The Double Meltdown and more...

Somewhat of a continuation of my previous post... here are some more things I've learned about since I've been a mommy of two...

"The Double Meltdown" - When both infant and toddler have full-blown screaming fits simultaneously. The first time it happens, a new mom of two might enter a state of pure panic. Usually results in desire to pull own hair out. Makes you realize exactly why they make you watch that "don't shake the baby" video in the hospital after birth. A sense of humor is essential for dealing with the madness. And perhaps a strong drink.

"Hurricane Toddler" - Toddler who until recently was a carefully-watched-every-moment only child and is now unleashed to inflict destruction throughout the house. Mom observes the chaos as it unfolds. She is usually sitting nearby stuck in a chair feeding or rocking a newborn, helpless to stop the destruction.

Matching outfits - Much more fun than you think. And a little addicting. I say go ahead and try it out with some matching PJ's. Make sure you take a ridiculous amount of pictures. And make sure you post them on facebook.

Moms of girls, you might enter a "Tutu Phase". This condition is worsened if you have two girls. The thought of dressing two girls in tutus is so sweet it gives me a toothache. You might buy some cheap tutus out of the dollar bin at Target. You might buy a few tutu dresses and/ or tutu leggings from the Gap and some tutu pajamas from Carters. You might look up on the internet how to make a "no-sew tutu" out of tulle and a piece of elastic (very easy, by the way... google it, or check out this link). You might even lose your mind and purchase one of these gorgeous pettiskirts from Katelyn & Co. And if you find them on babysteals.com for half off, then naturally you'd buy TWO of them.

"Ponytail Mom" - A mom who has no time to be worried about her own appearance. Usually happens by default. She considers the fact that she is actually showered to be a major accomplishment. She finds comfort in knowing that though she may leave the house looking like a mess, at least her kids look good.

oh, and one more thing... you might be Supermom and remember everything for the kids for a daily outing, but you'll probably forget to pee before you leave the house.

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"How the heck am I going to handle TWO of them???"

Hubby made the observation the other day that so many in my extended group of friends are currently in the Kid #2 stage - either planning to have the 2nd kid, pregnant with the 2nd kid, or just had the 2nd kid.

The thought of the 2nd kid makes a lot of parents nervous. I remember the panic setting in during my second pregnancy: How the heck am I going to handle TWO of them? It's a big change to go from one kid to two!! I think the anxiety level is also inversely proportional to the age difference between the two kids. My girls are 22 months apart, so I had "Two Under Two" for a short while and that in itself was a little nerve-wracking!

"How the heck am I going to handle TWO of them?". A wise woman once said (yes, you, Mom) "Where there's a will there's a way" and it is so true. You just figure it out. Must be mommy instinct, because I could do it even on days when I was so sleep-deprived I was delirious.

Now that I've experienced the life of a mom of two for a while I can verify that it definitely does feel like 1 + 1 is much more than 2 (!!)... But I've managed to do this mommy thing (pretty well, I think), AND keep my sanity too.

A friend recently asked for my two cents on preparing for baby #2, so I'm sharing some of my (somewhat haphazard) thoughts with all of you...

I just went back to work 3 weeks ago, but I was home by myself for 8 months with my two kids and could not have lived without my Ergo baby carrier or my double stroller. Both enabled me to get out of the house... which I needed to do for my sanity. Yes, it takes forever to get in and out of the car, but I tried to take one trip out of the house every day. I learned how to plan my errands strategically to avoid multiple trips in and out of the car.

Kid #2 wanted to be carried all.the.time, yet I needed my hands free to play with Kid #1. A good baby carrier was a necessity for me. I had a Baby Bjorn carrier, but it was awful on my back and almost crippled me after a 30 minute trip into Target. I used a Moby Wrap too, which was great for the newborn stage, but way too hot for sticky summer days. The Ergo baby carrier is my favorite and I still use it quite a bit! It does an amazing job of distributing the baby's weight so it doesn't kill your back. (Sidenote for anyone thinking about buying an Ergo- you'll need an infant insert to use it with small infants until they can wrap their legs around your waist comfortably.)

Something I thought about before Kid #2 arrived was whether we'd need to buy anymore baby stuff. Much of our baby gear could be handed down from Kid #1. I wondered what we'd need TWO of??? We ended up buying a second crib (Kid #1's crib is now her toddler bed so we couldn't use it for the younger one), a second changing pad and diaper pail (originally thought I could use the one we had, but Kid #1 is still in diapers at 2 1/2 and resisting potty training at the moment so we definitely use both changing pads), a second baby monitor, a second white noise machine, and a second shopping cart cover.

I also had a short list of things that I wanted to have for the new baby: a temporal scan thermometer (the forehead kind) and a bigger diaper bag (I love my Skip Hop Duo Double Deluxe! It fits everything!!)

One of my biggest worries after Kid #2 arrived, was how would I occupy Kid #1 while I was stuck in my glider chair nursing newborn Kid #2? Luckily, Kid #1 was very good at playing independently when her sister was born. I have one of my two gliders right in the playroom, so I had "special" toys that I could take down from the shelf for her to play with while I was nearby nursing the baby. I'd also read her books, occupy her with stickers, and allowed her one tv show a day to coincide with a nursing session.

So, that's my two cents. Hoping that hearing my experience might be helpful to others in the "Kid #2 stage"!!! I should also say God Bless to those mommas of 3 and more, because I don't know how you do it!
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Electric Booger sucker to the rescue!

