Motherhood Incorporated

One of the hardest parts of working at home is keeping my daughter distracted. She’s crawling and walking, and she’s at that delightful stage where anything and everything is bound for her mouth. Piece of dog food on the floor? Yum! Lint from a sweater? Sweet! Dead bug brought in by the dogs? Crunchy! The details are likely more information than anyone wanted, but the details are what make my job as a mother while I do my other job so important. It all boils down to this question: How do I keep her distracted and/or entertained while I write?

The first solution came from my aunt, another mother who works from home. She told me that her best solution was a yellow legal pad. With pad in hand, she can sit on the floor with her child while he plays. This enables her to be hands-on with any activity he is doing, on the spot for any accident that may happen, and still accomplishing work without the hazards of having a laptop within reach of a small child in jungle mode.

The second solution came from Babies R’ Us: a pack ‘n play. This one is obviously age-prohibitive, but it serves the purpose of allowing me to put my daughter in a safe environment where she can play and explore without requiring my constant attention. Granted, she won’t stay in her pack ‘n play for more than half an hour at a time, but when a deadline is looming, a project is unfinished, and she’s decided it’s time to play “Throw Everything in Sight and Eat What’s Left,” a pack ‘n play is my lifeline.

The final solution came from me: restraints. No, I joke. Actually, the best solution I have come up with is grandparents. I don’t mean this in the “drop her off, leave her there, pick her up, thanks ma!” sense. The majority of my daughter’s grandparents live out of state. Recently, however, we discovered Skype. Skype is an online program that allows anyone with a webcam to call people from anywhere else in the country and beyond and speak to them on videophone. It’s completely free, and it also saves me from at least a few conversations about when we will visit again. My daughter gets to see and know her grandparents from afar, and they get to see the greatest little girl in my world grow up. She’s completely distracted while on Skype, and I am at another computer, happily writing away.

My daughter is ten months old, and these are the solutions we’ve come up with so far. I’m sure other mothers have many more solutions that would be helpful for all of us, but this is my starting point. I can’t describe how relieved I was to learn these safe tips for working from home. We were one step away from purchasing a Roomba and playing “Chase the Vaccuum” as a daily activity.

By Nicole Perkins

I have recently read some alarming articles that I feel the need to share with all mothers. I will apologize in advance for any anger or sarcasm that may seep through.

Without making this blog too political, I will just say this once – I feel that the state of our government and its agencies is in shambles. One simple example – water. As a pregnant mother of two, I am at a complete loss of how to provide my children with the most basic of life’s necessities, or how, as a pregnant woman, I am supposed to drink it.

Now I know I am hyper-sensitive about everything I put into my body right now. Llast time I was pregnant it was (and still is!), pthalates. http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/pdf/factsheet_phthalates.pdf

And now, in one week, I have read two articles that truly scare me about the EPA and the FDA and their attempt to do their jobs. One about BPA’s (chemical commonly found in hardened plastic) and the other about a rocket-fuel additive, perchlorate.

Scientists who aren’t on plastic companies’ payroll, have been questioning the safety of BPA, or bisphenol A, for some time, but we were always reassured by the FDA and their industry-funded studies that it was safe. Here’s what a quick article search uncovered.

Just over a month ago we were told by the FDA that BPA was safe:

http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2008/08/18/fda-bpa-in-plastic-bottles-isnt-a-health-hazard/

“FDA has concluded that an adequate margin of safety exists for BPA at current levels of exposure from food contact uses.”

And here’s what scientists who aren’t on the plastics companies’ payroll said:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/04/27/20080427plastic0427.html

A decade ago, Frederick vom Saal, a reproductive scientist at University of Missouri at Columbia, came up with a different research strategy. He theorized that because BPA can mimic estrogen, a female sex hormone, minuscule amounts introduced to fetuses or infants could change cell structure and cause significant health problems later in life. He found that doses 25,000 times below what the government has labeled as safe harmed developing cells in mice.

The compound, bisphenol A, or BPA, has been linked to breast and prostate cancer, behavioral disorders and reproductive-health problems in lab animals.

Cut to last week, and here’s what was being said after the relese of a new study examining the effects on humans:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/09/16/bpa.safety.ap/index.html

“Right now, our tentative conclusion is that it’s safe, so we’re not recommending any change in habits,” said Laura Tarantino, head of the FDA’s office of food additive safety. But she acknowledged, “there are a number of things people can do to lower their exposure.”

