We've come a looooong way baby!

Today Adam turns three and I have been doing some reflecting this weekend. We have come a long way since he was born. That first year is almost a blur to me now. I lost almost 10 pounds without even trying. I would get up at 6:00am and literally not be able to sit down until 9:00pm. In the middle I would be going as fast as I could to keep up with things and felt like I was barely keeping afloat. To say the least life was CRAZY! Andrew was in Kindergarten when Adam was born and life kept up that pace until Natasha started first grade (which was just last year).Once I had two kids in school it felt like heaven. I found myself being able to sit down during the day and things just seemed less busy. Also about a year ago Preston was diagnosed with ADHD. He started on medication shortly after and that’s when I began to feel like I could actually breathe again.

Also three years ago our house was like a childproofed fortress. We had three walk through gates as well as a huge gate that covered the TV and fireplace. Any flat surface that was low was void of life and all chairs from the kitchen table had to be taken out past the gates after every meal (Not to mention all the cabinets that had to have latches). Slowly the gate came away from the TV and Adam figured out the walk through gates so they came down. (Being able to walk freely through the house seemed so foreign at the time.) Then about 6 months ago we experimented by putting a lone lamp on the table. That survived and we started putting a few more things out here and there. Now for the first time ever we have Halloween decorations out on all the end tables and my house doesn’t feel so “empty” anymore. We still have a few incidents with knocked over lamps and broken light bulbs but for the most part Adam is doing really well. I know we will have fully graduated when we can get rid of our $50 garage sale kitchen table and get a real one. I have a feeling that is still a few years away.

We have also come a long way as far as the kids getting along. Three years ago Preston and Natasha were like oil and water. I could hardly wait for her to go to pre-school and then the next year to Kindergarten just so there could be some peace in the house. When we would go on trips I couldn’t even pack their clothes together in the same bag because it just didn’t feel right. Well, slowly as Preston has calmed down and she has matured their relationship has greatly improved. This weekend Andrew was at a cub scouts activity with Jason and Natasha and Preston played together for 3 hours straight! (Adam was napping) All four of them have been playing well together at night too. Since it has been getting dark earlier they like to go in the back with glowing light sabers and flash lights. They have made up a game and they all have a blast together. These moments are so precious to me. I thought they would never come. This is not to say things are always great with them. Preston and Adam are at the age where they fight a lot too. I call them the evil magnets. They can’t live with each other, they can’t live without each other. Adam is also usually the trump card with the four of them playing nice. He thinks he’s big but he’s really not and he usually messes up what they are trying to do. I often hear, “Mom! Can you get Adam out of here??????” I think he has just a few more months and he will be better at playing with them.

Now, the ten pounds are back, I have time to write things like this for my blog, to work on projects, to read a book here and there, and to actually have a semi-clean house. It just amazes me how far we have come in the last three years. I know that I have more stress and commotion than the average family but I can finally see that little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. That little glimmer of light is starting to get brighter and brighter as each day passes too. Wow, just look how far we've come and it feels GREAT!!