Totally candid shot...moments like this make me wonder if I'm going to end up with 20 grandkids one dayIn my group of mommy friends, there are quite a few women who just had or will soon have their third baby, so I've had a few questions lately about how it's going juggling three kids. I had a feeling number 3 was going to be the easiest and, so far, that's held true for me. With the 1st baby, I was so out of my element that every day felt like a struggle. As soon as I felt confident, a new developmental milestone came along and I had to adapt to this "new" child I was parenting. With the 2nd baby, I had another young child around that was used to having my undivided attention, so even if she was being helpful, she was still always right there so there was a lot of juggling to keep everyone happy. With the 3rd baby though, the first 2 kids can go off and play together, which leaves me the time to just sit and cuddle the baby again. Only this time around, I have the confidence to enjoy it without worrying over every little thing.
Of course, I still have to make lunches and read stories and clean up the kitchen, but I'm better at multi-tasking too so it still seems easier to get that stuff done now than it did with the 1st or 2nd baby. If Sierra was in school, I think that might make it harder too. Not only is she a constant playmate for Sedona, she also sets a good example of how to act around/handle the baby.
The exception is getting out of the house...that is definitely harder. The girls and I have always done better when we are out doing something. They don't act up as much and I don't get as frustrated with them. I'm not sure if the difficulty with getting out of the house is just because there are 3 kids, or because it looks like this outside my kitchen window and has been a pretty steady 15-20 degrees around here
Which means I have to spend what seems like an eternity getting everyone decked out in all of this to go anywhere
For now, I spend an hour getting everyone ready. Then I change Secora, nurse her, check that the diaper bag is packed and put her in her carseat. I threaten the older girls with their life if they touch the carseat and run out to start the van so it begins to warm up. Then I come back in and help with snow boots and jackets and get my own jacket on. Then I herd everyone through the mudroom and out to the van. Sierra buckles herself in and Sedona gets in her seat while I put in Secora's carseat. Then I buckle Sedona. Then I scrape the ice off the windows of the van. THEN we can go. The reverse process is even more fun because the mudroom is small and I haven't figured out the best way to set it up to allow me to get in and unlock the door while the girls take their boots off without sitting in a puddle of slush they just tracked in. I don't have anywhere to go that's more than 2 miles away (literally, it's a small town), but I have to plan on leaving 30 minutes before I want to be anywhere because it takes so long to get in the car (again, literally).
5 comments:
The whole leaving thing seems to be my biggest struggle too. Not that I have to put on as many layers as you do, but still that extra 30 min that you aren't used to makes a BIG difference. Kaily is in school, but Conner seems to do ok. We have our things that we do while Corbin is sleeping and when Kaily gets home it sometimes makes it more challenging, just b/c of sibling "love".
Aghhhh the memories of years gone by. I only had Joshua and Harold and it seemed like my life was dressing and undressing. Now just wait they will want to go outside and play in the snow then all those wet clothes. Ohhhh dear but at least you have a dryer and can get them ready to go back out again. Harold seemed to be with snow like a duck it to water. He was always wanting to go out in it and I was way to cold to want to join him. Seems like it takes you longer to get prepared to go than it does to go get what you were going out for. Many times I just waited till Don got home and just left by myself to do shopping. I admire you both for having number 3 because I know it would have been way to much for me.
Grammy
Sounds like our winter in Boston. We had a tiny mudroom too. I use to leave a towel in the mudroom and then as we came in I'd lay it out on the kitchen floor (which was in front of the mudroom).
I'd highly recommend some type of babywearing coat too. That made everything better and now I'm using it for pregnancy.
I've been thinking I need another doormat just inside the kitchen, but a towel would be so much cheaper!! For now, my ski jacket is big enough to get around her. When we're going somewhere that I know I'll want her out of the carseat, I tie the moby wrap on me before we leave, then put my jacket on so when we get there, I just have to put her in the wrap and zip my jacket around her.
Oh, the reason the towel worked well was because they sat on it and took there boots off there instead of dragging slush all the way inside.
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