Government toxicology experts have also studied BPA and recently completed their own report based on earlier animal studies. They found no strong evidence of health hazards from BPA, but said there was “some concern” about possible effects on the brain in fetuses, infants and children.

That’s enough for me – so I went out and spent $12.99 a piece on water bottles for each of us – not cheap AT ALL – but what else am I supposed to do? I guess we’ll just go without something else this week.

And then, literally, in the same place where I had just bought the BPA-free bottles – in my gym cafe where my son and I were having a snack - I read this article about the EPA and a jet fuel additive, perchlorate, found in drinking water:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/09/22/rocket.fuel.epa.ap/index.html

The Defense Department used perchlorate for decades in testing missiles and rockets, and most perchlorate contamination is the result of defense and aerospace activities, congressional investigators said last year.

The Pentagon could face liability if EPA set a national drinking water standard that forced water agencies around the country to undertake costly clean-up efforts. Defense officials have spent years questioning EPA’s conclusions about the risks posed by perchlorate.

The Pentagon objected strongly Monday to the suggestion that it sought to influence EPA’s decision.

The ingredient, perchlorate, has been found in at least 395 sites in 35 states at levels high enough to interfere with thyroid function and pose developmental health risks, particularly for babies and fetuses, according to some scientists.

So, between the two, this can’t be great for my kids or my fetus, so what am I supposed to do? Does my water filter at home on my fridge get rid of perchlorate or do I have to now go spend more money on something else? Do I pour perchlorate free, yet BPA-laden water from a  bottle into my BPA-free water bottle?

As a mother, I feel really angry and helpless. I don’t feel that our government is looking out for our best interest, this just being the latest example. We have to be so pro-active just to be safe, who knows what else we may not know about! I am also angry at how expensive healthy alternatives are becoming, on top of food and gas. I truly hope this election cycle does bring “change” because I feel like the average American is being completely hung out to dry.

Aside from any political beliefs or perceived conspiracies, I hope this information helps other mothers make educated decisions about what goes into their children’s bodies. We must all take an active role in our health and pass it on to each other.

To all of you who have kindly called and/or e-mailed me about my family and our safety during last weekend’s hurricane:

First, thank you for your thoughts and prayers. They are appreciated and, I’m certain, largely responsible for our good fortune.

Second, we are all well. Though my suburb of Missouri City is about 20 minutes from Houston and 45 minutes from Galveston Island (where the hurricane made landfall), our community was heavily impacted. Lots of debris, downed trees, damaged homes, fallen signs, and broken lights.  The unprecedented storm surge resulted in widespread flooding and the potential for disease. Healthcare resources are maxed.  Schools remain shut.  The island remains uninhabitable and closed to all but emergency personnel.  Gas lines– at those gas stations that are still open–  are ten and fifteen-deep.  Refinery production has been shut down, which impacts the country in terms of oil and gas prices.  Many grocery stores can’t stay stocked.  Life is, in short, at a standstill for many a week after this disaster.

Blessedly, our home had only minimal damage; the back fence was downed, as was the side gate door. One of the gutters completely tore off the ceiling and was found a few houses down. Window screens flew off and some water seeped in, but not much.

The storm itself was scary. Thankfully, Alina slept through most of it. (Kids!) And though most of us native South Texans have lived through hurricanes, Ike was truly an unprecedented force for those of us who weren’t around for Carla in ’61. Even Alicia in ’83 wasn’t as bad according to various news media.

BUT, we are blessed. We are one of the few lucky households with power– an estimated 2 million in the Houston area are still without. Most of our friends and family do not currently have electricity or water service. We know people living with trees in their living room or, worse yet, a completely submerged house. Most of my partner’s colleagues have been tragically rendered homeless.  Friends in downtown Houston have told me about shattered glass everywhere. Please divert your prayers and well wishes to these folks, as they will continue to contend with Ike’s devastating impact for a very long time to come; it has already all but slipped off the national news radar.  Donations are urgently needed at the Houston Food Bank, which is struggling to meet the immense demand.

So, anyhow, that’s our situation. Thanks again to all who have inquired. Your well wishes are truly appreciated!

by Elisa Garcia

A ustedes que han llamado y/o ha enviado por correo electrónico amablemente sobre mi familia y nuestra seguridad durante el huracán del fin de semana pasado:

Primero, gracias por sus pensamientos y rezos. Se aprecian y, estoy seguro, estan en gran parte responsable de nuestra buena fortuna.

