Two Days and Counting

I know that I shouldn’t be focusing on myself in this blog; I know that this blog is about the kids and the milestones that they are meeting. However, I can’t help but be consumed by the fact that I’m headed back to work on Thursday. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sitting around crying thinking about work- I like my job and love the people I work with- but I am reminded at every turn that I only have one “tomorrow” before I will occupy my days with big kids and won’t have time to organize the nursery, or write thank you notes, or play with kiddos.  So, in that spirit, I’ve been trying to cram in everything that I think needs to be done before time runs out.

Mom and I spent the morning feeding kids, sanitizing bottles, going through my work clothes to find things I can actually wear, organizing the kids’ closet, and visiting with friends who stopped by. Amidst all of this, Mom decided to walk Abby and I was left with both kiddos- one of whom wanted to be held, both of whom were awake- and I had a panic feeling that I wouldn’t get done all of my “to-do’s”. When this feeling struck me, this feeling that I wasn’t being a productive mother because I was holding one baby and talking to the other instead of folding laundry, I was taken aback. I had to step outside of myself and give myself a swift kick in the rear. How in the world would I be an unproductive mother by spending time with my kids?  I promptly took advantage of the half hour or so that I had and below is the picture of what we did with our time and also my picture of the day.

I realized in that moment that I’m not going to be a June Cleaver mom. My house will probably always have some sort of clutter, and I’m sure I’ll have two or three things going on, but never quite finished, and I certainly won’t run the vacuum everyday or meet Tony at the back door in a freshly pressed dress with dinner on the table (ha ha).  Very few things could’ve torn me away from my kiddos and our book today- a memory that I will treasure and certainly never regret abandoning my chores to make. So, as I head back to work, I hope I remember that even the grading and reading and things I always made a priority the last few years, even those can and will wait. I would rather fill my evenings with Horton Hears a Who and baby yawns and, yes, even crying. I hope for a lifetime of moments that tear me away from the things I “should do”, and instead leave me with memories far more satisfying than a stack of folded towels or a spotless kitchen island.