Saturday, November 13, 2010

When in doubt. . .

. . .buy milk. We go through a lot of it. And for some reason, I still find myself standing in front of the hundreds of gallons at the store wondering if I should get more, cause I already have some in the fridge. And then of course, I see that I’m running low on the stuff the next day. Right now I’m feeling somewhat stocked because I have three gallons of whole milk for the kids, and a gallon of skim milk for the parents. Is this really my fridge I’m looking into? I also bought three large bunches of bananas the other day. What? Wasn’t it just yesterday that our half gallon of milk would go sour before we could use it, and it was inevitable that I’d be making banana bread from the few overripe bananas that remained after buying only one small bunch? When will I stop being shocked to discover all these new changes?

I am often hit with moments like this, when I realize I am a real mom, with real kids. That I’m not just babysitting or playing house, but caring for and nurturing three little people. Does everyone have light bulb moments like this? My life has taken some HUGE turns from the childless time it once knew. I absolutely love this new life I’m living, it just takes getting used to, that’s all. And after a year, I have definitely been initiated into the mom club in several ways. The toys on the floor are starting to look like they’ve always been there, changing 12-15 diapers a day (about half of them being rather stinky) doesn’t phase me a bit , and the sink full of dishes, and constant loads of laundry have become normal to me. And really, waking up super early doesn’t seem all that bad anymore either. Kids really know how to train their parents, eh?

I can see some major changes happening in the coming months with walking being frighteningly around the corner (heaven help me, Ruby has already take a few shaky steps!). The mass amounts of bottles on the counters and the dishwasher have turned into colorful sippy cups (that unfortunately disassemble into more pieces than the bottles). Funny how much can change in a matter of weeks when it comes to kids. Bittersweet is definitely the word that comes to mind.

I must be  getting used to this, since I didn’t even have to think twice about buying three jumbo boxes of diapers a couple days ago. Definitely wouldn’t want to run out of those.

8 comments:

C Smith said...

I never go into the store without buying milk and bread. I mean seriously, it's not like it's going to have time to spoil before we drink it and if I don't then sure enough we end up running out. The tricky thing about parenting though is that as soon as you get really good at it those pesky kids start doing and learning new stuff and you feel like you are always starting over!

Drew said...

I felt the same way every time I remembered I was on a mission, doing things that missionaries actually do. I just never expected that would happen. Now I feel the same way about being married. Sometimes it takes a while for the reality of things to REALLY sink in. Ah, life!

Kassi said...

I hear ya with the milk. That always amazed me how much whole milk Katie would drink. I too would say we have some in the fridge. And then--always on a Sunday--she would run out and we would supplement with "the parents milk". You said it so well! Totally agree!

SassyMama said...

Yes, we still have such lightbulb moments.

Just yesterday I was showing my husband the picture of the triplets I put in their monthly letter. After staring at the pic for a minute, he turned to me a bit perplexed.

"We really do have three kids!"

It is not like I ever forget... what with the diapering, crying and feeding that could never happen... it is just every so often out of the constant movement that is our daily routine, the realization that I finally really do have kids descends upon me:).

Lindsey said...

Every post leaves me in awe! I am kind of sad we won't get to come rock them at Christmas time. I loved that! (I am sure you are so glad that stage is over though.)

Cami said...

It's true, those sippy cups are a HUGE pain! I just started getting the disposable ones--they drip, but they are stackable and whatnot.

You really ARE a real mommy. Most people take that in with only 6 diapers a day. :) I say, you guys stick to soy milk, then you can buy it once and keep it in the cabinet forever. Also, I wonder if it is crazy expensive to get a milk service? Just a thought.

melody said...

I hear ya. The other day we were having a dance party with the kids. (Julia LOVES this.) Jonny was being silly and I was taken back to when we were dating and doing a similar thing. (Not that dance parties are THAT common for us. But you get the idea.) Then I looked down and saw two kids dancing with us. And they were ours! Crazy.

Unknown said...

Buckle up. You're in for one heck of a ride.