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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA couple weeks ago, I pulled into the grocery-store parking lot with my three\u2013year-old Ella<\/a> and 10-month-old Emiliano<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n Our trip started as a \u201cgrab the necessities\u201d mission \u2014 bananas, yogurt, cheese and bread \u2014 the four food groups of Ella\u2019s toddler diet. But, as we walked among the shelves, I remembered that we also needed a head of broccoli for that night\u2019s dinner, our half-and-half was running low, and yada yada yada<\/em>, we found ourselves on a full-on grocery run.<\/p>\n For the next 30 minutes of walking down Safeway\u2019s fluorescent aisles, Emiliano was content holding a box of baby teething crackers, and Ella was happy riding in the cart, pretending she was driving a school bus.<\/p>\n And as we headed to the checkout line, I gave myself a mental pat on the back. \u201cWay to go, chica<\/em>,\u201d I thought. \u201cYou did it. You did a grocery run BY YOURSELF with two kids. You\u2019re nailing this mom-of-two thing.<\/em>\u201d Seconds after finishing that thought, Ella looked at me with wide eyes and said, \u201cI have to poo.\u201d<\/p>\n I soon found myself in one of Safeway\u2019s bathroom stalls, sweating and out of breath, from bouncing a wiggly and now hungry Emiliano for the past 15 minutes as Ella used the toilet. My enthusiastic \u201cYou go girl!<\/em>\u201d was replaced with a very tired \u2018Wut is lifeee<\/em>,\u2019 as I tried to hold a pissed off baby with one arm and wipe another child\u2019s butt with the other. When I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror, I couldn\u2019t help but laugh. \u201cTHIS IS LIFE WITH TWO KIDS UNDER FOUR<\/em>,\u201d I thought, seeing my disheveled hair and pit stains on my T-shirt. <\/p>\n Sometimes I daydream about fast-forwarding to \u201cthe golden years<\/a>,\u201d when both of the kids are, say, seven and ten. Old enough to give funny advice<\/a> but young enough for couch snuggles. At this stage, I\u2019ll finally be free from the parts of baby-and-toddler-land that leave me drained and foggy: middle-of-the-night nursing sessions, teething, and tear-filled meltdowns in public spaces. <\/p>\n But then, inevitably, my kids will interrupt my daydreams and melt my heart. Like Emiliano\u2019s infectious baby belly laugh. Or his chubby body sacking out as I rock him to sleep. Some nights at 2 a.m., I find myself in his nursery trying to memorize how the weight of his tiny body feels in my arms.<\/p>\n I also love watching Ella copy our family\u2019s mannerisms and sayings. She can now deliver an eye roll that makes me laugh (and gives me a tiny burst of pride whenever she pulls it out). And the way her toddler voice sounds when she says \u201cI lub you\u201d at bedtime, and \u201cthank you\u2026.so much<\/em>\u201d after I offer her a snack \u2014 so earnest!<\/p>\n More and more these days, I hits me that I will MISS this chaotic but beautiful stage of parenting. Every age has its magical moments.<\/p>\n I\u2019d love to know: What parenting stage are you in right now, and how is it going?<\/strong><\/p>\n P.S. 5 tips for sibling rivalry<\/a>, and the teen, the tween, the toddler and the bump<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cupofjo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Jannelle-Ella-and-Emiliano-scaled.jpg\")
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