Namastè.
My whelms are overed!
(Overwhelmed.)
Actually today is not as busy as usual, so I decided to take a minute to have coffee and write. No coffee because my throat is on fire, but the Blogger app is functional today so it's still a win-win scenario for me.
Before I get into my yarn, please remember: My first two children are nine and a half years apart. By the time little brother bear came along, Princess Namastè was well into her own little personhood.
We didn't plan to not have another kid before Brother Bear turned three, so we were shocked and mostly pleasantly surprised to learn about our third. Hubby has joked that we would someday "birth the revolution" so another baby was right up his alley.
Don't get me wrong...there is something pure magic about watching siblings bond. Especially when they are close in age--Brother Bear and Princess bonded pretty quickly but the age difference does rear its head from time to time, so we were cautiously optimistic that Brother Bear and Three might be close without the huge age gap.
1. You'll be more tired than ever.
A common first trimester issue? Being exhausted.
Add a toddler to the mix and suddenly you're falling asleep standing at the sink.
I wasn't expecting this level of exhaustion, y'all. It threw me for a loop. Even with my generally easy-going toddler, I was still practically pinning my eyelids open by 3 or 4 in the afternoon.
2. Those cute toddler antics won't be so adorable when the clash with your hormones.
Toddlers are adorable. It's generally one of my favorite stages of childness. I truly enjoy watching them figure out their personhood.
But being pregnant came with its own issues and I was NOT as inclined to chuckle and smile when my toddler did his thing.
Driving his cars over my head, insisting on eating the one food I could barely stomach the sight of? Yeah, my kid wasn't winning all the cool points those days.
3. You'll cry.
Mostly for silly stuff. Sometimes because your baby is so big now--sometimes because they're still too small for the responsibility of being a big sibling.
4. You'll want them to grow up.
You'll probably want potty training or whatever thing you're teaching them to go a little quicker, so you'll have a safe window for setbacks before the new baby arrives. (There will be regressions. Get ready.)
5. You'll want time to freeze so you can have them at exactly this size, for a while longer.
While you'll want the new big kid skills, it will break your heart wide open when your little snuggle bug doesn't need you.
Seriously. I weep at the memory of offering my son a hug and him casually blowing me off to cuddle his Mickey doll instead. Touché, son...touché.
6. It'll all drag by too slowly.
You can't wait to introduce your babies!
7. It all goes by too fast.
One minute you have a toddler whom you're already well-versed with caring for--and the next you are both staring at a wrinkly new stranger wondering how you'll ever manage with two who are so small!
8. You'll feel as if both babies are being slighted.
Your toddler is still too new for the responsibility of being a big sibling, or to share your care and attention so soon.
Your newborn is so tiny and so dependent on you--how will you manage to take the best care of them knowing you're still so needed by your toddler?
9. You'll fear the sibling rivalry before it ever has a chance to show itself.
I'm still petrified that my younger two will hate each other. My son might resent the baby for intruding on his babyness. The baby might in turn resent me for not spacing them better or hiring more help so they can at least get one on one. (For the record, I currently don't have nannies--although I am heavily considering it.)
10. It'll all even out...eventually.
As all things do. Hold your head!
Namastè.
-- Tayè K.
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