I have been reminded lately about how having kids puts a serious damper on what you can and can’t do. This is especially true when you have a newborn, and even more so when you are nursing. You can’t just run out to do errands; it has to be a carefully orchestrated event, built around feeding times…naps…poopy diapers…you get the idea.
You also have to shatter your expectations about what you can accomplish during a day, which can be extremely frustrating if you like checking things off a list. I don’t do it anymore as often, but I have been known to fill my to-do list with things I know I will accomplish, like “eat lunch” and “feed baby” just so I feel like I did something.
It is just so different from a pre-baby world, where you can watch a whole America’s Next Top Model marathon in peace, clean the house whenever you want (don’t know why this made my wish list) or go sit out in the sun and read a book.
Then, you throw a couple toddlers into the newborn scenario and it is interesting to see how they respond. Yesterday, Fiona went down for a nap, so I told the other two that we could go play outside for a little while. We were out for about 10 minutes before Fiona started crying. I brought her out for a minute, but she was hungry and it was just too hot out for her, but of course, the kids did not want to go inside…tantrums ensued.
And you know, while tantrums are so not cool, I understand their frustration. I feel like throwing a tantrum on the inside sometimes…when I don’t want to go inside either or I just don’t feel like going through the whole nap routine when I know there is just a slim chance that anyone will actually go to sleep or when I am so tired of hearing “No” or “I want to do it myself” or “Parker did this or that”.
I think that the trick is to approach your circumstances with a long term perspective. In the short term, it may involve sleepless nights, more Disney channel, and less alone time, but in the long term, this time is just a drop in the bucket, and it slips by so quickly.
Easy to forget, but essential to remember…adjust your expectations (and your to-do list), put your “living for self” mentality in time out, and hang on to those precious moments for dear life…because while you can postpone watching a show or reading a book or taking a shower, you can’t recapture tickle time or tent building or baby snuggles…
— Post From My iPhone
