and then there was one...

In what can only be described as a valiant effort, my Dear Husband decided to take my two oldest toddlers out of the house for an errand, leaving me with a one-year-old with a serious third child complex. Honestly! This kid has no idea how to be by himself!

At first, I was more stressed than ever, thinking, "How am I going to entertain this adorable little boy?" I needed to do a century's worth of dishes and had no idea how this was going to happen. But wait... Didn't I always do dishes with one. There is unfortunate photographic evidence to prove that I managed to do dishes without a dishwasher, WITH a nine-month-belly, and a one-year-old. I pulled up a chair, plunked him up there and got to work.

The poor boy had no idea what to make of this seemingly terrifying experience. You have to understand, putting a third child at an elevated height that is still low enough to be reached by his/her siblings is like putting a sign on his back that reads, "Free candy to the first one to knock him to the floor!"

After assuring him that there was no such sign, and continuing with my scrubbing, he relaxed. Almost to the point of enjoyment.

Then I realized something.

I am missing out on relaxed time with my son. We have lots of great time together. (Mainly because he is an adorable little Momma's boy-cuddler supreme) But I can count on one hand the number of times where I have enjoyed his company without my eyes darting around to locate the kamikaze warriors sneaking in for the kill. I managed to spend ten minutes doing dishes with my son without my heart rate launching to Jillian Micheals' levels.

Finally comfortable.

It is my goal to find moments like this more often.