Hellobee

At the beginning of the next year, I will officially not be a mom to two under two anymore, so I wanted to hit on some of the highs and lows of parenting two under two. I’m not going to lie — I was terrified to have two littles so close together, but in hindsight now, I feel pretty good about our circumstances.  Having two babies is hard sometimes but it is also so awesome too. I think I’ve pinpointed my bests and worsts of two-under-two.

            Kisses for Little Bug during tummy time.

1) It is not as easy or as hard as anyone tells you it will be. This is mostly because your life and your specific circumstances will be very different from anyone else’s. There were so many people telling me how hard it was going to be and for some of the examples they gave, it was certainly true. But for the most part, the transition was pretty easy. Despite our set-backs and some of the harder situations (reflux, tongue tie, etc), managing two has been significantly easier than what I expected. I think this largely has to do with the fact that LeLe adjusted much better than what either me or Mr. Cereal anticipated.

2) There is nothing you can do to prepare.  I thought if I read a bunch of articles and had all the practical knowledge, I would breeze right through the transition. I was wrong. There were a lot of moments in the last 6 months where I just wanted to give up and lock myself in the bathroom. Some of the truly unexpected things have knocked me down and I’m surprised I was able to get it together again.

3) Toddlers understand way more than you think they do. I was blown away by how quickly LeLe took to Little Bug and how close they are now. I thought that she would be confused or upset by his presence, but she immediately took ownership of him as her brother and loved him fiercely. She loves helping me with him and he loves seeing her face whenever possible. I am amazed daily by how willing she is to help him and entertain him. They truly are a sight to be seen.

4) Newborns/ Infants are easy. Tell this to a first time mom and they will wholeheartedly disagree. I definitely would have. But having a newborn the second time around was significantly easier. His needs were basic; he slept a lot, he cried a lot, he ate a lot. I was expecting all these things. I wasn’t as scared to parent him because I felt like I knew what I was doing. I also didn’t feel like I needed to hold him constantly like I did with LeLe. Honestly, I think that I am doing a way better job with him and that is mostly because I am not worried about messing it up.

5) Having babies this close in age is awesome. It really is. The way they interact is absolutely mind blowing. LeLe is generous with her kisses and hugs and Little Bug laughs for her like no other person.  They straight up LOVE each other and it is really spectacular to watch. LeLe is an active participant in every little step of Little Bug’s life. He is a lucky boy.

6) Recycle, Reuse, Reduce! We have been able to re-use so much of LeLe’s old stuff, including a lot of clothing items that were gender neutral. The gear like high chairs, bouncers, swing, etc. have been re-used and it was great not having to go out and buy new stuff. L Little Bug used all of LeLe’s old baby toys too, so it kept down the clutter and mess. And the cloth diapers. Since Little Bug is growing so quickly, he is in the same size diaper as LeLe.  Makes for an easy exchange of diapers.

7) I’ll be done with the baby phase much sooner.  This is probably our last baby (maybe, more on this later…), and this means that I am getting done with the baby stage and never looking back. Seriously though, I’ve really loved LeLe’s second year of life.  Much more so than her newborn/ infant/ baby stage. I like the interaction and the communication and I love seeing what kind of a personality is going to come out of that little person. I look forward to having LeLe and Little Bug interact together as little people rather than a baby and a toddler.

8) Having two kids makes me feel like a super mom.  I don’t really know how to explain this… I feel like when I am getting it right with two kids; I am unstoppable. The same goes for the opposite and feeling like crap when it is going badly, but I like to focus on the positive in this example. I feel so accomplished when I get them both down for a nap at the same time and if I can successfully get through a shopping trip with both in tow, I celebrate quietly to myself in the car on the way home.

It’s definitely not been easy having two-under-two, but it has been fun and I am a little sad to see this phase end. But I am oh so excited to see what happens next!