whoosh.
the sun is streaming in, the swaddled baby burrito is stirring, and I don’t know how long DanO has been gone for work already.
thunk thunk thunk.
OBoy is at his door, asking for it to be morning. morning, Mommy? yes. morning.
he can open his door now, he’s so big and strong, but after enough mornings of a toddler showing up at my bedside at 5:45am, we taught him that he stays in his room until Mommy comes.
stand and stretch. baby burrito is squirming more now, squawking to be free of his swaddle. i unwrap him and his arms fly above his head in a reflex that looks like a tiny celebration of mobility.
thunk thunk thunk.
yes, buddy. it’s morning.
i throw on a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt, probably the same shirt i wore yesterday in a different color, and i am thankful for the storage space and organization we have in our bedroom since moving upstairs. barefoot down the wood-floored hallway to OBoy’s room.
behind the door my eyes and his daddy’s smile look up at me from under a mess of blond curls in monkey pajamas. he is a light. a joy. we tuck his pacifier back into bed and say bye bye to it for the day, then, “Baby?”.
yes, buddy, Baby. Baby is on Mommy and Daddy’s bed. the sound of bare toddler feet down the hallway to our room, where he finds his brother laying happily on our bed. OBoy’s face lights up more, showing that one tooth that came in behind another. like i said, his daddy’s smile… well, before the braces.
we hang out on my bed for a bit. i wonder at the perfection of it.
the windows. the sunlight. the snuggles. the giggles. the white cozy bed linens. my boys. my heart.
and then whoosh.
the baby crinkles his face and makes nursing cues. i catch a whiff of OBoy’s diaper. the day begins. OBoy and i head to his room to get changed and dressed for the day, and before i can pull a tee-shirt over his head OBrother is crying. i go get him, do another round of diaper changes and getting dressed, then we all head downstairs, counting as we go.
one, two, three, four… thirteen steps with a baby in one hand and a toddler holding the other.
“eat?”
one-handed, i set breakfast in front of OBoy, usually yogurt to start, and if i have time i make him scrambled eggs. if i don’t, i pop in some toast, get out the blueberries, and start nursing the baby.
i eat, also one handed, and in a feat i never dreamed i’d be capable of, i pour myself some chai tea while nursing the baby in a football hold.
“all done.”
whoosh.
OBrother is done nursing now and happily kicking around on his playmat in the living room. i get OBoy cleaned up and then i hear the sound of bare feet toddler-running into his playroom. trains crash into each other, a rainbow-colored piano gets played, truck sound effects. i open the door and let the dog out after the daily revelation (o, yea. we have a dog.) then go peek in a mirror.
i run a brush through my hair and toss it in a bun.
my freckles are back for the summer. i skip makeup.
my chai, still cold is waiting for me on the dining room table. i take a sip to the soundtrack of toddler jabbering and trains on wooden tracks. i go over to OBrother and kiss his cheeks. he turns toward me, smiles and coos. he has his daddy’s eyes.
i wonder at the perfection of it.
i let the dog in. suddenly OBoy is under foot, driving a truck complete with sound effects.
whoosh.
It’s amazing how skilled one becomes with using one hand after children! :) Sounds like a perfect morning to me!
Sounds like another day in mama world. Your doing it with grace girl!
And I can say as a mother of 5 from ages 5 mo to 9 yrs. . . it just keeps getting better:) Soon, that toddler of yours will wanna make your breakfast!
This warmed my heart.
It’s good to know mine isn’t the only 2 year old banging on his door at 5:45 :-)
Beautiful. :) You have a way of making “ordinary” events beautiful with your words and perspective, my friend. I love hearing about your life with 2… it makes me more excited and also more realistic about what it will be like for me in a few months!
While I love my job dearly, I have been struggling lately with an inner desire to be home, and this post did not help. =) It sounds perfect. Sitting here jealus…
Tiff- I feel the exact same way right now. Hoping it will pass soon.
This sounds vaguely familiar. Or maybe REALLY familiar!
You’re doing a great job juggling two!
This made me smile. Good morning to all of you.
that was heartwarming. makes me kinda want a second babe (mines 22months old). Its nice to hear a mom love being a mom for once.
Just lovely. Thank you for this.
a fun read. it sounds so smooth, then the whoosh. I know that feeling. sounds like you’ve mastered the juggling act : )
Perfection, indeed, Mama. Like I said, I can’t wait. :)
Beautiful. :)
Wow. You managed to summarize a morning with 2 little ones *perfectly*. My boys are 2 1/2 and 14 months. I am very familiar with the ‘whoosh.’ Love posts like these. Keep up the good work :)
I never realized how much I’d be able to do with only one hand until I had a child. This pretty much describes my day, minus the extra baby. :)
i really love the way you wrote that. i felt like i was there seeing it all happen.
I agree with the previous commenter – I felt like I was there watching it happen too! I can’t understand what it’s like, yet, but I am looking forward to it :)
I have two boys that are close in age just like yours. This post has a beautiful way of looking at it, sometimes I get so caught up in what I have to do next that I forget to charish those quiet moments like this. Thanks and stop over to check mine out sometime =]
your ability to write is amazing :) i love those simple days written in an interesting and extraordinary way :) i felt like i was there next to you. awesome!! :)
Your blog makes me want to be a mother. :) Which is a pretty great huge because usually I am scared to death at the thought.
My children are all grown up now but reading this reminds me of all the early morning snuggle time we had together.
I love the way this was written!
Please oh please share how you managed to teach Micah how to stay in his room when he is up earlier than the rest of the world! My 21 month old has taken to climbing out of his crib, opening his door, and coming into our room saying “Mama! Daddy!….Hi!” While I do admit this isn’t a bad way to wake up, I would just prefer it to be at a more acceptable hour, especially on the weekend! :)
Exactly.
This is a great piece of writing and glimpse into homelife with little kids! Sometimes the whooshes happen all day long, sometimes, there are only a few. Sometimes the entires day is a whoosh. I’ve got 5 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old girls and a 6 week old boy. Nursing is exhausting and takes up HOURS of a day so much of my time is spent like you, doing things with one hand. Thanks for your beautiful honesty.