The ebbs and flows of parenthood are constant. Just when you think you have everything figured out, a sleep regression hits; or one of your children gets sick, while the rest of the house is still recovering from the last illness.
From the time you wake up, your mind is working overtime: do we have any appointments today? We’re running out of clothes, I need to put a load of laundry on. Why is there a random shoe in the bath tub? Do we have enough milk? What time is it? Is that chocolate or poop on the wall?
As a parent, your needs are often put on the back burner. I am usually awake for over an hour before I am able to eat breakfast. And when I do, I am interrupted about ten times. I am lucky if I am able to sit down to eat; if I were to film myself, it would show me running around consoling little ones, answering questions, and being a mediator, while stopping here and there to shovel another spoonful of cereal into my mouth.
As a parent of a toddler and baby, I am a human jungle gym. They climb on me, get annoyed when I am holding the other one, and demand to be picked up too. They wipe food, dirt, boogers, and any questionable substance they can find on my clothes, and they somehow always manage to drop something on my feet, step on my feet, or run over my feet with their toys.
But within the endless chaos and overwhelming list of to-do’s, are the best moments of my life. The “I love you’s”, the hugs, the cuddles, the excitement, the giggles, and getting to experience childhood through their eyes.
Most days I walk over 20,000 steps. Console both kids a handful of times; wipe away tears; play; go for a walk; cook an absurd amount; restart a load of laundry that’s been sitting in the washer for two days; book appointments; clean, clean, CLEAN! And, occasionally sit down for five minutes. But within the busyness of everyday life, I find myself looking at the kids saying “these are the best times of my life, they won’t last forever, and I wouldn’t trade this for anything in the world.”
