Thoughts on 3

On March 5, 2014, I became a mother of three.

The transition from two to three children has gone much better then I had expected. 

My two older children have adjusted relatively well to this new little person that has invaded their world. W generally ignores him, unless G is crying, then he covers his ears and says "I don't like that sound". Initially, I was concerned that E, my three year old, would be jealous of her new brother and would turn into a maniac. Thankfully, she has seems to love him and takes her role as Big Sister very seriously. She likes to tell him to burp and then when he does, she takes the credit.

The key I have found to maintaining some sense of sanity is to plan ahead. For the older two, I lay out their clothes for school the night before, make lunches, and consult the calendar as to what to expect for the next day. G is a great baby but becomes an angry, screaming monster about 15 minutes before he's supposed to eat. Thankfully, my amazing husband measures out all the bottles for the day so I don't have to fool around with making bottles while holding a screaming infant.

In our house, everyone "rests" in the afternoon. There might not be actual sleeping going on but that two or so hours gives me a chance to recharge or even get a little shut eye. E will probably be a rebellious teenager before I give up on rest time.

Surprisingly enough, I've learned that my children behave better when we're in public and it's easier to contain the insanity when we're out and about in the world. Playgrounds are the greatest things EVER. Playgrounds that are shaded are even better. The older two can run around and burn off the energy while I hang out with G. I pack a picnic lunch and BAM an entire day of relatively stress free fun.

Even though there are some stressful moments, I'm trying hard to savor the good ones. The late night baby snuggles, rocking with E and G on my lap, and singing with W before bedtime. Before I know it my three babies won't be babies anymore. Then I'll be forced to come up with another witty title for my blog.