Preparing for baby (girl) number three

Here we are. Less than two months away from becoming a family of five. In case you are wondering, we did not plan it this way. Baby Brooklyn Olivia will be our biggest and best surprise. For exactly one month we will have three children (three girls mind you) under the age of four. We aren’t crazy. But sometimes I wonder if our children will be, by the time we mere (disastrous) humans are done attempting to “raise” them…

I have come to the (unfortunate) realization that we are never leaving the house again. Or at least for like five years. I guess I will have to consider homeschooling the two older girls? Okay never mind, we can leave the house for school, but that’s it.

Eating out is for suckers. And families of four. Drive through fast food doesn’t count. Which is good, because I see a lot of this in our immediate future. Who has time to cook with three littles (under the age of four)?

I have resigned myself to the cold, hard facts: my house will never look like a magazine. Unless we hire a full-time housekeeper (and maybe a nanny). Is that even an option? I will be lucky to keep up with the laundry and the dishes. And even that is questionable. Don’t show up at my house unannounced. #youwillbesorry #youhavebeenwarned #iamnotkidding #pleasedonttakemychildrenaway

Even though I am pretty positive the opportunities to create more babies are about to become very few and far between, we are taking care of it. You know what I mean; time for a little snip-snip. Baby girl number three was our (one) “whoops.” There will be no more “whoops.” Are you picking up what I’m putting down?

Sleep is for losers. And dead people. That’s what I’m telling myself, anyway. It numbs the pain a little. I plan on subsisting on a diet of caffeine and wine for the next 10+ years. That’s normal, right?

Grown-up clothes are overrated. Yoga pants and dirty tee shirts are totally acceptable. Make-up is optional, and I am going to consider showering at least three to four times a week a win. Keep your expectations low to avoid disappointment.

I plan to celebrate the small victories, and to make the most of these crazy, hectic years. I will squeeze every last morsel of delicious goodness from these incredibly busy moments. I plan to drink it all in — God willing, this will be our last baby. I will not allow this precious time to pass me by unnoticed. My personal word for the rest of 2016 — and probably every year after — will be “savor.” I am going to savor the unrest. I have dreamed, and wished, and prayed for this unrest my entire life. God has truly given me, us, the desires of our hearts. And you can bet your bottom dollar I’m going to make the most of it. How could I not? Anything else would just be a waste.

In all seriousness, please keep the Tomes family in your thoughts and prayers over the next couple of months. (If it’s not too much to ask.) I am not naive enough to think it won’t be tough. That at times, I won’t want to pull all my hair out of my head, and run up and down my street, screaming at the top of my lungs, “what have I done?” But it will be worth it. All of this will be worth it. Seeing baby girl’s beautiful face for the very first time will be like a dream come true. It always is. And everything else will fall by the wayside. It always does. I choose to trust (and believe) that it always will.

About the author…After three blissful years in the Treasure State, Jessica recently moved back to Houston, Texas with her hunky husband and her two precious little girls, Savannah and Emma Kate.  They are expecting a third baby (girl) this summer! Jessica is a small business owner with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, and a nerd-like love for political science. She is passionate about writing, marketing, social media management, and this wonderfully beautiful mess we call parenthood.