My mom left Monday after spending 10 days here. It was beyond fabulous to have her here, especially considering she arrived with a huge cooler packed with pre-cooked meals (chicken, turkey, spare ribs, etc.) for us. Dinnertime in my house is far from the twins' finest hour of the day and apparently she look pity on us, given that our meals mainly consist of leftovers from my aunt's weekly Sunday dinner and cold cereal.
Later in the week, my mom and I took her to lunch, and then we stopped to feed the ducks.
We went on a picnic at the local park, and we brought the twins along this time.
My mom wanted to buy Isabella some new books, so the three of us spent some time in Barnes & Noble. This was one of our finds. Very cute, and a great message for girls.
This is the "sandbox," which is filled with these awesome "stones" that I'm going to try and find online so I can fill a baby pool with them.
There's always time to stop and churn some butter!
Isabella is really interested in the Berenstein Bears books lately.
And of course, no trip to the museum would be complete without a ride on the carousel.
She spent seven weeks here after the twins were born, and while having her here for that length of time wasn't a 24/7 walk in the land of milk and honey, she cooked, she cleaned, and she took care of me so I could better care for Luci and Nicholas. I am very lucky.
This time around I was able to get out of the house quite a bit, something I'm still not able to do as often as I would like given nap schedules and the twins' sometimes-cranky personalities. What was especially nice is that I went out a lot with just Isabella. Spending one-on-one (or two-on-one if my mom or the hubs went with us) is really important to me, and to her.
The hubs and I took Isabella to Bounce It Out. She had a blast on the inflatables. Then we took her out to lunch, a rare treat for her and for us.
The hubs and I took Isabella to Bounce It Out. She had a blast on the inflatables. Then we took her out to lunch, a rare treat for her and for us.
Later in the week, my mom and I took her to lunch, and then we stopped to feed the ducks.We went on a picnic at the local park, and we brought the twins along this time.
My mom wanted to buy Isabella some new books, so the three of us spent some time in Barnes & Noble. This was one of our finds. Very cute, and a great message for girls.
And we capped off the week with a visit to the Strong National Museum of Play, possibly Isabella's favorite place on Earth.
This is the "sandbox," which is filled with these awesome "stones" that I'm going to try and find online so I can fill a baby pool with them.
There's always time to stop and churn some butter!Isabella is really interested in the Berenstein Bears books lately. And of course, no trip to the museum would be complete without a ride on the carousel.Given that I am perpetually unsatisfied, the ten days of having my mom here did little to rejuvenate me. Instead, my taste of freedom left me wanting more: more help, more freedom, and more time away from my house with its perpetual noise and never-ending responsibilities. With three children, having an extra adult here to provide a 3:3 kid-to-adult ratio is a huge help, but even with help, I still had to change diapers, make meals, serve meals, nurse, dress, bathe, and entertain at least one kid at all times. And given my mother's penchant for spending time with Isabella (and only Isabella), I was often the one caring for the twins, while she watched the easiest of my bunch.
One of these days (and I hope it's soon) I will learn how to roll (and roll easily) with three kids in tow. And I also need to find someone (any volunteers?) to watch my kids a few times a week for an hour or two just so I can escape somewhere without them and recharge my dwindling supply of patience.
And I know this will make me a much happier mommy.
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Thanks for all the great questions! Stay tuned for answers coming soon.
"perpetually unsatisfied"
Yes.
Story of my life.
That line made me life, "perpetually unsatisfied," possibly because it is so true.
You absolutely need alone time. I really could not make it through without my two kid-free days each week.
Would your family do it?
Madelyn has that exact same shirt from OldNavy as Isabella. :)
All I can say is.....I would feel the same way, and have. From the persepctive of a grandmother, the time passes quickly, and soon they will be more independent, BUT, when I was where you are (2 17 months apart and a brother the same age as my oldest), I fought depression everyday and thought I would smother for lack of making a decision about time just for me. So nice your mother came to give you a bit of a break. Just the same, I hear you in your need for time alone.
Those are wonderful pictures. It looks like you had some great times. I hope you can find someone to take the kids for a few hours a week. I bet it would help a lot.
I had to laugh, people always wondered why we never had help when our babies were born, it was for the exact reason you stated--my mom would have gladly come to help, scooped up the baby away from me, and not helped at all with the older kids who needed attention or the cooking or cleaning. No thanks.
At least you're seeing little glimpses of what life may someday be like. I hope it gets easier soon. Thanks for the tip on the book.
Sasha-the only family members I have that are around during the day are 79 and 80 years old. I cannot leave them alone with 3 small kids. When they do come over to help out, I'm always here handling the twins while they play with Isabella.
I understand about the little taste of freedom leaving you wanting more. But I'm glad you did get some solo Isabella time. And the pictures are great!
It was wonderful that your mom came to help out and spend time with your family. And nice that you could have some one-on-one time with Isabella. I agree that it does leave you wanting more. Hopefully soon you will be able to have a routine "day-off".