This morning started like a normal Sunday morning, but it was a just little bit different. True, I was up by 5 because I just couldn’t get comfortable anymore but it was more than that. It was the feeling of being on the brink of something exciting and wonderful yet slightly scary and completely surreal. As I laid awake in the wee hours of the morning the question of Are we ready? kept dancing through my mind.
I went through all the lists and prep we’ve been doing for the past 39 weeks…
Are we ready for Nana and Papa to watch Makenzie for a few days – yes.
Are we ready to spend a few days in the hospital – yes.
Are we ready to bring home a newborn, swaddle him up and rock him to sleep – heck yes.
But are we ready to be parents of two kids – I just don’t know.
……………………………
By the time the sun came up the toddler Pandora station was blasting in the kitchen while my favorite little buddy was hard at work mixing pancake batter, yet I was still questioning our readiness.
Are we really ready for sleepless nights, endless diaper changes and countless cleanings of bottles?
Are we ready to teach two kids about all the good in the world yet make sure they can protect themselves from the not-so-good?
Are we able and ready to give them really amazing childhoods?
Chef Makenzie
Within 10 minutes I had my answer. My little chef had moved to her kitchen seat and was playing the alphabet game on her tablet when everything got crazy. A tidal wave of spilled milk on her new toy prompted an unforeseen meltdown. As I cleaned up her milk and sopped up her tears, the oven buzzer beeped reminding me that the sausage was overly done and that the pancakes needed flipped.
Just like that I went from Rockstar Mom with a burning desire to make a Sunday morning memory to a Rotten Mom with a burning skillet of pancakes. Just like that the entire day shifted. And just like that I realized that maybe being ready only means being ready to expect the unexpected.
Maybe being ready means knowing that we can’t foresee all the tears, falls and broken toys. Maybe being ready means being okay with the fact that we can’t prevent the long nights, the life lessons and the broken hearts. And maybe being ready means that despite all we do to be great parents to our kids, it’s inevitable that some morning will include spilled milk, tears and burnt pancakes.
Luckily it just took a few paper towels and a fresh batch of pancakes and all was good again in the world. Later today I found this quote and I’m starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, we are ready to be parents of two kids. It might require a few extra paper towels and an extra box of tissues on occasion but I think that the next week or so will bring more joy than we could have ever imagined.
And on a side note… If you’re listening little guy, come on out! We want to meet you and show you the world. Life is going to be unexpected and messy at times but we’re here to help you through it. You just show up and we’ll do the rest. We can’t wait for you to join in on the fun!
XOXO
Mom & Dad
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