getting a taste of what it could be like...

to have 3 kids.

to those of you who have 3 or more, stop rolling your eyes at me. because i know that i really have no idea.

my dream of having kids every 2 years was changed once reality set in of how much i could personally emotionally, physically and mentally handle at once.

a loud shout-out is sent to my sweet boy, caleb. for being the vessel to cause me to rearrange my "family plans."

but you know what? so far i've really liked the space in between my two. i know that they probably will not relate as well to each other and there are definitely downsides to that. but it has been very nice that caleb is able to communicate and understand what's going on. he hasn't gotten jealous yet of leah, and he hasn't acted out in a mean way toward her once. not saying that he never will, but so far so good.

in fact, he's the opposite. he is very sweet with her, and talks with her. she just stares in amazement at him and smiles whenever he looks her way.

i'm writing this down so that i can remember the good days because i'm sure there will come a time when they are screaming at each other and smacking each other. and my horrible memory will have blacked out these sweet moments.

sister chunk and brother bear laying in leah's crib staring at the mobile.

so anyway...

i've been baby-sitting for a new friend, aubrey, for the past couple of weeks. her daughter's name is eve and she is 2 1/2 and just as cute as can be. she is really good and easy to take care of, and it's been good social time for caleb. a win, win.

caleb & eve playing in their animal masks.

however, it's interesting to add one more in the middle to the mix. i realize that this is what my life probably would have been like if i hadn't waited so long in between years to get pregnant after caleb. and let me tell you, even though i consider all 3 of them to be relatively "easy" kids, there are moments when i get frazzled.

because no matter how much i plan, someone needs to go potty right as the baby needs to drink a bottle. so i put down leah who immediately starts wailing, help the one kid in the potty, and then the other one--right on cue--says, "i'm thirsty" or "i want crackers" or something else.

sometimes i think they are conspiring against me.

that the three of them look at each other and telepathically say, "let's give lynsey some gray hairs right now" or "let's see who can push her closest to the loony bin. not over the edge so much, just right to it."

it's not that bad, i am just always amazed at the coincidence of the timing of each child. and i'm thinking that if i were, say, ben--i mean dr. strader-- i would probably be diagnosing left and right, that there really is something to it. psychologically, of course. :)

when mom (or the baby-sitter) is available for attention, they don't need it. but as soon as she is off to help someone else, then it's oops! come back! i forgot i desperately need something!

so lauren, my dear sister, i applaud you. because you've been doing this for 2 years now and you're still alive to talk about it.

and to my other fellow multi-children bloggerees, i commend you. especially those who continue to reproduce even after 3! that thought astounds me. (i hope you know i'm saying this tongue-in-cheek, i think big families are awesome. and i'm hopefully not done reproducing.) but to be outnumbered by 2 is something. to be outnumbered by 3, 4, 5?!?!

yowzah.

i feel another gray hair that has sprung at just the thought.