Mommy divided by 3.

It's funny how you love your kids all the same, yet each love is so completely different. (This is where all the parents reading this pretend like they don't know what I'm talking about, but think about this very topic daily.)

When I was pregnant with Jake, I would sometimes cry because I was so worried that I wouldn't love him as much as I loved Will. For 5 1/2 years, Will was the light in my eyes, the beat of my heart. But the second I held Jakey, I laughed a little at myself for thinking such a silly thought. Of course I loved him just as much as I loved Will! They were my children for pete's sake. When I was pregnant with Sophia, I didn't think that I wouldn't love her as much, with Sophia, my fear was that Jake had to share attention (unlike Mr. Will, who held the spotlight for so many years), and now with a baby, he would receive even less attention. I wish I could say that I laughed at myself for that thought, but unfortunately, I was spot on. These 3 little kids had to have my undivided (but actually divided by 3) attention. All. The. Time.

{I sat here to write a post about the differences I see in boys and girls, but I've turned to rambling. Surprise surprise. I may get there.}

Anyways! Sometimes I feel completely torn on the whole 'attention' thing. Will needs help with homework (or as of 2 seconds ago, needs to know how to spell "jiujitsu", not even sure that's correct), Jake just neeeeeds me, and Soph needs a diaper change, a binky, some grapes, me to hold her, or me to just stare at her and not even take a moment to blink. I know I need to help Will with his homework, its a priority in his life, but how can I help him when Jake is running around with a toy gun yelling at everyone to put their hands up, and Sophia is screaming because she ate all the grapes, and unbeknownst to her, we don't have an unlimited supply here. What's crazy is that I think this stuff every day, yet Will's homework always gets done (and he has amazing grades at that), Jake still knows that we love him, and Sophia manages to get ahold of her 15 month old emotions. If any parents of multiple kids have some advice for me, I'd love to hear it!

Attention. That's how I got off topic. I was going to start with I feel like sometimes I pay more attention to Sophia than to my boys. And while I do feel a little guilty admitting that, its true. She isn't as self sufficient as my boys, she likes for me to play with her, whilst the boys have their own things going on in life.

Plus she intrigues me. Now, no doubt I love all my kids the same. All that love vibrates out of the same spot - my heart. BUT, she does things my boys never did. For one, at 15 months old, she listens when I tell her to do something. That started awhile back. She loves to cuddle with blankets and stuffed animals. Today I let her play with this mini hair straightener, and after a few minutes, I noticed she didn't have it, so I went on a hunt to find it (Lord knows, once my boys found it, who knows what they would be straightening once they plugged it in), and guess where I found it? The drawer that I pulled it out of! I couldn't believe that she remembered thats where I got it from! And she PUT IT BACK! When I ask her to pick up her toys, she does. She has been eating with a fork and spoon the last couple of months, she's the cleanest baby eater I've ever seen. She absolutely adores shoes - she'll bring you every pair she has so you can put them on her, and I'm not talking a polka dot shoe and a boot, she brings you a matching pair. And her new thing is, when she eats, she has to have a napking nearby... she loves to wipe her hands and mouth during meals!

Let's not get all like "Sheryl loves her girl more than her boys!". I freakin LOVE my boys! Their rowdiness, and energy puts a smile on my face (when its being used for the good). I love watching them wrestle, get dirty (its even cuter when daddy's around and he has to clean them). I think its cute that Will and Jake dug up a bunch of worms together over the weekend (I stayed inside and watched through the family room window, and it definitely wasn't cute when Will ate one of the worms). They both have charming, yet subtly devilish qualities about them.

What are some differences you notice between your girls and boys (at an early age like this)? Do you favor one gender over another at certain ages? How do you balance the attention of multiple kids? Do you treat your youngest child differently than the older ones? If so, how come?

I've talked about birth order on a previous post before, but I've become genuinely curious on how other parents handle the chaos of multiple kids. Please leave a comment with answers/advice/suggestions, I'd love to hear it all!

xoxo,
Sher