Newborn, second time around

I recently read a saying that went something like this "a first time mom will need all the help she can get, a second time mom will manage just fine and a third time mom, she can come help you."

So far I am greatly agreeing with this.
The second time around I just feel more confident in my parenting. I know what to expect and I have already learned that going with the flow and not by the book will make life so much easier.
Last time I could not get Liv to sleep with out me. I eventually started co-sleeping, even though I read many places how it sets up bad habits and is a SIDS risk. After do some research on my own and even seeing more research how it can prevent SIDS I was happy with my decision. But mostly I was just happy to get some sleep.
This time I knew right away I wanted to co-sleep for the first few months, so even though I have 2 kids, a toddler and a newborn, so I'm not able to sleep much if at all during the day, I am more rested this time then last with my first.

I am not panicked or worried about breastfeeding, is she getting enough, should she be sucking so much, am I making enough? Going to La Leche meetings last time with the questions helped me this time to just relax and nurse on demand. And just living through this experience once before makes me realize there is a light at the end of the tunnel of all this constant breastfeeding.
Even though I have less time for me, and for blogging, I feel okay with how my home is running and life if going with two kids. My house isn't perfect, but its not a mess either.
Now lets just see if I can brave shopping with 2 kids..that one still freaks me out.

Related articles

• 7 things moms really need to know about breastfeeding (parentcentral.ca)
• Co-sleeping has no effect on toddlers: study (theglobeandmail.com)

Newborn, second time around

I recently read a saying that went something like this "a first time mom will need all the help she can get, a second time mom will manage just fine and a third time mom, she can come help you."

So far I am greatly agreeing with this.
The second time around I just feel more confident in my parenting. I know what to expect and I have already learned that going with the flow and not by the book will make life so much easier.
Last time I could not get Liv to sleep with out me. I eventually started co-sleeping, even though I read many places how it sets up bad habits and is a SIDS risk. After do some research on my own and even seeing more research how it can prevent SIDS I was happy with my decision. But mostly I was just happy to get some sleep.
This time I knew right away I wanted to co-sleep for the first few months, so even though I have 2 kids, a toddler and a newborn, so I'm not able to sleep much if at all during the day, I am more rested this time then last with my first.

I am not panicked or worried about breastfeeding, is she getting enough, should she be sucking so much, am I making enough? Going to La Leche meetings last time with the questions helped me this time to just relax and nurse on demand. And just living through this experience once before makes me realize there is a light at the end of the tunnel of all this constant breastfeeding.
Even though I have less time for me, and for blogging, I feel okay with how my home is running and life if going with two kids. My house isn't perfect, but its not a mess either.
Now lets just see if I can brave shopping with 2 kids..that one still freaks me out.

A Day in the Life..

with a toddler and a newborn

Lets start with late last night, Ev slept all day and around 10pm got some cluster feeding in that lasted almost till midnight. I didn't mind hoping that it would be a nice long stretch of sleep at night, but that wasn't the case. She was up every 2-2 1/2 hours to eat. Liv woke up around 7:30, I'm still exhausted from no sleep. Breakfast, easy cereal and fruit. Too tired to do anything else. TV time, I give myself 15 min or so to watch the morning news, then Liv gets to watch one 15 min Curious George episode. Kitchen clean up, too a while with a baby needing to be held or fed. "Circle" time- fingerplays and songs about autumn. The apple picking one I made up sent Liv off looking for an apple to eat, so we had snack time early. Upstairs to finally get dressed. My mom calls and I answer and right after she calls Liv poops and Ev wants to nurse. The phone call is very short, she tells me she has to cancel her play visit with Liv and us tomorrow to go to my Great Uncle's funeral. Another day home alone. After I nurse Ev and change Liv I call back my sister who mentioned something about visiting last week, but cancelled. She just asked about our Great Uncle and that was just about it. Not much time to talk when a toddler keeps trying to grab that phone. While upstairs and finally doing some well needed cleaning before we get dressed Ev takes a nice huge explosive breastfeeding poop. I just love those. It got all over her so clean up was fun. Oh and I forgot to mention that right before this Liv decided she wanted to take a shower so she took off all her clothes and kept asking to shower. While Ev is on the changing table she pees, a huge pee that wets the whole changing table. Right now I am just glad that I decided to use the changing table not my bed. After I go in the closet to get new clothes for Ev, Liv decided to play hide and seek in the closet. Or really its more of a "where is Liv?" Finally get a new diaper and onsie on Ev when Liv walks out of the closet going, uh oh, poopy. Oh great..Thank God, no poopy, but there is a nice puddle on the floor. Hurrah for hardwood floors, no carpeting. Finally I get Ev and Liv dressed and the pee floor cleaned, its time for Liv's nap. I go downstairs make myself something to eat, eat then Ev wakes up to nurse for a while. Only 1 hour goes by, so I decide to go upstairs to nap myself. Liv usually naps 2 hours or so. But of course not today. Right after I go upstairs she comes out of her room. I try to get her back to sleep, nope. No nap for me, and I just know this will mean a cranky toddler because her nap was not long enough. I rest in my room while Liv reads on the floor by my bed. At least she gave me some quiet time. Finally I get dressed and take the girls out on this nice day. We sit outside and watch the buses go by and drop of the neighbors kids. I feel bad since I can not take her for a walk. I am still too sore to push her and carry a newborn in the moby. We move back inside and color on the windows with window markers. I am ready to pass out. I need a break so we watch a little tv, about 15 min then we go cook an easy dinner. Eat, more coloring and DH comes home to play with Liv a little and then its off to bed for her, blog for me and shortly bed for me. I just realized I still have not brushed my teeth yet today. At least I should sleep good tonight, oh that will happen with a newborn nursing every 2-3 hours. Maybe I will luck out and get a 4 hours stretch, that would be heaven.

My new love

Evelyn was born Sept 1st Very proud to say I did it with no pain meds this time. A much shorter labor did help with that though.

The recovery has been much easier this time. And since I have a better idea of what to expect and how I want things to go we are adjusting as a family fairly well. So posts maybe more a little more scarce till I can get my computer time back with out having a baby on the boob, since that makes it a little harder to upload pix or type anything with too much thought. I am wondering already how many typos and mistakes I have from lack of sleep and doing this with one hand. So for now we will be enjoying the beginning of fall with our new love Eve.