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Last night I said to WH that sometimes I feel like I'm feeling worse as time goes on. I think that's a slight exaggeration since I don't think I will ever feel as bad as I did right after Dday. I don't seem to have a lot of very low lows anymore but I also don't have the very high highs. What I feel now seems to be more of a dull ache inside of me but it's all the time. I feel like I should be doing something to make this better but I have no idea what it is.

WH has for the most part been a model husband/father since dday. He is more involved, more thoughtful, shows more affection and we've been spending a lot more time together as a couple. He is not defensive nor does he blame shift when we do talk about his A. Unfortunately the conversations are mostly one sided. I think he feels like he's already told me everything and that he doesn't have anything new to add so he just lets me vent.

Here is my issue. While he seems to "get it" he also doesn't seem to "GET IT". I feel the enormity of the betrayal and it shakes me to my core. We talk a lot about him doing the work and showing effort to figure out things on his end and what led him to make the poor choices that he did. I do think he has the basics figured out but I don't think he's done a lot of digging or at least he hasn't shared it with me. When I ask him if he thinks I'm expecting too much he tells me no, that he should be doing more but then I don't see it happening.

I just don't know what I should be expecting of him really. Sometimes I feel like I'm projecting on him what I think I would be doing in his situation. How do I figure out what is realistic and what is wishful thinking. I just feel stuck in a holding pattern now. I'm waiting for something from him that gives me that aha moment. The moment I know this is going to work, that we will get through this and I haven't felt it yet. He seems so sure that we will (and says so), and I want to feel that too.

Sorry this was so long. I'm having a hard time putting my feelings into words. There's so much more but I'll end it here.

AML

It's the 8 month club!

I have been feeling the ennui of which you speak...The panic and adrenaline-fueled first few months have passed, and now that the ground is steadying somewhat beneath my feet, I, too, feel a sense of. . . I don't know. Expectation? Like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop? I feel like a rubber band that has stretched to the max, and then eased off just a bit....but still tense and uncomfortable.

So, I too look to H and think "are you doing enough?" And really, he is being great. . A model husband, and life would be perfect if it weren't for the ginormous cloud of pain that sort of hovers directly overhead, or sometimes just off int he distance. So, part if me is like, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO FIX THIS?!?" And while I think there are things that waywards need to do to make amends, etc. , I think that quite a bit of ot rests with me. Which sucks really, but Mr. Bionicgal can't " fix me."

If you think your H would benefit from a little more introspection though, the book Sexual Detours is quite good. It prompted my H write about his "why," and what he was thinking, and I think that was healing for both of us.

Glad to know I am not alone! ((AML04))

[This message edited by bionicgal at 6:50 AM, January 29th (Wednesday)]

Thank you so much BG. It's really helpful to know you feel the same sometimes because we have close ddays and you all seem to be doing so well!!

H has read "How to Help Your Spouse..." but that's about it. He says he has a really hard time focusing long enough to get anything out of reading. His IC suggested "Where ever you go, there you are" to try to help him with this. I really want him to read "Not Just Friends" but unfortunately I don't think he will. If "Sexual Detours" got your H thinking, I'll highly suggest it!!

Thank you!

I'm just a month behind you guys and every time you post it resonates with me. I'm feeling this too, my H has changed all of the things that were wrong before his A, he puts us before work, plans weekends, we spend time talking and connecting both about the A and our future but still there's something I can't put my finger on.

It sounds strange, but because we were so disconnected before and during his A, part of me loved the late night talks, the high emotions and really getting to know each other again. Now we are starting to fall back into a 'normal' life I just feel a bit numb.

My H is similar in that although he is showing true remorse and doing everything to help me I don't really see him doing the work on him. We have talked a lot about the why and are in MC. I don't know, I just want to feel better and like I'm definite we will be ok. I hate how unresolved it all feels.

It sounds strange, but because we were so disconnected before and during his A, part of me loved the late night talks, the high emotions and really getting to know each other again.

This!!! I know pre-A we were both guilty of not really "seeing" the other person. Most of the time our conflict avoidance was meant with good intentions. However, immediately prior to and during the A I really felt abandoned without knowing why. I was feeling resentful so when I did talk to him it usually came from an angry place and pushed him further away.

Once I found out, we really started to connect again and I was enjoying that (when I wasn't feeling crushed by the unbelievable pain). Our MC starts 2/12, I'm hoping it helps us communicate better.

