These days will not last forever

Some days are smooth and some days are choppy.  But this is the beautiful scene I've been waking to over the past couple of weeks (actually it's probably my third waking since midnight).  

Everyone is anxious to say good morning to baby George, get some instruction from mommy and find out if anything exciting has been planned for the day.  We do make plans but don't always get to them.

The kids sometimes get dressed or at least half dressed but it's o.k. if they stay in their jammies all day because sometimes mommy does.

I was chatting with one of my sisters on Ground Hog's day and it slipped out that sometimes the early weeks of caring for a new baby feel a lot like the movie Ground Hog's Day - the same thing over and over on a three hour cycle of feeding, burping, diapering, and trying so hard to get the baby to fall asleep.  I don't think I was having one of those "smooth" days when I said it.  But the thought immediately came to me ..... these days will not last forever and I felt better.

The few days following Ground Hog's Day got even choppier.  Breakfast was left in the kid's hands which meant cereal and milk spilled all over the place and children fighting over who got more or who took the last drop of milk.  James has taken it upon himself to be the breakfast Latin tutor and on one of these mornings things got so chaotic that he crumpled the little study card up in his hand and threw a broom across the room. The root word of the day was "figo" or "fixum" and I think it means fix or attach, either way James was sent out to run laps around the house to fix his temper while the other children helped me fix the messes around the table.

That same day lunch was not ready until 3:00 pm.  I did meal plan and even purchased the food necessary for the plan.  What I did not do was plan how and when the food would be prepared.  At 7:00 pm I had a screaming baby in my arms with the next two little ones clinging to my legs also crying.  I begged the older boys to take over dinner, they made scrambled eggs and sliced bananas.  It was finally quite while they ate so I nursed little George alone on the couch and let myself have a little breakdown, again the words came to me ..... these days will not last forever and again I felt better.

The next day was my birthday and all I requested for my birthday was sleep.  Pictured above was my little birthday party in bed.  Besides allowing an additional hour and a half to sleep in Paul had presented me with a lovely package which just to be funny he wrapped in day old newspaper tied with dental floss.  It was a Flip video camera and Paul immediately started recording. The kids were singing and the video also captured me being smothered in hugs and kisses from all the little arms and wet lips that surrounded me.  Again the thought came to me ..... these days will not last forever  but this time it made me feel kind of sad.

James then commented how hard it was to think of a gift for me as he pulled $18.50 out of his pocket.  He explained how this was all the money I had ever paid him for babysitting, he was giving it back because his gift was one of service to a mom who needed his help.  I could not accept the money but he insisted.  I could barely hold back the tears because more than any amount of money I needed reassurance that I was not failing as a mother and that is exactly what he gave me at that moment.

The day only got better. Paul's parents arrived before noon and surprised me with a perfectly roasted turkey, mash potatoes, baked potatoes, Swedish meatballs, cabbage salad, gluten free muffins and cookies.  They fed the kids lunch and sent me up to bed for even more sleep.  When I finally emerged from my bed I was greeted with piles of clean laundry neatly folded across the kitchen table.  When I said "thank you, thank you" over and over Paul's mom simply replied "I love doing laundry" and that made the gift so much sweeter.

The kids got to enjoy their Nanny and Poppy well into the evening and Paul and I were able to slip out for dinner. Paul had discovered an organic pizza shop in town that specializes in gluten free pizzas and pastas. He took me there and to my delight it actually tasted good! We also found a boba tea shop where I got mochi ice cream in addition to a strawberry yogurt smoothie with the big tapioca balls, both of which should be added to my list of weird cravings.

This was a great day and I suppose the only thing that dampened my spirit was reviewing the Flip videos in HD and realizing that I am starting to look a little middle aged (trying to find an outfit for our date didn't help either - it was back to the maternity pile).  I childishly whined to Paul about it but he was sincere in his reassurance and even pulled out of the trash the Lucky magazine that had randomly been sent to me and asked if I would honestly wish to trade places with any of those women.  I answered with a definite No.

I know my life is far from glamorous, I never wanted a glamorous life.  Instead I have all I could have wished for and more, a life rich in experiences to learn and opportunities to love.  I'll take my "choppy" days and even the worse than choppy days because they make my "smooth" days or even just moments that much sweeter.  In both cases I realize these days will not last forever so that is how I cope and more importantly savor it all.