I remember being swamped in diapers and sippy cups…..
Definitely one of the hardest years….
I’m pretty sure that my standard of living has lowered since having 4 boys. Before I had kids, I remember being disgusted when a little toddler would come up to me with a snotty crusty nose and I would think, “What is wrong with this kids parents? Gross! Why don’t they wipe him up? My kids will NEVER look like that…..” But now, I don’t think there is anything wrong with nose crusties….we never leave the house without them. I also dreamed about dressing my kids in cute little outfits….who has time for that? ….When we walk out the door, as long as no one is naked, we are good to go! I also drive a mini van….but I call it an “M.V.” (it sounds way better-When you tell someone you drive a “mini van” they automatically envision a small bus with a “baby on board” sign in the window). I used to be obsessed with a clean vehicle…but now, when I open the van door a waft of stale McDonalds hits me in the face….and I now find the smell quite refreshing. If we get stranded somewhere….we could live at least 3 days by eating fries off the floor, and if we dug deep enough….I’m sure we could find a few chicken nuggets. Walking through the kitchen with cheerios stuck to my feet…I don’t even notice it anymore. Handprint smudges on the windows…I just look right through them. Being puked or pooped on…doesn’t even faze me.
I never thought that my life would be devoted to mountains of laundry, piles of dishes, endless diapers, and constantly subjected to bodily fluids. I’m telling you, parenthood is a slow fade…..you kind of just slip into survival mode, all the while becoming very laid back. When my son cut a hole in my UGG boot, when he climbed out of his bedroom window at bedtime, when he used Lysol disinfecting wipes to wipe himself while potty training, when he knocked the Christmas tree over within hours of putting it up, when he is running through the neighborhood in just his undies….my thoughts are “figures, why not?, doesn’t surprise me”…..
But the truth is….its the hot summer nights running through the sprinkler with them, laying on a blanket under the trees reading stories to them, gazing at a brilliant sky watching for shooting stars with them, running through the neighborhood playing hide-n-seek with them…..being a mom to these boys brings me so much joy.
