Another crucial thing I've forgotten

How difficult, and how necessary, it is to leave your child.
I don't mean on the doorstep of a church or for a week's vacation in Maui. Or to go to work, for that matter.
I'm talking about the simple thing of walking around the block, for example. Alone or with a dog, but without a child. On a regular basis.
You need a time period where you aren't listening for the baby to fuss, where someone else's arms must be sufficient, where you aren't holding a precious little hand so you can be alone with your thoughts. It's vital to your well-being and there will be a toll taken if you don't get it. Your patience will fray, your memory will diminish, your head will ache, your teeth will fall out. Okay, I'm kidding on that last one, but the rest are real. For me, anyway.

Just because it's necessary doesn't mean it's easy, though. I do remember the first time I left Madeleine to walk around the block. I kept thinking, "This is the farthest I've been from her" for the first half of the trip. I remember how torn I felt to be a Eucharistic Minister at Mass and leave her with Daddy for that five or ten minutes it took. I think we were thirty feet apart.
But now, with the fourth baby in the house, I know the signs of needing some time. I get short-tempered, unreasonably crabby with the kids.
I tell my beloved, "I need to go for a walk." He knows by how I grit my teeth and say it almost under my breath what's going on. He will say, "Go. Happy walking," or something to that effect. He loves his kids and wants their mother sound, healthy and patient with them.

Just put on your coat and check your watch. Promise yourself that you'll be back in ten minutes if that's all you think you can stand and just go. Walk at whatever pace you like; you're not going for distance but endurance. Maybe you'll be able to build up to twenty minutes, which even a nursing newborn can last without you.
Look around. Listen for the sounds you don't hear when you're shepherding another child or children and be grateful for the brief opportunity not to gush over the new rock this one has found, or helping another jump off that tree stump, or the calling the other one back. You'll be able to do all of those things next time. This walk is for you.
You'll be glad you did. If you're still not sure, think of the enthusiasm they'll greet you with when you return! Especially the one who's been trying in vain to entertain that new one for the duration of your trip.