Back to our New Normal

The new baby honeymoon is over, hubby returns back to work today after a glorious 4 weeks of paternity leave.  I am now being thrown full-force into full-time-mommy-of-three.  Up to this week I’ve either had help with hubby or grandparents around or at least had Honeybun in school part time.  No more.  We will all four be home.  For the next four weeks.  Just the four of us.  All day long…

While we haven’t enjoyed every second together since hubby’s been off, I really am going to miss having him around.  He was way more helpful than I expected and having another adult around full time truly did alter my entire outlook on mommying as well as my ability to handle the day to day drama and trauma.  I found I was better able to keep my cool when I could roll my eyes at hubby or make snarky remarks under my breath that someone actually heard.

I can think of a thousand things that have been easier or better with him around, but here are just a few of the luxuries I’m going to miss:

  •  Being able to take a shower whenever I want (so long as there isn’t a baby on my boob of course)
  • Being able to go to the bathroom without an audience
  • Being able to go swimming without having to fight with my girls about wearing their swimmies and/or worrying about one of them drowning because I can’t keep more than one kid afloat at a time
  • Being able to cook an entire meal without having to do fifty other things at the same time
  • Being able to run errands without having to buckle and unbuckle car seats 6 separate times
  • Being able to have lunch or coffee with a friend without spending 90% of the time addressing my children’s behavior
  • Being able to run out to get milk without having to argue about who is going to walk and who is going to ride and listening to constant “my legs are tired” whining
  • Being able to lay in bed while the girls quietly play in their room because they didn’t know we were awake.
  • Being able to go out for lunch when it’s less crowded, generally cheaper and kids are better behaved
  • Not having to cook every meal
  • Not having to sit outside in the sweltering heat every time the girls want to go out and play
  • Not having to try to manage the girls running wild in the grocery store and/or Sugarplum poking at Doodle in the sling while I try to buy our family necessities
  • Not having to change every dirty diaper and manage every potty break

That’s just a few but unfortunately mommying calls and I have to stop there!