Honestly, I think in my case H and I were drifting so far apart pre A we were probably headed for separation. We'd just forgotten how good we were/are together and were leading two separate lives-him workaholic and me SAHM- after dday it was like we could see each other again. I only wish we could have sorted ourselves out without the devastation his A brought!

I hope MC counselling works for you, it really helped metro talk to someone other than H and have someone say how I felt was normal and expected. Now we are learning about each other's needs and how to build a healthy happy relationship.

Not to say I'm not still struggling because I am, but I can see a glimmer of hope there

In the years before pre-A, I think we were coasting and that definitely led to a disconnect. I didn't think it got bad enough that we would actually talk about S or D but I'm thinking maybe he did.

We were going through infertility treatments from 09-11 when I finally got pg with DS. I had a few miscarriages and had to go through 5 IVF procedures! Looking back now I defiitely see the how we both tried to bury our pain in our own way and took on the "just keep swimming" attitude.

His EA (sexting/semi-inappropriate friendship) started in early 2010. If I'm hearing him right he justifued it by telling himself it was just for "release". I think he still felt that way for a while but recently said it was a huge boost to his ego that someone would send pics like that to him. He absolutely thinks it was wrong but also says he didn't have any feelings for her until much later and that his only unhappiness with our M then was lax of sex.

I think I'm just rambling now. I have to realize I am not going to make any sense of this. It is all completely illogical to me. I just want him to make sense of it to himself and help me feel that he really understands so I can feel safe.

Me too! It's so hard, this part where I feel I'm supposed to be better but I'm not. I think I try too hard to understand and be objective and do the "work", sometimes I forget to let go and feel.

Because let's face it, the "feel" doesn't feel very good. :(

This morning I felt angry and resentful that he did this to us. We were best friends (or so I thought)! But I also felt bad about feeling bad...?

Last night I was at book club and all the women (they don't know) were saying how obviously great H and I are together, how they can see that we're best friends etc. I feel like I sat there like a deer in the headlights, I had no clue what to say.

Sorry, tangent. But thank you for posting this, helps to not feel so alone.

Not a tangent at all Morhurt!

Funny that you bring up bookclub because that is now a trigger for me. He used to use that time to actually call her on the phone and talk to her because I wasn't there.

I also used to feel like we were best friends. Our disconnect happened so slowly that we didn't even realize it. By then neither of us knew how to fix it so we buried our heads and hoped it would get better once the stress of trying to have a baby was lifted.

I know this has nothing to do with my original post but I had to get it out. WH went skiing today with a friend and he must be out of service because I texted him this morning and haven't heard back all day. I'm okay with it because I understand but I wasn't expecting it to bother me this much.

In my digging I found out where they had sex for the first time. It was at an empty office park I'm her car. I have thought about going there a bunch of times but never did until today. Turns out only the building they parked at seems to be empty but there are other around and it was during the day. Not sure how I feel about this yet, I'm still processing it.

AML - brave lady about the car park! It feels good to take those places back, eventually. Not that you needed to go to the park, but I think it takes some of the power away.

Frankie80 - Very similar situation here - we were best friends who started leading more and more independent lives after our son was born. I was a SAHM mom for a while, and still only work PT. My job was our kid, and my H's job was very demanding (with some travel) and 10 years later we found ourselves disconnected. The reconnecton since the A has been unexpected, and wonderful. . . in a crazy, painful way.

Morhurt - I have actually had friends joke about H being the least likely person they know to have an affair because we are so close. Even the AP seemed to envy our marriage (see where that got me?). We were not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but if there is any message I want to be able to give to friends, is that it can happen to almost anyone. It has been very humbling.

I also feel this way most of the time. H has been good to me but something is still lacking. I think if I go all in with this R it feels almost like he got away with cheating and still has his family. I want justice! He stopped MC because he is all better now and he sure doesn't want to talk about the affair or the past. He says why must you keep dwelling on the past, let's look to the future. BLAH BLAH!! Don't trust him anymore with my thoughts my feelings my love. I have no idea how this will play out. I don't want to stay the victim but I don't want him to go on happy and calm like nothing ever happened. I am 5 months out from DD. I just go along to get along.

AML, the car park thing would be tricky for me to process too. It's one of those situations were finding out more detail and making it 'real' raises even more questions about who he is and what he's capable of! I'm sure when your H thinks of it now he is mortified!

Bionicgal, I often see your posts and feel like I could've written every word, strange how sometimes it feels very lonely to be a BS yet whenever I come here I realise I'm not alone.

