Life with three
The truth is, I haven't been getting much rest since Foops went back to work and plunged right back into his busy work schedule.
New babies are a lot of work and even more so when you have two other young children running amok underfoot demanding for your attention all the time.
So the other day, my mum offered to bring Ryan back to her place for a day.
For the first time in a long time, I slept in (with the baby) till 11am.
Usually, I would be up and running with the older boys at 7am and there would be no rest for the weary till at least 10pm after they are sound asleep in bed at night.
As a mother, I know I shouldn't be saying this... but woah, not having one of them at home just for a day made such a big difference :)
That made me think about the demands of every one of my children at this stage and how different they are.
Topmost on the 'Who tires Mama out the most?' list is... our dear Ryan (2yo).
He is adorable (the 1-3yo age is my favourite actually) but is just so unpredictable at times. He is still very clingy to me and when he is in one of his moods, he gets extremely whiny and expects me to do everything for/with him. I cannot get ANYTHING done when he is at home with me.
At this age, he can also be very difficult to reason with, is constantly testing boundaries and throws epic sprawl-on-the-floor-type of tantrums.
Add toilet training and night terrors to the mix and you know why they call it the Terrible Twos.
Foops and I always joke that we are not going to bring him out till he turns three.
Following closely behind is Sean (4.5yo).
He has been acting up a lot more since the baby arrived.
It also doesn't help that he has been skipping his afternoon nap so he always gets very cranky by evening time and will burst into tears at the slightest provocation. He picks fights with Ryan (he NEVER gives in) and can be very explosive when he thinks he has been slighted.
He also needs a lot of nudging at meal times, getting ready for school, doing his homework, etc.
I think I expect a lot more from him as the eldest sibling (being one myself) so when he is the one kicking up a ruckus or dawdling and wasting everyone's time, I get very frustrated with him.
The good thing is, he is quite independent and he leaves the house for school so that gives me a bit of a few hours of breather everyday ;)
Finally, the easiest of the lot is actually the baby.
Being his only food source (I am too lazy to pump at this stage), I can never be too far away from him but the upside is, he is predictable and easily satiated.
I just need to feed him when he is hungry, bathe/change him when he is dirty and put him down to sleep when he is tired. He does fuss at times but once he is settled, he can sleep for long stretches. Bliss!
It probably comes with experience but he also does seem like an easier baby than the other two were.)
Put three all together and you have a very exhausted mother, that is, ME!
Ah, they drive me crazy sometimes but I love them. I mean, look at how sweet they can be together!
I will get more sleep when they get a bit older (I am hoping when Jordan turns two), right? RIGHT?!
New babies are a lot of work and even more so when you have two other young children running amok underfoot demanding for your attention all the time.
So the other day, my mum offered to bring Ryan back to her place for a day.
For the first time in a long time, I slept in (with the baby) till 11am.
Usually, I would be up and running with the older boys at 7am and there would be no rest for the weary till at least 10pm after they are sound asleep in bed at night.
As a mother, I know I shouldn't be saying this... but woah, not having one of them at home just for a day made such a big difference :)
That made me think about the demands of every one of my children at this stage and how different they are.
Topmost on the 'Who tires Mama out the most?' list is... our dear Ryan (2yo).
He is adorable (the 1-3yo age is my favourite actually) but is just so unpredictable at times. He is still very clingy to me and when he is in one of his moods, he gets extremely whiny and expects me to do everything for/with him. I cannot get ANYTHING done when he is at home with me.
At this age, he can also be very difficult to reason with, is constantly testing boundaries and throws epic sprawl-on-the-floor-type of tantrums.
Add toilet training and night terrors to the mix and you know why they call it the Terrible Twos.
Foops and I always joke that we are not going to bring him out till he turns three.
Following closely behind is Sean (4.5yo).
He has been acting up a lot more since the baby arrived.
It also doesn't help that he has been skipping his afternoon nap so he always gets very cranky by evening time and will burst into tears at the slightest provocation. He picks fights with Ryan (he NEVER gives in) and can be very explosive when he thinks he has been slighted.
He also needs a lot of nudging at meal times, getting ready for school, doing his homework, etc.
I think I expect a lot more from him as the eldest sibling (being one myself) so when he is the one kicking up a ruckus or dawdling and wasting everyone's time, I get very frustrated with him.
The good thing is, he is quite independent and he leaves the house for school so that gives me a bit of a few hours of breather everyday ;)
Finally, the easiest of the lot is actually the baby.
Being his only food source (I am too lazy to pump at this stage), I can never be too far away from him but the upside is, he is predictable and easily satiated.
I just need to feed him when he is hungry, bathe/change him when he is dirty and put him down to sleep when he is tired. He does fuss at times but once he is settled, he can sleep for long stretches. Bliss!
It probably comes with experience but he also does seem like an easier baby than the other two were.)
Put three all together and you have a very exhausted mother, that is, ME!
Ah, they drive me crazy sometimes but I love them. I mean, look at how sweet they can be together!
I will get more sleep when they get a bit older (I am hoping when Jordan turns two), right? RIGHT?!