The Transition from One to Two Kids
The transition from one to two kids has been a little different than I thought it would be.
See how we prepared for Giulietta’s arrival HERE.
Going from one to two kids has certainly been a transition that we are still figuring out each day.
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When I was pregnant with Giulietta, I kept envisioning how our lives would be with the addition of another little one. I pictured how our days would go and how I would take care of a newborn plus a busy toddler. I planned it out in my head, but didn’t really know what to expect, honestly.
We had a great routine with Dominic so I just kept thinking, how would a baby fit into this routine of ours? I knew time would tell.
This transition from one to two kids has been interesting. There have been some surprisingly easy parts that I did not expect and then some tough parts as well.
THE EASY TRANSITIONS
I thought I would share the easy parts so far! Going from 1 to 2 kids has been a lot easier than going from 0 to 1 kid. It wasn’t a huge change in our lifestyle.
The sleep deprivation didn’t affect me as much as it did with Dominic. The early sleepless nights were challenging for sure, but I think my body was more adjusted to not always getting a full night of sleep. For almost 2 years now, I had had many broken nights of sleep so I think my body was able to adjust a lot easier to the short amounts of sleep I was getting at night. When I had Dominic, I wasn’t used to not getting a full night’s sleep so it made it a lot harder to adjust. This transition was a lot smoother, for me anyways!
Adding another baby wasn’t much of a lifestyle change for us because we already had Dominic and had adjusted our life accordingly. We knew we had to be home for naps and bedtime, we knew we would have to plan extra time for getting in and out of car seats if we had to be somewhere, we knew to pack extra baby things if we went out for the day. We didn’t have to learn these things as we went, like we did with Dominic because we already knew all of this.
We also knew what to expect with a newborn, not that we knew how Gigi would be as a baby, but we didn’t have to learn how to be parents to a newborn. For example: we knew there would be different cries depending on her needs and we knew that we didn’t have to stress about every runny nose. We had the experience of raising a baby already so those first time parent worries weren’t as prevalent.
Loving 2 babies was by far THE easiest and THE best transition. I was curious to see how Dominic would do with a baby in the house and he has done SO well. The first few weeks, I think he was a bit confused, but he never really acted out. He was 22 months old when Giulietta was born so he doesn’t even remember life before her. He is beyond sweet with her and loves her so much. Watching the two of them interact is by far the best thing. She is always looking around for him and watching his every move. Once she is mobile, she will be chasing him around, I know it!
THE TOUGH TRANSITIONS
I still have yet to figure out a good morning routine. This is the craziest part of our day. They tend to wake up around the same time these days which makes it hard to determine who’s needs to meet first. Typically, I will get Dominic out of his crib, then pick up Giulietta and we will come downstairs. Dominic likes to have a little snack and milk while watching a show which is perfect so I can feed Giulietta. Then I will have breakfast with Dominic, get everyone dressed, and then start our day. Some days it’s just chaos and hectic and stressful. Some days it doesn’t work out like that which makes for a tougher start to the day. Luckily, I know this will get easier with time.
Getting out of the house with 2 kids by myself is a challenge! This time of year is especially tough because of all the winter gear needed so we don’t go out during the week that much. We do a lot on the weekends when John Paul is home to help though. If we do have to go out during the week, I have to plan backwards. So I have to feed Giulietta first, then put her in her car seat, next I put Dominic in his car seat, then I bring Gigi out to the car along with the diaper bag. Before I feed Giulietta, I make sure the diaper bag is stocked with diapers/wipes and snacks/water for Dominic. It’s such a process and an ordeal and I’m usually sweating by the time we are in the car, LOL!
Feeding Giulietta during the day was tough at first. Newborns eat so frequently, that I felt I was glued to the couch while Dominic would be running around the house. I would block off/move anything that I didn’t want him getting into, if he did run around while I was nursing Gigi, but I had to learn to kind of let him roam the house independently. This has gotten a bit easier and he likes to be in the room wherever I start feeding her. He tends to want to climb all over me and her, but we’re working on that! He has also learned to play independently. He does puzzles, builds with his blocks, or lines up his cars/guys.
LESSONS I HAVE LEARNED
The major thing I have come to realize is that each day my babies grow a little older and become a little more independent. This means each day has gotten a little easier. Of course there are still hard days and we are still figuring it all out, but overall we are moving forward and learning this new family dynamic we now have.
I feel like I blinked and Giulietta is 5 months old. I think with having a second baby, I have appreciated each milestone a bit more than with my first baby. With Dominic, I was always looking forward to what he would do next. I couldn’t wait to see him do his next ‘thing,’ which was always exciting, but I didn’t savor each milestone as much as I could have. With Giulietta, I’m not rushing anything! I am trying to appreciate each day and each milestone she reaches. This time around, I know how fast time goes and I don’t want to rush it.
Overall, I would say this transition has been a lot easier on us than when we had Dominic. It’s just learning to adjust our previous routine to account for a baby. Like I always say, I thrive on routines, so switching ours up was tough at first, but now we have a new routine and it’s made things a bit more smooth. I know things will continue to change and certain aspects of our life will get easier while others get harder, it’s the nature of life.
If all goes to shit, just remember, you’re a MOM and your babies love YOU! You don’t have to be perfect, they look up to you and love you no matter what! Tomorrow is a new day and they will sleep again or nap again or eat the foods you make or have less melt downs—this mindset has helped me tremendously when I’m having a hard day Mommin’!
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YOU’VE GOT THIS MAMA! How many kiddos do you have? Which transition was the hardest for you?
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-LA
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