60 days

Two months ago today we arrived home in Columbus with two new children. I guess 2 months isn't a very long time, and it doesn't feel like it either, but I am amazed at the distance we have come.

First, I want to say that I am absolutely amazed at how well S and E have transitioned and adjusted to their new life. Yes, E wanted nothing to do with the mama for several days, and S had moments of sobbing grief, but it is like they totally get what is going on and they are all for it. Our days are not rainbows and puppy dogs. We have a toddler, a preschooler, and a second-grader, so how could they be? As parents, we are challenged daily, hourly, and by the minute, but we are hanging in there. Life is good.

I used to think I was so busy -- mom to a busy school-ager, wife, part-time instructor, blah, blah, blah. Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!! And what's funny is that even when I think about what I did during the day today, it sounds so lame: Fed 3 kids breakfast, got J off to school, bathed E, got S and E dressed, hair done, dressed myself, made lunch, drove to Westerville for the kids to go to the eye doctor, did a load of laundry, vacuumed a couple of rooms. Doesn't sound like much. So why am I so exhausted?? I've decided that what is so tiring about raising 3 kids isn't just what I do PHYSICALLY, but it's also what I do MENTALLY. Trying to figure out what a 18-month-old is attempting to communicate is very draining. Throw in a 3-year-old with limited English mixed with a smidgen of Amharic and it is like spending your entire day working on a NY Times crossword puzzle. Oh, of course, there are also the behavioral issues to deal with: tantrums, sharing problems, whining and crying. And that's just me! :)

We still have paperwork to do and thank-you notes have been sitting around waiting to be written. Housework is never ending. Planning a day around meal times, nap times, and bus times provides some mental gymnastics, and picking up a 24-pounder and a 30-pounder has resulted in some interesting muscle discoveries.

Life has definitely changed in the last couple of months, and I am tired. But, thankfully, I can see and feel the calming and settling. Our family mobile became unbalanced and some shifting has been taking place to rebalance it. It may still tilt to one side or another a bit, but we will soon even out and turn in time together.