"So are you ready for #2?"
To which I sort of nervously laughed and said that "I am trying to finish up projects and is anyone ever ready?" Of course, no matter how nice the pediatrician, I'm pretty sure the correct answer is "yes" . . . but I'm just not quite there yet.
I am frantically trying to finish sewing the baby's quilt, because I know if it is not done before he/she arrives then it will get packed away for a long time, and forget actually being able to use it as a baby. And then of course organizing the basement (again), and making food to have in the freezer, pulling out newborn clothes and finding a place to put them, and painting the cradle. Oh, and ordering all the homebirth supplies, and organizing them in some semblance of order, and perhaps continuing to take care of Sophia, pay the bills, and run the house amidst all that.
And then mentally processing having and taking care of not just one kiddo anymore, but two. I just don't think that you can be "ready" when you don't have the reality of it sitting in front of you.
At this point I am finally at a place where Sophia and I have our routines and know how each other works. Today we had errands, so we walked to the bank and the library, and had such a fun time together. In another two months if we walk to the bank and the library it will be with one kiddo in the Moby wrap, and other in the jogger, and I'll have to be sure to time it right with nursing #2, and naptime for #1, and don't forget the extra diapers for both of them . . .
Seems pretty exhausting to me! Yet people have been surviving and thriving with multiple children since Adam and Eve, so I'm sure we will be no different.
I think as a Type A list-maker, part of the secret to success for me will be to let go of my expectations of what I want to accomplish and be content with just getting thru the day for the first little bit.
And maybe just taking time to enjoy #2, and all of us getting to know each other without worrying about making the perfect dinner, or having just the right seasonal decor, or doing whatever project I just have to get done. Loving on the Snuggler and the Bump, and let's not forget John!
So, for those of you with more than one kid, what is your advice for this pregnant mama? Your "how to survive the first 3 months and enjoy it" tip?
Signing off, as I have a sleeping kiddo and a quilt to finish!
1 comment:
Ohhh, if you figure it out, let me know. Then I can think back and say, "Oh, I SHOULD have..." :)
It's hard. I think I thought it would be like having #1 all over again, and it's not like that at all. You'll never have your first baby over again. I think letting go of *that* thought was helpful to me. I wanted it all to be as good as, or better than, it was with Ben - and I had to accept that it was just plain different!
Looking back, I wish I'd let Josh help more. Give him specific things he could do. You eventually figure it all out, and it's fine... it's the new normal, it's all of a sudden nothing. It's like you had two the whole time. But if you allow John to figure things out with you along the way, you emerge a team instead of a "do it this way" kind of wife. :)
You'll be great, I know it!
Post a Comment