2 Months down....Infinity to go!

 

It's becoming clearer by the minute that the people who wear the pants in our family are also the ones who wear diapers underneath them...and we are totally fine with that!  Once my life was gauged by the quiet moments at home with Shawn or nights out with Coley.  Now I can't imagine a life that isn't quantified by the sweet smell of baby skin (there's nothing like it!) little grunting noises during the wee hours, oodles of cuddle time, and tiny hands and feet.  I don't know how I survived for so long without those wonders, and I never want to go back!  It's impossible to believe that little Miss Piper Everly is 2 months old already, and its even more unfathomable that, not too long ago, she wasn't yet in our lives. There's so much love in our hearts right now, we can't see straight.  It's downright dizzying! Equally amazing is the discovery that Shawn and I love each other even more, thanks to this pint-sized human and her ever-growing big sis.  Despite the sleep depravity and total chaos, we are finding new ways to appreciate one another on a daily basis.  It's inspiring on so many levels.  I am cherishing every moment of being a mommy- which is, by far, my favorite role to date!
Here are some of the observations I've made during my introduction to being a Mama of TWO baby girls.....
1)  Staring at your own child is addicting.  Even the high drama of The Bachelor takes a back seat to watching Piper do nothing but sleep.  Both Lucy and Piper are so gorgeous, I'm a nervous-wreck for their teenage years.  
2)  Sometimes it takes twice as long to change one of Piper's diapers as it does for it to be soiled again...There's an average Pampers lifespan of five minutes in our house.  It's crazy!
Crazier still?  For some reason, I find this utterly endearing (endearing from Piper.  Lucy needs to be potty-trained ASAP haha!).  
3)  Whoever invented the wetness indicator on the aforementioned diapers is a genius.  It eliminates the mystery, and saves us from a somewhat gruesome show and tell.  
4) Breastfeeding a baby while a toddler uses me as a jungle gym takes some getting used to.  But despite this fact, some of my favorite moments are in the midst of the bonding time that occurs while Piper dines at the "breastaurant" (Sorry, had to! hehe).  
5) People will rain on your parade and insist on informing you that every time your newborn smiles, it's because she has gas.  Whether or not this is technically true, indulge me by letting me think she's happy to be looking at me.  It lights up my day! Luckily she is now old enough that a smile from her is a TRUE indicator that she is feeling happy.  Doctor says so!  
6) Laundry "day" is a thing of the past.  Spit-up, diaper blow-outs, and everything else that comes out of toddlers and infants causes our washing machine to be on a perpetual cleaning cycle...  
7)  Regardless of how much space you have for photos and videos on your computer hard drive, I can assure you it isn't enough.  Though I am aware that I can't document every single moment of my children's lives, it doesn't seem to keep me from trying.  
8)  Taking showers is a luxury. So is eating meals.  And getting out of my pajamas, for that matter.  Sleeping for more than a few consecutive hours feels like I just spent a day relaxing at the spa! 
9)  There just aren't enough variations of the words "I love you" and "you're beautiful" in the dictionary.  I'm beginning to sound like a broken record,  and I'm thinking of inventing my own dialect so I can supplement my vocabulary.  As it stands, Lu and Pipe are likely to know those phrases in every language. 
12)  Sometimes a kiss from Mommy is the magic cure for the baby blues.  
13)  Sometimes it isn't.  When Piper cries, it pains me enough to join her. Especially since hers are real tears from her "officially blue eyes" these days, and also because she doesn't cry very often so when she does, I know she truly is sad....she is the happiest baby in the world.  I AM BLESSED!

In retrospect, there are a few things had forgotten about in my pre-Piper days that I feel are worth a mention as well, so we've now arrived at the advice segment of this blog.  I had already forgotten the demands of a Newborn in the short 19 months between Piper and Lucy! Yikes! But I certainly haven't been alone in the continuing infant education saga.  Shawn has had his share of trials and tribulations as well.  For example, he now knows that you shouldn't remove a diaper too far in advance of giving your child a bath or without a back-up one ready underneath the buns while changing the soiled one.  No diaper + holding a baby = disaster!  

For as many things as Piper learns daily, she teaches us twice as much.  Which is the way I think it should be.  And there are, of course, a plethora of other lessons we have left to learn from BOTH our girls.  

For instance, how in the world does one successfully grocery shop with a newborn AND a toddler? Wandering the aisles of the grocery store has taken a turn for the worse.  Piper, Lucy and I recently had quite the first grocery trip, where I quickly discovered that the only thing that fits safely in the main portion of the shopping cart is Lucy, while Piper's car seat is perched up front....So where do I put the groceries?

And life with kids has certainly taken its toll on my wardrobe.  There is surley drool and spit-up gracing the shoulders of all of my T-shirts.  Luckily, since I stay at home, not many people have to witness the hot mess that I've become ;-)  As you can see, the mommy learning curve is still in full effect and always will be.  Since there are no adequate courses for Baby 101, we are left to forge our own path, with the help and advice from all the women in my life who have done this before me!  It is a  beautiful, magical, hectic, crazy-making, smile-inducing, heartwarming, hands-on adventure....and I look forward to a lifetime of it!  Happy 2 Months Piper and 21 Months Lucy! Until next time....
Mommy of 2, 
Britt


Happy Valentine's Day from my Sweethearts!

More random pictures of these pretty girls!

It snowed a little on Valentine's Day and Lucy wanted to sled.  So Shawn took her out and when she came back in she REFUSED to take her snow boots off (bottom right).  She is a funny character, that girl!