Mother of Three

Being a mom of three kids has been interesting. Here are just a few things I've noticed that happen with three kids. I hope they make you smile, and I hope that they will make me smile to... sometime in the future. :)

* Eloise always has to poop or pee while I'm nursing. Always. It wouldn't be so bad if she had a better grasp on toilet paper and where it goes and what is an acceptable quantity to use for the situation at hand. Usually it's grossly inadequate which means I clean it up later (if you know what I mean) or way way way too much. I've come into the bathroom to find a whole roll of paper in the toilet, sometimes unrolled, sometimes not.

*No matter how much food I give my kids for lunch so they can eat while I feed Michael, it is never enough. But on the days I don't have to feed Michael during lunch time, the girls refuse to eat anything.

*Family dinners just got a whole lot more interesting because everyone eats at the same time.... I mean everyone. I usually eat my dinners one handed, while at the same time helping Eloise eat, trying to keep Evelynn in her chair, and serving up drinks. Doug handles serving food, making Evelynn eat, and sometimes cutting my food for me. It's quite the process, and no part of the day wears me out physically more and wears my patience thinner than dinner time. It's a good thing it gets dark so early now because my kids bed time is changing to 6:15 really really soon.

*All behavior problems now center around the time that I am nursing and unable to chase down the perpetrator to bring them to justice. It's really annoying.

*Both girls love Michael, but neither can understand the proper way to show affection. Common phrases I use now include "Don't yell in his face!" "Don't pick him up by the arms!" "Don't pick him up at all!" "He's trying to sleep, don't yell at him! He's sleeping, don't take his blanket off of him, he's sleeping don't poke his eyes! He's SLEEPING! Leave him ALONE!" Apparently a sleeping baby is irrestistable, but a baby awake is only fun if you can yell at them.

*Having a sick baby does not get any easier with more children. Michael had a double ear infection this last week and was gray from the pain that eating and crying caused. It was terrible, but thank goodness for Tylenol! What on earth did mom's do before Tylenol?

*My days have become so enmeshed in a routine that I don't think I could handle anything else being added. Doctors appointments are bad enough to work around! Without fail Evelynn begs to go somewhere, anywhere, everyday, even if we've already been to 3 different places. Apparently she doesn't like to be at home....

*Movies are my saving grace. If all else fails, I put in a movie. Sometimes I feel bad about that since I know my kids probably aren't supposed to be watching as much media as I'm providing, but... I'm not going to stop.

*Eloise is rebelling against her naps. This sucks. Majorly. One kid out of three taking naps is surprisingly not a good enough ratio to ensure a good day. Three for three is optimal, but also highly unlikely, but also highly needed and usually the only way I get a nap too. Care to guess how often that happens? Anyone?

*Three kids in one room is doable, but difficult. I know it's doable because I did it as a child, and so did Doug. I also know it's difficult because we are working on the transition from two to three right now. Wish us luck.

*Having three kids is interesting.On one hand, I always know what the day is going to hold (ie feeding, changing, wiping up spit up, getting kids clothed, cleaning, dealing with arguments, more cleaning etc) but I never know how the day is going to combine all those elements. It could either be the perfect storm, or a "normal" day. I'm not really saying that I'm stressing about life, but I'm not saying I'm not either. :)

*Lastly, I love my kids. I love my baby and I'm so glad he is in our family of three kids now. It makes me happy to know we have been blessed so much. It's not easy, but it's worth it.