swiblings

I was making dinner the other day and much to my delight, both Plava and Pito were seeming quite happy playing away in the livingroom.

This, these days, is rather unusual at such a time of day as late afternoon. Whereas Plava was a mild little thing at 15 months old who gave me little to complain about during the dinner prep hour, Pito has shown me what they mean when they say "the witching hour".

She is miserable. She wants to be held. She wants to eat. She wants me to read her books and continually comes up to me with one, very seriously looking up into my eyes saying, "Booop! Booop!"

Many times, just to reward her for using her words so well and not screaming her request at me (something she is starting to really improve on!), I plop right down on the kitchen floor, to which she replies by giving me a little smile and plopping her little diapered bum right down in my lap with book in hand.

This would be a fine little moment, and would possibly appease her neediness for a while after the book was done, but of course what one sister has, the other wants. Not a moment after I read the first few words, in tears Plava with her own book, ready to take up Pito's spot the minute I'm done reading.

It's wonderful and exhausting all at once, especially when there are two or three pots and pans on the stove bubbling away. Eventually, I do get them back to their playing, at least most of the time, but it all starts again 5 minutes later.

This is the thing I'm finding about being a mom to 2 kidlets. There really is never quite enough of me. Between the diaper changes, wiping of noses, drying of tears, talking through conflicts, preparing of meals, cleaning of dishes, wiping of faces and hands and counters, tidying of toys, avoiding of toilet paper messes, guarding of cat food (which Pito still likes to try and taste), and a whole other host of motherly duties that happen like rapidfire from 6:30am until 7:30pm when they're tucked tightly in their beds, I really do wonder how one is to ever feel like they're getting ahead. Not only these things either. My plate is loaded (as I mentioned a few months ago...) with sling making, bookkeeping, music planning for church, grocery shopping, and general upkeep of the home, cars, and cat. It is laughable that I expect this much of myself. And yet, there are moments when I am so excited about things - my sling business is gaining serious momentum - I feel on top of the bookkeeping and admin work that I do - I am excited about parenting and doing a good job at it - I am loving the moments these days.

...the moments like the one that afternoon as I was making dinner. As I cooked away at the stove and chopped vegetables needed for the meal, I heard a small voice coming from the living room. I peeked quietly around the corner and there I saw a moment that I will keep in my memory to bring out in those hectic times when I'm asking myself whether I really thought this mothering thing through clearly.

Plava was sitting in her doll stroller beside Pito, who was sitting on the floor. Pito was turned away from me, but I could see that she was swaying a little and getting drowsy as Plava was gently rubbing her cheek saying, "...are you sleepy, Pito?....do you want to go to sleep?...are you sleepy?"

For all the crazy times I have, this one will be cherished for the beautiful little sister-love moment that it was. Aaaah, sisters. Aaaah, life.