Learning to Juggle

Yesterday, my sweet baby boy turned one month old. 

It's been an interesting month. Life with three kids is a little like visiting the petting Zoo at Woodland Park. One moment you are merrily prancing about in the sunshine and stooping to pet a cute baby lamb, then the next minute you're trying to scrape cow poop off of your shoes with a piece of beauty bark while a goat attempts to eat your skirt. It is an experience riddled with moments of sheer exhileration and complete despair, with some bouts of insanity sprinkled here and there. 

 For example, last week, in the span of 12 hours I had the luxury of holding Sunshine's poop in my hand (she proudly handed it to me after pooping on her potty chair), cleaning up Apollo's barf from my freshly dry-cleaned comforter, and getting pooped on by one of Phoenix's explosive diapers. It was a day full of tantrums and sick, whining children and mountains of laundry and piles of dirty dishes. I remember throwing myself onto my pillow that night and telling Cameron between sobs that he needed to get a vasectomy as soon as possible because I was so DONE with having kids. 

There are so many things that I miss about life before having children. I miss hearing those noises that you only notice when the house is still and quiet, like the hum of the refrigerator. I miss reading books for hours at a time, eating my dessert without having grubby little hands stealing bites, and just being able to get out of the car without having to unbuckle three different car seats and carrying three heavy wiggly kids across the busy parking lot. I miss the days when my stomach didn't resemble spanish stucco and my belly button didn't look like it was frowning at me. I miss feeling like my body was my own instead of a milk factory/jungle gym/ tissue with legs. I miss the cerebral stimulation of working full time and interacting with adults on a daily basis. I miss the freedom that I had and probably never appreciated before I had kids. Life before children seemed so buoyant with possibilities rather than heavy with responsibility. There have been times where I feel as if I've lost some part of myself in this whole experience. But that's the selfish part of me talking. 

Despite all of those things that I miss, I wouldn't trade this whole motherhood experience for the world. When I fell in love with Cameron, I hoped that it would be the last time I ever fell in love, because that would mean he was the love of my lifetime. Now I know that the beauty of having children with him means that we both get to fall in love all over again, together. We're head over heels for Apollo, Sunshine and Phoenix. They teach us so much and have opened our eyes to what an amazing world it is. My favorite moments I've experienced in this life revolve around them. 

My favorite part of being a mom? How HILARIOUS it is. Kids are funny! Bathroom humor? Check. Brutal honesty? Check. Bringing to light the irony in life? Check. Parenthood has it all! Watching Cameron and I fumbling at this whole parenthood thing is a riot- seriously. I can't tell you how many nights Cameron and I have spent laughing ourselves to sleep as we relive the events of the day. 

I am so blessed. There are no words... I'm learning. Three kids is a challenge. As I mother my children, I daily confront my greatest flaws and weaknesses. I've never felt more humbled. I've also never been more aware of how blessed I am. 

And I'll end this post with some quotes from some of the funniest people I know:

Sunshine's first joke (after hearing Apollo tell it a million times):

Sunny: "Knock knock"

Me: "Whose there?"

Sunny: "House."

Me: "House who?"

Sunny: "She's fine." *fake laughter*  

Apollo: " Mommy, I wish that I could marry you, but I can't because Daddy already married you." 

Sunshine: *giant fart* "hahahahhaha! Toots!!!!"