Laundry, Littles, & Lost Time

What happens when a family of 3 becomes a family of 4?  I’m so glad you asked!  Mass chaos and utter destruction, that’s what!  While we were planning the arrival of our second child, it never occurred to me that it would change our lifestyle very much in the beginning.  I figured what’s the big deal?  There are two of us and two of them and for months all he will do is eat, sleep, and poop, right?  WRONG!  My house was a well oiled machine before Blaine.  My husband got home from work two hours before I got home with Olivia and so he would have the house clean, some laundry done, and dinner on the table when we walked in.  We then went through our evening ritual and after Olivia is in bed we would sit down and discuss our days and spend time together.  Imagine my surprise when this trend wasn’t exactly the same once we had Blaine. 

Before Blaine came around the house was always clean, a nice dinner was always made and on the table at a reasonable hour, laundry was always done and where it should be, all bedding was washed every week, and there was always time to play with Olivia.  Now everyday when I come home (at what feels later than normal) it’s a race to get dinner made, Olivia into a bath and to bed at a reasonable hour, spend something that resembles quality time with each child, and to keep Blaine fed and happy.  The last one is especially tricky because he will go from happy and cooing to pissed off and starving to death in 0.5 seconds.  He never wants to eat at a consistent time so it’s a guessing game and it usually occurs when you are in the middle of the previously mentioned activities.  He truly has a knack for this level of inconvenience.  For example, if you are starving because you missed lunch he will most certainly begin his descent into starvation right as you sit down to the table.  Similarly, if Olivia is getting a bath and being difficult about it and wanting me to do everything for her, this is when the bottle will call.  When I am finished with the nights activities and both kids are finally in bed I will look around at my house which is no longer ever clean, as well as the piles of laundry, the floor that desperately needs a vacuum, and my loving husband whom I miss terribly… and we choose sleep--sleep which is ever illusive and always interrupted by more starvation. 

I find myself laying in bed at night holding my husband’s hand and missing my kids.  I miss having endless time making Blaine laugh.  I miss long conversations with Olivia about something silly and nonsensical.  I miss my children and there just aren’t enough hours in the day… until the weekend.  Even on the weekends, there just aren’t enough of those days either.  So I find myself waiting for the weekends for life to resume at a normal pace.  Perhaps we just haven’t found our footing yet?