Sunday, January 25, 2009

our last weekend as four ...

So, unless you are entirely oblivious, you know that Dilly will be here in three days. Seriously, three days. That's only 72 more hours of life as we know it. An incredibly small amount of time when you think about it. Right now, we are comfortable. We know our routine and things tend to flow smoothly (aside from the drama-queen tantrums the girls like to throw). But in the blink of an eye, that will all be over.

Last go-round, I made a relatively easy transition. Dizzle was on a set schedule and I forced Doodle to get in line with it. Plus, it probably didn't hurt that Dizzle ignored Doodle for the first few months or so. No major jealousy or upheaval. And aside from the non-stop feedings and sleepless nights, things remained pretty much the same around here (I know I should stop bragging).

In my wildest dreams, the same thing is going to happen this time. We are all going to wake up on our first morning home and life will carry on as we know it (just slightly louder). Dizzle and Doodle will entirely adhere to their schedule and I will seamlessly blend Dilly into our family. Then, after an easy first two weeks, we will move into the new house and that won't disrupt us either. Piece of cake, right?

It's a nice dream, but I'm a realist. I know that's not going to happen. I know we are going to have to adjust and things probably won't be as perfect as I would like to imagine. Someone is going to feel ousted, someone is going to take priority and someone is going to have to wait. And last time I checked, kids don't like to wait for anything.

But for now, I am just enjoying our last weekend as a family of four. We are living our lives as usual, but I am doing my best to take it all in. In the last two days, I have becoming glaringly aware that Dizzle is about to grow up in a big way. I already expect a lot from her (as most parents do of their oldest), but I know that in no time those expectations are going to grow exponentially. I'm pretty sure that she's about to become even more self-sufficient. A crazy thing to expect from a three-year old.

At the same time, I am relishing in the fact that for a few more hours I can look at Doodle and see a baby, because even though she won't be any different three days from now, I know I will never see her the same way again. Or any of us for that matter ...

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