En segundo lugar, estamos todos bien. Aunque mi suburbio de la ciudad de Missouri está cerca de 20 minutos de Houston y a 45 minutos de la isla de Galveston (donde el huracán hecho avistamiento de tierra), afectaron a nuestra comunidad pesadamente. Porciones de ruina, de árboles tragados, de hogares dañados, de muestras caidas, y de luces rotas. La oleada sin precedente de la tormenta dio lugar a la inundación extensa y al potencial para la enfermedad. Los recursos del cuidado médico son muy limitados. Las escuelas siguen cerradas. La isla sigue siendo inhabitable y cerrada a todos sino personales de la emergencia. Las líneas de gas– en esas gasolineras que sean todavía abierto- son diez y quince-profundas. Se ha cerrado la producción de la refinería, que afecta el país en términos de precios de aceite y de la gasolina. Muchos colmados no pueden permanecer almacenados. La vida está, en fin, en una parada para muchos una semana después de este desastre.

Felizmente, nuestro hogar tenía solamente daño mínimo; la cerca trasera fue tragada, al igual que la puerta lateral de la puerta. Uno de los canales arrancó totalmente el techo y fue encontrado algunas casas abajo. Las pantallas de la ventana volaron apagado y un poco de agua filtró adentro, pero no mucho.

La tormenta sí mismo era asustadiza. Agradecidamente, Alina durmió con la mayor parte de ella. (Que cosa con los ninos, verdad?) Y la mayor parte de los Tejanos del sur nativos hemos vivido sin embargo con los huracanes, Ike éramos verdad una fuerza sin precedente para los de nosotros que no estaban alrededor para Carla en el `61. Incluso Alicia en el `83 no estaba como malo según varios medios de noticias.

PERO, Dios nos bendicen. Somos uno de los pocos hogares afortunados con electricidad- 2 millones estimado en el área de Houston todavía no tienen servicio. La mayor parte de nuestros amigos y familia no tienen actualmente electricidad o servicio del agua. Conocemos a la gente que vive con los árboles en su sala de estar o, peor todavía, una casa totalmente sumergida. La mayor parte de han hecho a los colegas de mi pareja trágico sin hogar. Los amigos en Houston céntrica me han dicho sobre el vidrio roto por todas partes. Divierta por favor sus rezos y el pozo desea a esta gente, a medida que continuarán afirmando con el impacto devastador de Ike por un tiempo muy largo para venir; tiene ya todos sino deslizado apagado el radar nacional de las noticias. Las donaciones se necesitan urgente en el Houston Food Bank, que está luchando para cubrir la demanda inmensa.

Así pues, de todos modos, que es nuestra situación. Agradece otra vez a todos que han investigado. ¡Sus deseos bien se aprecian verdad!

Por Elisa Garcia

My daughter is currently at the awkward stage where she has enough teeth to eat regular food, but she hasn’t yet figured out what to do once the food is in her mouth. My husband and I were so excited about how many teeth she had so early, we accidentally overloaded her with new meals, new textures, and more elaborate concepts than she could handle. Gerber Graduates may make a great ravioli, but my nine-month old daughter can’t see beyond the unfamiliarity of what is on her plate. For this reason, we quickly returned to baby food basics.

 I’m not suggesting we or anybody else should return to the early-on first foods of mush and mundane meals, but it’s definitely a good idea to keep it toned down on the pre-12 months foods. For example, today my daughter needed more vegetables. She’s bored with the pureed forms in second foods, and we can never tell how much she will eat. A couple of cans of vegetables (corn, peas, and carrots for her) dumped into some tupperware and heated up two tablespoons at a time took care of this! She can feed herself, explore her food, and give me a break all at the same time!

 We also learned the wonders of cereal bars. Cereal bars provide her with another opportunity to feed herself small bites, eat something sandwich-style, or have me feed her without any muss or fuss. It also gives her a chance to receive the nutritious riches of baby cereal without having to eat the same old foods she’s had since she was four months old.

Finally, small bites of anything work wonders. We’ve noticed more and more that our daughter seems too young to realize what we are eating, but old enough to resent that it isn’t the same as what she’s eating. For this reason, we try to share. Having pizza? Tiny pieces of crust add some variety to her meal. Spaghetti? Add a few noodles to her plate. Steak? Well… sometimes babies have to be babies. The point is that almost any everyday meal can be made to share with a little ingenuity and a willingness to cut small.

