This whole mom of two thing was really easy for the first month. I had my brother and my mom here helping out so Holland was entertained and we just all soaked in that wonderful new baby smell and enjoyed lots of snuggles with almost no stress. (Thank you Mom and Solomon!!)
Then they left and the past couple of weeks have been hard. I lose my temper with Holland much more often than I would like to admit, the house is a mess, the laundry is never done, I do a pretty awful job feeding the four of us (Well, three of us, Irelyn is packing on the pounds!), and I am beyond exhausted (possibly from low iron) even though Irelyn really sleeps quite well.
But, despite all of that (and more) I still feel so blessed. Irelyn is so mellow and sweet. She rarely cries, just grunts to let us know that she needs something. It's adorable. And Holland is the sweetest big sister. She's still figuring out how to be soft and not to yell in Irelyn's face but she adores her "baby sisser Ire-win". Holland has also been so funny and sweet lately. Whenever she is being her sassy almost-two-year-old self and she knows she is about to get in trouble she'll hold my face and say something adorable like "You're so pwetty (or sweet or wonderful or boo-tiful) mama." And then she doesn't get in trouble because well, how could I be angry at that? Or the other day when I was exhausted and frustrated at the poopy mess on my bedroom floor and two crying babies and Holland dumping cups full of water out of the bath and I was just crying and nursing Irelyn she wrapped her arms around my neck and told me "It's okay mama. It's okay." I actually took a picture of that moment because I wanted to remember that even on those really hard days there are still things to be grateful for.
So basically, being a mom of two is something I'm still adjusting to and I'm sure I will be for a while longer. But, I do love my girls and Race so much and am so grateful to have them as my family forever.
And now to keep things real--here's the picture from the day I was crying and Holland was comforting me. I love her so much.
I love this. You are a great mama, and being a parent to two little ones is hard no matter who you are! Love your honesty and how clearly your love for your little girls shows in this post.
ReplyDeleteaw so sweet! youre doing great!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited to see updates! I haven't seen or spoken to you in awhile, but I think about you often and look forward to hearing about your sweet family. You're a great and loving mom--I'm sure there are difficult days, but I can see you adore your girls. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post and I had some of those same feelings a couple months ago. The good news is that it gets a bit better but as you said the even better news is that we all can appreciate those moments in hard times and what we have.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that you can see Holland tearing up too. It's so sweet and that she loves you.
Love this post and photo! Xo
I love your family. You're so inspiring!!!
ReplyDeleteOh girl! I'm sorry it's been rough! I'm slightly terified for that phase to come with Jade in August but I know you're a great mama, Holland knows it and she still loves you even if things are hard. You'll get it down soon don't worry!
ReplyDeleteWonderful post. I'm glad you recorded that moment because it is so important to remember every down has an up! Hang in there sweet mama!
ReplyDeleteI love this. Holland really is such a sweetheart, at least from what I can tell! :) I was hanging by a thread for the first two months with Eli, and still have days when I feel like I'm about to lose my marbles, so I can hardly imagine what it is like to have more than one. If anyone can do it, you can! Hopefully I won't go completely insane when we have another one... haha! Hang in there!
ReplyDeleteIt's always an adjustment, but it's great you are still so ready to count the blessings and joys because when we look for them they are everywhere! I'm sure you're a terrific mama, Holland and Irelyn are so sweet<3
ReplyDeleteI love this honest post. So often we look at other people's lives (usually seeing th cleaned up version they post on various social media sites)and think it's perfect or so wonderful, or that they have got it so together. Usually comparing it to our own stressful day-to-day. I have been guilty of looking at your posts/instagrams and thought "wow, she is so put together and neat. She is the perfect mom. Why can't I be more like Emma?" and although I now and thinking "why can't I be as up-front and honest as Emma?" and "I bet she is still a better mother and more put together than I am", it is also so refreshing to know I'm not the only one who is terrible at getting meals together and I'm glad I'm not the only mom who sits and cries when it all falls apart. You are amazing and your daughters are so adorable.
ReplyDeleteOh honey! I'm catching up on my blog reading so I just read this. I know how you feel, but soon you will hit your stride and it will be easier. You may already be there now. It took me awhile and Emma was 5 years when Olivia was born! It's so much harder with a toddler and a baby! Good luck to you! Know you're a great mommy and those kiddos are so lucky to have you. Let the house be a mess for a bit, crack open a can of raviolis and let the little ones run around in diapers for a day while you put your feet up for a bit ;)
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