We had three wonderful weeks, LL loved his brother, and the normal screaming baby never seemed to appear...but now, the novelty has worn off and the diaper rash has kicked in and I'm finding it's not going to be as easy as I thought. Go ahead and laugh, I'll wait.
I should have known better, I do know better, I just couldn't help myself from getting optimistic. Lucas is still such a good, good baby who rarely cries. Not even when he's hungry in the middle of the night, he just sort of grunts and makes a few sounds, but never does he work himself up to a cry. If he's been on a blanket for too long by himself he may let out one solitary little whimper just to say 'Hey, I'm still here' but still it's never a cry. So last weekend when he started to really cry and wanted to be held all day long while he dealt with some gas issues and a horrible diaper rash followed, I realized my little guy must really be in discomfort. He didn't even cry like this when he got circumcised. That's still the least of it though. I just changed the things I was eating and his gas has rapidly cleared and a few days of 'Bordeaux's Butt Paste' and his little bum is all better and he's back to his normal easy-going self.
It's LL who is giving me the challenges right now. He's come to the realization that his brother is a permanent fixture who requires a lot of Mommy's attention which he is having difficulty with. He has taken to waiting until I'm nursing to suddenly have to pee or be desperate for a drink of water or heaven forbid, poop his pants (argh). While it's all very frustrating, and really works on your patience I know what is happening...he's adjusting and it's difficult for him. So I try, really hard, with lots of prayers throughout the day to keep my cool and give him more when normally I would want to reprimand. It's not his fault. He's constantly under my feet, asking for my attention, how can I not want to give him what I know he needs? Well, when your sleep deprived and trying to do all the other things like clean pee off the floor and make dinner, it gets harder to do.
I also realize, I too, am adjusting. I'm learning how to be a mother of two now, as opposed to learning how to be a mother like I was last time. We'll survive and this is just a little rough patch, but I had to take a breather yesterday and am really looking forward to Leo's company dinner tomorrow. Three whole hours of NO KIDS!
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5 comments:
Liz, I promise you as a friend to mothers who had one baby after another, it gets easier. This is temporary and everything you said in your last paragraph is so true. All 3 of you (who are home with each other) are adjusting. It's stressful for all of you. I think you are doing the best you can, and please don't be like me, trying to make everything perfect. I realized quickly that in my case, our house won't always be clean, I won't always be able to make dinner etc. But I will some day have a clean house with home made cooking every night.
You are lucky to have more than one child. Remember, it gets easier. Soon, they will not need you as much. Soon, you will be happy to see them loving each other and playing together. These are the toughest times.
What I mean by you are lucky to have more than one is, I want another one, but our finances and other factors, don't allow us to have another. You are blessed!
LOL! Usher in more kids & that's what happens! Hope you have a great time at the dinner! You get to get all dolled up, don't forget to take pics! Can't wait to see you next week!
I obviously have no experience in this field, but it does sound like you have the right perspective. I've always suspected successful mothering was mostly about having the right attitude, like your friend Iris said. Good luck with the adjustment!
Good luck! Like I told you, Jonathan went through a similar stage, and has now gotten out of it. BUT, he's not potty trained, so it couldn't be anything like needing to potty. Keep on keepin' on, and you'll find a new normal. You'll be a master in no time--in fact, I'm sure you're a master already :)
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