Going it alone

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I don't know how single parents survive. It's only been three days (and nights! in our house one night can feel like a week) and I'm about at wit's end. Part of it is timing, I am swamped at work and there is this little thing called Christmas around the corner...I don't have gift lists yet for family members, I haven't purchased or even thought about purchasing anything yet, my Christmas cards are not addressed, my advent calendar is not up, we don't have a tree...the list goes on. It bums me out that I am behind on all these things because I love this time of year. Having kids to experience it with and share new traditions makes it all the more fun. I have to kick it into gear!

But I digress, back to the single parenting. Mornings are probably the hardest for me on my own. It is nearly impossible to get out the door at a decent time with two little ones. There are bottles to be made, clothes to be taken off and put on, last minute trips to the bathroom for the newly potty-trained that involve stripping all the way back down to just a shirt, a dog to feed and let out, and coffee to be made and sucked down quickly while avoiding the grasps of small hands. Then there are all the things that have to be put in the car - my laptop, said coffee, lunch, bottles, extra clothes for the newly potty-trained and the one that spits up 10 times a day, a carseat with an infant stuffed inside, a toddler carrying a cup of cereal, a fire truck and a nickel. (I won't mention the fact that I have to back my car out of our too-narrow garage before I can load in the infant seat as the door doesn't open wide enough inside the garage. But we live in a charming neighborhood, see?). Needless to say, this routine is monumentally more difficult if both kids have been up numerous times the night before.

This morning I pulled out of the driveway with just about everything in the car that needed to be in the car - minus the little fire truck to go with the already present big fire truck. Really kid?!

But this post wasn't meant to complain so much as to express my gratitude for a helpful spouse that really does so much in this shared parenting process. I heard news today of a work colleague with three kids getting a divorce and it made me incredibly sad. I know I don't appreciate Ryan enough for all his help with the kids (and making coffee and breakfast, dinner every night -  I know, right?! I'm a lucky girl). The truth is, there is no way I could do what I do and try to balance work/family without being married to someone so supportive of my career and someone so willingly engaged in our daily family life.

Please hurry home, honey. We miss you more than you know!

Here's a few photos to of what we've been up to while you were away.

Working on our stance. Without pants, of course.


Mornings have been cold, had to bundle up.

Charlie attempted to put the train track together on his own - he did pretty well!

So close to crawling! But she's waiting til Dad gets home.

My snuggle bug in bed as of 6 am this morning.

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