Stayin’ alive (BeeGees voice)

 I remember when my newborns were learning how to live life on the outside, and I’d have a small window of time during the day where I decided whether sleeping or eating was more important. More often than not I’d stare into the fridge, grab whatever I could see and choke it down (a handful of deli meat? a couple squirts of whipped cream straight from the can? the only standard was “fast”), then go collapse on my bed, crashing hard into REM, until the baby woke up. 

I had similar experiences in early pregnancy when food sounded like the worst option but I knew I had to eat, so I’d force-feed myself a hard-boiled egg before falling asleep sitting up at the table.

I was remembering this today as I blearily decided whether to get up sooner and cook a full breakfast, or stay dozing until my alarm urged me up and then grab some string cheese and granola bars on my way out the door to work.

And that is just one of many ways that training for a marathon while working and taking a class and raising teenagers is bringing me back to those early days of pregnancy and newborns. Always tired, always hungry, often a little bit nauseated, and hoping it would all be worth it.