Did you see this amusing video posted on The Stir the other day? It's oddly mesmerizing, despite the fact that the video simply shows a minute's worth of a fairly typical-looking bathtime for one family's adorable baby.

I think what's so compelling about it is how exhausting it all seems—oh boy, the insane amounts of WORK involved in taking care of a small child, and that's just bathtime. Never mind the entire rest of the day, with all the feedings, changings, naps, playtime, and trying to run errands with a squalling infant strapped to your body.

I had to smile at the bathtime video because I have a similar video of my own that I put together when my youngest son was a baby and my oldest was a toddler. I set up a camera in the living room one night, and over the course of a couple hours, it captured exactly what an average evening in our house looked like at the time. When I look back on it now, I have to be honest—I can barely believe we survived.

Here's a peek at our home life in January of 2009 (warning, there's music with the video):


The thing that really stands out to me now is how active my husband and I were. Nowadays if we're not outside with the kids in the evening, we tend to stay in one spot, usually sitting on the couch. Back then we were all over the place, sitting with one kid or another, chasing kids around, constantly moving from one room to the next.

Also all over the place? The TOYS. I mean, my GOD, the endless cycles of toys spreading out all over, then pulling back in as we pick up, then spreading back out again as the kids get out new stuff.

I'd also forgotten how babies move around at that age—he wasn't quite walking on his own yet, but he could obviously get around just fine by holding on to furniture. Since the camera was taking intermittent still shots, the stop motion effect really shows how a baby can motor from one end of a room to the other in the blink of an eye. (And likely end up gnawing on a freaking power cord before you have a chance to react.)

Oh, there's just so much chaos! The exercise ball rolling around, the dog, the toys ... how we had any energy whatsoever for whatever that ridiculous-looking workout we were doing after putting the kids to bed is beyond me. On the other hand, it's apparent to me why my weight has crept up since those days—between caring for a baby and a toddler, I'd say the adults were basically running a damn marathon every night.

I can't say I miss that time, because I am really enjoying having kids who are a little bit older and fully capable of picking up their own toys. But I'm glad I have this little video to help me remember those days and appreciate the fact that we made it through. From bathtime to bedtime and every single moment in between, babies and toddlers are a hell of a lot of work. (Good thing they're so cute, right?)


Image via Linda Sharps