In the end, we learned that just because something is labeled “baby food” doesn’t mean it’s right for this baby. She isn’t ready for the gourmet, and she’s too young for the elaborate. When we get back to baby food basics, however, we find just the right combination of new style and old taste to make a meal she will eat.

By Nicole Perkins

Someday my daughter may read this blog and be furious with me, but for now I’m safe and I must share my joy. She recently started school and the other day I did the most refreshing thing while she was away – I went through her room and cleaned it out!

She is a little collector. Whether it’s stacks of coupons she pulls at the market or gift bags she thinks are cute, her room was one giant cluster bomb of junk. There wasn’t a drawer or nook in her room that didn’t contain stuff.

We’ve tried to clean it together, with me helping her at least keep it all organized – a box for Barbie accessories, a bag for baby food, and some folders for all her papers, but what she wouldn’t do was get rid of anything, whether she played with it or not.

I didn’t plan on doing it, but I found her little brother in her room the other day and he had literally dumped every bag and box of her things onto the floor. It’s amazing the destruction a child can do in the 5 minutes it takes to use the restroom! I had no choice but to put it all back together before she got home, and along the way, I just happened to throw out the things she wouldn’t miss. Three garbage bags later, her room is much more manageable and she hasn’t missed a thing.

While I was at it, I made stations, which is something she loves at Kindergarten. She now has a Barbie station (shoe boxes for clothes and accessories), a library area with some throw pillows next to her book shelf, I made a drawer in her armoire just for baby stuff like clothes, food and diapers, a My Little Pony/Little People station using those inexpensive cube storage containers, and I used all her little bags to hold groups of toys like balls and action figures and put them inside the other sections of the cubes. She loves it and her room has actually stayed really clean.

Now, if only I could use that discretion in regards to my own clutter!!

I’m sure we’ve all noticed how difficult it can be to keep kids occupied and happy on rainy days, excessively cold days, or days when it is just too hot to go outside. Short of building a full-on playground in our living rooms, it’s time to look at some ways to keep the kids occupied in a way that uses up some energy without breaking down the house. Here are a few techniques that usually work.

First, there is the wonder wall. I know many parents want to keep their kids’ rooms organized, theme-oriented, and appropriate for a learning environment, but some rules are meant to be broken. Consider allowing your kids to keep one wall white. Whenever the weather prohibits outdoor activities, allow the kids to take the crayons to the walls. The only rule is that they aren’t allowed to write on the wall on days when they could be outside. This makes it a special rainy day treat, and it also ensures you won’t have an excess of color at any given time. Keep a bucket of paint handy in the garage, and every once in a while take a few swipes at the wall with a roller. The repair is less time-consuming than it sounds, and having one place to go a little crazy in a way that isn’t allowed in the rest of the house is always a popular idea.

Have a dance! This isn’t great for the migraine-prone, but consider moving all of your furniture out of a room, if only for a day. Push the couches against the walls, stack the ottomons on top, and break out the CDs. Teach them funny dances from when you were younger, and let them show you dances they know. Jiggle, wiggle, and twist at will, and you will soon find your kids in a noisy environment that always results in a happy, tired child. One advantage to an activity like this is the complete lack of clean-up. There aren’t a million pieces involved like legos, dollhouses, and art projects, and yet it’s another activity that you can reserve only for weather-impaired days.

Another great and timeless activity is puddle stomping. Break out the umbrellas, the galoshes, the rainboots, and what have you, and head outside anyway! Offer a prize to the kid who finds the biggest puddle, and allow each one to stomp at will. Jumping probably isn’t the best idea, but what fun it is to get dirty on purpose! This activity does require the proper rain gear to avoid the post-rain illnesses, but once you’ve got the boots and coat, you’re good to go! The level of potential grime also results in kids who are more than willing to take a bath once they get home. Puddle stomping also creates the opportunity for an easy-fix dinner because nothing says “Warm me up, and dry me off!” like a bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.

There are a lot of ways to keep kids entertained on rainy days, but here are just a few options that will also help keep spirits up until they can return to their regularly scheduled playgrounds.

