Sometimes it doesn't feel like sacrifices. I don't think anything really prepares you for how you'll feel when you have children of your own. Everyone says 'Oh it will change your life', and you go (in your head) 'Yeah, yeah, yeah'. Well, it does!
I find it frustrating not to have a social life, but that's as much about me and dh, as about having children. At one point we used to trade babysitting with another couple with a child of the same age, but since they emigrated we haven't got anything else organised. My mum would love to babysit, she's constantly trying to get us to go out a bit, but we just don't make the effort.
Cleaning up sick and pee and stuff really doesn't matter in the long run. They're only little for a short while, and things like organising your life for their comfort don't last. My ds has just started school - his babyhood has disappeared, and from this side it seems to have disappeared in a flash.
I didn't want to grow old alone. I wanted to feel that there was some lasting residue from my life. I wanted to feel that there was something to which I could dedicate my soul to. Having children has satisfied all those needs. I also feel fulfilled as a woman - I have done what only a woman can do.
It is a huge job, and sometimes I feel angry that I have to do a job for which there was no interview and no apptitude test. Sometimes I really feel that I'm not doing the best job - then I see my children, and they are healthy, intelligent, delightful, and I know that I'm doing OK.