Mondays, Meltdowns, and Mischief

I’ve been told by multiple people that having 3 kids is the hardest. I was even told that by my aunt who has 11 children. How is 3 possibly harder than 11?

We’re on our third day by ourselves. Grandma and Mimi are back in Indiana and back to their regular routines. As for our routine…ha! We’re not there yet. I keep telling myself that once we get into routine we’ll be ok, now I just have to survive until that routine is set. I keep praying it won’t take long!

I’m trying to take advantage of the 10 minutes I have while Eliza is at school, Gavin is fed and happy, and Jackson is happily playing to write a bit. As I’m typing Jackson is now climbing over my legs and begging for attention. J (So much for finishing this in one sitting!)

I’ve learned just a few things already about having 3 children that I thought were worthy of sharing. First of all having 3 children 3 years old and under is hard work! I know I’m going to love the age gap between them soon--but for now it’s just flat out exhausting. The exhaustion is one of the reasons for the title of this blog post. So far every day has felt like a Monday. You know what I mean. You wake up in sort of a daze, not quite sure what day it is and then when you realize you have to get up and get to work you grumpily drag yourself out of bed. My dragging has kind of turned into a hop at the sound of Gavin wanting his early morning feeding. I keep thinking maybe I can squeeze in a few minutes of sleep after he’s done, but so far the house is up and hopping by the time that morning feeding is done. Maybe I’ll become a morning person??

Have you ever seen a 27 year old have a meltdown? Imagine a 3 year old’s tantrum and just replace the 3 year old with a 27 year old.

　

Haha.

　

I’m just kidding.

　

I haven’t had a meltdown yet, but we sure have had our share of meltdowns from each of the kids. I anticipated this would happen though. You don’t just throw a newborn and sleep deprived mom into the mix of every day normalcy and expect that it will remain normal. Luckily, the meltdowns have been limited and they seem to correct themselves rather quickly. Maybe it’s the prayer I send up every time we’re on the verge or maybe I’ve just gotten really good at distraction? Whatever the case is we’ve had our daily meltdowns and as crazy as it sounds when only 2 kids are crying it’s pretty manageable--it’s when all three have lost it that my sanity starts to waiver. I’ve learned to just sing my way through it. Eliza started singing “I’m not Perfect” at the end of a long day and it seemed like the perfect theme song for us, so I just belt it out when I feel a little on edge. (See the link below)

I’m convinced that breast feeding is the perfect time for toddlers to get into as much trouble as they possibly can. I remember the mischief from Eliza when Jackson was a newborn and now the trouble has doubled or tripled!! It makes perfect sense. I think Gavin is going to learn how to hold on for dear life as I nurse him with one arm while doing all sorts of things with the other. It’s actually quite comical if you think about it. Let’s just call it the modern housewife. Running around the house half topless with a newborn attached to one boob, hair a wild mess, chasing two toddlers who are smart enough to understand the limitations of their mother. Great picture huh?

Through all of this I’ve been reminded by some very good veteran mothers to smile and keep a good sense of humor. Laughing and smiling has helped me through so far, let’s hope the comedy continues. J




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uoKvs5a-fQ (Fast forward video a bit to get to the song)