It’s been 4 1/2 half months since Pipsqueak joined our family but it really has flown by and certainly doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since we started life with 4 kids.
The thing I’m asked most often these days is simply “how is life with 4 kids?” 
I usually smile or laugh, saying “we survive.” And often, that’s all it feels like: surviving. But truthfully, life with 4 kids doesn’t seem that much different to me than life with 3.
It’s also possible, though, that I just haven’t had the time or energy to really process what life with 4 kids is really like yet! It’s almost like being on the last leg of a long road trip: You don’t have the energy to think about how tired you are, you don’t have the patience to enjoy the journey and don’t want to even think about how long you’ve been driving and certainly not how much longer you have to go! So you force your eyes open, concentrate on the task at hand and just trudge on.
It’s not to say I’m not enjoying my kids, though. We are having some pretty amazing times. Pipsqueak is still the sweetest little baby with a contagious laugh and is literally growing before our eyes (over 16 pounds and sitting up on his own already!) Doodle is doing awesome with potty training (aside from the pooping but I’m managing to stay patient). Sugarplum is excelling at gymnastics (she’s now been asked twice to try out for the competitive pre-team) and is reading better than I could have ever wished for at 5 1/2. And Honeybun is finally getting the concept of self-control and has been making huge strides in taking ownership of getting her school work completed as well as helping around the house.
Really, things in the Roy house are pretty awesome right now. But there is one HUGE thing I’ve noticed that is different between life with 3 kids and life with 4 kids.
When it was just the girls and Doodle, it seemed that someone always needed my attention. Whether it was Doodle needing watching to be safe; one of the girls needing help with school; someone being injured, having hurt feelings, being scared, or feeling sick; or just needing some love and cuddles, I was constantly engaged with a child.
And now as I’ve settled into life with 4 kids, I’ve noticed that it seems there is always TWO kids that need my attention.
Like this morning, when Pipsqueak woke up at 5:50 and I brought him down to feed him and pump (since he just started sleeping through the night again and my boobs are not a big fan and my oversupply issues have returned) and 5 minutes later, Sugarplum was awake, screaming upstairs because she had a bad dream.
Or every night at bedtime when I’m trying to get Doodle through his bedtime routine (teeth, potty, diaper, pajamas, book, covers, kisses…) and Pipsqueak is done for the day, ready for his bedtime feed and drifting off to sleep. I usually end up listening to Pipsqueak scream while I rush Doodle through his list of bedtime must-dos.
Or when I’m working with Sugarplum on reading and Doodle poos in his underwear.
Or when I’m talking with Honeybun about her feelings and Sugarplum gets whacked over the head with whatever long object Doodle can get his hands on!
Or when I’m helping Sugarplum through a meltdown while Pipsqueak cries for help and his poor little body just can’t handle sitting another second and he face plants onto the tile.
It’s never-ending, I’ve only added one baby but it somehow feels like they need double the attention. But at the same time, life with 4 kids is manageable. I don’t feel completely wiped out at the end of the day, I still manage to get some cleaning tasks accomplished and I’ve even managed to keep up with writing, though I have adjusted my expectations and goals (though who the heck knows how I do it!)
I won’t say life with 4 is easy but it’s also not really that much harder, I just need to work on my juggling skills!
Read more about my reality of life with 4 kids.
