karaspeak

So here it is...after two weeks of newborn bliss, filled with date nights(which most people don't get sometimes even the whole first year their baby is alive!) and six extra sets of hands, which I am so grateful for, my parents have left to go back home, Nathan is set to return to work after having two weeks off, and I am faced with the prospect of managing this new life alone.  Did I already say it would be six - yes, SIX, hands short of what I've had the past two weeks. That means the only hands are my two seemingly incapable hands for an entire week. Aiden doesn't have school this week due to Spring Break, so that means five full days of two tots under two and it's up to me to figure out what to do with them. This prospect is frighteningly scary and makes me utterly sick to my stomach.

So, my brilliant hubby thought of an amazing plan. Since I'm not working, he suggested I just go and spend the week at my parents' house and have at least part time help (since they get off work much earlier than he does and would be available in the morning, too). It would allow him to not have to feel pressured to come home early, and would give me a week in training...it was a training wheels kind of week. Although I was unsure about how it would all work out, I headed out first thing Monday morning with my little chicka in tow to see what this week would hold.

While there were moments of craziness, the week went altogether quite smoothly considering the circumstances. We got to go to the park at least three days and I was able to run - even some on my own! We had some great dinners at Panera with good conversation and lots of laughs. I managed to handle even some terribly stressful situations - teagan was crying, aiden set off the carbon monoxide detector, which proceeded to scream loudly at all of us and didn't stop when unplugged, causing Aiden to cry...so here I am with two kids crying, alarm going off, on the phone with my mom trying to get a breath to figure out how to get it all to stop...and it was in that moment I wondered how many moments would be just like this in the months and years to come. And, of course, I just had to laugh and think about how this would look to me not only five days from now, but five years from now...and how far I would have come in those five years.  (Or at least I hope so!)

The family brainstormed about a way to get Nathan to their house and drive back with me so I didn't have to ride home with both kiddos. We managed to find a way (thanks, Bud!) and made it back home safe and sound.

All in all, the week was successful and showed me that I have what it takes (or at least think I do!) to manage this life with two kids. It's such a different world from doing work and one kid, it's such a different world than just having one, but it's a world I am so incredibly grateful for and one I look forward to watching unfold with anxious anticipation. How will the next few months be with the two kids? How close will they be as they grow up? How will Aiden protect his baby sister as she grows up? It will be such an interesting (and fun) journey to watch unfold. Though I am scared out of my mind about how it's going to work (I'm still not sure I can do it...), I am so excited.