On Monday I checked in with y’all to share how life with two babies under the age of 2 has been. While it is tough and different, we are learning to juggle better and better every day.
I’ve only been a mama with 2 under 2 for a month now, so I know that I have A LOT left to learn. Honestly, I’m totally okay with that; I welcome a lifetime of learning with them. But so far, here is what I have learned from my two sweet Hawley Peeps:
- Get out of the house everyday! This is a must and something I learned with Dutch. From the first day I was home alone with him we went out. We just need to do it. Yes it’s harder with two, but something that they need as much as I do. With both babies I have been petrified about this task, but I just had to rip the band-aid off and do it. I have done it both times on my first day alone with the babies, and I've been grateful both times to have crossed off that milestone quickly.
- Mamas need more leggings than they think they do. I will never have enough leggings and I don’t care what anyone says, but I’m wearing them as pants…..in, get this, public! Gasp all you want haters lol Costco had some amazing leggings on sale this month in multiple colors, 2 pairs for $11.99……and I bought 6. So yeah, I wear leggings like it’s my uniform!
- Strap the baby in! When Dutch was a newborn I never strapped him in to the baby gear. No one was going to knock him out of the swing, bouncer, or rocker. It was just me. But now, oh goodness, Ellis must be strapped in. While Dutch has never even expressed interest in pulling the baby out of the baby gear, we aren’t taking any chances.
- Go outside. It doesn’t matter how hot or cold it is, go on a walk everyday. The sun and fresh air will do you some good.
- Give your 1 year old some credit. One year old children are very smart and they learn quickly. This can be a good thing or a bad thing (i.e. watch your mouth). Dutch has caught on to this big brother thing really quickly and he adores “Baby Ellis” :-)
- Healing takes time. I’m steal healing from birth which has been extremely hard both physically & psychologically. All mamas know that labor and delivery is tough and those battle wounds are intensely life altering. I know that with time complete healing will happen and that will make mommying even better. Honestly, this has been the hardest part of being a mama to my two young babies. I thought the hardest part would be the kids, but instead it has been me; the exact opposite of what I anticipated. I’m a work in progress and I’m learning to give myself some grace.
- Dry shampoo is ah-maz-ing. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: I don’t know how women have lived without this stuff. Here is the shampoo that I use on the reg.
- Forgo pride. Ask for help when you need it. Accept that God gave you a village to help you; you don’t have to do this mama thing alone! (I’m still learning this one and I probably will be for the rest of my life). It’s just me around here, since the Mr works such long hours. I can’t do it by myself especially since I’m still healing from a pretty rough labor and delivery. I need help and I have to humble myself and ask for it.
I know that these are just a few minor lessons that I’ve been learning lately, and that there are a bazillion left to learn. Soooooooo mamas with 2 under 2, please share with me some tips and tricks that will help save me some learning time :-)