It is unfortunate that babies are not born knowing how to blow their nose. Because a baby with a stuffy snotty nose can surely be miserable! When my baby has a cold I feel so bad because not only can't she breathe, but it makes it difficult for her to nurse too! My friend Laura G swears by the electric nasal aspirators, like the one pictured above by Graco. She could not have gotten through the past two weeks with two sick little boys at home without the help of her electric booger sucker ("Trust me parents, it's WAY better than the plastic blue bulb!"). I promised her that I'd add it to the blog so we can save other mommies with stuffed up babies.

Why is it so much better? Much quicker at booger sucking! And this is important when you already have a screaming baby on your hands.

I, of course, ran out and got one of the electric booger suckers immediately after having learned about them, but I haven't had to use it much... I am lucky that my kids have not been very snotty. On few occassions, Kid #2 has benefitted from a good booger sucking, although she is not very fond of the booger sucking process. With Kid #1 it works perfectly as a bargaining tool: I ask her if she needs to blow her nose, she says no and runs away, I threaten her with the booger sucker, and she immediately changes her mind and blows her nose into a tissue. I consider that a success.

Just a tip if you are going to try it, before using the aspirator you can loosen things up a bit in that tiny baby nose with some saline drops first.

And another trick that I haven't tried yet: Baby Vicks on the bottom of their feet (with socks on to keep it from getting messy). Supposedly this works wonders.

A quick shout-out

I have referenced my "favorite momma bargains site" a few times and figured it was time for an official shout-out. Several of my newest favorite finds have been acquired through www.babysteals.com. I've been introduced to some great products and gotten some great deals. And they have the fastest shipping known to man. Just a warning... it's a little addicting.


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Go "like" them on facebook (www.babysteals.com)... they're on their way to 100,000 fans!

Multitasking at its best

All you breastfeeding moms this one's for you...

Anyone who has tried the ol' double electric breast pump knows that you need about 8 hands to get the thing set up and running... and then you have to sit there for 10 minutes with no available hands while you pump.

There exists an invention that is both hysterical to look at AND a pumping mom's lifesaver: the "hands free pumping bra"!! If nothing else, check out this link just to see the picture of the woman on her cell phone with her pump horns dangling. Medela Easy Expression pumping bra

Multitaskers, you need this! Now you can use that valuable pumping time to surf the internet, grade papers, or even eat your lunch!

Home Depot: A nice little Saturday

By chance, Hubby, Kid #1, and I happened to be in Home Depot on the first Saturday of the month between 9am and 12 noon last Spring. Kid #1 (or just "the Kid" as she was known back then considering that she was not yet a big sister) was running around and trying to climb those Home Depot "stairs" that the employees use to get stuff down from the top storage racks. Upon seeing this, a nice employee told us that there was a Kids Workshop happening at that very moment and that our Kid might enjoy it if we brought her over there. So we went to check it out... And found out it is awesome!

Home Depot Kids Workshops

Each kid gets a project kit (new project each month) and an adorable child-size Home Depot apron. Though the projects are designed for kids ages 5-12, we saw plenty of younger kids there too (they just need help from mom or dad!). Kid #1 loves banging the hammers and Hubby enjoys some good daddy-daughter time working on the projects together. After your project is completed you get a pin to put on your apron. Kid #1 has started a pin collection already - so far we've made a rain gauge, a spice rack, a battery organizer, and today's project was a heart shaped wall shelf.

We had double the fun with today's heart shelf project because Kid #1 and I painted and decorated it when we got home. What a perfectly entertaining activity for a toddler (or an older child!) on a cold, cooped-up winter Saturday. And did I mention it's FREE???!!!

And here's another idea for ya... It's a great place to meet up with friends. Last month we had a play date at the Kids Workshop!

Next month: Home Depot Race Cars!! Vroom vroom.

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Mommy Brain with a side of Attention Deficit

Here are Kid #1 and Kid #2 using their snazzy shopping cart covers.... And here's why we use these much more than I ever thought we would...

I can't leave the kids home and go foodshopping alone. Having two kids has given me Mommy Brain (ie, stupidity, forgetfulness, idiocy) with a side of Attention Deficit. A trip to the supermarket involves way too much thinking for me these days. Decision-making hurts my brain. Focus is impossible.

Luckily, Hubby has not been inflicted with this same condition. So, every weekend we pack the two kids into the car and do our foodshopping together. We each push a cart so we have one for each kid. Enter... The shopping cart covers. It really is nice to not have to put a baby directly into a germy gross shopping cart. Kid #1 has a "Floppy Seat" cart cover (www.floppyseat.com) which she fills the pocket with Cheerios. Kid #2 has her (very pretty) Sarah shopping cart cover by The Bumble Collection (thebumblecollection.com) that I scored off my fave mommy bargains website for 50% off. Luckily, Kid #1 does not know to be jealous of her sister's prettier cart cover yet.

Once inside the supermarket with our two shopping carts, I follow Hubby around in a zombie-like state, unable to focus because there is always way too much going on at the supermarket. Occasionally, Hubby will ask my opinion and I will come out of my haze temporarily and answer intelligently.

You might ask why I don't just send Hubby to the supermarket by himself? Well, he has stated that he "doesn't know how to pick out the fruit". So my presence is indeed required. Plus, as long as the kids are behaving it's kind of nice and kind of fun to be out as a family.

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