Another comment that use to drive me crazy was when people would say, "You're pregnant with your third?! Oh you're going to be busy" or "You're going to have your hands full!" Yes, yes I'm going to be busy, yes I'm going to have my hands full but I already have two little boys!!! I'm already busy! My hands are already full! I didn't decide to have three kids because I thought it was going to be easy. I had three kids because I wanted to be a mother to three kids. I wanted that challenge of motherhood! Raising three kids is hard work and I don't foresee it getting any easier but raising children is one of life's most precious gifts! I love having three babies! And I am happy to say I am more than content with 3. In fact I feel very blessed to have 3 beautiful, healthy and happy children.
So how is life with 3 children?
Life with 3 is just like life with 2-hectic and crazy at times mixed in with a lot of "I love these moments!" Those crazy moments will never go away. I had moments like that with 2 children and moments like that with 1 child. I can honestly say that the transition from 2 to 3 has been the best and probably the easiest. By the time the third one comes you've already learned so much. My hardest transition was from 0 to 1. I had no idea what it was like to have a baby. I had no idea about sleep deprivation. I had no idea how much a baby slowed you down. Leaving the house wasn't as simple as getting in the car and going. Leaving the house involved packing a diaper bag, getting 2 of us dressed and ready and making sure Lincoln was fed and changed. Having my first baby was life changing and an eye opening experience. By the time I made it to the car it seemed as if it was time to feed Lincoln all over again.
And then came Nate. And I learned how to juggle life with 2 babies. I learned how to deal with a tantruming toddler while dealing with a newborn (praise God Nate was such a content baby). By then I was already use to carrying around a diaper bag, I was already use to loading up one child into the car so what was another and I already knew what to expect with having a newborn.
And then came London. It's a balancing act at times. But I know what to expect (most of the time). There is always that learning curve with welcoming a new baby into the family. There's that transition period where everyone is getting settled in and adjusting. And at this point we are just trying to find our new groove and it will come with time.
When I had Nate I remember thinking "wow it was so much easier leaving the house with just 1 kid then with two kids" and then you find your groove and leaving the house with 2 kids just becomes the new norm. That's life. And now we have 3 and yes it was easier leaving the house with 2 kids and adding another one makes it abit harder but I just need to find my groove. I am just waiting for time to pass and I know soon enough loading up 3 kids into the car will become our new "norm". It takes some work and it takes some patience. Actually it takes alot of patience. But I just do it. And that's all you can do. You.just.do.it. You adapt and adjust. I always said that having kids would never stop me from living life (or leaving the house). We do stuff together as a family. And yes having kids obviously slows me down. That inevitable. There are 5 of us that need to get dressed and ready so of course life gets slowed downed when you have kids.
Having three kids is alot more work but I've learned so much along the way that I feel I'm better equipped to deal with life's challenges (most of the time). I know all kids are different but I'm more aware of what to expect with a 2 year old because I've already dealt with one (oh sweet Nathan you have your moments).
One of my challenges with 3 kids is that I only have 2 hands. It's hard when I'm with all 3 kids and we are in a parking lot or crossing the road. I have a hand to push London in the stroller and another hand to hold Nate's. That leaves out Lincoln. And I almost feel like because he's the oldest I'm sacrificing him to the dangers of a parking lot (ahhh if only I had another hand:-). I've taught him the dangers of parking lots and crossing the road and he does such a good job of holding onto the stroller or holding onto Nate's hand but I feel guilty at times that I don't always have a hand for him.
Yes life with 3 is more busy but I still have time to clean! Nope I don't have a house cleaner. And I can happily say that my house is cleaner now then it was when it was just Kevin and I. If I walk by a bathroom and I have a few minutes I scrub the toilets. I wipe the counter. I change the garbage and do a quick wipe of the floors. I do what quickly needs to be done. If I have 15 minutes then I need to make the most out of those minutes. I just getter' done because I know the house isn't going to clean itself. And it helps having a 3 year old:-) Lincoln is now in charge of cleaning his room and the play room (ah the joys of child labor:-) Life with 3 is all about multi-tasking, and "killing 2 birds with one stone." I read the kids their bed time story while I feed London. I exercise while I watch my pvr'd shows. There just isn't enough time in a day to not muti-task. And when it comes to laundry-I do it then put it away (I make it a priority) cause Lord knows if I don't the clothes would sit in the dryer and I'd keep hitting the "refresh" button:-) I've been guilty of that a time or two! And as I've mentioned before-I don't put my vacuum cleaner away (only for special occasions). I save time by having it handy-there is ALWAYS something to vacuum:-)
Life is a balancing act no matter how many children you have. And one important aspect of my life is time with my husband. I remember having Lincoln and missing Kevin even though he was home with us. I missed that quality time. This time around I feel like I've/we've made that time. Sometimes our lives gets so centered around our children that we've forgotten/don't make time for each other. London's my third baby...I've learned the importance of a schedule and an early bedtime. The earlier the kids go to bed the more time I get to spend with Kevin. And I think he's a pretty great guy so I kinda like hanging out with him:-)
And even though life can be hectic sometimes I wouldn't change a thing. I love having three babies and one of the best things about a having a third?...I get to love one more child:-) That's one more baby that brings joy to my life. I think three is our magic number:-) And I'm living my dream...being a mom, and a wife. Really...life couldn't get any better (well maybe it could with a little less whining and a little less fighting) but either than that life with 3 babies is great! I highly recommend having 3:-)
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