That question has come to annoy me. I know people are complimentary or worried or something, but there just isn’t a good answer to that question. I have no idea how I do it. I have no idea how I did it with just a husband much less 3 kids. You do it because you have to, because you want to, because it needs to be done. Sure help is fantastic, but we would all manage to get through the day without it. Even if we are struck down with the flu, if the kiddos really need us we somehow manage to summon that last little bit of energy to help them. We give them the food off our plate, even if we are starving, if they are hungry. Maybe not everyone is like that, but as mothers you just have to be. Their needs take precedent; that is just how it is.

With that also in mind, there has got to be some diminishing returns when you add children. There is just so much any one person can do, right? I always subscribed to that theory – and also another one a good friend shared with me when I was preggo with my 2nd (she has already had 2). Kids are like pizza hut pizza, the first one is full price, but the second is only $5. It is true without a doubt. Adding the extra kiddo is just a bit more work – not nearly as much as the first was. I might have a change in ideas after yesterday though… I sent the girls off to FL with my folks and took baby boy back to Colorado. WE had a 5 hour drive from rural Missouri, where the service was held, to Kansas City. It would have been considerably easier to fly in and out of St Louis, but not to get to St Louis from Denver, if that makes any sense. So baby boy and I hit the road with time to spare. I had rented a Toyota Highlander because with all the kids, I prefer to have the added room. So with just me and baby boy we had too much room. He was in the center of the back seat and I was driving. He was great for about the first 1.5 hours. He had a bottle then took a nap. I brought cds, so I was enjoying the time to myself as well. After his brief nap, he got a little annoyed with driving. He started screaming. If you met baby boy, you realize he isn’t a screamer. He is actually the easiest baby I have seen in a long long time (knock on wood – I do know how lucky I am). But he started screaming, and crying and just being miserable. Since I am not used to hearing him fuss, I immediately pulled over to see what I could do. He had toys, a bottle & a teether. As soon as I got back there and started talking to him, he settled down immediately and just cooed right on back. I continued to sit and talk with him for another 10 minutes or so, just to make sure. He was happy as could be. So I got out of the car and went to the front seat. In the time between shutting the back door and opening the front, he started wailing all over again. I immediately went back to him and he settled right down. Out of the car, and the screaming began. Hmm. Maybe he thought I was going to leave him there, maybe he just needed to feel the car moving, and maybe he would stop if I just started back on the trip. Yep – nope – none of those things matter. He was lonely. He just wanted company. I thought maybe if I turned off the radio and started talking, that would help. Nope. He wanted to see me. Well let me not get all arrogant – he don’t think he wanted me, I think he wanted someone. This boy didn’t make a peep on the 5 hour drive down there, but continued to scream for the next 2 hours.

The kid is social. He missed his sisters. He doesn’t really know life without them. He handles their lack of personal space with a smile. He gets dragged around the room and even tossed in the air by his sisters. He loves it, loves it all. So oddly enough, the trip was WAY harder with just him. I had started to miss the girls already. Oh – and don’t get me started about the plane trip, I missed them even more there. I sat there and wondered how I ever did it with just one kid. 