Life With 2 Girls

Pin It Now! I'm not even sure where to begin or what exactly to write about since it's been so long and so much has been going on.  Adjusting to life with 2 kids is definitely not easy.  A while back I ran into an old friend at the grocery store.  She knew I was pregnant and she had recently had her second child.  She told me that before she had the second child, friends had told her how easy it was.  However, she said, anyone who tells you it's easy is lying or has just blocked out the memory of how hard it is.  She said there had been times when all 3 of them were sitting there crying.  Well, I have to say, she was completely right! Having a 2nd child is so hard!  And just like her, we've had our moments of all 3 of us crying!  Don't get me wrong, I love my girls more than anything but it has it's challenging moments, very challenging moments.  

It probably doesn't help that the new baby (we'll call her Parker- that was one of my favorite name that did not actually get picked) is not the best sleeper, just like her big sister.  She wants to be held constantly when she sleeps, and when I have to keep up with a 2 year old (yep, Avery had her second birthday, yay!!!) it can be a little tough.  We have tried everything, swaddling, carseat, bouncer, swing, crib, co-sleeper, pacifiers, white noise, slings and carriers, anything and everything I've heard of or read, we have tried.  Some work better than others, like the carrier works well (most of the time) if we are out doing stuff and moving but not so well when Avery wants me to sit and play with her.  

I am co-sleeping with her at night and until she went through her 6 week growth spurt that was going well.  Most nights she would only get up once or twice.  However, during her growth spurt she started getting up every two hours to feed (so after the 30 minute feeding and the 15 minutes or so it takes me to fall asleep, I usually get about an hour and 15 minutes of sleep at a time) and it hasn't stopped since then and I'm pretty sure growth spurts don't last 2 weeks.  ; )

As I said, Avery was not the best of sleepers when she was an infant but at least with her it was just the two of us so I could sleep when she slept, there wasn't a whole lot of cleaning to do, and everything just revolved around her schedule.  But this time around it's completely different.  I can't sleep when Parker sleeps cause I'm having to entertain (or at the very least keep and eye on) Avery.  When I do finally have a break cause both girls are sleeping, I have to try to clean the house (while holding Avery usually) since I have a 2 year old who makes it look like a tornado went through the play area everyday.  And I still have to maintain Avery's routine since she has to go to school at a certain time, eat lunch, go to nap, have dinner, take a bath, etc.  It's not like I can just have dinner when I get the chance like we did with Avery.  

I could totally deal with everything, if only she would let me put her down to sleep every once in a while.  But I have no idea how to help her learn how to do that at this age.  I keep trying but it just doesn't seem to work, if anything it's getting worse.  She's starting to be picker about her sleep: noises are starting to wake her up, light is starting to bother her, etc.  I just feel at a loss for what to do while still being able to take care of both of my children. 

Ok, enough of the pity party, on to happier things!

Avery has had so many exciting things happen lately.  First, she started preschool!  She is in a wonderful toddler program at a school I absolutely love!  It's a French immersion school that, although not an official Montessori school, incorporates Montessori works into their classrooms.  She only goes 2 mornings a week from 9 to noon but it's nice to have some one-on-one time with Parker and to have a chance to run some errand with only 1 child.  The first week was a little tough.  She would cry when I left, but not for too long according to her teacher.  But she also didn't want to leave when I came to pick her up, which I thought was a good sign.  The past 2 weeks though have been completely different, she can't wait to go to school and gives me a quick kiss good bye and runs off to play with her friends.  On days she doesn't go to school she asks to go see her teacher and friends.  Plus she's already speaking some French, she can count to 3 and says hello, good bye, thank you, and please.  So, I couldn't be happier with how that is going!

We also had Avery's second birthday!  We had so much fun and the birthday celebrations lasted for about 5 days.  One day/night for each of the following: my parents, our little family, Eric's family, the party with friends, and my sister and BIL.  It was a little crazy around here and the poor child didn't understand why she suddenly didn't get cake and ice cream everyday once it was all over!  : )  She got some really great presents; a doll house, a bike, a Little Tikes Cozy Truck, a cash register, a doctor kit, a fruit cutting set, a Mr. Potato Head, a phonics magnet set, and some dress-up clothes.  And that was all just from family, we actually asked her friends not to bring gifts but to do a donation to the Ronald McDonald House if they wanted (which I loved and think we will try to do every year).  

Parker is such an amazing and sweet little girl.  I can't believe how much she has already changed since she was born.  She is now so alert and curious when she is awake.  She is getting so strong, does a great job at holding her head up and loves to "stand up."  Besides not wanting to be put down to sleep, she rarely cries and is completely happy to be put down when she is awake, she loves to just watch what is going on around her.  Her smile and laugh make my heart melt!  

Taken at 1 month old

I know I was whining and complaining about the whole sleep thing, but I have to admit, I am a pretty lucky mom, it could be so much worse.  She's a happy, healthy baby and I know it will get better!  However, it is nice to get some of this off my chest, just being able to vent makes me feel better.