Shifting

The kids get up sometime around 6 or 6:30 or....occasionally 5:45 a.m. But they stay (mostly) quiet in their rooms until 7. Then, Rebecca comes out and gets Andrew and they go downstairs and turn on the TV. They get out of the cereal and pour themselves a bowl. They drop a bunch on the floor and spill some milk.

But...they stay QUIET.

I have even slept until 8:00 a.m. or so under these conditions. I mean, I'm awake-ish, and aware they are up, but able to doze off.

Back in these days, this would have seemed an impossible dream. When I go back and read those old posts. I feel my chest tighten. How far we have come. And how cute and sweet those old memories already seem. Because now I get a good night's sleep on a regular basis. It allows one to see the reality of things a lot more clearly. Like how adorable those little tyrants were! And how functional they are now.

Now I'm sitting here watching the Today Show hosts doing shots of vodka at 9 a.m. and the kids are....I don't know. Coloring? I think?

I wish I could go back and tell myself this: "This shit is HARD. No kidding, HARD. And no one understands how hard it is. No one, unless they are in your exact situation at the time. Even moms who have kids ages 7 and 4. They have already forgotten. It is intense and nonstop. Do not take shit from anyone. Just make it through each day the best you can and move on. Document those crazy and hilarious moments so that one day when you have had months of uninterrupted sleep you can go back and read about it and really enjoy it."