❓𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐛? 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐛❓
❤️ It feels good to hear encouragement, validation, or just a little extra love. I wanted to share my story from the other day, and how much others’ words of encouragement completely turned my day around.❤️
📝 Here is a brief overview of the morning: I loaded both boys in the truck. When we got to the medical center later than anticipated due to traffic and neverending construction, at 11:41 for an 11:45 appointment, things got pretty tricky. I had to park down the street, and walk about a mile with my unruly toddler under my arm so he wouldn’t run loose as he does nowadays, while pushing my infant in the stroller. It happened to be one of the hottest, sunniest, most humid days that actually started out cool and crisp, go figure. Finally got into the building and my toddler takes off running, laughing as if it’s actually funny. When I say “takes off, he was sprinting down the extremely long hall as if he was being chased by a swarm of bees. So I am full force ahead, darting after him with the car seat stroller that’s not set up for a jogging experience. Finally got him wrangled back in my arms, growled at him in the angry mommy “I’m serious” voice, which kind of worked for a second. We checked in, and I had to fill out paperwork. He takes off running AGAIN, so I have the clipboard under one hand, the stroller in the other, and I sprint after him again. I finally wrangle him under my arm, and this time was the “angry-mommy-needs-an-exorcist” voice. Good thing that one worked, and he finally sat in the waiting room chair without trying to escape….I, of course, had my leg awkwardly wrapped around him in the chair pinning him down, but whatever works! I was so ridiculously sweaty and flustered as I brought the paperwork back to the front desk, with the baby beginning to scream for my boob. I didn’t cry, but I seriously felt like it.
Taking my 2-year-old to the medical center for an ENT appointment, with his baby brother as his sidekick, was definitely a kick in the A! However, I was blessed along the crazy way, and want to say “THANK YOU” to the individuals that truly blessed me!
☀️ Thank you to the receptionist that told me “You are doing a good job, mama!” If only you knew how much I needed that in that very moment!
☀️ Thank you to the employee who stopped and asked if we needed help. She could clearly see I was lost and struggling with the babies.
☀️ Thank you to the x-ray technician that told me I was “rocking this mom thing”.
☀️ Thank you to the nurse who walked us back to the room, for sharing your stories of the struggle with two under two, empathizing with me.
☀️ Thank you to the mom passing by us, for giving me the universal wink and smile, instead of judging me when I was very much less of a composed human, carrying a toddler wedged into my armpit kicking and screaming.
☀️ Thank you my friend who said, “I wish I could’ve taken off work and helped you!”
☀️ Thank you another friend who said, “I could’ve gone with you to the appointment!” I obviously need to take my own advice and ask for help.
☀️ Thank you in advance to my friends for later tonight, when we will be at my oldest’s soccer game, because I know you’ll be helping me with both kids, as a tribe does.
*📝Revision: I wrote that earlier in the day, and this is me truly saying THANK YOU, because I was right. The moms were either holding the baby while I chased my toddler across the field, or chasing my toddler across the field while I breastfed the baby. I left early with the boys, so thank you to my friend who brought my daughter home afterwards, and gave me a play by play of what I missed!*
When we support one another in difficult times, it helps us to not feel alone in this beautiful, messy, crazy world of motherhood. When we empathize with one another, it helps us to realize that we aren’t the only ones struggling, and it IS an extremely hard job at times. When we encourage one another, it helps us to recognize that we really ARE doing a great job at this Mommy thing!
𝐌𝐚𝐦𝐚, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐎𝐂𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐦-𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠! 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬.
YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE!
Sometimes it makes you feel guilty for yelling. Sometimes it makes you feel like you are always messing up, or that you can never get it together. Sometimes it makes you feel like everyone else is doing it right, and everything you’re doing is setting your kids up for failure. Sometimes you are so exhausted that you only have enough energy to throw some spaghettios in the microwave every single lunch you fix for your toddler this week….(ok, every single lunch this month for me). Sometimes you feel jealous of your friend who has freedom to roam 24/7. Sometimes you wish you could trade places with your husband because it feels like it’s just too much to handle. SOMETIMES it just sucks.
But Mama, ALL THE TIME, you are loved more deeply by those babies than you will ever know. ALL THE TIME, you know you love every single thread of hair on the heads of your sticky-fingered babies that grow up way too fast! ALL THE TIME, you are a super hero in the eyes of those seemingly unappreciative rugrats, but truly are appreciative deep down inside. ALL THE TIME, you KNOW you do it better than anyone in this world could possibly even try or imagine. ALL THE TIME, whether you are having an “angry-mommy-needs-an-exorcist” moment, or a beautiful, flawlessly smooth day, you are EXACTLY what those babies need!!
Mama, you are doing a GREAT JOB!!! You are AMAZING!
📸 The happy picture on this blog is when the day turned around, and my toddler melted my heart by pushing his baby brother around the medical center, telling him stories. The crazy picture is the next day when my toddler literally melted in a meltdown of the century, on our way home from school. It may be hard, but being a Mommy to all 3 of my animals is the best thing that’s EVER happened to me!
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