Adjusted

At this point, I think it is fair to say that I have adjusted to being a mom of 2. I probably have been for a few weeks now, but it just occurred to me the other day. I think I realized it because the week before last Joel was in the office every day and I still survived. As you may know, Joel often works from home. For the most part, I pretend he’s not home, but I still have that crutch that if there is a toddler meltdown + newborn pooptastrophe, I can call on him to help if he can. This particular week, no crutch, and I made it to all 5 of Graham’s appointments with a little girl in tow, the house was clean, I gave Graham lots of attention, and I had dinner on the table most nights. I think we are getting somewhere!

Some areas there was little to no adjustment. Since Macy has been born I have stayed right on top of the cleaning (even laundry!) so I am proud of that. Of course we have made it to all Graham’s appointments. He has therapy nearly every day. Each time I get out the door on time with two kids, manage to keep Macy content for 1.5 hrs during Graham's therapy, wrangle them back home, and get lunches on the table, I feel a sense of accomplishment. A lot of weeks, Joel’s mom takes Graham to a session or two, so that is really helpful. That’s when I get caught up on insurance phone calls, or give Macy that special one on one time that every new baby deserves.

Other areas did require an adjustment. I have gotten a better handle on these in the last few weeks, such as quality time with Graham and meal planning. For the first few weeks it was about meeting needs: kids needed to be fed, clean, dressed, potty breaks, not crying, etc. However, I wasn’t able to give each child individual attention like I wanted. Often Macy was crying in her bouncy seat while I was taking Graham potty, or Graham was watching Sesame Street while I was feeding the baby. 3 episodes of Sesame Street in a row…sure, why not? Survival mode. Since the start, we have made it a point to take Graham to do something fun outside every day- swim class, the splash pad, a walk, the park…etc. I am just referring to our days at home. While Elmo is still a good friend of ours, I have been able to carve out a lot more time for Graham. Not juggling a book and a newborn at the same time, but real one-on-one time, like doing a couple puzzles or working on speech. I think a big part of this is because Macy’s schedule has become more predictable and she is taking longer naps during the day allowing that time with Graham.

As I mentioned meal planning has improved. Joel has often taken the lead in the cooking, largely in part because he does the shopping. He tends to be a ‘buy what’s on sale and make a meal out of it’ kind of cook and I am more of a ‘think of what sounds good and find a recipe’ kind of cook. He usually comes home from shopping with all these meals in mind and often is the one to execute them. Our biggest stress lately has been dinner time. Joel and I need one meal, Graham needs another, and Macy another, so it is hectic. We realized we need to de-stress this time of day by having a better plan, instead of the 6 pm question of, “So…..what’s for dinner??!” Anyway, I prepared a meal plan and it worked out so much better! Since I had a plan I was able to get a lot done ahead of time. I could brown meat, or cut veggies at lunch time, so it would be ready so I could whip dinner up faster later. Plus, I was excited to make all the meals I had planned. It was fun! Since we had such a yummy week of meals, I will post them under a separate cover.

As a parent I understand that once we have one thing figured out, something else changes, but I am happy with how we're managing. I hope we keep up this momentum!!