Evaluation

A lot of people have asked me lately if I like staying at home full time and how it is going.

In a word: Awesome!

Okay, there are days when I am at my wits end. I just deleted a post I was going to do about Madison's apparent growth spurt and her desire to nurse every 90 minutes. So no, it isn't perfect. We have plenty of "moments" around here where the majority of us are in tears. But overall, we are a pretty happy bunch.

Reagan has adjusted wonderfully to Madison's presence in our lives. She never seems to view her as an interruption which is amazing grace on her part! There are times she is more patient with Madison than I am. I frequently turn around to find her playing with her on her play gym, reading her a book, or gently and patiently offering Madison her pacifier. It quite amazes me the way she just warmly welcomed her into her life and family. I spent a lot of time worrying before Madison was born about the effect it would have on Reagan. I worried that Reagan would feel less loved or be jealous or whathaveyou. But she has seemingly felt the opposite. She loves to "give Maddie a snuggle" in the morning.

Madison is a marvelous baby - even though there are days when I feel ill-equipped to meet her demands (reasonable as they may be). She sleeps from about 8:30 pm to about 8:00 a.m. This amazes me and pretty much anyone I tell. We love her desire to sleep in her own bed in our bedroom and her ability to put herself to sleep within 10 - 15 minutes.

And yes, staying at home as afforded me the opportunity to actually do housework and cook meals. Yes, this place is clean and tidy as it can be with two young children in residence. Yes, meals are ready and waiting the minute Brian walks in the door almost every evening. Yes, he has had shirts and slacks ironing within a few weeks time...instead of the months he used to have to wait. Yes, staying home is handy.

But I know, too, that those household chores are NOT why I stay home or what should be a focus of my day. My to-do list has to take a backseat to tea parties, playing basketball, shaking rattles, changing a diaper, feeding a hungry mouth.

I love staying home - much more than I ever thought I would. It has given me a new perspective on parenting. I'm not one to say that every woman in the world should stay home with her children, but being a fulltime homemaker and stay-at-home mom has been a wonderful new avenue for me. I'm glad I didn't wait any longer to do this. I absolutely love being here for my girls each and every day.