oh, but to long...

Its funny how out of the blue we have those existentialist moments where we see ourselves from another perspective. I had one the other day when I was driving home from dropping the girls at school via the co-op to pick up horse food. The back of my 4x4 was full of lucern and I was rushing to get back to feed the baby. "Wow," I thought, "Here I am: mother of three, owner of horses and driver of a 4x4." How did I get here? Just the other day, with no hospital plan or grocery list to think of, all I needed to worry about was landing the next movie job so I could afford to fly to whichever destination intrigued me.
Life has happened to me. And its been so busy that I haven't really noticed. But its a different busy when you're raising kids. It's the non-stop emotional output that sucks away the minutes, hours and days. Before kids I remember always longing for stuff to happen: longing for the next trip, the next day of great waves, the guy to call, life to happen. But now I no longer long for life, because it keeps coming at me and I barely have a moment to get my head around it and Anna loses a tooth!
My challenges as a parent keep shifting and I have a sneaky feeling they will continue, so I may as well just role with the blows. I thought double nappies, feeds and crying was stressful - boy, was I mistaken. Its clear the challenge of twins is not getting easier but instead a lot more complex! Give me double poos any day over double five year old psychology!
Sibling rivalry and competition is the name of the game now. And a lot of the time I am simply at a loss on how to deal with it. With two kids of the same sex and the same age it's a continuation of win on this side and lose on the other. When one is elated over a lost tooth, the other is thrashing about on the lawn in sheer unadulterated jealousy and disappointment that her teeth are still firmly fixed into her gums. When one is afraid of the dark and needs a night light, the other basks in her bravery by insisting it must be pitch dark in their shared bedroom - that is not a sliver of light may come in from under the door! When one has outgrown her boots and the other now has two pairs to choose from, I may not purchase a new pair for the bootless child as it is "unfair!"
I think the term is "a rock and a hard place," and that's where I am at the moment. Although I'm sure as time passes I'm developing skills to deal with this challenge, I am seriously considering seeking professional help to guide me through this one, so that we can all come through with our egos, self confidence and sanity relatively intact.
And these are the things that now keep me from longing for life. Who has time to long when every minute of the day is spoken for by the physical and emotional needs of small people. Although I do admit to occasionally longing for a tropical island kid-less getaway. And an uninterrupted conversation with my husband.

sling it

The most nurturing place for your baby to be is without a doubt, as close to mom as possible. But carrying a baby around can often be impractical and tiring. So investing in a good baby sling is a priority for both mom and baby. 

Having two other small children, I find the mornings and early evenings the most challenging, as this is when all three are the most demanding of my attention and when I need both hands to be free. So it’s at these times that baby gets put in his sling, nice and snug and close to me while I bath, dress and feed the others. 

I find hauling a pram out of the car each time I need to go to the shops, time consuming and unnecessary when I can just pop my baby safely into his sling. It also serves as a way to block out the over stimulating noises and sights that could upset him.  And of course the best spin off of all to pouching ones baby is the ease at which they fall asleep. In fact it’s the way I get my baby to sleep all the time! 

But there are so many different options available, which does one choose? Having tried out different pouches and slings with my twins I was still unsure what the best option was when baby no. 3 arrived, until I tried Rhubarb and Custard’s baby sling. 

This sling is great as it’s easy to use with no straps and buckles to figure out, it has a great look with attractive prints and it folds up to fit into any handbag or baby bag. The Rhubarb and Custard sling also changes into four different carrying positions to adapt to your baby’s age appropriate needs.