Life With Two

First day on my own with both kids

I am often asked how the transition from 1 to 2 has been and how life with two kiddos is.  Let me preface this by saying that I am VERY inexperienced in this area.  I still find it easier to stay home most days and I have yet to master even going on our weekly grocery store trip with both kiddos.

However, all in all life with two is in two words: busy and sweet :)

Busy because there is a lot of back and forth.  I feel like I am constantly going back and forth between children.  I am often getting Amaia lunch and then feeding Haddon or playing with Amaia and then holding and interacting with Haddon.  Our times of all playing and being together are becoming more frequent, but I look forward to day when we can all play together or read books before bed together! 

Sweet, because honestly these kiddos light up my life.  I am thankfully beyond those horrid post-partum hormones and I just plain enjoy them.  Of course, I get frustrated from time to time, but I can honestly say that is a rare occurrence.  Haddon's smiles make my heart melt and Amaia's silliness and sweetness make me so, so happy.  And then there are those moments when Amaia is super sweet to Haddon and he smiles back at her and I'm just not sure that life gets any better than that. 

While having two kids is of course much more work than having one, the transition has been much easier for me this time around.  Amaia's newborn days stressed me out far more than Haddon's seem to be. I am just enjoying Haddon and all of sweet baby-ness.  Babies are so sweet and smiley and cuddly and wonderful.  And Amaia is such a good helper! She often fetches diapers, burp cloths, etc. for me. We sing bedtime songs to Haddon together, she turns on the noise machine for Haddon before he naps.  She is just a great big sister already.  So helpful and sweet.

I am also learning what works for us and what most definitely does not work for us.  For example, I learned that feeding Haddon right before Amaia is due for lunch is NOT a good idea!  I only made that mistake once and now Amaia always gets fed right before Haddon!!  I also learned that a video (on a almost daily basis) for Amaia while I feed Haddon is not a bad thing.

The other thing that has worked wonders for us is a schedule.  I have the type of personality that thrives on a consistent schedule and so both my kids have been on a consistent routine/schedule from the beginning.  Right after Haddon was born I put pen to paper and figured out a way I could work both their schedules so that we could have time in the morning to go out and run errands/see friends and so that I could have a block of time in the afternoon where both children napped.  This has worked beautifully.  I have an hour and a half of uninterrupted time in the afternoon that I can work and nap if necessary!  It also has made it so that I still have lots of planned one and one time with my favorite big girl, which is really important for her.

So there you have it....my thoughts on life with two 3 months in :)