Lessons I have learned as a Mom of 2 under the age of 2

I am just over eight weeks as a Mama to two adorable babies and I have learned a lot about myself and my new life along the way.  Some days are tough, hands down.  Other days are a lot easier.  I could not have gotten through the first few weeks without the support of my husband, our families and close friends.  Pretty soon we will be adjusting to another new routine since I will be returning to work part time in October.  I am comfortable in saying that I am a better Mom when I live a balanced life of career and being home with my kiddos.  Here is a short summary of what I have learned most in the past eight weeks and counting as Mother to two:

• You change a lot of diapers
• You receive twice as many smiles with dimples throughout your day
• You can be cleaning spit up from one babe only to turn around and have your other babe hand you something gooey from her nose and she follows it up with "icky."  Yes, my dear, icky.
• You find yourself laughing at the silliest moments.  Whether it is when one passes gas and scares himself or watching your daughter make a hilarious face after eating dirt.
• You give a lot of baths
• You master the art of the 60 second shower and usually only wash a tenth of your body because you ran out of time.
• You can carry two children at once, especially when a toddler is trying to run around in a parking lot
• Your hobby becomes doing laundry and trying to keep your house semi-clean
• You get to have play dates with friends.  This is a double bonus because you get to see your friends and it wears your toddler out before nap time.
• You consider joining Costco for the first time in your life.  See bullet point one as to why.
• You have dance parties to the Mickey Mouse Club Hot Diggity Dog song for what feels like hours, but this also doubles as your exercise.
• You can never give or receive enough kisses and hugs
• You dream of just one night away with your husband and not having to think about getting up at the crack of dawn
• You talk about family vacations to far off destinations so you can show your children the world
• Your patience grows by leaps and bounds
• You appreciate your Mom more, especially if she had four kids and those four were all teenagers at the same time
• You realize at 2pm that you haven't brushed your teeth yet for the day
• You talk about blow outs with your friends and I am not talking the hair kind
• You can never be too organized
• You are never alone, not even in the bathroom
• You learn that some days just aren't that exciting and you are simply proud you made it through another day
• You can spend countless hours watching your children sleep and never get tired of their innocent faces
• Your big weekend outings always include going to the park and the grocery store
• You make immediate necessary Craigslist purchases for your sanity, for example a baby swing and a slide for your backyard to entertain your toddler
• Your lunch may consist of your toddlers leftovers on the extra chaotic days
• And the best lesson I have learned thus far is that you have the opportunity to give endless love to two blessings that will grow up way too fast and you will actually miss them being the age they are right now.

Life with a Toddler

Belle is showing me that my child proofing skills need serious improvement and that even though she has had a temperature and been under the weather, she is still very mischievous.  I seem to bounce from one mess to the next these days.

Going through the entertainment center and pushing all of the buttons, which means I have to wait for Scott to get home to fix the settings back.

Taking all of the tupperware out while I was pumping and the silverware was next on her list.

A yogurt facial.  This photo was taken at the beginning of the facial and rubbing it all over the table.  Total clean up time for Mama, easily 20 minutes.  That outfit lasted 10 minutes tops.

Will handles all of it in stride and just chills in his swing.

Will at 7 Weeks

We have a son and he is very sweet.  I can't believe he is seven weeks old already.  The night he was born almost feels like a lifetime ago.  We are so blessed with how smooth things have gone with him so far.  I am very thankful he has been patient with me and his sister.  I tell people I don't know if it is because he is my second and I feel more relaxed and confident or if he is just that good of a kid already.  Of course he cries and fusses and fills his diaper often, but all newborns do that.  He might be a mama's boy already because he is on a nightly routine of getting up at midnight, three and then again at six and I do love routines.  He smiles often now and shows off his cute dimples.  He is a champion eater and is growing like crazy.  I do call him my little pug because he snorts and grunts and makes all sorts of sweet sounds in his sleep.  It also looks like his eyes are going to be bright blue like his Dad and sister, which makes me the solo brown eyed person of the household.  My favorite part of the day with Will is when Belle is napping and I cuddle up with him on our couch and he sleeps on my chest.  It is so peaceful and relaxing and I feel like in that moment you have me all to yourself, which does not happen often.

Will made us a family of four and we are so very grateful.  We look forward to seeing more of your personality and watching you grow in the coming weeks.  Thank you for being our sweet son.

Family Photos - 22 Months & 5 Weeks

Just a quick post with some family photos my Dad took of us while my brother Walker was in town visiting to meet Will.  I can't believe we are parents to a 22 month old and a 5 week old!  Life is full right now, but for good reason.  I am learning a lot about my children and myself, which can be refreshing and frustrating.

She loves her Dada and I do too