There have been moments of great excitement and moments of great frustrations, moments of laughter and moments of tears, bouts of anger and illness but through it all we all survived the first year. In that first year we added Paige to the family, Quinn started Preschool and dance, Emily started talking, Emily is potty training, Paige started crawling and has become a bottomless pit, and I started to learn that my children may be the most stubborn, bull headed, opinionated, dramatic,loving little people there are in the world.
A look back at the highlights
Quinn: the Drama Queen*Cut her own hair: "because I needed a short cut and you weren't doing it!"
*Uses and understands Moods: "I was grumpy so I wasn't going to smile since you didn't take me for a walk" "I'm going to be mad b/c Emily is touching me and I don't like when she touches me ! (Emily smiling mischievously)" "STOP LOOKING AT ME, I don't like that, now I'm going to pout"
*Is TERRIFIED of bugs to the point she won't walk across the drive way after the rains due to all the worms.
*Learned to ride a bike
*Learned to Swim
*LOVES to shop
*Will run down the hall and throw herself on the bed (in a very Disney princess fashion) and cry because something didn't go her way
*Is tenderhearted: will burst into tears every time you remotely raise your voice at or in her general direction
*Favorite Phrases: "but I want to listen, I want to earn my star back!"
Emily: The carefree spirit*Learned to talk
*Loves to swing and will spend HOURS on the swing set
*Loves birds - unless they land in the yard and then she has to chase them - Outside and she keeps disappearing from my line of sight, I finally ask her what she is doing "I chasing birds mom!" Well of course she is, I guess we won't need a dog anytime soon.
*Has an extremely quick temper
*Is the instigator of most of Quinn's dramatic outbursts and Paige's screams of Terror
*Can climb out of her crib - but is smart enough to only do it when the bean bag is there for her to jump on
* favorite phrase: "What do in the morning"
Paige: My sunshine
* Usually a very happy baby (unless there is no food on her plate)
* the least picky eater and a bottomless pit
* Started crawling 4/2/2017
* giggles at her sisters ALOT
* Mommy's girl - but gets REALLY excited when Daddy comes home
* refuses to sleep through the night if Mommy is home!
Overall the last year has been good, an adjustment, but good and as much as the kids have grown and changed, I have done even more changing and discovering about myself.
In that year I've learned that it is okay to need time to yourself. It took me a year but I know that if I get up before the kids, eat breakfast and spend 30 min just to myself, I have a much better day.
I have learned that having organized activities helps move our day along more smoothly. And being flexible. in the beginning I had a very strict schedule and would get anxious when it didn't go exactly as planned. Then Paige was born and all schedules went out the window and it was survival mode. Now I just plan activities and we move from one activity to another and if we don't get to them all that is okay.
I have learned that it is important to have a network of friends - and this has been the biggest adjustment because most of my friends work so getting out during the day is hard and sometimes results in very long days because my Adult interaction is so limited. Due to that I have to take advantage of the evenings and regardless of how much I should do I need to just make time to go for that walk, go play volleyball, or go to a movie. Admittedly I'm better about some than others, as how much time I spend on an activity is dictated in part by what time Craig gets home and what time the kids go to bed.
I have learned that it is ok to Leave your kids and have date nights - Ok I've always known this and I enjoy these nights - sometimes convincing Craig who works all week and has an endless TO Do list around the house (mostly his, not mine) is another matter; that and finding babysitters is challenging, but on the nights we do get out of the house it is so wonderful. I'm also coming to love giving up my whole chair and snuggling while we unwind with a good TV show at night as a substitute to going out.
I've learned that sometimes you have to put you and your spouses needs ahead of your kids, because if you and/or your spouse fall apart, that isn't good for the kids either.
I have learned that less is more - I don't need a bigger house, I need less stuff in my house. The kids don't need more toys, they need a few toys that will foster their imagination, and a rotation of what is upstairs. That realization has now taken hold it has been a whole other journey to begin the process of purging and re- decorating.
I have learned that cleaning, while necessary in life, is highly overrated and nearly impossible to keep up with while children are awake... so if you show up at my house, leave your judgement pants at home - it is going to be a disaster... and no I'm not OK with that, but I'm SLOWLY coming to terms with the fact that I'll miss the mess at some point, but for now it drives me nuts!
The theme around my learnings, is take to care of yourself and your spouse, make friends and foster those friendships outside of children, because when the children get their own life, you'll need one too and it is harder to build one at 60 than it is at 30.
<3 Jacque
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