Written by Ashley
The spit up, the wails, the midnight, 2am, and 4am feedings – They’re all gracing us with their presence for round two when we welcome baby #2 this fall. But with them come the warm cuddles, the indescribable sweet baby smell, and the soft, longing gazes.
As I watch my toddler daughter grow older by the day, I am amazed by all the things she is saying and doing. But I feel like as each day passes, my memories of her as a newborn fade more and more.
I’ll admit that I miss the days when we drove around the block 18 times (literally – I think my neighbors were starting to get suspicious) in hope that she would fall asleep, when she gazed into my eyes while she nursed, and even when she screamed for 2 hours straight and I just laid there on her nursery floor with crocodile tears running down my face in pure exhaustion. I wouldn’t have traded those moments for anything in this world.
But welcoming a new baby with a toddler already in the picture will certainly add some new challenges.
I fear that I won’t be able to provide my daughter with enough attention. I fear that she’ll become resentful of me and my husband catering to another child. I fear that I won’t have enough room in my heart to love my second child as much as I do my first. I fear that she’ll revert back to her old sleeping habits and I’ll never sleep again. Like, Ever. Again.
I know she’ll be a great big sister. She’s so kind and considerate of others. I honestly think she knows that something is about to change because she just started trying to hug every baby we lay eyes on and even points to my belly and says “ba-by” in two distinct syllables. I try not to bring too much attention to the changes, but I do want her to know that something very exciting will be happening soon.
As a parent, I’m no expert. I can barely get out the door some mornings, but I’m humbled every time I “fail” as a parent and I willingly welcome the advice of other moms who have walked before me.
I’ve been reading some blog posts that have helped me during this time of unknowns like Amanda’s post over at Dirt & Boogers (how cute is that blog name?) about how she reconnected with her son when her second child was born and Breanne’s post at Borealis about preparation to juggling two.
It’s nice to know I’m not alone.
To all the moms that have two or more children – how did you prepare your first when you welcomed your second?
About Ashley
Ashley is a self-proclaimed fashionista, social media maven, proud mama to her toddler daughter and expecting her second child this fall. She is the Social Media Manager at Step2 and you may have recently communicated with her if you’ve chatted with Step2 on Facebook or Twitter.
