The fact that a year has gone by since I got to hold and kiss my sweet Roman for the first time is mind-blowing. Life with two kids under three began with the realization that I needed to cut myself some slack. If you're headed down this path, or right in the middle of it, please for the love of all things good, let yourself off the hook. So what if kids go to bed in a pajama shirt, no bottoms and might not have gotten a bath in three days? On the grand scheme of things, it's okay. Granted, at the present moment when one spills his strawberry blueberry smoothie on himself (and the carpet) and the little one just blew out of his third diaper and subsequent outfit, and you haven't had anything with a substantial amount of protein or even calories (three cups of coffee don't count as sustenance.) in the last two days, then you're right - life seems rather nutso. Wait, life IS nutso. I'm here to tell you it gets better. You start to get some sleep. You start to get in a rhythm. You start to not want to kill your spouse. (You thought you were the only one?) And what I'm about to say is something you know. I mean you genuinely know and feel in your soul. You just forget and need to be reminded: It's all worth it. Try to remember the sound of the quiet house, rocking your sweet babe back to sleep, hearing your other little one snoring next door. Remember the gorgeous art project he so proudly brought to you, and the first time your mini-me looked at you and said, 'mama.' Because here I am just a year into it trying to figure out a way to make it all slow down. Not to a hault ... just to a slow-mo video so I can make sure to catch everything and rewind it every once in a while. Happy birthday, Roman! What an honor it is to get to know you, watch you grow and be your mom.
Lanette Hansen
January 28, 2021
January 8, 2021
December 3, 2020