24: the actual observations

1.  when facing the long stretch of having both kids up at the same time, i decided i needed to seize the opportunity to get out of the house and kill some time.  this is how i found myself pushing a double stroller through the neighborhood at 9:30 am on a brisk saturday morning.  i hadn't showered (see #3), so I had greasy hair and was in my gym pants and still wearing glasses.  normally, at 9:30 on saturday, i am still in bed.  but i had been up for hours and it was my only chance to take a walk before naps.  and yes, i was thinking through the day like that.

2.  i should have thought twice about trying out fiber cereal for breakfast.  because, you know, when you're alone with two little kids, you can't just get to the bathroom when you need to.

3.  speaking of that, it's not so easy to get a shower.  both kids have to be safely confined somewhere.  and i was trying to have them not screaming.  i stuck d in the play yard with a dvd and some toys, and when the baby fell asleep for her morning nap i moved her to the crib.  she doesn't sleep long in the crib, but that's where i needed her, so i was hoping against hope that she would stay asleep for half an hour (this is how long it takes me to shower, dress, and dry my hair).  she did, just barely... when i turned off the hair dryer she was crying.  i guess i would learn to be faster if this was my normal life.

4.  it seems like you're always feeding someone or changing someone's diaper.  it's a self-perpetuating cycle i suppose.

5.  amidst all of that, my own eating schedule became quite irregular.  you don't eat when you're hungry, or at normal meal times.  you eat when you have a chance.  and hopefully there's something already made, because the last thing you feel like doing is making more food.  and this is coming from someone who loves to eat.

6.  i hate when the wipes in the box aren't sticking up through the little opening.  i don't have time to deal with that when there is an un-diapered child on the floor trying to get to the nearest toy.

7.  i got several scratches on my face and neck from the baby (playfully) clawing and grabbing at me.  i also got rug burn on my elbow from diving on the floor and playing with them.  this is on top of the odd muscle soreness from trying to get from sitting on the floor to standing while holding a 22 pound baby.

8.  i used to think it seemed un-romantic for my friends to have all this baby stuff in their bedroom.  as i walked upstairs to bed with wipes, two sizes of diapers, an empty bottle, formula, and a bib... i understood.

9.  tantrums are ridiculous, and so are the tactics that kids use to avoid punishment.  no, don't come and hug me when i told you to do something else.  how humbling to realize that my sin is as obvious to God as these kids' manipulations are to me.

10.  it's better for me not to plan what i would like to do with the "free" time when the kids are sleeping.  it's probably not really free time, because something else probably needs to be cleaned, etc - if they even sleep when they are supposed to.  free time is an illusion.  and if you really do have it, you'll probably fall asleep.

11.  God help you if you aren't feeling well or get sick during any of this.

12.  i know this all probably makes it sound hard.  and it is, in a way.  the challenges are very different than the challenges i am used to.  but there are also a LOT of simple pleasures, and the satisfaction of serving others.  it's very fulfilling, in a selfless way.  but - my respect for all you parents (which i already had before) has certainly increased.