The first few weeks as a Mommy of 2....

 barbie said...

how hard were those first few weeks being home alone with a newborn and your toddler? how did you function all day with him when you hardly got any sleep the night before?

I am not sure if "hard" is the right word. Challenging, yes. I was lucky enough that Rick took off for a week after Brooklyn was born. This gave me a chance to try to establish a routine for her while Rick solely took care of Braxton. But even after that week, I was still juggling and taking it day by day. I am so so so so lucky that Braxton is a really independent child.  He is really good about occupying himself and playing with his toys. So at times when I had to BF, or take time with Brooklyn I would put him in his room and he would play. Then when I was finished doing whatever it was he could come back out and play with us. To this day, everyday is different, and some days are harder than others.  But just keep reminding yourself that this is temporary and try to enjoy every minute you can. It's not only about watching the new baby grow, but about the Big Brother grow in a different way now.

As far as functioning on little or no sleep. I have no idea how I did it. I think Mommy mode just takes over and you do what needs to be done for both kids. Lots of other things never got done, like dishes, laundry, or a shower. But when Rick came home he would take over and I could do things I needed to do. This is when the "good team" really comes in handy. There were plenty of nights that I felt like I was sleepwalking while getting up to change/feed Brooklyn. But during the day, I made it happen. Now I am lucky that they both take their 'long" naps around the same time in the afternoon. So I can usually get a power nap in if I am lucky.

Oh and another crazy thing that I realized while taking care of both kids is how big Braxton was/is. Before Brooklyn was born he was still my baby and I still considered him completely dependent on me. But once I had a newborn again, I realized just how much growing up Braxton had done, and what a "big boy" he had become. So I kind of rediscovered him again too. Which is happy and heartbreaking all at the same time.