Two years old is still 9 months away for Gavin. I not only have 2 under 2, I have 2 under 18 months... 2 under 16 months! Two Babies!!
They wake up at the same time in the morning and after naps. Two babies hungry at the same time. I would say those times are the most stressful part of my day.
The last thing I wanted to do was make Gavin into a "big boy" I have read that is the last thing you want to do to an older sibling when a little one comes into the home, and I completely agree. The only problem is, he sort of has to be one because I am too busy with Carrigan to give my usual attention and cuddle time. Not to mention I can't lift him up for 4 more weeks. *sigh*
So as you can guess, that makes a 15 month old boy jealous.
Carrigan takes about an hour to nurse. She is hungry every hour and a half sometimes. I have decided to pump at least once a day. It takes 10 minutes to get enough for a bottle and a half and 10 minutes for her to drink a bottle. This makes for a much happier mommy and babies!
So far there haven't been many issues with having 2 so little. The biggest problem is that there is no where to put Carrigan that Gavin can't get to her except in his crib. We tried bringing the bassinet into the living room, but Gavin shakes it and throws his toys in. When he can reach her, he pulls off hats, socks, gloves and blankets. He knows how to be gentle, but still isn't gentle enough for a newborn.
So what do I do all day long? I either put Carrigan on the couch (I can see her from there anywhere I go downstairs) and drag Gavin around trying to bribe him to stay with me, or I carry Carrigan which makes it impossible to get anything done.
And I do mean IMPOSSIBLE.
You should see how many baskets of laundry we have that are full of clean clothes. They are folded but that's as far as I get. I have to turn my back to put away clothes. I don't have time for that!
Some days I don't get a chance to eat until dinner time. Some days I am overwhelmed with love. It all evens out. :)
Gavin doesn't seem to mind his little sister when she isn't nursing. He originally called her Baby. Now he calls her Girl. If she starts to get upset, he runs over and starts yelling, GIRL GIRL GIRL GIRL, while pulling off anything he can. He has gotten a few good hits in though. One day she will give him a whopper of a goose egg and it will all be even. :) .... and you can probably imagine why I don't have any pictures of the two of them alone. Well I do, but Gavin is sleeping. :)
There are far more good moments in my day than stressful ones. I love when Carrigan is awake. I know her smiles aren't real yet, but she has the cutest little smiles in the world. I love when Gavin tries to help and offers her his paci. I love when Gavin stands by during diaper changes so he can throw away her diaper. Levi and I crack up at our little boy. He is on a mission when he throws away his diaper. Its the only time he is allowed in the kitchen alone, and certainly the only time he is allowed near the trash.
Life will get easier as time goes by and we develop a routine. Even though having 2 so close in age is not what we planned, I wouldn't change it for the world.
Levi is taking Gavin to the doctor today. Saturday night he had a fever of 101. Last night he was drenched with sweat. Whatever it is, I hope it goes away quickly.
3 comments:
It's so great to see how everyone is settling in! You do have two babies! It's like having twins! My sister's girls are 14 months apart so I know what you're going through. I helped big time when my youngest niece was born. The good news is that after a few months once Carrigan gets out of the newborn stage, it gets easier. Her first year is going to fly by and I'll tell you, it's so awesome when they can both play together. Looking at my nieces now being 4 and 5 years old or even when they were 1 and 2 years old, it was all worth it because they're just so close. They'll always be interested in the same things and want to play together and it's just so awesome!
On nursing, some advice that Laura gave me was this. If your baby is an active nurser meaning that her sucking reflex is good, you shouldn't have to nurse her any longer than 15 minutes on each side. If she's nursing any longer than that more than likely she's not getting any more, she's just pacifying herself. That was the best info. she could have given me otherwise I would have nursed Camden for far too many hours in the day! Hang in there, you'll get your routine down. Glad to hear that as stressful as it is I'm sure, you're enjoying the special moments. Do you have a baby sling you could put her in around you while walking around the house?
"A day in the life" brought back so many memories and many tears as I read your beautiful words of mommy-love. I didn't have any as close together as Gavin and Carrigan, but I can imagine how hard it must be to not be able to lift and carry Gavin around.
I remember the day I found Carl (aged 3) laying beside Levi in the bassinet!! I almost screamed it scared me so much.
These are some of the best days of your lives and it is great that you are able to blog it in such a beautiful way.
Hope Gavin just had a little bug and is back to normal very soon! Give him hugs from grandma.
Laura I can not even begin to imagine how tired you are!! You go girl! Your attitude is awesome! I look forward to seeing your updates!
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