Reflections on my chaotic life of minivans, tantrums, deadlines, and diets ... a life I wouldn't trade for the world.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Balance

Nearly 22 months ago, my reality turned on its head. As I welcomed my son into my arms that early morning in July, I bid farewell to the flat-bellied, single-chinned, 9-hours-of-sleep getting triathlete I once was, and ushered in weeks of wild emotions, months of exhaustion, and years of playdates and zoo excursions.

Little did I know that having only one child was a relative walk in the park. In hindsight, my son was a much-loved accessory to our semi-normal lives; we still went out to dinner, to barbecues, on road trips. They just became a little more hectic. As long as we were home for naps, we could generally do what we wanted.

January 2012: Enter child No. 2, stage left.

Life became a series of critical, life-altering decisions: Which child is crying louder? Who is hungrier? Which child needs a bath more? Whose diaper is closer to overflowing? Who will cause the most damage if I leave him/her alone while I go to the bathroom (hint: not the newborn)?

Now that I am back at work and the kids are in daycare, these decisions are largely left to their caregivers. I struggle with feelings of guilt for going back to work (and enjoying it), but I am learning to accept this reality and these feelings as a normal part of parenthood in 2012. I created this blog to give voice to these thoughts, and hope to share some of my ideas and experiences with balancing work, family, health, and life.

2 comments:

  1. Oh, yes, I DO so identify with your remarks! How many people over how many years have heard me say that one child fits into your sweet, perfect lives, while child number two means you have Children. Big difference. Very big. But wait. Weren't you one of those children? Didn't you hear me? If you heard (and I suspect you did), thank you for not listening. Your two children will thank you, too. As will your husband. Eventually. : )

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