Everyday I get touching  and sad emails from women around the world who are looking for a way out of their situation.  My heart often hurts because I can’t hire everyone, I don’t have enough work for everyone — and some women are facing foreclosure, evication and tremendous loss.  I recently had the blues because running this company has wonderful highs, but emotionally it is tough.   I went to a neighbor’s party and joined a group of women who were discussing how hard their lives have become recently — emotionally, physically, financially, spiritually — you name it…someone in the group faced it, is facing it or will face it.

As mother’s who work from home we can be very isolated and in dark times that can be overwhemling. There is no where to turn, no one to bump into at the copy machine and chat — you are in your home and working.   As working mothers, when the work day is over we go onto the second job…and that can be tough.

I looked at this group of 25 working mothers — all in their early to late 30s…a few of us in our 40s…and what I saw were beautiful, broken angels. We were all collectively tired, frustrated –  nobody had implants, no one had lipo — some were fat, some were thin…everyone had wrinkles…and we all bore the effects of time marching on — sometimes all over our bodies.  We werent as fit or strong or invincible as we once were….a few of us were broken and bent with the collective pressures over time…but angels none the less.

I watched as women comforted each other. Shared experiences. A few brought up this blog and how it helped them through one thing or another.  We are in this together and with a keyboard and our fingers we can cross that lonely bridge that often leads to and from working from home. I don’t know really why I wanted to write this blog, just that I am constantly amazed at the women in my life.  From the women who share these stories on this blog, to the women who read them — I am thankful for each and everyone of you becuase you give me friendship – you give me smiles -and most of all you give me wings to keep going…

So I’m eight months into the whole “work-at-home”/ “stay-at-home” thing– and I feel like I’m still trying to get a handle on it!

Yes, maintaining a household and trying to work and looking for work and raising a child and maintaining some semblance of structure are tough balancing acts … but, more than anything, I’m stymied when it comes to intellectually, creatively, and actively stimulating my daughter.

Her previous daycare was wonderful in terms of preschool preparation, but that was an expense we had to relinquish fairly quickly.  (Hmmm, groceries and gas or daycare?) Though I’m really trying to prevent a total loss of her counting and pre-reading skills, I feel as if my meager repetitions and totally amateur, totally improvised teaching methods are woefully inadequate.  I am fortunate that my city offers tons of daytime child-friendly activities– but regular attendance usually translates to unaffordability.

So how does one with diminished financial resources and limited education nurture their kid’s mind growth? I feel like I’m all park, pool, crafts, and story-timed out– and I’m embarrassed to admit that she watches a little more than her fair share of TV and spends an inordinate amount of time coloring “artsies” solo while I clatter away on the keyboard in pursuit of the dollar.  Sadly, the fact of this didn’t even really hit me until the day not long ago when I walked in on her reciting the Noggin commercials (“Iiiiiiiit’s puzzle time!”) word-for-word as they aired. 

Maybe I’m exaggerating; she is three, after all, and certainly I, as the responsible, nurturing mother, can cope.  Right? After all, I’m in no way entertaining homeschooling down the line or kidding myself that I’d be able to even do it.  This feeling is temporary and will certainly be nullified once she does enter preschool next year, right?  All in all, she enjoys regular social interaction via playdates and “reads” tons of books, and she seems well-adjusted and smart.  Still, I can’t help but think that if she doesn’t get into the college of her dreams some shrink will ultimately trace it to this decidedly uninspired lull ….

by Elisa Garcia

¡Bueno, soy tan ocho meses aqui trabajando en la casa, y siento como todavía estoy intentando conseguir una manija en ella!

Sí, mantener un hogar y el intentar trabajar y buscar el trabajo y criar a un niño y mantener una cierta apariencia de la estructura son ejercicios de equilibrio resistentes… pero, más que cualquier cosa, estoy confundida cuando viene intelectual, creativo, y activamente estimulando a mi hija.

Su guardería anterior era maravillosa en términos de preparación preescolar, pero eso era un costo que tuvimos que abandonar bastante rápidamente. (Hmmm, groceries y gas o guardería?) Aunque estoy intentando realmente prevenir una pérdida total de sus habilidades de la cuenta y de la prelectura, siento como si mis repeticiones pobres y métodos de enseñanza totalmente aficionados, totalmente improvisados sean lamentablemente inadecuados. Soy afortunado que mi cuidad ofrece un variedad de actividades de niño diurna, pero atender regular traducen generalmente a un gran costo.

