Slow progress so easily goes unnoticed. Tess has been getting better day by day, as have I. Remy’s crying is incrementally reduced, and he actually relaxes his legs now when he sleeps. Laundry grows by the hour but gets done, meals are tricky to coordinate but make it to the table (and even taste good!), and Dave and I are getting a few more minutes of sleep at night.

Our morning routine is down pat: Dave gets up, dressed, feeds Remy and walks Stella. I get up with Tess, have coffee with Dave and let him get ready for work and take the kids, feeding Tess. At some point, Dave leaves and both kids go down for naps. During this morning lull (.5-3 hours), I’ve been too exhausted to do much but clean up the kitchen and myself. This morning was different though. This morning went extra smoothly, and I found myself thinking,

If I wanted to, I could do yoga right now.

– a stunning realization, one that made me feel frivolous. And yet…When Tess was born and we moved into the Ronald McDonald house for three months, all gym routines were forgotten. We never really got them back, either, despite planning, babysitters, a new gym, and gym dates. We’ve just been tired, busy, and our gym time ended up being errand time or couple check-in time. We’ve made it sporadically, but this is the longest stretch either of us have had with no workouts, and it feels like eternity. So imagine my surprise when I figured out it’s only been a year or so. That means getting it back shouldn’t kill us – we just have to man up.

So this morning, I got out my mat and started an easy yoga practice. I wasn’t overly ambitious – short and simple seemed ideal. And I got exactly 12 minutes of peaceful yoga time before both kids erupted into wakeful tears. At that point, I had a choice: no more yoga or non-meditative yoga with both kiddos in the room. Well, Tess went in the playpen and Remy went in the bouncy chair, and there they stayed for the next 18 minutes while I wrapped up the most distracted yoga session of my life. I can’t say they we’re delighted by my choice, but I was. A tiny step towards balance and sanity!

Remy is super fussy again today, but Tess is being fun. I’m taking both of them to meet my work team this afternoon, so here’s hoping they make me look good!