Pris Adventures: Life with 3 kids

People have been asking me how life as a Mom to 3 kids has been. I find it hard to sort out my thoughts to answer honestly and yet I find it very superficial to just say "Oh yeah, it's been fine". So in the confines of my blog, I shall attempt to paint a picture of what life has been like for the past 4.5 weeks.

To sum it up, life has been hectic and I'm feeling very much out of my comfort zone.

Transiting from 0 to 1 kid was life-changing. Nothing prepares you really for the arrival of your firstborn. You can read all the books you want, listen to all the advice from other parents, but your experience with your kid will never be the same as what someone else experienced with his/her kid.

Transiting from 1 to 2 kids was much easier for us compared to 0 to 1. Sam and Gabriel are pretty close in age (22months), so I was still in the changing diapers / strollers / playgroups stage. As such, I didn't have to alter my lifestyle much to welcome Gabriel into our family. 2 hands for 2 kids. Easy-peasy right?

Introducing a 3rd kid to our family is the first time we are outnumbered.

Even when the hub is home, we are still a ratio of 2 adults to 3 kids. Alone, I'm at a 1 to 3 ratio. As I said, out of my comfort zone.

The good thing though, is that Sam and Gabe are very much able to occupy themselves when I'm busy with Liam. I no longer have the worry that the one kid is too "bored" or needs to meet up with fellow toddlers because these 2 brothers have each other for play and company.

They have also been providing very good company to Liam. Sam would often be the first to attend to a crying Liam and that in itself would buy me a good 10-15 more minutes. I would often lay Liam on the sofa during dinner and sometimes after dinner, Sam would bring his blanket to the sofa and lay next to Liam. Gabriel would follow suit and they would have their little sleepover on the sofa.

SO cute right? I can't even begin to say how my heart swells with pride!

Mealtimes are still tough.

Hub came home at 8pm today so I had to settle the kids for dinner. My in-laws help me out on Monday afternoons with the 2 older ones and today, they brought them to the playground since the weather was awesome.

Dinner was almost ready when Liam started crying. Obviously I couldn't attend to him immediately since I had to set the table, distribute the food and start the boys with the food before I could tend to the little one.

I have this bobby nursing pillow which I put on my lap to nurse the baby so that I can eat my meal at the same time as well as feed Gabriel. Both boys are very much capable of feeding themselves but as what every Mom would know, children can be picky about what they eat. Left to their own devices, Gabriel would eat nothing but rice and Sam eggs.

Last Thursday, I managed to bring them to playgroup for the first time since giving birth 4 weeks ago. We were 30 minutes late (surprisingly not because of the newborn but because the 2 older ones had to do their business just before we left the house).

That meant that my boys only got seats at opposite sides of the table. It was quite impossible for me to help both of them with craft. I was shuffling between the two boys, trying to help them with their "Mother's Day" cards (yeah, I made my own Mother's Day card). And all this time, I had to keep an eye on the infant in the carseat to see if he was still asleep or not.

After playgroup, when the kids were playing on the field outside, I had to use two eyes to keep an eye on 3 kids. Liam is still immobile, so that's one less kid to keep a look out for in terms of prospensity to danger.

I've mastered the skill of maintaining a conversation with a fellow Mom, while keeping my eyes on 2 children who dart around the vicinity. But at one point in time, Liam started crying and in my bid to quieten him down, I wasn't able to maintain visual with my other 2 children. That's when I realized Gabriel was wandering off to our car which was parked at the side of the street. I had to yell at him to stop!

It's true that the more kids you have, the more you know you have to depend on God. I can't be at all places at the same time, nor be 100% attentive at all times. I need to be more consistent in praying for the safety of my kids especially at this fearless toddler stage.

It's pretty much a balancing act, but at least I know from experience, things can only get better when baby grows older and we are more adjusted to having a 3rd baby in the household.

I so do love being a Mom. There are so many moments in my daily life that I know I will cherish and ponder in my heart. My parenting skills may be far from perfect and I know I'll make many mistakes, but I also know God's grace is more than sufficient for my flaws.

Hub is also such a great Dad. Compared to with Sam, the hub is also so much more relaxed with Liam. It's so heart-warming to watch the man of your dreams grow to become the Dad of your dreams. We are so blessed with him and am so thankful at how he held the fort post-Liam's birth.

The hub was at home for about 4 weeks, while working in between for a couple of days. He makes us wonderful omelettes and I actually have a proper breakfast complete with a butter crossiant and latte macchiato when he's at home.

And don't ask me why, but hub seem to have an ability to make Liam take his pacifier. Somehow his success rates are way higher than me. I blame it on the fact that I breastfeed and the second Liam smells me, he refuses to take anything except the boob.

Yup, that's my life in a nutshell. Wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I'm reminded of this verse and am so grateful to the Lord for blessing our family.