Here I am in the post-baby bliss phase. Sweet pea continues to sleep for monstrous chunks of time. As much as I adore holding her, she accommodates me by frequently offering to sleep peacefully on her own in a bouncy chair or her co-sleeper. She amazes me. Peanut could rarely be persuaded to be out of arms for more than a few moments. Additionally, Sweet Pea quiets the moment someone picks her up so there is rarely any fussing or crying for very long. It's a wonderful time around here which is good for adjusting to life with a newborn and toddler because the toddler still demands a great deal of time and attention any way you cut it.
In fact we had a day last week that was so rough I nearly ran screaming from the house. I just couldn't seem to communicate with Peanut (she's about to turn 2 1/2) who was fitful about everything. She was throwing things, kicking and hitting me - all very out of character for her - for no reason that I could see. By lunchtime I was exhausted and then she didn't take a very long nap which meant that I didn't get a whole lot of downtime. That night I had plans with some friends to go out and I was immensely grateful that the plans were in motion and Gboy planned to stay at home and put the girls to bed without me. I needed that night out (my first since Sweet Pea was born 5 weeks ago) in a way that was visceral.
Parenting a toddler continues to be a challenge each and every day, particularly as I now try to do it with one hand tied behind my back (so to speak). Having to stop whatever I'm doing with Peanut to nurse Sweet Pea has disrupted the rhythm of things. I'm hopeful that ultimately what will come out of this is more independence for Peanut. She's incredibly verbal and extremely conversational and very much into pretend play right now. As a result, she wants me to constantly be her playmate; I provide the voices for her dolls and stuffed animals and I'm the customer for her store, patient to her as doctor, etc. On top of all this, we're solidifying the potty training and we've moved her to a big girl bed after she figured out how to climb out of her crib just weeks after Sweet Pea's birth. BIG changes all around.
Good to hear from you.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful!
Thanks so much for the pictures! Beautiful girls! And toddlerhood - when does it END? Jun will start kindergarten this fall, so I will have a bit of child-less time a few days a week. Kind of sad and kind of OK.
ReplyDeleteOh noes! Don't tell me the baby bliss ends! I guess that is life with a toddler though, eh?
ReplyDeleteSuper sweet pictures.
Oh, so cute! Pics of toddlers and babies make my heart melt at the moment!
ReplyDeleteGlad she is a very settled baby. There is hope for my one yet! :)
I swear that parenting a toddler has been the hardest thing I have ever tried to do. Beautiful little angels! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYour posts give me hope for a 2-1/2 year old and a new baby come fall! So glad you had a night out.
ReplyDeleteDo they have play parks in Seattle? We have a bunch in Portland. They are usually run by churches as a fundraiser in the fall, winter & spring. You pay a monthly fee (~$30) and you can come play with other children the same age. Can't beat some new toys and a change of scenery every now and then. You have to stay there, too, but it sounds like Sweet Pea is a good little sister along for the ride anyway. Just a thought and might be less than daycare/preschool.
P.S. So jealous of the potty training. Missy is in a no-potty phase so we are just trying to ride it out.
Oh, Sweet Pea is just gorgeous! That newborn mouth! Of course they are beautiful, both of them - I love those early sibling pictures where you can see how much they just adore each other, automatically and without any effort on your part. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteSorry I've sort of lost track of you - I knew you had moved but I am terrible for updating my Reader to include new or moved blogs. I am so glad I found you again and will go and put you in my list right now so I can follow along.
Congratulations and hope all continues to go well!