Some thoughts from mom
Now that Avery’s several weeks old, I’ve had some time to absorb the fact that we’re a four-person family. So – what are my (early) thoughts on being a parent of two? As several friends told me before Avery’s arrival, going from one kid to two is MUCH less of an adjustment than going from none to one. I feel like Q and I are old pros at typical parenting things (diapering, consoling a crying child, etc.), and we’re already familiar with the lifestyle changes that a child brings. (We’re used to working our schedules around nap and feeding times, and we’re accustomed to being home in the evenings.) Also, I don’t find myself fretting about the baby as much as I did with Zoe; when she cries, I know she’s doing it for a reason and I know she’ll stop eventually.
With that said, what remains quite difficult (and what I mentioned earlier) is the sleep thing. Though we’ve gone through this before, coping with a constant loss of sleep is still a real shock to the system – I liken it to a plunge in a pool of very cold water. (I’ll never get used to it!) And what makes things even more challenging is the fact that we have a toddler that gets us up every day at 6 or 6:30; we don’t always have the luxury of sleeping when the baby does.
I don’t deal well with sleep deprivation, and I’ve had some down moments since Avery’s arrival – but overall, I think things have been fairly manageable. And when things don’t feel that way, I try to remember some advice from a commenter on BabyCenter.com, who wisely wrote:
“With my first baby I was just trying to get through the first couple of months! I couldn’t wait until he was sleeping through the night. What a mistake that was. The best advice I can give you is that your baby will only be a newborn for just a few months so breathe it in and enjoy every cry and every moment. When you start to feel like you can’t handle everything that’s happening, just remember that it will be over faster than you can imagine!â€
-M