The Easiest It Will Ever Be

There have been many times over the past several years that I've been told "It gets easier!" by parents with older kids. And this is true in many ways--babies eventually sleep through the night, potty training eventually "takes," toddlers learn to dress themselves, buckle and unbuckle themselves from their carseats, etc.

When I'm in the midst of the trenches, though, sometimes it can be more helpful to remind myself that "This is the easiest it will ever be."

Am I crazy? It is far from easy right now. I can do the newborn thing, but the newly-mobile-baby thing kills me every time. It is SO HECTIC right now. I am losing my mind a little bit.

But also, it might be the easiest it will ever be. George still takes a long (2 hours) morning nap, so for the three mornings a week that both girls are in school, I have "alone" time. He also takes a decent afternoon nap, during which the girls typically color, watch a show or play outside, and this, too, is time for me to sit down for a minute and gather myself for the next iteration.

Our kids aren't in any activities yet, so our schedule is relatively straightforward. The girls are in the same school this year (for the last time until Amelia is in first grade), so I have one drop-off and one pickup.

By looking for areas of "ease" in my daily life, however hard they can be to find, I'm able to shift the focus off of how hard it is and be mindful of places of rest that do exist.

Of course, I can also cross the line and often do mildly freak out about things like: what will life be like when George drops his morning nap? when he's walking? when I have two drop offs and pickups next year? when kids are in activities?

One day at a time. For now, it's really hard, but it also might be the easiest it will ever be, so I'm trying to rest in that.

photo credit: Anne Katherine Photography