We always wanted three kids, but we never planned on having three under three. So, when we found out last July that our three under three was actually FOUR under three… our reaction could best be described as joyous panic. I took a photo in the elevator on my way out of the doctor’s office that day because I wanted to always remember the bewilderment I was feeling in that moment. A perfect storm of elation… and terror. By my next doctor appointment the following week, the joyous panic had turned to mostly joy, but I was still undeniably overwhelmed. A nurse practitioner, who I hadn’t previously met, must have noticed my apprehension because she went on to tell me about her friend who also had four under three (two singles followed by twins… all about the same ages as ours) and said: You’ll be fine. God only gives them to people who can handle them. My friend panicked too and now she can’t imagine it any other way.
I never saw that nurse again, but her words stuck with me in the following months. And you know what? She was right. Fast forward nine months and we are handling things just fine. I’m not sure how, but going from 2 kids to 4 is infinitely easier than going from 1 to 2. It makes no sense whatsoever, but I’m far more in control of our current situation than I ever was with Arabella and Teddy. Sure, our house is mass chaos every waking hour (which is most hours in a house with two newborns and two toddlers), but it’s what I’ve come to affectionately call blissful chaos. And to act like it’s anything other than bliss would be a lie.
That’s not to say that it’s not hard. Four kids under three is definitely the most challenging multitasking I’ve ever done (and I’ve done a LOT of multitasking), but it’s also the most fun. Tomorrow, Arabella turns three. And that means that our days of four under three will come to an end. I’m not sure that four three and under is any easier, but somehow it just sounds easier.
Trina Orlando 