I thought I could, but I can't...

I woke up this morning by horrible screams coming from my daughter’s bedroom. As I waddled down the hall as fast as I could, I discovered that my daughter was in the thick of a very bad nightmare. As I tired to console her, she just kept shaking her head saying “No, no” when suddenly her eyes fluttered open and she looked up widely at me a said “I want pancakes”! So at 6:30am we were off. Once her belly was full and she was snuggled in nicely on the family room couch, I attempted to something I have never done while she has been awake. I was going to take a shower. Some may think this is strange, that at 2 1/2 years into the game I have never taken a shower while she has been up. Yes, it may seem odd. I get up before she does and prepare for the day. You have to understand that my daughter loves to have fun…or as some may say get into trouble when my back is turned. This is the girl, who scales the staircase, dangles from the chandelier & pretends she is surfing off the back of the reclining chair. So yes, I typically don’t take my eyes off of her for very long. As I tuned the TV to Sesame Street, I was in awe that she suddenly went into a trance like state. It was a bittersweet moment. All this time I had limited her TV viewing because I didn’t want her to become a couch potato, but yet at the same time I wanted just 15 minutes of “me time”. Could this be…that she actually would get sucked into the horrible TV and just sit and watch? As I let out a sigh of relief, I asked if she wanted to lie in my bed while I shower. She looked up at me, rolled her eyes and with the flick of her little hand said “mommy, go already”. So I hoped in the shower and within less them 4 minutes, her head pops into the shower and states, that she needed to give Chi Chi, her battery operated toy puppy a bath. I knew this would not be good. Just as fast as the shower began, it was coming to a quick end. Full of soap and bubbles I hoped out, to find the tub getting filled with hot water and Chi Chi half submerged in the water. As I looked around the bathroom, I discovered that every towel was now on the floor, because she was cleaning, and the bag of cotton balls were thrown everywhere. Apparently her & Chi Chi had a “snowball fight” and she was hiding in the laundry basket. So what it comes down to, is that I thought I could but I just can’t…. leave her alone yet!

How to Prepare for Baby 2 & 3?

So many people keep asking me what are my plans once the twins arrive? I think it is really hard to come up with a plan, because I just don’t know. Do I go from having a part time babysitter to a full time nanny? Do I get a housekeeper to come once a week? Do I send my 2-1/2year old to preschool? Or do I just go crazy? I have struggled with all these thoughts, plus what the added expense means to my family and me. I struggle with the thoughts of having a stranger in my house, and ultimately feel uncomfortable with the invasiveness of it all. I realize that I am resistant to help and like things just the way they are. So like everything, I just have to play it day by day.

Even though I am not sure how I will manage day to day life once the boys arrive. I know I must prepare. And prepare is what I’ve done.

Here are a few things I have done to prepare for Baby A & Baby B:

1. Figure out how to order my groceries online & have them delivered. One less errand to run!
2. Make a ton of meals and freeze them, so on those crazy days it will be one less thing to think about.
3. Work the neighborhood and meet the local teenagers who can possibly baby-sit on a whim’s notice.
4. Join an online mom group. So I can log in on those days where I just can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.
5. Make my daughter feel special everyday. So when the boys are born her little world is not rocked too much!
6. Have small wrapped gifts (the dollar bin at Target is fantastic) for my daughter, for those days when she just a little something extra to keep her occupied.
7. Play “laundry” with my daughter. A great learning tool and gets a project done. I mean how many 2-1/2 years olds can sort darks from light! Maybe when the boys arrive, she’ll still be able to sort while I am holding a tyke or two. I know that’s nuts…but why not dream?

I know I may not be in reality yet. I know things will change dramatically and at times be incredibly overwhelming, but I figure if I plan for the worst, it can only get better, right?