Story by: Megan Gardner on March 31, 2016
As you probably know by now, I have two children: my kind, silly, dramatic and oh so rambunctious Jude, age 6; and my precious, affectionate, sassy and bossypants of a girl, Bryce, age 3. My husband and I work full-time; our kids go to two different schools and are into their own extracurricular activities (that is, if you count Bryce rolling around on the floor at soccer practice for 45 minutes an “activity”).
I try really hard to be focused and present during the sacred time we all have together during a busy school/work week, but even some days I find myself counting down the minutes to bedtime. And weekends seem to be packed with just catching up — catching up on cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, errands and, of course, fun.
All of this has been rolling over and over in my mind as I try to figure out how we will manage three little lives. I’ve been worried about being able to stretch myself, energy and time even more, and then my sister sent me this with the message, “It will be easy!” I find myself reading this often, and even though it is geared toward the third-time mom, there are so many nuggets of truth for first-time moms.
1. It will pass. The beginning with a newborn is hard. Learning to breastfeed. Dealing with exhaustion (that doesn’t entirely pass, but it gets better). The days that go by in a second yet you haven’t accomplished anything because your newborn takes up all of your time. And the constant mess of a home that you can’t get to picking up. But one day, you will look back on those newborn days and realize you survived, thrived and maybe even loved every crazy moment of it.
2. Getting anything done makes you a rock star. Regardless of whether you have one or 10 kids, if you can get one thing accomplished, you feel like you just climbed Mt. Everest. For a first-time mom, if you get one load of laundry done in a week, you are kicking butt. For a third-time mom, I am going to consider it a success to get everyone out the door and into the car. We don’t have to go anywhere, just drive around the neighborhood. But if I get all three kids dressed and inside our car with the seatbelts on, I am writing a book on how to accomplish such a feat.
3. Your older kids will help you! This only pertains to second- or third-time moms, but I am looking forward to this. I definitely am planning on Jude and Bryce being my big helpers. For the most part, they entertain each other with minimal injuries, they can dress themselves (Bryce generally puts her pants on backward, but they’re on!) and they are so stinking excited about having another baby that I just have to think they are going to want to be a huge help. I envision Bryce getting me anything I ask for because she will be so excited to “help,” and Jude will be fabulous at entertaining and keeping an eye on the baby so I can use the restroom in peace.
And then there is my own mantra I tell myself often: You are not alone. There are millions of busy working moms out there who do this every day with three kids. If they can do it, I can do it!
Select an appointment date and time from available spots listed below.