Three kids is when the overwhelm hits — you’re outnumbered

I once asked a mentor of mine what her hardest transition was.

“Hands down, it was two to three. That’s when they outnumber you,” she quipped.

Tempted to ask what she meant by that, but too shy to display my ignorance, I kept quiet.

Then I had my third — and I no longer needed to ask.

Three is when not only you and your husband are outnumbered, but your own hands are too. So even if you’ve figured out how to wash the dishes while holding a baby and pouring a cup of apple juice, there’s still someone unaccounted for (who may or may not be playing with a permanent marker).

Three is when one needs the bathroom, one is crying because his tower just broke, and one needs a bottle, but you are frozen in the middle of the kitchen trying to figure out who can wait the longest without disastrous consequences.