Going from 0 to 1 kids was definitely hard....we were one of the first in our group of friends to have kids, so while they were out having a good time, we'd be staying home or paying babysitters. And, of course, we had no idea what we were doing so every thing we did was brand new to us. We did have my sister as an example, as she had two kids by the time I had one, but that was pretty much our only experience with babies. I nannied every summer for a family with three kids, but let's be honest - it's different when it's your own kids. And, it was a difficult adjustment because Joey was not a sleeper - he gave us a run for our money. And, it was a difficult delivery and I don't think I ever felt good until about two years after having Joey. Joe was in law school and studying for the bar exam and I was working full-time so that probably didn't help either. So, all of those factors combined made for a very difficult transition for us! Here's a photo of Joey as a newborn!
Going from 1 to 2 kids was actually pretty easy. Joey was 2 years and 2 months old when Maddox was born. Although Joey was difficult as a baby, he was an easy toddler. He never went through that temper tantrum phase and he was easy to please overall. He was difficult to potty train so we had two in diapers for quite some time but that was a minor problem. Joey was finally sleeping and had actually turned into a great sleeper and napper which gave us a lot of relief. Maddox was a great baby. He slept a lot, he nursed great and he slept through the night at 8 weeks old (not every night, but very consistently). Joey wasn't in school yet so our time was pretty easy to manage while Maddox was just a baby. I think it helped that there was only two years between the two kids - we hadn't gotten out of that "baby phase" yet so nothing would come as a surprise to us, we knew what we were getting into and were ready. Overall, the transition from one to two was quite easy and natural. Here's a photo of Maddox as a newborn!
So, how is the transition from two to three? Well, there are a few factors that made this transition challenging. For one, Joey started kindergarten about three weeks before Saylor was born, so we had homeroom meetings, parent meetings, doctor appointments, forms to fill out, and a whole new school system to navigate. Two, Maddox started preschool four days a week about two weeks before Saylor was born. Same preschool, new teacher so a bit easier but we still had meetings, doctor appointments, forms, etc for Maddox. Three, Joe was super busy at work and so he was taking off as little of time as possible. Four, we were four years away from that newborn baby phase, and although we hadn't forgotten anything, it was harder to snap back into those baby days! And, lastly - three children is obviously more work than two children no matter how you look at it. I felt like we more than doubled the work, the laundry and the dishes with the addition of Saylor! And, we had two kids who now had their own schedules, their own friends, their own activities like flag football, and school every day, and one new baby who just works around their schedules. Having two older kids when this baby came just was hard - we worked around their school schedule; we had to check school calendars every night to prepare for the day ahead; ....and, not forget that we had a baby to feed, change and love on. There's definitely less one on one time with Saylor and there's a lot of "divide and conquer" strategy with Joe and I...he takes boys downstairs, I give Saylor a bath; I read to boys at bedtime, he feeds Saylor a bottle; I make supper, he holds Saylor and referees flag football downstairs; he takes Joey to school, I take Maddox and and Saylor - it's definitely a team effort! It's basically like going from one-on-one defense to zone - and these three kids have outplayed us many times already! Also, with Saylor, I no longer had a full-time job, however, I also had no maternity leave - so it was both good and bad. Since I have my own business, there is no paid maternity leave. However, my schedule is more flexible than it was when I had to go back to work full-time. Either way, I definitely miss the full twelve weeks of maternity leave!
As far as the transition from boys to girls....well, nothing has really changed there. Babies are babies so I don't notice any big differences yet. Mostly, there's a lot of pink in our house, a pink bedroom, pink laundry, and lots of bows! As far as her demeanor, she's the best of all my babies. She's even a better sleeper than Maddox was and she's very easy to please and soothe. She rarely cries and mostly, just squeaks! She is so easy to love and I can't imagine what I ever did without her.
The best part about the third is that I feel like I notice all the little things...her tiny toes, her stick legs, her little noises, her big eyes, all those little details and I worry less about how much she's eating, when she needs to nap, where she sleeps at, what dumb comment another mom made to me or what milestone she's supposed to be reaching. I just enjoy her and worry less. I often think that she probably is getting the best mom in me so although she doesn't get as much one on one time with me - when I am with her, she gets all of me. I often get sad as I'm holding her, knowing this is likely to be my last baby and I just don't ever want to forget these baby days.
All and all, I feel blessed every single day - busy.....but blessed! : )
3 comments:
She is adorable! Glad things are going well for you guys!
Your kids are ALL so lucky to have you!!
Love reading your blog posts Holly. What BEAUTIFUL children you have :) Miss you guys. xo
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