Life lessons

Having four children has made me realise a lot of things. It is amazing that on some levels when you have more than two children, any others that follow seem to hop on the bandwagon and you carry on living regardless.

I found going from one child to two children very hard, the fact that there was only a year and a day between them might have been a contributing factor. It was so hard trying to fit in another baby's needs into a day that was already full from baby number one. I struggled through and I managed to see the light at the end of the tunnel and then what happened.....i got pregnant again.

I was a bit apprehensive on how I was going to manage with 3 babies as my oldest at the time was 2years 3months old. But surprisingly baby number three was a doddle. She slotted in to our routine no trouble and her first 7months few by and everything was going smoothly and family life was trotting along nicely, so what did i do? yep you guessed it......i got pregnant again!?

This time I seemed to be in denial, I didn't really believe i was having another baby until i was screaming my head off in the delivery room. And pop (well not really pop more like arghhhh!) i was a mum of four!

Life with four children is a lot different, although the pudding has slotted in with the other girl's routine no trouble and she is an angel i have noticed a few things that I really should have thought about before:

• When more than two of them are ill, I'm f***ked.

I learnt this cruel lesson in the first week of the pudding's life. All three of the other girls got an infection either throat or chest and it was hell on earth! Trying to split myself into 3 or more is stressful and then they start an 'illness competition' to see who is the most ill, who can cough the most, cry the loudest (your getting the picture, right?) great fun!

• There is more chance of getting up in the night with a child
  

Now I really should have done a bit of maths with this (4kids getting up an average of twice a night = not much sleep) but even though the girls can be angels and all of them sleep through about 70% of the time, when they don't, I am up and down out of bed more times than a high class escort girl.

• Four kids = a small toys r us store in your house
  

I am drowning under toys! I have 2 toy boxes in the lounge, one in the bathroom and one in their bedroom. Not to mention their own personnel toy collection that they keep on their individual beds. I am expecting a landslide one day and I will roll out of the house on a wave of barbies and fairy's.

• Four kids = four times the noise

Another fact that I should have thought of and I really feel for my neighbours because from the moment they get up to moment they go to sleep there is a constant hubbub of sound. I am almost always dragged from the silence of sleep by a clawed hand of screeches and screaming.

• And lastly four kids = four times the love

I never realised the amount of love you could receive from each child. Whilst i was ill recently they all took turns to cuddle me, kiss me and stroke my face it was so nice to feel loved. After being an only child i never knew the love of a large family, and i am loving it!

I know life with four can be hard and I learn new things about being a mum of four every day I will continue to learn the lessons that my children teach me and I will be thankful for every new skill i gain from them.

I may not have a degree in astrophysics or maths but I can take four kids to a restaurant, entertain them, feed them and enjoy myself.......now that is a qualification worth having! xxx

p.s blogger is being a bit strange at the mo and i cannot view my followers??? But I am very grateful to all my new followers for following me, i just don't know who you are thanks to blogger! So say hello (so i know who you are) and I am very grateful for you all stopping by xxxx