¿Tan cómo uno con los recursos financieros disminuidos y la educación limitada consolida el crecimiento de la mente de su hijo? Ya me siento muy aburrida con tanto parque, piscina, artes, y “story-time”– y desconciertan para admitir que ella mira un poco más que su parte justa de la TV y que se pasa una cantidad excesiva de colorante “artsies” del tiempo a solas mientras que choco ruidosamente lejos en el teclado en la búsqueda del dólar. ¡Tristemente, el hecho de esto incluso no me golpeó realmente hasta el día desde hace poco tiempo cuando caminé adentro en ella que recitaba los anuncios publicitarios de canal Noggin (“Es tiempo del rompecabezas!”) palabra por palabra como ventilaron.

Estoy exagerando quizá; ella es tres, después de todo, y ciertamente yo, como el responsable, consolidando a la madre, puede hacer frente. ¿Verdad? Después de todo, estoy entreteniendo de ninguna manera de “homeschooling” abajo de la línea o embromándose que podría a incluso hágala. ¿Esta sensación es temporal y será anulada ciertamente una vez que ella incorpora próximo año preescolar, verdad? Cosiderándolo todo, ella disfruta de la interacción social regular vía playdates y “lee” toneladas de libros, y ella parece muy adaptiva y inteligente. No obstante, no puedo dejar pensar que si ella no consigue en la universidad de sus sueños un psicologico la remontará en última instancia a este período de calma decididamente sin inspiración….

Por Elisa Garcia

I know that we all talk about how motherhood is a difficult job, but I hope we can all agree that the rewards make it not so difficult after all. Most of us are fortunate enough to receive the hugs, the kisses, the “I love you, Mommy” reminders often enough that we remember to consider ourselves lucky. This week, however, has been extremely hard for my family and I’m reminded all over again how hard being a mother can be and how blessed I am to have the chance.

 My brother and his wife spent almost a year trying to conceive before they got pregnant. Nine months later, they gave birth to a beautiful, incredible baby boy. Less than ten minutes later they were in an ambulance en route to the hospital, and their beautiful, incredibly baby boy’s beautiful, incredible face was covered with an oxygen mask.

I could go on forever about the pain they’re experiencing and the trials they’re facing, but what is important is that, for right now, their baby, my nephew, is alive and has a chance. Hearing about him and now watching him has been an incredible learning experience about families bonding together, not sweating the small stuff, and remembering with every passing second how lucky we are to be mothers.

Motherhood is hard this week. My own baby is at home with her father, and I miss her more than I can describe. I’m constantly reminded of seeing her in the NICU and wondering what I must have done wrong to have her there instead of in my arms. At the same time, I see my sister-in-law spending her first week as a mother with only a little hand to hold and a lot of machines with which to contend.

This is when motherhood gets hard. It isn’t when the kids won’t stop screaming and the in-laws are coming. It isn’t when the house is a mess and the deadlines are looming. For me, it’s when I realize that so many minutes have passed where I forgot to remember how lucky I am. It’s when I look at another mother who can’t hold her baby and imagine how she must be feeling. It’s when I think of my own baby at home and know I can’t hold her either because, at least for now, it’s more important that I sit beside someone else’s baby. This is when experiences are learned. This is when we might just need our children more than they need us. This, more than anything else, is when motherhood gets hard.

By Nicole Perkins

Wow, I had no idea it has been so long since I’ve blogged, but things have been a little crazy in my life. Just when I get rid of one kid during the day, cruising down easy street with my baby boy, I find out that my little yoga incident from last month was just my body’s way of telling me to slow down – there’s a little baby growing in there that I didn’t know about.

 Talk about a shocker. Well, obviously not a complete shocker. Clearly we weren’t as careful as we could’ve been – we were going to see how we felt after our daughter started school before we did anything permanent. So, now that our decision was made for us, I have been trying to wrap my head around being a mother of three.

At first I was just exhausted by the thought. I was finally a solid size 6 again (2.75 years and countless hours at the gym later!), my son is really close to being potty trained, I was actually starting to really work again, I was organized and on top of the house cleaning. Things were running at a nice hum.

Plus, I know a lot of people do it, but no one that I have ever been close to has been a three-sibling family, so understanding the dynamic is a little daunting to me. I know brother and sister – I am one and have known lots. I don’t know brother, sister, and baby xoxo. I don’t want anyone to feel left out, too much responsibility, or too sheltered.

But it will all work out. I’m truly excited now. We make cute kids and really, what a blessing. My husband put it best – he said we just have so much love to give, we were destined to have another child with whom to share it.