2. Esme is obsessed with saying Spaghetti Bolognese. To all my Yanks- simply saying spaghetti over here just won't do. You have to say spaghetti bolognese. She doesn't say it quite right and it cracks me up.
3. Wren doesn't cry all that often but when she does it is rarely a real cry. She likes to let out a few "WAHs!" to get your attention and then, once you give her what she wants, gives you one more "WAH" to let you know she meant business. It makes me smile.
4. I totally underestimated this dude.
He is such an amazing big brother. He wants to help and likes to kiss, hold and rub his baby. I thought he would be a nightmare...but he is a dream.
I have to say, without boasting, that I have taken to this three kids thing pretty well. Yes, a lot of my parenting principles have been buried and are lying dormant somewhere covered in spaghetti sauce and rolled in corn flake crumbs...but, I am coping and that is what counts. At least in my opinion. Do the kids often eat in front of the TV? Yes. Does Noah still have a dummy (aka binky) at bed time? Yes. Parenting has humbled me and a lot of the things that used to make me roll my eyes and tut (TV for toddlers, binks after 1 year, etc.) have taken root in my household. I am ok with it. I am still working on my quick judgments but I am a lot better than I used to be and I have decided to allow myself to deviate from my idea of perfection in return for sanity and a happy family.
Maybe I am coping well because I am ok with the fact that my house isn't always (Ok, isn't USUALLY) tidy. I am ok with the fact that my car seats have crumbs and my TV screen has fingerprints. I am almost ok that there is a princess puzzle with one rogue piece missing. I am ok with the fact that I don't get my daily shower anymore. I am ok with the fact that I am not perfect. I am ok.
My kids finally have a routine that works for us but I don't stress about it. If we are running late and our plans go out the window, I am fine. I am constantly told how lucky I am that the baby sleeps through the night and that I am able to get out and about with matching shoes and a touch of makeup. How do I do it? I don't stress. I have never been an organized person and I never will be. Maybe I am too relaxed. Maybe I should be more of a task master- more of a neat freak, more worried. But right now I am ok. I am going to soak up the restful nights and the wrinkles in Wren's forehead and I am going to forgo sweeping the floor for the third time in order to go in the back yard and watch my son push toy cars down the slide. I am going to enjoy bath times that run later than intended so that daddy can have time with the kids before bed. I am going to let Esme saunter into my bed at 5:30 in the morning because she wants to cuddle. I am going to squeeze all five of us in a bed at 6 am so that I can nurse while "sleeping" at the end of the bed, curled in a ball so that Noah, Esme and Stephen can have more room. I am just going to BE. Live in the moment and try not to worry about my imperfections as a parent. My kids are happy and healthy and if that is anything to go by...I must be doing something right.
I am also going to embrace the fact that I am becoming a bit of a hippy. I feel good about it and I don't care what others think. I am going to squirt breast milk in my kids' eyes instead of going to the doc for a pink eye prescription. I am going to continue to work toward being a vegan. I am going to read labels and warn everyone I know about GMOs. I am going to question vaccinations and medicine and food. I am going to avoid palm oil. I am just going to be me and if people think I am a dippy hippy so be it.
In other news:
Wren laughed for the first time last night (May 2). She let a tiny giggle out a few days ago but this was her first proper laugh. She has the best full face smile. I say full face because it isn't just her mouth- her whole face smiles.
We are potty training. Call me crazy but Noah is ready and he has been ready. He is a champ. At home with out a nappy he will usually make it to his potty in time. Today was our first day out without a nappy (after only one day official potty training) and he wet himself twice in 5 hours. He also went on the potty every time I took him. That is part of the reason I know he is ready- he has great bladder control. He just needs to get hang of the fact that he needs to tell me when he wants to go. We can do this!
5. I am such a lucky mama.
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