Matt Dad Stuff, Pregnancy

AYA, VELMA, and SORRY CHARLIE

My house is starting to get crowded. Ellie has her inner demon, Eloise, and Aya has her alter ego, Velma. And to cope with these added personalities, I turn into sorry Charlie. He can be found hiding in the closet crying while eating a Snickers bar.

Eliie and Eloise can be a handful, but Velma can be difficult on a whole other level.

Velma’s emotions are extreme. She’s either super happy and excited (like eyes dilated, crazy smile, jazz hands happy), cranky, or worn-out tired and crying. Or sometimes, she can be just plain scary.

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Matt At Home, Dad Stuff, Pregnancy, The Domestic Specialist

N.E.S.T.ing

As the baby’s due date gets closer and closer, I’ve really started to feel it. My outwardly lax attitude that I’ve had for the majority of this pregnancy is quickly fading. We are having a baby, and we are having one really soon.

It was time I started the “nesting” process. You know, everything you have to do to prepare for the arrival of a baby. So while Aya’s personality had changed into a hormonal naggy wife, I’ve turned into a Type A organizational control freak.

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Matt Dad Stuff, Pregnancy, The Domestic Specialist

BACKSEAT DRIVER

I feel fortunate to be able to say that Aya is pretty easy to live with. She does have her quirks, and I know I have mine, but we can be pretty easy going. And since I manage so much around the house between cooking, cleaning, yard maintenance, and home repairs, she’s always saying “thank you” and telling me how much she appreciates it. She’s never harping on me and shoving a “honey do” list in my face. I can even leave the garage a mess or the basement trashed for months and she won’t say a word. And other than being restricted from using the coupon book, I can usually do whatever I want without question.

However, there is something about pregnancy that is extracting the naggy wife deep within her and bringing it to the surface not only making her a back seat driver in the car, but in life. My life.

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Matt Dad Stuff, Inner Monologue, Pregnancy

FEAR FACTOR: PREGNANCY AND THE TERMINATOR

So far with this pregnancy, I often forget that Aya’s pregnant. I know, I know, it’s been almost 8 months. It’s not that I forgot or don’t care, it’s just that there are so many more distractions than last time. Ellie has me working extra hard these days so I’m not thinking too much, “Hey we’re having a baby soon! Ahh!”

It’s more like, “Eh, been there done that, we’ll be fine. We’ll readjust when the baby arrives.”

I don’t seem to have that fear of the unknown this time. Or do I? Am I holding things in, burying them deep within my subconscious to come out later unexpectedly, in crazy ways, like in my dreams? I guess maybe. I have noticed my dreams getting a little crazier than usual lately. Especially one in particular.

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Matt At Home, Dad Stuff, Toddler

ELLIE AND ELOISE

There’s a monster that lives among us. This monster doesn’t live in the basement, the closet or under the bed. It doesn’t have red eyes, sharp teeth, or even green fur. It’s not the boogeyman, mothman, sasquatch, chupacabra, or the nain rouge. And it’s not limited to appearances after midnight with a full moon. This monster is 30 inches tall, has brown curly hair, an adorable smile, makes cute little airplane noises and on occasion has been known to bite people. You may know her as Ellie, but can you be so sure? You never know when the transformation will begin, for at a moment’s notice that cute smile can disappear and you will be standing face-to-face with the monster we’ve come to call, Eloise.

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