One to Three

When I had one child I was over whelmed. The screaming, the constant demands, the screaming. Oh my the screaming. Darius likes to remind me often that he was my first baby, a badge of honor he wears with pride. His status as first born almost earned him the "Only Child" badge as well, but after much thought, prayer, and negotiations we agreed to have a second. Both my Hottie Husband and I knew that if we had another screamer we were done at two. My sanity barely scraped through with Darius, and well, we weren't too sure that either of us could handle a repeat of the screaming we had already endured. 

Low and behold, Eli was a golden baby who slept through the night after six weeks, crying really wasn't his thing, and he napped without having to be pushed in a stroller. Eli restored my faith in myself. I believed I could do this motherhood thing again, and when we started thinking about having another baby I was fully on board - in fact I was down right excited! 

Audrey is now three months old, closing in on four months if I'm being honest with myself. Having three kiddos is far different than having one, not only in a logistics way, but in a mentality. Logistically I'm out numbered, often pulled in three directions, and have three very different children all with different needs to be met. My attitude as a mother has changed from rigid to more flexible, and go with the flow. We still have a schedule, but I no longer feel like a bad mother when I don't get the kids into bed right at 7pm. We still eat healthy foods, but I no longer cringe if the boys have the infrequent hot dog. We still have toilets, but I no longer worry when my boys pee on the rocks outside instead. Somewhere along the way, my kids have taught me to enjoy the moment instead of thinking of how it could be better. They've taught me to slow down, enjoy the sun on my skin and the smiles looking up at me. Somehow, my kids have taught me that being out numbered is a wonderful feeling. 

Today was a busy go go go day of cleaning, van shopping [yes, you read that right, VAN shopping]and cousins arriving for a weekend of playing. I've been up since before 4:30 when Eli decided it was time to get up. Scrubbing toilets, stripping beds, vacuuming, all with a baby in tow and little men helpers. All five of us test drove and looked at vans at the dealership. And now, with three sleeping kiddos and myself headed that direction I'm looking forward to seeing three big smiles looking at their cousins across the breakfast table, scrabbling about the beach all day, and running wild in the summer sun. 

Life is definitely busier with three kids [especially with cousins in the mix:) ] but I can't imagine life any other way.