Mom Skills I've Mastered

Having two kids under the age of 2 for a few months was not ever always a walk in the park. Attempting to meet the needs of two little ones -- in addition to your own -- can be mentally and physically exhausting.

But? There are obvious plus sides, of course...like basking in sweet sweet baby snuggles and toddler hugs simultaneously. And the fact that they will eventually (hopefully) be each other's BFFs {they better be!} There are some lesser known pluses as well. Namely, the awesome skillz that you'll develop that you didn't even know existed...

Things I've Mastered with 2 Under 2

1. Juggling baby while changing a diaper

When Aurelia was still a tiny newborn that refused to be put down, many of her naps were snug in the Moby wrap. It seemed like putting her in the wrap was the bat call for Carina to take an epic dump. I tried to lift her up to the changing table a few times but it just wasn't happening. So I broke out the changing pad from the diaper bag and managed to take care of it on the floor in front of me. Other than a few moments of Aurelia dangling precariously over Carina, it was a success. "Bye bye turds!" (as Carina says), and baby still asleep.

2. Silent dishwasher emptying

Aurelia is super sensitive to sound and even dishes clanking against each other can wake her up. I know that she'll have to learn to sleep through noise eventually, but for now? MOMMA NEEDS BABY TO NAP. Emptying the dishwasher takes twice as long as it used to because I opt for slow and silent over quick and loud, but I'm getting better at it. 

3. Nursing while cooking

Some days the little miss wants to eat constantly. Since Momma has to eat, too, breastfeeding while cooking/preparing food has become a necessity for me. Luckily, my nursing pillow can tighten around my body with Velcro so snugly that I am able to walk around in the kitchen and have one hand free to slather my bread with a giant glob of Nutella. I have also managed to make Macaroni and Cheese and Quesadillas (OMG I'm awesome!) all while nursing the babe.

4. One handed typing

When the wee one is sleeping on my chest, I often hop onto the computer to catch up on blogs or attempt to blog myself. More often than not, one arm is positioned under the baby leaving me with just one free hand with which to type. I've become a pro. I can churn out a couple of paragraphs in no time with only five fingers. This also comes in handy at nighttime when Momma's got a glass of wine in the other hand... ;)

5. Marathon peeing

The first few times I used the restroom when both kids were in the living room by themselves I would hear a loud, ominous THUD mid-stream. I'd have to shimmy out of the bathroom pants-down to make sure that Carina hadn't drop kicked the baby. I adapted to the situation and am now proud (proud? okay maybe not proud...embarrassed?) to admit that I can pee at lightning speed. No more leisurely bathroom breaks here when I'm home and both kids are awake.

I've even peed WITH the baby sleeping in the Ergo. ENVY ME.

If these were Olympic events I would totally win gold, yo. Definitely. What skills you never knew you needed have you developed since becoming a Mom?

Stepping back from the brink with 2 under 2

A month ago I lamented about the fact that having 2 under 2 had been a little rough as of late. I am happy to report that I am feeling so much better! While I still have the "get me out of here!" days, they have become fewer and further between. Three things have greatly influenced this turn around and I'd like to share them with you, in the hopes that they might help someone else.

How I'm Surviving 2 Under 2

Ensuring the baby is getting enough sleep

When she was fresh out of the you-know-where she slept constantly. I think that's pretty typical newborn behavior. But as time went on, she became harder and harder to put down for a nap. I was getting so frustrated with her napstriking and endless fussing before finally falling asleep...maybe.

That's when a friend of mine from The Bump reminded me about these awake time guidelines for babies. These are not scientific; they are simply averages of ideal awake times from a large sampling of Moms and will certainly not work for everyone. But? They have worked like a dream with Aurelia. When she has been awake for about an hour and 15 minutes I ensure she is well fed and changed, then I swaddle her, and put her down for a nap. By fifteen minutes later she is almost always out. Like CLOCKWORK.

Previously, I had been waiting for her to show me she was tired, and by that time it was too late for her to fall asleep easily. This way, I set her down right as she is beginning to get sleepy and she drifts off on her own. I now have so much more time to keep up with things around the house and draw sharks in every color of the rainbow for Carina.

Seriously...every color. She demanded it.

Getting out of the house

Mike (and a few of you, thanks!) suggested we get out of the house more. I'm a bit of a homebody. I don't like to go out, especially with both girls, as it ends up being quite the production. But I told Mike I'd try to at least go for a walk every day. And? I can't believe how much it breaks up the day. I joined a Moms' group and have already gone on a couple of outings. Despite the fact that Carina stepped in dog doo and tried to jump into a river on a number of occasions at our last play date, I had such a good time. Staying at home full time can be a little isolating and even just an hour of chatting with other Moms is so refreshing.

