Hellobee

I expected things to be hard—really hard—with two under two. I expected sleepless nights, lots of tears, and that feeling of helplessness like I had with my first baby. I expected to have my hands full, as I was told I would over and over again while pregnant with my second child. I set my expectations as low as possible so I could be prepared for just how difficult it would be to care for two kids under two years old.

And then I had my baby and it was nothing like I could’ve imagined.

photo courtesy of Bonnie Iris Photography

Technically I only donned the two-under-two hat for 23 days between the time BunBun was born and Bunny’s second birthday, but this is what the transition was like regardless of actual numbers. From talking to other moms, I think a disclaimer like you’d see on weight-loss ads would fit in well here, something like, “results not typical,” because of all the things other moms warned me about. But seriously? The past three months have been pretty darn great.

We had a bit of a hiccup during BunBun’s second week of life when she was hospitalized with RSV, and while that probably should’ve sent me into a hormonal meltdown, it surprisingly didn’t stress me out. I was in that newborn haze, and despite being stuck in the hospital, I really enjoyed the one-on-one time I had with her.

Since day one, BunBun has been a dream baby. She breastfeeds like a champ, she sleeps great (I totally knocked on some wood for saying that “out loud”), and she smiles, coos, and giggles more than she cries. Dream. Baby. Basically, she’s the complete opposite of her sister at this stage in the game. We didn’t know it then, because I figured all babies just went on a never-ending cry fest, but Bunny had colic. Oh, how I wish our pediatrician then would’ve said something instead of “crying all the time at night is normal,” because it isn’t and we could’ve had help. Top the constant crying with her never wanting to sleep, and trouble breastfeeding, and you had some very exhausted parents.

This time, possibly because we’ve “been there and done that” before, things are running much smoother. We started a schedule and routine early on and we’re sticking to it for now because it’s working for us. Most days I actually get both girls to nap at the same time (can I get a “Hallelujah”?!), and when I should probably use that time to get stuff done around the house, I take a nap on the couch instead, because goodness knows that having them sleep at the exact same time won’t last forever. Sleep when the baby(s) sleep? CHECK!

Earlier this month we even survived three weeks of it being just the three girls. My husband went away for work, and while the days crawled by (three weeks seriously felt like three months), and it was hard and I was exhausted by the end of it, the 21 days and 13 hours (not that I was counting or anything), went by better than I anticipated.

Bunny is fantastic with her sister. She’s helpful, gentle, and loves to give her hugs and kisses. There have been several moments of jealousy, so we give her a little extra TLC when that happens. She also had a little potty training regression for a few weeks after BunBun joined us. We kept a close eye on it, showed her more attention, and things went back to normal on that end, too.

I think a lot of the success from adjusting from one to two over the past three months is because I’ve had a great support system in place. Mister Rabbit has been my rock and truly my partner; I also have a couple of baby sitters on call, and mom’s morning out programs and other activities to keep us busy during the day (library, parks, playing outside).

Before you think I’m supermom, we stay inside and watch our fair share of PBS, Nick Jr., Disney Jr., and Disney flicks—sometimes it’s exhausting trying to do everything, so we don’t. My toddler still throws tantrums like it’s her job, but I’ve been learning to tend to her first, which is easier said than done when the baby is crying for some love, too. There are many days when I long for the clock to move faster so my husband will come home and I can take a few minutes alone to compose myself and regroup. Even though this transition has been better than expected, real life still happens over here.

Wearing the littlest one several times a day, especially if we’re out, going grocery shopping, has been a lifesaver. I’m also more strategic about planning our outings, and when we do go to the store I don’t linger around in the aisles—I get in, get what I need, and check out as soon as possible to avoid toddler meltdowns or a fussy baby.

All in all, I’m thankful for the way this transition to two kids occurred. Perhaps I set my bar just low enough so that anything we experienced would’ve been better than the original image I had in my head. And now, instead of being worried about all the “just wait until” moments to come, I’m excited that I get to share them with two kiddos instead of one.

Do you have two little ones underfoot? What was your transition like when the youngest joined your family?