I know I will laugh, hard, about this someday. But for now, I want to capture this morning's events so that 10 or 12 years down the road when I have teenagers and I'm worrying about "bigger" problems, I'll remember why having three 3-year olds is so hard!
6am: Alarm goes off. Mommy is 27 weeks pregnant and tired. Pushes snooze button against better judgement. Note/reminder to self: It's always better to get up early and be prepared for the day! Finally get up at 6:30. Get dressed in workout clothes in order to go to mommy exercise class while kids are at preschool.
7am: Kids are awake and chatting. Time to go in and start the day, and get ready for preschool. One child (who shall remain nameless) has woken up Grouchy. I help the other two kids with potty, getting dressed, etc. while Grouchy kid throws a fit about what clothes have been laid out and refuses to go potty. Continues to throw fit as other two head downstairs to play. I tell Grouchy to go potty when he/she is ready and meet us downstairs. Sceams louder.
7:15 a.m.: Go back upstairs to get laundry out of dryer. Grouchy has made it to the bathroom but has waited so long that he/she pees all over floor instead of in the toilet (same child did this yesterday, by the way). Mommy not happy. Cleans up floor and child. Finally we all make it downstairs.
8:00 a.m.: Seemingly past the worst of it. Grouchy had a few choice moments during breakfast but overall not too bad. Grouchy mentions that he/she peed "a little drop" in underpants. I ask child to go potty to make sure it's all out, but get a flat out, defiant refusal.
8:10 a.m.: Mommy trying to clean up breakfast, empty dishwasher, get school bags and kids ready to head out the door in 30 minutes. Grouchy, sitting on the couch with a book, says, "Uh oh, mommy, I go pee pee!" No, no, no, please....yes, Grouchy has peed, a lot, directly on couch cushion. Mommy not happy, yells a little bit this time. Ugh. Mommy stops all other activity to clean up child and try to clean couch cushion.
8:35 a.m.: We're officially running late. Scramble to finish getting school bags ready and get everyone in socks, shoes, coats and in the car with minimal cooperation. I'm told by one child that I need to talk nicely. Obviously the morning's events are getting to me.
8:50 a.m.: Finally back out of driveway, leaving the house in shambles. So late. This is not enough time to get to school, have everyone go potty when we get there (still a necessary step at this point), and to my exercise class by 9:15. Going to try anyway!
9:00 a.m.: Arrive at school. Open door to let everyone out and realize I've forgotten backpacks at home. NO WAY. This is not happening. If I had gotten up when the alarm went off the bags would have been ready and in the car before we left. Decide to get everyone inside and beg teacher to send home artwork, school notes, etc in a Target bag or something so I don't have to run home for backpacks.
9:05 a.m.: Everyone's gone potty and we're headed to classroom. Charlotte mentions her pants are wet. What? I look and sure enough, she peed partially in the toilet, partially down the back of her pants. This can't be happening. And I have no backpack with spare clothes to change her. Get to classroom, and teacher says she doesn't have enough spare clothes to change her, so I must run home and get backpacks after all.
9:10 a.m.: Head home, in tears, for backpacks and a change of pants for Charlotte. Needless to say, I never made it to my exercise class.
Even in typing this, I had to laugh, a little. I realize no one is sick or hurt. We have a roof over our head (a very nice one) and food on our table. But in the moment you think, "Seriously?! Can this be happening? Why does this have to be so hard?" The primary theme of the morning has been pee, and as you can see we're technically potty trained but things are far from smooth in that department. I dream of the day when the kids will just head to the bathroom, do their business and come back out without any involvement from me. Feels like a long way off!
I love my kids. Adore them!!! We have many wonderful moments and lots of great days. But three 3-year olds while pregnant with a 4th can be tough. I need to remember this when they're 15, sassy and I'm dreaming of the "good old days." Parenting is a challenge at any age.
2 comments:
I so feel for you! I HATE potty training and pregnant too I can't even imagine. Yikes! We've hardly begun with my girls but we don't have preschool to go to either. With two older kids I do know it eventually ends and they take 100% care of themselves in that area but still it's bad when you're going through it!
Hope you have better days ahead :)
Oh Deanna! As I was reading your post it brought back so many times I felt EXACTLY as you did that morning! There are def. moments with 3 toddlers, and being prego that I would like to forget...but I like your way of thinking...save them for a later time when things seem even tougher! :)
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