It's nice, though, every once in a while to snag some cuddle time with my sweet little one. Keith got Alex's bath started the other night while I just sat & enjoyed Max. He was calm, content, and awake. It felt so good to just sit there & look at his wide-open eyes. Here's what I saw...not a great picture, but I love looking into those big blue eyes.
Then I lay the baby down & head into the bathroom to give Alex his bath while Daddy has some Max time. I find Daddy turning around to get something while Alex dumps his clean pajamas & diaper into the bathwater. Sigh...and we're back to the "new normal" at our house! :)
(unrelated picture of my mischievous toddler)
Life with 2 kids is easier than I thought it would be, actually! I expected mischief from Alex, nights with often-interrupted sleep, and all the other craziness. Maybe since I knew what to expect, it just seems easier than those early months with Alex. For the most part, the sleep-deprivation doesn't get to me and I'm not really frustrated or stressed very often. (I didn't say never stressed...there are moments!) I know these baby days go by far too quickly, so I'm trying to enjoy every minute!
We've managed to find new routines that make the day go fairly smoothly. The house is not perfect, but usually good enough to suffice. We're all wearing clean clothes and eating 3 meals a day (well, Max is eating 8 or 9 meals a day...the little piggy!) We've done a major grocery shopping trip with Mama & the two little ones...and no one cried, screamed, or struggled. We've made it to Bible study (ON TIME!) two weeks in a row. We've had no problem getting out of the house by 9 AM, with everyone showered, dressed, and organized. This is far better than I handled it all with Alex at this age. I'm definitely not bragging - just saying it's easier this time around!
Of course, there are "those days". When I looked up last Wednesday morning to see the bassinet falling on top of Alex & the baby rolling out on to the floor, the day got stressful in a hurry! I felt bad for Alex when he was wandering the house in boredom all day because Mama was handling a fussy baby. I got grumpy when Alex (who woke up at 6 AM) took only a 45 minute nap, leaving me with a crabby boy by 3 PM. Wednesday was a day when Keith couldn't come home soon enough! Thankfully, that's been our only truly rotten day so far.
Overall, I am LOVING being Mama to these two little boys! They are a wonderful blessing, and I am enjoying (almost...) every minute with them!
2 comments:
I think the second baby is SO much easier than the first. I think you just know what to expect. I had someone tell me that her friend's mom said to her daughter when she was surprised how much easier it was, "Well of course it is, you've already given up every sense of yourself." I think that makes sense. It bothered me to much less with Ebee to delay what I needed to do, so that I could do whatever it was she needed. Natalie was a lot more frustrating for me. I think you just have realistic expectations with subsequent children, so you get less frazzled. You also know how LONG it takes to get out the door, so you actually know approximately how much time to allow. You're right that there still are challenging times, but it's nothing like with the first baby. Your older child is living proof that it will get better and the hard stuff does in fact end. :-)
I think you're absolutely right with your comment about giving up your sense of self. I was trying to figure out how to word that, and I think you hit the nail on the head.
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