Let’s face it. Mommying is HARD. When I had my second in December (he’s 8 months today! What??), I thought it was going to be all crazy, all the time, and it was, for a while. My 3 year old daughter took a while to adjust, and still has her super jealous days, but it’s better. Then, it’s not. Then, something changes.
But, do you know what magical thing happens, mama? You learn to roll with it. Honestly, you roll with the punches and you get through it. Cause there’s no other way.
Bounce back? Get them on a bottle? Get them sleeping on their own? F it. You need to do you, mama. What works for others may not work for you.
Thought from when I was pregnant – baby #2 won’t be able to nap on me the way #1 did. Yeah, if that’s the only way he’ll sleep, he will. #1 gets set up with drawing or watching Mr. Rogers and we move on. Baby #1 has got to give sometimes. She may not be thrilled, but she usually understands.
Know these things when you’re adjusting to 2 littles
1. You’ll make it work
The schedules may start out crazy, but you’ll find your groove. You have to. Things are always changing with both kids, but you’ll figure it out together.
2. Your marriage may have to take a backseat
Unfortunately, your marriage will never be the same. You can’t just hang out on the deck together all day or run out to dinner whenever you want. That’s not your life anymore. Now, it revolves around breastfeeding and naptime. You have 2 kids to account for and it’s hard to get enough time to rehash the day, let alone hang out. Make sure to talk when you can and it’ll be okay. You’ll blink and the kids will be older before you know it. In the meantime, make sure to communicate when you can.
3. There’s nothing like sibling love
I was not prepared for how much these two would love each other. When baby #2 was a newborn, I could see the love building from big sister. She always wanted to hold her baby. Now that he’s older, it’s even better. No one can quite make him laugh like his big sister and they can start interacting more now that he’s a bit sturdier.
4. Your first kid will be okay
When I got pregnant, my daughter was only about 2 years old. She was still breastfeeding. I felt so guilty and didn’t know how I could subject her to all these coming changes. It was easier than I thought. Kids adapt.
5. You’ll absolutely love #2 as much
Another worry I see out there is about loving #2 as much as #1. Let me tell you, you will. It’s hard to imagine because #1 made you a mama, but #2 is just as amazing. I can’t imagine my life without him. It was meant to be.
6. You’ll slowly find your way back to your other passions
I’ll be writing more on the subject of writing with little kids around soon, but give yourself a break for a while. The post-baby whirlwind is strong. It takes a while before you even start thinking about writing again. Give yourself that time. Rest. Recover. Enjoy your kids. It’ll come back when you’re ready.
7. You’ll work on your health again.
Just like your other passions, cleaning up your diet and working out again will come back too. Give it time. I took 7 months before I really cleaned my diet back up. I’ll be sharing some yummy, lower carb recipes soon too that I hope you’ll enjoy.