On The Move

Yesterday I came to accept that for the current phase of my life, I have to be constantly on the move. If I'm not moving, I will be sitting with Natalie on my lap or my bicep will be burning as I stand and hold her. I know it's my own fault, I was not diligent in overseeing her becoming properly babywise.

She's not going to be little forever, so I'm trying to "be present" and slow down my mind and to do list and just enjoy her. We try reading books, but then Sophi will want to come sit on my lap and read too. That would be great ...if Natalie would stop being a bully to Sophia. Natalie won't allow Sophi to look at a book if it is within her reach, which it is if they are both on my lap. So I have to try to hide Sophi on one side and then put Natalie on the other, and as Natalie power-speed reads through her book, I try to reach far over to Sophi and we start a page, but Natalie is too quick and we never get to page 2 without Nat coming to terrorize our efforts. What to do. I can't accomplish many tasks right now, cause if I'm standing in one place Natalie finds me and stops any productivity. I can't finish laundry, since that is a task that requires me standing or kneeling in one place as I fold. I can vacuum. I can't load the dishwasher on my first attempt - Natalie either grabs my legs crying to be held or she'll start taking out the dirty knives. I can unload with her help. I can make my bed if I do it quickly and walk from side to side and stay on my toes to keep my pant legs out of her grasp. I can also make the kids beds if I hurry between the bottom and top bunks. I can pick up stuff off the floor and put it in a bin, but I can't empty out or sort the things in the bin unless Natalie is asleep.

I can also mow the lawn. So yesterday after not being able to read to both of the girls at the same time and not getting anything else accomplished inside the house, we put on jackets and shoes and headed outside where I had a nice break mowing the lawn. (Yes, it's a break!) Natalie was content for most of the time, then she started chasing me down in a more than usual fussy way. I guessed she needed a diaper change and I was right. Left the mower outside, in to change her, then back out and I put her in the stroller. I gave her a leaf and a bit of weed wacker twine that I found on the ground (I thought she might find them interesting).

Thankfully she did take them and they occupied her attention just long enough for her to doze off. Phew! And then I left the mowing to do later when she was awake again and continuing her efforts to stopping my "standing still" tasks. As for Now with my cute baby asleep, I was lucky cause now I could go try to finish laundry, hooray!