.jpg/dims/resize/740/optimize) |
As I sit in from of my laptop to get started on this week's column, for the first time in months, I'm having trouble coming up with a topic to write on. With two toddlers and an infant, I usually have more than enough to choose from.
So what does this mean? Could it be that my life with the girls is now so settled that there is nothing new?
Far from it.
It's just that now I'm finally able to think and look more like a decent person.
Up until, well, last week, I was barely able to slap on sunblock before leaving the house. The idea of putting on make-up has almost become laughable.
The twins' naptimes used to be my time to do my thing ― a good two hours of free time well spent.
Now, I have Baby C to feed, put to sleep or entertain while her sisters are asleep.
This, at first and still now, is something I really need to adjust to.
Giving up that few hours of alone time is a big one for me. I love my girls to death, but oh God, I need some alone time, too.
Apart from these minor ― sometimes major ― changes, I feel like I'm now pretty much in tune with my new routine.
How long did it take? Coincidentally, yesterday was Baby C's 100th day since we brought her cute little self home.
In Korea, the 100-day mark, also known as ''baek il,'' is a baby's first major milestone as many children in the past failed to live past three months of birth due to diseases and a lack of medical care.
Considering this, I can't be thankful enough that Baby C is healthy and happy as she now moves onto her next phase of babyhood.
And I'm equally thankful and proud that Baby A and B are doing such a good job as older sisters.
Sure, they pull on Baby C's hair once ― or five times ― a day and they get jealous and make sure to express it when they see me holding their youngest sister, but overall, they are doing a fine job accepting the fact that they are no longer the ''baby'' of the house.
I mentioned earlier, but it still hurts to see how they've somewhat been forced to play big sister when they, too, are still babies themselves. Fortunately, it turns out even babies learn to adjust to reality.
So at the 100-day mark, we're all in a pretty good place.
The important thing now is, where do we go from here?
To start off, we only have three more weeks left in Korea before we return to the U.S., our home where dad is waiting.
The pessimist inside me warns me that everything is going to change once we get on that plane.
A 14-hour flight, jetlag and getting reacquainted with their home they left seven months ago is going to flip everything upside down for the twins.
As for Baby C, adjusting may be easier, but I'll have to keep my fingers crossed that she goes straight back to sleeping through the night even after flying half way across the world.
The optimist in me says going home and finally returning to where we all belong is going to resolve everything.
There's already so much anticipation building inside me since I know traveling with three is going to be one crazy trip.
Flying with twins was tough enough, so I can't imagine what it would be like to care for another infant.
I may have to write a two-part series to go into all the details of the long-haul flight.
One thing I know for sure is that, after this trip, I sure won't be coming back to Korea in at least three solid years, when all three kids are big enough to pull their own luggage.
Yes, that's the plan.
Till then, I need to stop worrying ahead of time and enjoy the peace I have at the moment.
Who knows? Maybe I'll even put on some makeup tomorrow.
![[INTERVIEW] North Korean defectors bear brunt of remittance scams](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/75c261156ac7415fad92dc1d7c1b30cf.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Foreign-born entertainers seek to revolutionize local industry](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/4a6b2bd3d23044d699dee3c5bb956863.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
