This week Bailey and Maddox turn 1 and 4 respectively. As such, I have found myself thinking about how much my life has changed over the past 5 years. Here are some of the ways.
- 5 years ago, my mornings were peaceful. I got up when I needed , ate breakfast in relative peace, and felt in no way rushed to get out the door to face the day. I almost always felt refreshed and well-rested. Now, with two daughters, my mornings start by 5 am....5 AM! This is an unholy time...a time that most people (save for the people who work third shift or live at bars) do not think exists. But I have to get up at this time because by 6.30 am Maddox is usually up and ready for her day. She will come running to the office, seemingly unaware that normal people are sleeping at this time, and say something to the effect of "I'm hungry!" And there we have it...the 1.5 hour window for school work leaves me until later that night. But that is not the best of it. You see, at any moment, tears can erupt, and it could be over anything. For example, if there is no purple bear in the vitamin container...tears. If the milk is too cold...tears. If she is too cold...tears. If the clothes are not pink enough...tears. Tread lightly.
- My weekdays have not changed much in 5 years as it is still filled with work. Besides, my tax dollars have to pay for those free Obama phones (...are they still in existence?). What has changed though are the weekends. Boy O Boy. For starters, my daughters fail to understand that Saturday mornings are a time for people to sleep in. Nope...Maddox is normally up by 6.30 am, which means that if I need to get any work done, my day also starts like a weekday (5AM-ish!). The days are fun...but they are exhausting. We have to keep the girls moving because if we do not, they magically age 10 years and realize how incredibly boring parents are. So, chaos and destruction normally ensues if our weekends are not filled with continual excitement. Like I said, exhausting. As for Sundays...oh baby. Magnify the chance for tears by about 10 and then throw in stress between parents and you usually get a powder keg of a Sunday morning commute. 5 years ago, I could actually spend a few moments preparing myself for church. Now, I am lucky to get there with everyone speaking to me and not crying.
- The evenings are also another area where a lot has changed. I used to be able to relax, watch some tv, read, and just go to bed. Now, bedtime become hostage negotiation time. What is the old adage? In a hostage negotiation, never tell the hostage taker no, at least flat out.
- "Hey Maddox. If you take a bath and don't play "breaching whales" in the bathtub, I will let you have popcorn before you go to bed."
- "Daddy, can we read 5 books tonight?" "No." "4?" "No. How bout 2?" *insert tears starting to flow... "Alright...we can read 3. But they must be shorter than Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."
- When the girls finally go to bed...my fatigue sets in like a 100 lb weight. I can barely keep my eyes open, but I must because there is more work to do. Many people depend on my tax dollars. I digress. This is a less than efficient time. If I can get 1 hour of good work done, I am happy. Besides, my head usually hits the desk to let me know that it is time for bed. If I do watch tv, I am asleep on the couch, only to be woke by Ginny telling me to go to bed. But don't walk too loudly in the hall. DO NOT WAKE THE SLUMBERING BEASTS. If this happens, that 6 hours of anticipated sleep quickly becomes 4.
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