I have several fun house projects to update you on. The projects are done, photos are taken, I just can’t motivate myself to actually sit and compose blog posts about them. But I will. Soon. It’s a good thing I also blog over on Her View From Home. There, you can get a sneak peek at one of my recent projects!
Today, I feel led to write about life with two under two. These two:
See how they’ve aged me?
Okay, that may or may not be my grandmother holding them. I choose to see my face in 50 years – or likely sooner. Kenton is, obviously, closing a deal on his cell. Can you hear me now?
You may notice I even created a new “2 under 2 Diaries” category here on the blog. I’d like to write more about this phase of our lives. It’s going by fast and there are so many things I want to remember – and share!
You know, people who have babies 20 months apart have written books about having two under two. Seriously. Um, my toddler is 20 months old now and we’ve been living this exciting life for 3.5 months already. When this is over, I should write a book – seeing as I clearly will have more expertise than that gal. Note: I have not read her book and I’m sure it is fabulous and contains tips I might actually be able to use – if I had time to read a book.
We are in full survivor mode. Some days are better than others. Most days are good days. Today is up for grabs. I had planned on not having Kenton today, but my childcare fell through last night… and of course… Miss Camille appears to be going through another growth spurt and woke for an overnight feeding last night. So, I’m a wee bit tired this AM and working on my second cup of coffee… from our new “coffee central” – have you seen it?
Helping me survive?
Yep, the Babies documentary. I checked it out at the library shortly after Camille was born – videos help me actually get through nursing sessions without getting clobbered by big brother (most of the time). I didn’t think Kenton would sit through it – it is one hour and twenty minutes – and he usually barely survived 33 minutes of Baby Einstein. But he LOVED it. L-O-V-E-D. I renewed it twice, then finally returned it and figured he would forget about it. Nope. Everytime we would turn on the TV, “Beebees? Beebees?” Sometimes, he would randomly ask for it by name, pointing at the TV, “Beebees?” So, I finally ordered our own copy. It arrived yesterday and he is currently transfixed. I love it because it’s slow paced, there’s no dialogue and it’s just video of… you guessed it… babies. It makes me feel a bit better breaking the “No TV before age 2” rule. (A rule clearly not meant for moms of two under two.)
So, realizing this video was a lifesaver and wanting to share that info with you – I figured I’d also tell you about a few other things that are making life easier with two under two and some things I’ve picked up the second time around for baby.
Before I start, does anyone else find it totally hilarious that anyone with a blog and one baby feels compelled to share their list of “TOP TEN BABY ESSENTIALS!”??? I did it. Just like everyone else, I COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT Aden and Anais swaddles and Sophie the Giraffe with Kenton. This time around, we’ve barely used the A&A swaddles, but Sophie is definitely still a must!
So, here’s my list for round two… in no particular order:
The book, On Becoming Baby Wise. Both of my babies slept eight-hour stretches at around nine weeks and 12 hour stretches by week 12 (with the exception of growth spurts and the “wonder weeks”). Everyone always asks me how I did it and the answer is Baby Wise. Basically, you put your newborn on a 2.5-3 hour feeding schedule (after the first two weeks, where you basically feed on demand). Note: I put Kenton on a schedule while we were still in the hospital, but waited two weeks for Camille – and Kenton transitioned better/faster than she did to the crib/sleeping through the night, etc. So, I recommend starting ASAP. You also make sure they do an eat/wake/sleep cycle during the day. So, keep them awake for a bit after their feeding before allowing them to nap. At night, you can just let them go straight back to sleep. There’s a great blog, Chronicles of a Baby Wise Mom, which is very helpful. The gal who writes it had a baby a few weeks before Camille and posts weekly updates on her schedule – which I’ve been following and find really helpful. There’s also a Google group you can request to be a member of. There, you can post questions and other Baby Wise mommas are really good about getting back to you ASAP.
If you have Twitter, you must (MUST!) follow @NancyHoltzman. She’s basically God’s gift to new mommas. I’m not kidding. I’ll tweet her a question about sleep, breastfeeding, baby moods (in other words, anything baby related) and she’ll get back to me immediately – and always has sound advice and priceless information. I’m so grateful my friend Kara told me about her!
I started taking Lecithin a few months after Kenton was born to help “thin out” my milk. I had a lot of issues with clogged ducts and had two bouts with Mastitis. So, this time around, I started taking it right away, and -knock on wood- have had virtually no issues. I’ve had two clogged ducts that I was able to work out in one feeding. HALLELUYER. Oh my, are those things painful. I had a really bad one the night before we were leaving on our first airplane trip with Kenton – a loooong one – Phoenix to Boston. I woke up and fed him a couple of times to try and work it out – nothing. I plugged my pump into the car charger and pumped the entire drive to the airport that morning – nothing. I nursed him exclusively on that side during takeoff – nothing. I was in so much pain, it was nearly unbearable. I tried again, nursing him on that side during our descent into Boston. I got him situated, sat back and tried to relax. He suddenly pulled off – which was very uncharacteristic. I grabbed my boob to get him back on and the pressure of my hand caused a milk EXPLOSION under my nursing cover! Poor baby Kenton was soaked, as was I – but I was oh so happy to have that pesky duct UNclogged. UCK! Glad I don’t have a similar story this time around!
Because I’m not working this time around, I have the flexibility in my schedule to attend Mothers of PreSchoolers (MOPS) meetings at my church. I love them! We meet every other week – and all of us moms are giddy during “MOPS weeks.” We get to check our kids into a fun childcare setting and hang out with girlfriends for two hours. We chat about parenting, being a wife, cooking, scheduling, disciplining, fashion – everything. IT.IS.AWESOME. The good news… MOPS is everyhwere around the country. Check out their site to find a meeting near you. If you’re in the Phoenix area, come to MOPS at Scottsdale Bible Church!
Okay, I gave myself a deadline to finish this post by and it’s here. Laundry is calling my name (I wish it would forget my name). I’m sure I’ll think of more things to add later. What about you? Anything you would add as a must with two under two?
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