Laundry Wisdom

Violet is 5 months, two weeks and six days old. And (drumroll, please), I think I got this...I think I finally got a handle on the situation.

I can equate what's going on with me exactly the way that I look at my laundry situation...I don't have to have it all perfect, finished, sparkly, smelling wonderful, put away and sorted out at all times. I just have to have a handle on it.

My laundry is all of those things at one time or another and that's perfectly fine.

The old Cheri would laugh this new Cheri off with a "smirk and a toss." But she doesn't know that the new Cheri is far wiser. Yes, I feel wise.

Before say, a week or two ago, I was constantly forward focused. I couldn't stay in the moment for nothin'. "When will my mom come and help me?" "When will Andrew be home?" "When will they take a nap?" "When will he go back to school?"

This makes for a miserable existence of wishing away their little lives and missing out on a whole lot.

It was just so much. Two little people instead of one. I couldn't stop looking enviously at Mommies with one and think, "Oh, enjoy that Only! What a breeze!"

Then everything just clicked. Just like all the Mommies that told me that it would. They were 100% right. Everything just started to work. I started to really enjoy my kids. Dread, Overwhelmed and Fear just walked right out the front door and Excited, Silly, Patient, Kind and Fun showed up to play.

This is why I will not say that Violet is 6 months old until she is...up until the very day before, she will be 5 months, or almost 6 months or whatever makes her less than 6 months. This is simply because she just isn't 6 months old. That time will come with its own joy and love so I need to let her have every last minute of being 5 months old.

Now, I know the value of a minute...of a day...of a month. Time means something different now.

Everything that drives me nuts today, could be gone tomorrow, so I have to endure the incessant, "Whatcha doin', Mommy?" and "What's that mean?" because one day, Owen will know what I'm doing and know what it all means. I have to stop and enjoy lugging my Sparkles everywhere, as she refuses to let me put her down, because one day she will walk all on her own.

Perhaps, I haven't washed my hair. Perhaps, I am covered in breast milk and spit up. Perhaps, I daydream about dry underpants and long naps. Perhaps, I spend my spare time learning the Batman characters and dinosaur species. It doesn't matter. I'm sure of it now. I am wise.

You must stop. Just stop and realize that a year or 2 or 4 or 6 from now, my couch will be lovely and my dining room will not be decorated in super hero and muppet accessories. The baby weight will come off eventually and I will look and feel myself once again. The "Someday Maybe" list will actually be addressed someday...maybe.

Now is not the time for all of the nonsense that fills up our day to day. Now is the time for keeping sweet records of all of the magical thinking, language learning, and love that's so deep I sometimes can feel it swallow me up whole...convincing me that a mother coined the term, "all choked up."

This mother of 2 under 2 thing (which I technically cannot say anymore), is a trip. It's super hard. It's non-stop. But, I got a handle on it.

My husband and I said our goodbyes to the beautiful cradle that both of babies slept in their first few months. It hurts to let go of the baby, but it's just as equally joyful to welcome the crawler, the toddler, the (sniff, sniff) little boy or girl.

See? I can finally enjoy all of it. I'm riding the wave...and believe me, it's super duper fun. I'm not missing out on a damn thing while I'm being a Mommy. I know it. See? I'm wise.

I told you, I got this. I got it handled.

No, I haven't been here in a while but, it's good to be back...and, I'll never be gone for long.

I leave you with these wise words from Walt Disney, "Cinderella, Cinderella take your time but hurry hurry!"

That's me.

Here. Now. and loving it all,

Cheri