If you're anything like me you've thought on more than one occasion that having kids closer together in age would mean that you could get out of the "difficult" stage faster. Once one is potty trained you know the other isn't too, too far behind and before you know it you won't even need a stroller! While that may all be true it does not make getting through having an 18 month old and a 1 month old at the same time any easier. The way to survive 2 under 2? Remembering this 1 very important thing.
It's official, I'm a mom of two under two! Now that this is my second time around the block I feel a bit more confident in the sense that at least EVERYTHING won't be new, I'm sure our second born will have things come up that our first never did but for right now I'm feeling more confident in my abilities. Case in point; breastfeeding. The first time around I really struggled, even ended up in the ER (thanks, Mastitis) and ultimately ended up pumping for about four months. This time, I've headed straight to the pump to (hopefully) avoid another trip to the ER and because I know what worked for me last time and what didn't. We supplement with formula as we go and I've been pumping up a storm. Here are a few items that I feel are must-haves for any pumping mama.
Ahh yes, the weather is getting cooler and Pumpkin Spice is in the air which means we are getting closer to Halloween. This also means we are getting closer to all of the articles that talk about what a terrible mother you are if you allow your daughter to dress up as a princess for Halloween.
By now you may have noticed that I consider my dog an important part of our family. I've thrown birthday parties for him and I described how I felt he prepared me to be a human mom, since I was already a dog mom. When we found out we were pregnant, we knew A LOT was going to change for our four-legged friend. But one thing I knew for certain? I was NOT going to kick him out of our bed.
​Picture this: You’ve decided to formula feed and you’re researching brands of formula online but you aren’t sure which is best for baby but a decision has to be made, and fast. Sound familiar? This is the exact scenario that brought to life Organic Baby Food Shop.
Once family and friends know labor has begun and there will soon be baby, they wait with bated breath for the first picture of the little cutie. Dads are snapping away from the moment the baby comes out and back in the "old days" the first photos taken of baby were of he or she on the scale and then wrapped up all nice and clean in a blanket. But now with "skin to skin" being the new recommendation, these are the first photos that are taken and subsequently shared. Quite frankly. I think it needs to stop.
When comparing my second pregnancy to my first I've noticed a few differences; I'm getting less sleep, I find myself forgetting to drink water, the first time around I ditched caffeine almost entirely but this time I am having my allotted milligrams most days and overall I just haven't had time to stress over (and over think) every little thing during this pregnancy (mainly because I was looking after a 1 year old). The biggest difference though came in the form of a question I was asked more times than I'd imagine.
Build-A-Bear Workshop announced on July 9th that July 12th would be "Pay Your Age" Day meaning any child could get a stuffed animal for the price of their age, no matter what the retail price of the bear. Some characters cost upwards of $40 so this was seen as a great deal. What I didn't expect (and what Build-A-Bear didn't expect) was the massive turn out that occurred at each of their locations first in the UK and then in the US. Perhaps I was naive, but I went to my local workshop expecting to wait 1-3 hours, and well, it was longer than that.
I know, I know. I can already feel you rolling your eyes at the title of this post but just hear me out. Having been a dog mom first, I can honestly say there are distinct similarities between having a dog and having a child.