Two years of parenting two

These days, we have finally reached a phase where the kids are much easier to look after.  Finally!  Mainly referring to Amanda, since Wayne has long been quite independent and self-entertaining. 

What triggered this post, was my lunch date with a friend last Saturday. I met her in the late morning and ended up spending almost the entire afternoon with her, reaching home at 4pm. It was not the fact that I was out for so long, but the state of my mind while out. I was able to relax and enjoy my time out chit-chatting with my friend, without worrying how the kids were doing and if they were driving the husband nuts. You see, in the past, all the times I was out and the husband was alone with the two kids, I would not really relax. Perhaps it was me, I would worry if the husband was having a hard time alone managing the kids and I would usually end up hurrying home. Amanda isn't the easiest kid to handle, and when she starts to look for me when I am out, she can be pretty hard to pacify.  And I just didn't want the husband to feel tired or frustrated, though he doesn't complain. I still recall a time when I went out for the night and Amanda ended up crying the entire 2 hours non-stop, leaving me feeling really guilty for subjecting both Amanda and the husband to such torture. But from what happened last Saturday, I now know that after two years, I needn't worry!

I think a lot has to do with the fact that she can play independently and does not need constant supervision. Having a brother to entertain her sure helps a lot too. Often, both the kids would now play by themselves in their room, leaving the husband and I a bit more time to have our dinner peacefully, and do a bit of our own things, which sadly often revolves around the household chores. Haha. Still... I am not complaining. It is a far cry from the times that I needed to eat my dinner in two portions depending on how long she wanted to sit down together with me, or when we couldn't even wash the dishes without having the other one of us free to keep an eye on her, or couldn't even take a shower until she naps. For all that, a big hooray!

Amanda being in school the past few months have also helped with the logistics. I commute a bit less on a daily basis, and the icing on top of the cake is being able to take half a day's leave to sleep at home when I just-feel-too-tired-to-continue. Seriously.. this, only mommies will be able to understand. Oh.... the lack of personal time we have, and the lack of sleep! On good days when Amanda sleeps through till 7 in the morning, I wake up feeling so rested... but its so rare, I've long gotten used to waking up to her cries in the middle of the night, falling back asleep sometimes on her bed, sometimes on mine, and waking up irritated by the interrupted sleep. When, baby girl, will you sleep through the night consistently?

Looking back at the past two years, together with the immense joy they bring into our lives, the husband and I have also been really stretched to the brink of exhaustion. Our daily routine does not include much rest time, BUT just when I feel that its getting too much, finally I see the light at the end of the tunnel when I start to find more and more pockets of time amidst our routine to rest. And with this, I really look forward to spending more quality time with the husband, the kids and the extended family.

Love you both, my two little monsters!