jullie) gelukkig van worden! Dat mag! Dan ben je juist een goede moeder!!!! En alhoewel ik liever geen nachtje oppas jan skye altijd een hele dag bij ons komen spelen! Vinden mijn meiden alleen maar leuk!!!!

    1. Wat een lieve reactie Nadia! Je hebt ook wel gelijk. We hebben zo weinig tijd voor elkaar. Maar daar gaan we aan werken. Zoals ik al schreef: even die navelstreng losmaken en dan rustig aan weer ook een mens worden ipv alleen maar een moeder. Ik wist serieus niet dat ik zo kon zijn, maar toch… Je blijft jezelf verrassen in het leven he?

  2. Oh dear Marielle. You will get there. One (tiny) step at the time. Everything will work out and better times will come, they will.!!
    Just hang in there and look towards the future. There is always a little sparkle in everything. I am happy to read you still got your humour. Xx

    1. Hi Monique, thanks for your support! You’re so right about that sparkle. Maybe I should get a X-mas tree anyway, and put a leash on both kid and dog;-) Next time in French, just for the fun of it? (I will need your help though…) x

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