A Season of Sweetness

Your first child is born and you are so busy making sure you buy the perfect...EVERYTHING.  You read all the books, you try to get your child on a good schedule, and when they deviate from that said schedule you refer back to the books for advice.  You talk to other moms about what you are doing, deep down comparing yourself to them while keeping your nose in the air as if everything is going "Great."  You honestly probably drive yourself a little nuts!  Or at least I did.  From the perfect 3 hour eat, wake, sleep cycle to the homemade, whole grain baby cereal/food, to the cloth diapers, to even the talks of future homeschooling......something had to give!!!!  In the words of Alicia Silverstone...."As if!!!"

Then you have your second.  And you get real!  Books are great for "tips."  A perfect schedule makes room for flexibility!  You make some baby food more so because it saves money rather than looking into the health reasons (but yet feeling good about yourself because it is actually healthier).  You laugh with other moms about your daily "bad mommy moments."  You learn to loosen the reins a little and pray a lot more often!  And the second child has to go with the flow because let's face it....with the way you treated that first child, he/she clearly has their wants/needs/schedule in check and is expecting things to stay that way!

And then their is your third child.  I'll admit....I'm still new to this category.  I always hear that it is harder to go from one to two than it is when you start adding more.  So far, I can completely agree with this statement.  Life was already full, already crazy, already a little stressful at times before Elise came into this family.  She did not add to any of this....unfortunately for her sake...she ENTERED into this.  But what she has brought with her has been nothing but pure joy. Her laugh and smile lights up a room.  She brings the calm and tender moments into my day.  She makes the boys fall on the floor laughing.  And she melts daddy's heart when she grabs at his face.  I truly look at her and can't imagine what our lives would have been like if we had never been given this beautiful gift! I feel like the third child has brought us into a season of "sweetness"....just enjoying the moments.  Hugging a little tighter.  Rocking a little longer.  So what if she falls asleep with me in bed or sleeps a few nights in the swing, right?  The house stays a little messier, the laundry a little higher, and I'm probably getting less sleep than ever.....but the love in this home and family has never been stronger.  
PURE "Sweetness!"