I'm very proud to announce that this week we've managed to achieve two major milestones...
In exchange for 1 M&M (2 if he pulls his own pants up and down), Buster has traded in his Buzz Lightyear pull-ups for some big boy Mickey Mouse undies, making our family completely diaper-free.
We've also had a major improvement in our sleep situation, skipping Buddy's afternoon nap in favor of an earlier bedtime and a huge decrease in the amount of time it takes him to fall asleep.
There are so many things I love about parenting babies and toddlers, but it's definitely a very labor-intensive job. I'll admit that even though I shed a few tears when I packed up our bottles or when I sent the boys to preschool, I still looked forward to what I envisioned would be the "easier" days of being baby & toddler free. I mentioned this to my uncle once recently and his response was "It never really gets easier". At the time I laughed, but I'm starting to think he wasn't actually kidding.
Yes, it is nice to have some one-on-one time w/Buddy. We haven't had that since we brought Buster home 2 years ago. It's also great that we have time to do preschool workbooks and practice letter sounds and play board games Buster doesn't understand yet. And that 7:00 pm bedtime is A.W.E.S.O.M.E. But, frankly, 12 uninterrupted hours of parenting, especially when it involves an afternoon w/a hard-to-please 4 year old who is still adjusting to his new sleep schedule, is H.A.R.D.
Speaking of hard, do you know how much work it is making sure 2 preschoolers keep their underwear dry all day? Yes, its great not to buy diapers or to carry them with me everywhere I go. But, I still need my diaper bag to carry extra sets of underwear and clothes for the accidents that happen in the early months of wearing underwear (or is it years???). Plus, now the most important factor in everything we do is "Will there be a bathroom there?".
So while I'm so proud of the boys' recent accomplishments, it's a little bit of a let-down too. Maybe my uncle was telling the truth, maybe it never get easier. I'm not sure I'm ready to accept that...I'm sure once Buster starts kindergarten and both boys are in school all day, my mom-work will become more like a part-time job and less of an all-consuming commitment....right?
I think each new stage is just a different kind of hard. I don't say that to discourage at all!! The "hard" for me right now is the scheduling and carpooling with the boys at different schools. When Isaac was in preschool 2 mornings/week, I would hate when school was out for a holiday, and now I am THRILLED when school is canceled because it means no rushing around and driving.
ReplyDeleteThe good news seems to be that even though all the stages are hard there are also things about each stage that are new but GOOD.
Congrats to you for going to the next phase.
I'm not there yet, but I'm sure there are hard things about every single stage. Although I have to admit to being a bit jealous of having a diaper-free household.
ReplyDeleteI can so relate to keeping changes of clothing around. =o I was forever checking to see if whole outfits were ready in case of need. Still, YAY!! Potty training is a good thing.
ReplyDeleteAnd sleep is so important!
Wonderful progress :)
Potty training AND sleep!?!?! Huge! Someone once told me that the first 5 years of raising a child are physically exhausting, and after that it is mentally exhausting. But, I also hear it keeps getting better and better - so far I agree with that one :)
ReplyDeletewhohoo! go, buster and buddy! huge accomplishments ;)
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