Getting back into the swing of things...

   Channing is coming up on 2 months (where did time go?!) and I finally feel like life is back to normal. Now this time around was a much faster adjustment to "normal" than after I had Lucas. You'll hear so many different opinions about which is a harder adjustment...going from zero to one kid, one to two, two to three, etc. I've mostly heard going from one to two is the hardest but I think I will have to go with the zero to one crowd. It is definitely difficult adding another child into the mix, as it always will be, but I think you can find normalcy a lot faster because you mostly know what to expect and you're a lot less stressed about the little things. When adjusting to one, EVERYTHING is new to you and continues to be new as your child hits different stages of life. You're trying to figure out when to feed, how to nurse, how to change a squirming and screaming baby all while starting off after a sleepless pregnancy and two days of labor and a sleepless newborn! At least that's how the first go-around went for me. But this time, I was sleeping great during pregnancy (maybe because the whole prior year I wasn't getting any sleep with a zero-12 month old, so I had to catch up!), labor was quick and Channing started off as a sleeping champ! This time around I understand a baby's cry and cues a little better, don't stick to a feeding schedule- I go with the flow of the baby and the sleep definitely helps. So normal these days is being able to make breakfast, lunch and dinner without too much chaos. Normal is getting out of the house at least two times a week, just me and the boys. Normal is getting Lucas down for a nap by 1pm after a few chores knocked off the to-do list. But my normal will also continue to be piles of dirty laundry waiting to be put in the wash, hampers full of clean laundry waiting to be folded and put away, dirty bathrooms, a sink full of dishes and days where I just don't feel like doing anything but snuggling with my growing-too-fast newborn or playing with my oh-so-busy toddler. And I have to remind myself daily that this will be "normal" for quite some time...and that's OK. With just Lucas, it took a good nine or more months before I felt like I had figured out how to manage everything. It's still a daily battle with myself and the standards I put on myself to maintain a clean and chaos free home. But God reminds me often that these times with my babies are too short to worry about how my house looks. I look at Lucas and can't believe how fast he has grown. Everyone says it but you never really understand until you see your little 8lb 7oz baby boy grow into a 30-something pound busy BUSY toddler that only stops for a quick kiss and hug after much begging from mama. In these short 23 months, he has learned to feed himself, soothe himself to sleep, walk, talk, be independent and fight for his will. So I'm learning to soak in these moments with my sweet Channing as I see him grow leaps and bounds before my very eyes. And I'm trying to embrace even the most difficult moments with Lucas because I know these too will be a blip in my memory in no time. I think that's why this time around with a newborn has been such an easy adjustment. Because I know that the sleepless nights will end. I know the endless feedings will end. I know the anti-independent baby stage will end. And so will end the cluttered dishes and dirty bathrooms. Until then, I will embrace this stage of life as best I can.