Motherhood: Adjusting to Two

I knew that being a mother to two would be different than being a mother to one. I tried to prepare to divide my attention. I tried to prepare for more exhaustion. I tried to prepare for the moments when both boys just want Mommy and both are crying and my heart is aching. I also tried to prepare for the wonderful moments when I would have a full heart by my boys loving each other or loving on me. 

For this first week and a half of mothering two I have experienced all of the above and so much more.

It has been such a pleasure to see Jackson coming around to Daniel. He has become more and more interested in the little "be be" and has tried to share his toys or food with Daniel. He is generally very gentle with Daniel, but we have to remind him not to throw balls at him. There have only been a couple times where he's gotten frustrated that Daniel has been "in his space" or he's tried to push Daniel away when I've been holding him. Overall, I think the transition has been going smoothly.

Jackson wakes up and has been learning to go to Daddy for breakfast or morning snuggles. Unfortunately, tomorrow is Matt's last day of paternity leave so we'll see how Jackson (and I) handles having to share Mommy in the mornings. When he does come in to my bed for snuggles he doesn't seem to mind Daniel so much. I try to move Daniel into the center of the bed after he's finished nursing so that I can snuggle Jackson.

Jackson smiles at the "be be" and has started giving him kisses, which melts my heart every time. 

Sometimes a Mumma just has to carry and hold both kids at the same time. I am so thankful for baby wearing and all the different carriers available. This happy baby wrap is going to be a lifesaver this summer. It is much lighter material than the Moby wrap so I don't get too overheated while wearing Daniel. 

A mommy of two has to learn to multi task even more than a mommy of one. With Jackson I learned to nurse while going about my day: nursing while eating, making dinner, cleaning, and going to the bathroom. With Daniel I am learning to nurse while also doing thing with/for Jackson.

Mothering two is so different than mothering one, and then it is not so different. Some things are very similar and life feels "normal". But the time when Dsniel is fussy and wants to be held a very particular way and Jackson wants my full attention are draining. I put Daniel in his swing (a new baby purchase since Jackson never had an infant swing. It is proving to be well worth the $20! It was a yard sale find) and hope the rocking and music calms him down and devote my attention to Jackson. I imagine it isn't easy for Jackson to go from having my undivided attention almost 24/7 to having less than half my attention most of the day. Thankfully, Daniel doesn't take long to nurse (similar to Jackson) and generally goes 2-4 hours between feedings. I have an oversupply of breast milk so I have been pumping twice a day. When I do this Jackson has been coming over to sit on my lap. It has become a nice mommy-time for him. 

I have been do pleasantly surprised at how well the transition has been going. I hope and pray it continues and soon we all have a regular schedule. The boys seem to enjoy each other as much as possible at this age and hopefully when Daniel can sit in the bumbo seat and by himself the boys will enjoy playing together. I love having two boys and love that they are both snugglers and Mumma's boys. This is definitely stretching to me as a mom, but I am up to for the challenge!