Well readers, Mr. Landon is 3 weeks old today. I forgot how easy a newborn is (besides the waking all night part...hot dang I miss my 8+ hours!). He is very, very mellow and sleeps most of the time. He wakes every 2 hours for a change and bottle, and he has about 3 times per 24 hours when he is awake and alert for about an hour and a half.
A newborn is the polar opposite of a toddler that's for sure. For as much as Landon sleeps, Aurora has 3 times the energy. And I gotta say, this little guy is sure getting the shaft!
I can't stress enough how different life is with the second child. I guess it's because I've 'been there, done that' and I am a more experienced mom now. For example, I specifically remember when Aurora was a newborn I left her (sleeping) with my husband so I could grab a much needed shower. I remember I heard her crying and got OUT of the shower so that I, her mother, could comfort her. I couldn't stand the sound of her crying and I always jumped when she would open her mouth even a peep. Now, I'll leave a fed and dry diapered baby Landon alone in his bassinet and hop in the shower and shut the door so if he cries I don't hear it the whole time. Doesn't that sound horrible? But I just know now that a baby can cry for 10 minutes and they won't implode. If he's had a bottle and a fresh diaper and cries because he spat out his binky, he can wait a few. It's VERY important to take time for yourself, is what I have learned. And a clean, showered mom is a better mom haha.
Another thing, Landon is not getting the same newborn experience Aurora had. When Aurora was a newborn, the house was still and quiet. I took her everywhere with me, and spend most days staring at her and holding her. I would dress her in different outfits and bows and just take photos of my little living doll. Landon, on the other hand, has learned to sleep through a screaming toddler fit, Alexa playing Raffi, a vacuum cleaning up crumbs. He has Goldfish and random toys tossed into his bassinet while he sleeps. He gets his fingers and toes squeezed a little too hard from big sister when she 'helps' me change his diaper. He gets a mom who uses her chin to balance the bottle while I feed Aurora dinner, meanwhile chicken and peas are flying past his head. Poor kid. Hey, guess it'll toughen him up a bit?
Love you Landon my boy, second child but tied for first when it comes to how much we love you and your sister!
XXO
Your Hectic Mommy
Monday, July 24, 2017
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Welcome to the Life of the Hectic Mommy
Hello, and welcome to the mind and life of the Hectic Mommy. A little about myself:
I am by no means a parenting expert. In fact, I've only been at this whole parenting thing for 17 months. I've got a 17 month old daughter, Aurora Winter, born February 13, 2016, and our newest addition, Landon Andrew, born July 3, 2017.
As someone who has always thrived on plans, lists, organization, and having complete control, I guess you could say becoming a mom sort of knocked me off my feet. I LOVE being a mother, don't get me wrong. It's very rewarding and I know these challenging toddler/newborn years are temporary, but holy CRAP. NOBODY tells you it will be this hard, this intense, this HECTIC.
I've had to drastically lower my expectations for myself. I work full time from home, I take care of the house/chores/etc. and I'm a full time stay at home mom to 2. Somewhere in there I like to find a minute to pee or shower, but it's not a daily thing. The only thing I do for myself every single day is drink Nespresso...like 3 of them at least. I would probably just drop dead on the street without coffee.
Anyway, I love posting pics of my kids on Instagram/Facebook, but they usually come with a super long caption about the trials of motherhood and mom life. A few people have commented that I should channel my feelings into a blog, so here I am. I'm not quite sure where to start, so let's start with...
MOM GUILT.
This is such a real thing. I am plagued by mom guilt daily. Here are some common reasons I feel guilty:
*I yelled at/lost patience with my toddler
*I left my newborn in his basinet/pack n play far to long so I could spend time with my toddler
*I left my toddler in her crib 20 minutes after she woke up so I could feed my newborn
*My newborn had 4 massive poops and a sticky milk spit up and needed a bath 3 days ago and I haven't given him one (just the ol' European bath with baby wipes and some Aveeno lotion)
*My toddler has watched cartoons on her iPad for like 3 hours a day since we had baby #2
*I didn't get to the park today (or yesterday..or the day before)
*My kids have been to Target more than any other place, including the damn park.
