Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Life after the third pregnancy.

Jeez okay.. even though Ella is only 7 weeks I've made some huge realizations.. okay so maybe some of these I already figured out with just two kids LOL

Even with one child, women have to juggle relationships, work, domestic chores and motherhood, and hardly anyone would say they've got the balance right. So with three young children, it's even easier to feel you're letting someone down.
We've all heard the "TV before a certain age is bad... kids shouldn't watch tv . You may be tempted to let your toddlers watch TV when you're breastfeeding the baby - so what? Yes, they shouldn't watch too much, but some TV is not bad. My kids right now LOVE Caillou and Team Umizoomi. My almost five year old loves Dinosaur cartoons and Power Rangers (yes he even imitates them).  I don't believe it will cause him to be a bully in school.
The laundry will always be there, but your children won't always be young.  
Unless your supermom (I am NOT) You wont be able to keep a spotless house. My house always has toys all over. I focus on keeping food crumbs up and counters clean. 
Unless you’ve got a nanny, a housekeeper, a driver, and a cook, it’s hard to manage a home and family with a smile on your face. But, it’s worth trying. Because nobody wants a crabby mom. I've been that crabby mom more than I wish to admit.
When you have your third baby, you have a pre-schooler and a toddler both claiming they are the center of the universe. Loudly! You read celebrity magazines at the checkout hoping to be inspired for another name.  When you start considering Wednesday Apple, you realize you are seriously scraping the bottom of the barrel.
The video camera you used for the first two is now ridiculously outdated, and you film footage of the new baby with her older sisters on your Smart Phone to be instantly uploaded to friends and family across the globe.  
 Breast-feeding is still hard, and you still get bleeding nipples and mastitis, but you fast-track through the dramas and just get on with it.  You are able to breast feed or express while peeling a banana for the toddler and changing the batteries in a toy for your pre-schooler.  All at the same time.
When people ask you how you are, you answer honestly. I'm here.  It's life. Life isn’t perfect.  Your kids are driving me crazy. The kids are crazy ..and so am I .  You don't have a clue what is happening in the world, you don’t wear the latest styles (or any style, for that matter) and your car is full of dirt and toys and empty wrappers.
Ryan's oldest is coming to live with us this year and when I tell everyone they always gasp, "4 kids oh my goodness" or "Bless your heart". Going from two to three was a bit overwhelming ,but I'm looking forward to going from 3-4. The kids love Austin and I KNOW him being there will actually make things with them a bit easier:) He's older so he will be a great help:)