As we packed up our belongings and said goodbye to Texas, we
also said goodbye to our home. To a place we could call our own. Driving across
the country, we began to realize that we were nomads. We had made plans to stay
with different family members and to be on the road in a new place every single
week. The idea behind this decision made sense at the time; we were going to be
visiting family and friends and saying goodbye to many people. Some of these
people we won’t see again for years.
But it’s hard. I think, mostly for me, it’s hard because of
the kids. I have always strived to make them comfortable, to provide a stable
and consistent home life, to have structure and routine. But that’s almost
impossible when you are living at someone else’s house, when you have to almost
fit yourself and your kids into other people’s schedules, when your babies are
sleeping in a different place every week.
It’s hard because people that don’t have children also don’t
have homes that are baby proof. No fault of their own, of course! But it makes
things just a little bit more difficult as we have to constantly be redirecting
the children, telling them not to touch that, and physically moving them away
from areas that might be a little dangerous. And can I be just a little selfish
right now and say that, as a pregnant mom, it’s utterly exhausting! I miss my
own home that was completely baby proof, where I had the option of sitting down
for a few minutes while the kids roamed around and were able to play anywhere
without the potential of harming themselves.
As a mom of two active little ones….I miss our baby proof
home.
But then I have to think about what’s really important.
Sometimes I like to believe that getting what I want and not being so exhausted
is really important. But again, that’s really just me being selfish. What’s
really important is to be able to visit with our families. For the kids to know
their grandparents and their grandparents to get to build special bonds with
these two precious kids. It’s important for us to get to see our supporters and
thank them in person for what they have allowed us to do so far, and what they
will allow us to do in the future. It’s important to visit with friends that we
haven’t seen in a while. It’s all so very important because these people mean
the world to us and it will be years before we get to see some of them again.
So yes, it’s hard. It’s hard not having a home. It’s hard
without a routine for the kids. It’s hard sleeping in someone else’s bed every
week. But oh is it worth it! We are certainly cherishing the moments we get to
visit with the people we love.