Rubbish that we're having to go through this though, even when R seems to be going well.

Cardnial, I guess the problem is (and I'm guilty of this too) that unless we go all in for R it will never work. I often feel like I'm not sure I can do it and feel myself withdrawing and then the downward spiral begins.

It's just such a natural response I guess when someone hurts you to want to hurt them back and feel just a little of what you're going through. Oh god I'm rambling again...time for bed!

Card-I hear what you're saying. Sometimes other than seeing me upset/angry (and losing his AP) I feel like he really doesn't have any consequences. I do think I need to let that go though. Nothing about this is fair and unfortunately, that's something we have to accept. I don't want to punish WH, I just want him to feel as strongly about healing (me, him and our M) as I do. I think we're worth it, he's worth it. I just need to feel he thinks I'm worth doing the work on himself.

BG-I just ordered the book. Did you read it too? I read NJF soon after dday and it was very hard, I need to reread it. I just finished After the Affair but wasn't very impressed with a lot of it.

I'm in the 8 month club, too, and a lot of these comments fit with me. My husband has been terrific for the most part, and I feel that our relationship is a thousand times better than it was prior to the A. In fact, my IC asked me yesterday "what's missing from your marriage for you?" and I struggled to think of anything - it's been that dramatic of a change.

Having said that, I really struggle with the fact that my husband hasn't done IC beyond a few sessions last summer. He has done a lot of work on his own and with me, and I can tell from the things he tells me now and what he shares that he's really put some deep thought into "why" and lots of other questions. But I wonder if it'll be enough in the end, and my IC increases my anxiety by telling me that really the ONLY way for someone to address infidelity issues is through IC.

I feel really good about where we are and don't really even question that we'll be together anymore, yet I still think about what doing the work really means. And like you said, AML, am I projecting onto him too much...or do I need to trust that he's doing the work and give him the space and time to understand himself better?

Good to know I'm not the only one at this point in the journey who is asking these questions.

Arnold01-I read the wayward side a lot and from what I can tell, it could be possible without IC. If he's discussing his efforts and you feel he's really digging and that it's genuine, I think you can take comfort in that. With that bring said, if you think there might be deeper issues he might need to examine I see would be a good place to do that. But he has to feel comfortable with it. Maybe he didn't have the right one??

It is comforting to know others feel the same as me at this point. Thank you all so much for sharing your struggles on what was a rough day for me.

I wonder about the IC thing, too. H seems to have it together now, reflective, remorseful. . . But I didn't know he had it in him in the first place. So, I am not sure.

And don't be too worried about the ennui. . . I ended up asking some details tonight that just put me in a tailspin. Again. I think every time that this must be the deal breaker, and yet I recover. So far.

I did too!!! I had to ask more about their first time since I saw the place. There was a lot more to it than he told me the first time. I'm having a really rough day. This is so awful. I don't know how anyone survives this much heartache.

I'm another 8-monther, yay?

Well, to me eight months is a heck of a lot better that 5 and 6 months, so that means I'm healing, right? Plus, my post are only 50% crazy verses 90% of the past, so I will take that as progress!

I wrote in my journal recently that I have accepted that WH are on different healing paths. I view it as two trains on separate tracks, but heading in the same direction. Currently, I'm ahead of him on processing the A and my emotions. I was getting frustrated because he was lagging some of the concepts that I thought were important and that he didn't have the same type or strong of emotion that I did. I think he is picking up steam and maybe he will catchup or even pass me. I think there will be "plateau" times when it seems like nothing is happening, but maybe that means he's refueling or going to make a huge jump forward. Just as long as we don't go backwards! I will admit the plateaus are hard, because you do feel like your wheels are spinning.

WH joined SI and it has been very helpful. I can "see" what he is thinking and how he approaches topics. He is still really logical, but I'm hoping that will give way for more emotion. Also, we have it in common, so he will talk about the struggles in Waywards and how he can relate. It is strange because Im starting to gravitate away from SI and he is gravitating to it.

So there is my 8 month ramble! Sorry, I don't think I had anything of substance!

Thank you for your response. WH and I are definitely doing things differently and it can be very hard. I didn't think of the plateaus and it makes a lot of sense. I hope MC can jump start some forward motion again!!

WH joined SI too but he doesn't really bring it up and he hasn't posted. I haven't pushed it because he says he's not comfortable with it. I do feel like someone needs to challenge him to do more things out of his comfort zone and I was hoping it would be his IC.