No Time

There's no time like the present to post about having no time! My last post documenting motherhood with two children was in April and it's now July, which is a testament to how busy motherhood with two children keeps me. The baby has grown into a little 6-month old now (half a year already??), which means even more smiles, giggling at peek-a-boo and tickles, rolling onto his belly, and grabbing at toys and glasses. My toddler also officially turned 3! Which means singing entire songs ("Do Re Mi" is my favorite so far) and getting ready for preschool. Not that we've done a ton of prep so far other than reading a book about Daniel Tiger going to school--we're just excited he got accepted off the wait list to the preschool we really wanted! Next month we'll be working out all the scheduling details and participate in the age-old ritual of back-to-school supply shopping so he can choose his own backpack! The exclamation points are to hide my nerves at a brand new situation considering my firstborn has never been alone with strangers (only away from me with family members), so I'm not entirely sure how he's going to take the change. But that's for next month. This summer has already been busy enough with other baby/toddler milestones.

June was Baby 1's third birthday, which was a fun experience at a children's museum (he LOVED the water area) and all Play-Doh themed inside his party room. Unfortunately the night before, Hubby got violently ill with food poisoning, so I had to take care of both kids alone. During the day my parents came to the rescue, but at night I knew I had to do it on my own--and I did (with a little bouncing back and forth between bassinet and big-kid bed like a pinball). I was so relieved Hubby felt better in time for the party so he could fully participate in the fun and be a part of the birthday celebration. My toddler was just so happy and excited and not scared of the new experience. The day was perfect...until that night when I was prepping milk for Baby 2 and heard a horrible retching sound on the baby monitor. Baby 1 was throwing up. I cleaned the mess and comforted him (he was terrified by the vomiting sensation that had never happened before). I assumed it was just too much cake and ice cream, until it happened twice more. We called my in-laws (who worked in healthcare their whole lives), and took Baby 1 to the pediatrician. Turns out it was a stomach bug, which we just had to wait out. But when Baby 1 got dehydrated and lethargic, we zoomed him to the ER just in case! Thankfully after a week he was back to himself again. And then I threw up at work. And this was after a busy week of presenting a webinar to 300 people and interviewing for a promotion! I'm so relieved that both those career events went well enough for me to both succeed and get the job! And I'm even more relieved that Baby 2 never got sick at least.

In addition to those events, we've been surviving each day one day at a time, knowing pretty much every minute has to be scheduled. I can't delay leaving for work because it takes about 7 minutes after I get off at 4pm to pack up and get to my car in the parking lot. Then another 12 minutes to drive home and 6 minutes to unpack the car and put away my milk for the next day. Then it's time to shower so I can be clean for work the next day too (it's too hard to squeeze in when both the babes are home). That takes another 10 minutes, plus 5 minutes of post-shower getting dressed and combing hair. Then I can't forget to put on nursing pads in case I leak milk and make sure the bedroom is ready for when baby goes to sleep. If I don't delay at all (no checking the mail, no stopping to tidy up downstairs, no grabbing a snack), I can usually be done by about 4:40pm, which leaves 30 minutes to pump by 5:10. While pumping I pour any refrigerated milk from the containers I pumped in into drinking bottles for Baby 2 and then wash all remaining bottle dishes. I prep a surprise for when I pick up my toddler and a snack (in a surprise box) to serve as a distraction/incentive for Baby 1 while Baby 2 nurses at home (I know it's tough after a long day without Mommy to suddenly have to share me with his little brother, but he's been doing fairly well with the snack surprise routine). Finally, when I'm done pumping, I was the pump parts to be clean and ready for the next day, and if I'm lucky I have 5 minutes to tidy up or maybe even sit down on the couch before I have to pick up the kids. But I can't wait too long because 1) I haven't seen them all day and I miss them, 2) They haven't seen me all day and they miss me, and 3) Baby 2 is going to get hungry for more milk that isn't there if I come too late past his last bottle.

So I go pick them up, bring them home, and then it's nursing, dinner, and a little bit of playtime before teeth brushing, cleaning diapers, and winding down for bed (which can take another 30-40 minutes of my toddler delaying in the bedroom with the lights already off. Baby 1 goes in his bassinet, I lie down with Baby 2, and eventually everyone is asleep...until Baby 2 wakes up to nurse a couple of hours later.

After nursing off and on through the night (more when he's teething), we all wake up by 6:30am or sooner to get ready for work and drop off at grandparents' houses. I head to work and the day starts all over again (with pumping at work every 3 or so hours). It's exhausting. And maybe a little impressive if you've never known a working mom with young children. It also takes up every single minute of time. So if one part of the day runs long that means I'll have less time for something else. If you ever wonder why a mom friend can't squeeze in a phone call or keep their house clean, this is why. I'd love to actually scrub my shower faucet or put away my backlog of laundry, but there's just no time. Hubby is a huge help with keeping our regular laundry and dishes washed, and even keeping the toilets clean! But there's only so much time he has too, between holding Baby 2 while I feed Baby 1 and so on. I do extremely appreciate when he rocks Baby 2 in the early hours of the morning so I can get an extra hour or two of sleep before the 6:30 alarm.

At least we have weekends and the occasional day off to do something fun. Aside from regular ice cream visits on Friday evenings, we recently got professional photos taken of the boys in honor of Baby 1's third birthday and Baby 2's half birthday. With a baseball theme and shirts sporting "Top of the 3rd" and "Halfway to first," I just couldn't resist.

The other huge milestone this month was scheduling Covid vaccines for both boys now that they've approved a shot for under 5 years old. That added protection helps me feel a little more comfortable doing more activities now--whether it's gymnastics class, preschool, or a quick run to Target. And even though they won't have all three doses immediately (the shots have to be spaced out a few weeks), having those initial antibodies is a great start, and makes me feel more comfortable with cousins coming in from out of town and playing together, Mommy and Daddy attending a bigger baby shower, and the upcoming holidays.

We're at a stage where some things are harder (like teething, sleep regressions, and Baby 1 wanting to do everything himself while also clinging to Mom), but a lot is getting easier (Baby 2 is more mobile, Baby 1 plays independently even more). And I've heard from my mom friends that as time passes everything does get a little easier and I'll start to notice small milestones, like when the babies can eat on their own, put on their own shoes, dress themselves, bathe themselves, etc.

So basically, eventually, maybe, I just might get back a little time.

Hopefully it doesn't go by so fast that I miss the time I have and just how adorable and fun it also was.