So I had started an entry on Father’s Day, but I only got to the title, and didn’t fill out anything else. If that doesn’t give insight as to how busy it’s been as a mom of two littles under two, then I don’t know what does. THAT’S RIGHT, you heard me. Oliver is finally here! And yes, it took me 4 months to write about it, but you know what they say–better late than never.
So do I absolutely adore him as much as I thought I would? Nope. I dunno what those other moms are smoking, but I’m only starting to be slightly fond of him now. Up until recently, he’s been pretty annoying. Don’t get your panties in a twist and start mommy-shaming, bc I do love him, but that doesn’t mean I need to like him 100% of the time. He used to cry A LOT. Like that super pitchy and shrill cry, where neighbors probably thought I was torturing him. That has subsided drastically now thankfully, and he only does it when he needs to poop. Also when he’s about to go down for a nap; he starts whining the moment I bring him into his room. The bright side of that is, he’s observant. Too observant sometimes where it gets in the way of his feeding. He gets distracted very easily and prefers to play rather than eat. And always wants to be held, but only in the upright position, which strains my back and shoulder badly. I pulled my back twice since his arrival, and it’s only starting to get better now.
Would I have waited longer to have #2 if I had known? No. I knew what I was getting into. I knew that the first couple years will be hell, and both Alex and I had mentally prepared for it. I think we were expecting an complete shitshow, but so far (knock on wood), it hasn’t been too terrible. Everything has been tolerable. And you know what else I’m able to do now as a second time mom? Ignore that crap out of cries. I can do that so well now, it’s amazing. Using the CIO method, we got Oliver down to sleep through the night at 14 weeks old (that’s 2 weeks later than his sister, but who’s keeping score?). He goes to sleep at 8pm and wakes up shortly after 7am with a morning bottle, and then back down to sleep until around 10:30am (soo nice). That’s the schedule as of now anyway, so we’ll see how he’ll do once daycare starts next month and he’s forced to drop that long nap–but then again, that’s the sitter’s problem, not mine (ha!).
And do I want anymore kids? NOPE. We are done. I had a bilateral salpingectomy (what?), which means I had both my tubes completely removed, so there is no reversal. If we, for some asinine reason, decided we didn’t have enough responsibilities in our life and would like to have more children, it would have to either be through IVF or adoption. Some of you might recall in a previous entry where I wasn’t too sure if I should go through with the procedure. Well, towards the end of that pregnancy, I was 100%. And at 4 months postpartum, I am 1000%. 4 is the a good number for us. We have one of each gender for children. If we win tickets to something, it’s usually in a pack of 4. Getting table reservations are easier for a family of 4. Most vehicles are accommodating for a family of 4. Alex and I can equally team up against the kids if need be. Novalee and I can go do girly things and leave Oliver and Dad to do boring woodworking stuff someday soon. It’s great.
For those of you who want/have more kids, more power to you. I have nothing but respect. But I know myself. I know that my ME time is important, so that I can give my children 100% of my best self (or somewhere in that general area of a self). I’ve been seeing those memes lately about how to-be parents always have a list of dos and don’ts of how they’ll parent, and it ends up being completely thrown out the window. And not to toot my own horn (okay a little toot), but Alex and I have done a pretty good job of sticking to our own list so far. We still don’t allow much screen time for Novalee–she only gets to video chat her family and watch an educational show/short video while I trim her nails. That. Is. It. We very rarely give her sweets that aren’t fruits. She’s had jelly beans for potty training week (OMG did I mention she’s potty trained since last month??!), and cake/ice cream for special occasions, but never outside of those times. Do I think we should get an award? Nah. I think Alex and I are just the type who set certain plans and do our best to stick to them. We definitely try to be as engaging as possible and her daycare does an amazing job with nurturing and teaching Novalee as well. Of course, Novalee’s awesome personality is the only sample I have of a great toddler (so far), so we’ll see how Oliver will be. If he’s the exact opposite of his sister in every single way, we might have problems. Check back in a few months and see if I’m still tooting my own horn. Speaking of, the little turd is up from his nap… hopefully it won’t be another 4 months before my next post.