Although Stella has proven to be an exceptionally good traveler, we came to the conclusion that there is only so much you can really expect from a 3-year-old when it comes to being trapped in the car for 10 hours at a time. And so it was, we rounded out 2006 by adding a portable DVD system to our arsenal of kid wrangling tools. What this meant to me:
- I would officially have to do all the driving, as Steve could not be trusted to NOT watch the screen through the rear-view mirror while driving.
- I could not escape having to listen to Lilo & Stitch (both I and II) on an end-to-end loop.
- I was, yet again, reminded that I no longer have the right to use the words “I will never” in regards to parenting.
How is it that generations of children have had to survive road trips with nothing but coloring books and second-hand copies of car bingo and NOT DIED OF NEGLECT? I remember when I had to walk uphill both ways in the snow barefoot on car trips. Or was that ride in the back of a pick-up truck while it was raining? I can’t remember because the hypothermia diminished my ability to accurately recall such events. In any case, we do these things because if we didn’t, we’d all still be hoofing it across the plains in dust clouds while staring at the wrong end of a horse. It’s progress. At least that is how I am justifying it to myself.
That is also how I am summing up the year that was 2006: Progress.
Ah, 2006. Or, as I like to refer to it: The Year I Got 4 Hours of Sleep. I should have known that when I brought in the New Year pregnant, with no electricity and a toddler who was inches from sucking every ounce of sanity I had left, it was setting the pace for the rest of our year. I couldn’t have been any less prepared for the giant twist our lives took once we became a family of four. I guess I could sum it up by saying that everything in our lives was stretched to it’s absolute breaking point – emotional, physical, you name it. I say this with no sense of frustration or sadness. Instead, what I found is that it became a great equalizer – allowing me to prioritize and reflect on the most important pieces and parts. From there it was (sort-of) simple: Allocate energy accordingly. Adjust when necessary. Progress. Or something like that.
As we head into 2007, the seas will begin to settle. I feel it. In many ways, they already have – not because routines are any easier, but because we have all managed to begin adjusting. We are figuring out how we fit into each other’s lives. We have managed to retrofit expectations with reality. Stella both challenges and charms me on a daily basis but more importantly has adjusted to sharing life with a brother. Little McGoo has continued to change it up on me in regards to routines and schedules, but has also settled firmly into a personality that is his, and his alone – while giving me the opportunity to experience just how much fun it is to have a little boy. (Dude! Do you really have to go for the jewels every time I change your diaper?) All the while, Steve and I continue to work on our relationship, and all the new intricacies that having two children has added to the mix. One thing I know for sure – I am forever grateful to have such a dedicated and participative partner in all of this chaos.
I guess what I am trying to say is: No, it hasn’t been easy. Yes, we are getting better at it. Yes, it is worth it. And, yes, I’d do it all again in a second.
And, as for 2007: Bring. It. On.