Life in the fast lane.

I thought I would let you all know how my first week without Dan went. I have learned some important lessons being at home with 4 kiddos. It really is impossible to tend to everything on your list and having children to help is priceless. I have also learned that if your newborn wants your attention resistance is futile. I kind of envy those moms with their first baby. I remember the days when I could sleep when the baby did. How I miss those little cat naps throughout the day. It keeps you from totally losing your mind. That doesn't happen when there are three other children running around your house. Baby is lucky if she can sleep through the chaos.

It has been an interesting experiment in sleep deprivation though. Just how many hours of sleep does one really need before they collapse mid sentence? How long before you start calling the children by the wrong names and demanding that people start picking up their dang shoes and putting them in the fridge where they belong? Falling asleep is no longer something I try to do. It just seems to happen throughout the day whenever my butt hits a chair. I awaken to some sort of noise or the baby yelling at me because I dropped her bottle. The other kids use the opportunity to steal the remote and change the channel. I keep waking up to Toddlers and Tiaras. (Vanessa dreams of being a pageant queen)

There are a few bonuses though. Since the baby came I can drink as much caffeine as I want and have a drink or two after the masses go to bed. It makes mama a little less cranky when she can sit down with a little Bailey's. Ya know? The cooking and cleaning will have to wait until either Dan is home or Valerie gives me a break. Its only temporary though. In a few months she will be sleeping like a pro and I will once again be able to keep up with regular duties. Until then we just have to lower the expectations a little bit. We can cut ourselves some slack around here. Its the only sane thing to do.

Before I know it this phase will be a distant memory and I will wonder where the time went. I know this because its happened three times already. I really don't know where the time goes and no its not the Bailey's. Some day I will find time to play with that donut maker I got for Christmas. Maybe all this business will help me fit into my fat jeans and then maybe regular jeans again. Well, her highness beckons.....