Living in the moment 

This one is corny cliché, but I've found it to quell my anxiety when I feel it building up. It was also a Mike suggestion (can you tell he's a lot more chill than I am?) My babies will never be this small again. It won't be long before they won't let me pick them up instead of not letting me put them down. They won't want to sit in my lap and snuggle close to me forever. I'm doing my best to try to enjoy it while it lasts.


While the above certainly don't ensure everyday bliss, they have really helped me take pleasure in the day to day rather than wishing the days {and current clingy/tantrumy/"MINE!" phases} would go by quickly.

This too shall pass, right?

Aurelia has changed from the baby who sleeps all the time and never cries into the baby who never sleeps and cries quite often. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the idea. In general, she drifts off to sleep quite easily but wakes up {very upset} as soon as I put her down. What about your trusty Moby wrap, you might ask? Now she screams bloody murder and makes her annoyance known by promptly pooping through her diaper, the Moby, and my clothes underneath - this has happened not one, not two, but THREE times in the last couple weeks.

This all wouldn't be so hard if it weren't for the fact that Carina has gone from happily playing independently to grabbing my hand whenever I'm nursing the baby, saying, "get up Mommy! Get up!" and/or climbing on everything precariously. Mommy is only so fast while she's busy with the baby...

Dividing my time between the two of them has become increasingly difficult. What threw me over the edge yesterday was Carina pretending to cry while exclaiming, "Carina crying!" My guess is that she sees me running to comfort Aurelia every time she cries and is fake crying with the hope that I'll come running to her? HEART. BREAK.

And then today, I had to give Carina 3 time-outs because she wouldn't stop trying to bounce the baby in the bouncer or push her in the swing way too hard no matter how many times I told her to be gentle. She would bounce the bouncer violently, look at me, and say "gentle!" No, Carina, not quite. Then she poked Aurelia in the eye which of course resulted in an epic scream, and then she did it again. A toddler tornado ensued; I'm pretty sure that within an hour every single toy we own was on the floor, strewn about our entire apartment. It was only 3 PM but I seriously needed a drink.

TODDLER RAMPAGE!

I wish we could afford a babysitter even once a week so I could get some errands done, prepare dinner without a toddler pulling at my leg and/or baby spitting up all over me, or even nap. OMG a nap. With Mike's crazy work schedule (read: weekdays 10-11 hours and weekends 4+ hours), being home all day every day with my two little ladies and maintaining my sanity at the same time seems almost impossible.


How do you do it?

The realities of having 2 under 2

Truth: having two children under the age of 2 is the best thing I've ever done. Some days are great.

Earlier this week I took both girls grocery shopping and to my surprise there wasn't a single tantrum or poopsplosion. Carina gave the baby kisses and "played" with her on the mat while I put all of the groceries away. Aurelia slept all afternoon and Carina played independently for a bit - giving me enough time to do 2 loads of laundry and empty and load the dishwasher. Afterwards, Carina snuggled up to me for story time and we played together. I managed to have dinner ready when Mike came home and even had a few minutes to blog. I felt like I accomplished so much. Both babes, and I, were happy and well rested.

"Baby kisses!"

Truth: it's also probably the hardest and most exhausting thing I've ever done. Some days are not so great.

Yesterday, my goals for the day of showering and making a nice dinner I found on Pinterest soon turned into merely changing my underwear and choosing which pizza delivery place from which to order. Aurelia wouldn't sleep or let me put her down and Carina kept tantruming and trying to stick her stuffed monkey in the baby's face and OMG IS THAT POOP IN MY HAIR? and what do you mean you won't be home before Carina's bedtime, husband? And then came an avalanche of spit up running down my cleavage. ::breathes into a paper bag:: A mountain of dishes in the sink, cat barf on the floor {wish I was joking}, and crap, I forgot to order that pizza. Get me a freaking drink. Seriously. Can this day have a do-over? Wait, no. I don't want to try again. I give up. And cry.

Time to knee baby in the head

As I sit here blogging with the baby attached to my boob {I feel like I've been nursing constantly today} after an evening of trying to keep Carina out of the trash can and stirring three pots/pans for dinner while trying to keep a pee leak in the Moby from spreading onto my clothing and chatting with Mike on the phone about when he'll be home, all simultaneously, I'm a bit tired. Clearly, today was also one of those rough days. 

At least I made dinner, right? Wrong. It was inedible. Damn you, Pinterest. I tried. Now where's that pizza delivery number...

Moms of 2+ I raise my glass {it's a very full one tonight} to you in solidarity. How are your days? Do you have more of the good or the crazy?