*I made my toddler frozen chicken pot pie for dinner 3 (ok 4..) nights in a row.
*My toddler doesn't eat enough veggies
*My toddler isn't getting enough interaction with other kids
*I haven't even though about potty training yet
*My newborn has been to Target, the grocery store, etc. and hasn't had his shots yet
*We won't be able to afford private school when my toddler starts preschool
*We haven't been adding to my toddlers savings account as planned, and haven't opened my newborn one yet
*I'm not setting a good example when it comes to healthy stuff like drinking water and exercise
*I haven't started any photo albums for my son but my daughter already has like 4
I could go on and on and on for about 20 more lines, but you get the gist of it.
Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to be these perfect, do it all, know it all, provide it all parents? My kids are SO loved. They are always fed. They are always clothed. They nap, they are comfortable, they have more toys than Santa's toy factory...why can't that be enough?
Until next time...
The Hectic Mommy
I am by no means a parenting expert. In fact, I've only been at this whole parenting thing for 17 months. I've got a 17 month old daughter, Aurora Winter, born February 13, 2016, and our newest addition, Landon Andrew, born July 3, 2017.
As someone who has always thrived on plans, lists, organization, and having complete control, I guess you could say becoming a mom sort of knocked me off my feet. I LOVE being a mother, don't get me wrong. It's very rewarding and I know these challenging toddler/newborn years are temporary, but holy CRAP. NOBODY tells you it will be this hard, this intense, this HECTIC.
I've had to drastically lower my expectations for myself. I work full time from home, I take care of the house/chores/etc. and I'm a full time stay at home mom to 2. Somewhere in there I like to find a minute to pee or shower, but it's not a daily thing. The only thing I do for myself every single day is drink Nespresso...like 3 of them at least. I would probably just drop dead on the street without coffee.
Anyway, I love posting pics of my kids on Instagram/Facebook, but they usually come with a super long caption about the trials of motherhood and mom life. A few people have commented that I should channel my feelings into a blog, so here I am. I'm not quite sure where to start, so let's start with...
MOM GUILT.
This is such a real thing. I am plagued by mom guilt daily. Here are some common reasons I feel guilty:
*I yelled at/lost patience with my toddler
*I left my newborn in his basinet/pack n play far to long so I could spend time with my toddler
*I left my toddler in her crib 20 minutes after she woke up so I could feed my newborn
*My newborn had 4 massive poops and a sticky milk spit up and needed a bath 3 days ago and I haven't given him one (just the ol' European bath with baby wipes and some Aveeno lotion)
*My toddler has watched cartoons on her iPad for like 3 hours a day since we had baby #2
*I didn't get to the park today (or yesterday..or the day before)
*My kids have been to Target more than any other place, including the damn park.
*I made my toddler frozen chicken pot pie for dinner 3 (ok 4..) nights in a row.
*My toddler doesn't eat enough veggies
*My toddler isn't getting enough interaction with other kids
*I haven't even though about potty training yet
*My newborn has been to Target, the grocery store, etc. and hasn't had his shots yet
*We won't be able to afford private school when my toddler starts preschool
*We haven't been adding to my toddlers savings account as planned, and haven't opened my newborn one yet
*I'm not setting a good example when it comes to healthy stuff like drinking water and exercise
*I haven't started any photo albums for my son but my daughter already has like 4
I could go on and on and on for about 20 more lines, but you get the gist of it.
Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves to be these perfect, do it all, know it all, provide it all parents? My kids are SO loved. They are always fed. They are always clothed. They nap, they are comfortable, they have more toys than Santa's toy factory...why can't that be enough?
Until next time...
The Hectic Mommy
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