The Mama Memoirs: On Having Two Kids

Today I'm linking up with Mandy for her new bi-weekly feature on all things motherhood. I feel as if I talk about motherhood 24/7, so a link-up like this shouldn't be a problem for me! Today I thought I would hash out my feelings about being a mom of two. I've had almost 5 months to settle into this new role of mine, and I've gotta say......I think I'm doin' alright! I'm sure that I had certain expectations of what life would be like going from one child to two. In fact, I think I was pretty intimidated. I had heard so many stories of moms just losing it (or feeling like they were losing it) when they brought their second child home, or that the family dynamic would change drastically and some moms I talked to just sounded genuinely overwhelmed. I guess you could say that in my mental and emotional preparation before bringing home my son, I prepared for the worst. I fully expected Elliott to become a tiny terror and end up hating me and Scott and her brand new brother. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. I fully expected me to not be able to "deal" with a new baby, housework, caring for my family, and eventually going back to work. Again, this wasn't the case. I fully expected to spin out of control into an ugly case of post-partum depression and miss out on so many joyous family memories. I'm ever so grateful that this, too, was not the case. In the end, I'm glad that I may have over-thought things and perhaps psyched myself out a little bit. Because reality has turned out to be so much better than what I pictured it was going to be like! Don't get me wrong, last weekend I spent the entire weekend holed up in the house, cleaning up vomit and poop from my poor sick three-year old and 4-month-old and I didn't get to shower once or even prepare a nutritious meal for myself or my family. You can imagine how my house and social calendar looked after a weekend like that, too. But on the whole, this life is amazing! Adding a second child is definitely more work, but I don't have any scary stories to tell or any moments of wishing we could go back to a family of three. I am so blessed that I get to raise these two children. Each day, even if I'm tired from a long day at work or I'm exhausted from dealing with tantrums or teething babies, I think how wonderful it is that I get to be a part of these two precious lives!  I think my favorite part of being a mom of two (so far) is seeing their similarities and differences. I pull out Elliott's baby book almost once a week and compare weights or milestones or even their bedtime routines. I cherish the differences and make note of the cute similarities. I don't want to forget a single moment!
Whether you have one child or five, or you're a dedicated mama to a precious pup, I'm sure you can understand the feeling of absolute gratitude when you look at the one(s) you love so much. There's really nothing like it in the world!