Our first week together as a family of 4 without any helpers around is getting ready to come to a close. That means that my first solo week as a stay at home mom of 2 little ones is also coming to a close. I can't believe we are reaching this point. When this week started, I was so nervous to handle everything on my own. Honestly, I'm still not sure most of the time what is going on around here. I remember my first few days alone at a SAHM to Kenzie. I was beside myself. I had a lot of hormone issues going on and wasn't sure that I would make it though each day. While I have handled the hormones much better this time... I still worry how I will handle each day with two. This transition has been way rougher for me. However, that being said... I am truly one of the lucky ones. I have this amazing opportunity to be a SAHM for an indefinite amount of time to these two little ones. They make my life whole and I wouldn't change this for anything.
I don't yet have a "schedule" going on or anything like that. Truth be told, that makes me a bit antsy. I used to have a schedule with Kenzie in the way that we have certain things we usually do on each day of the week to occupy our time. Right now we are holding off on reinstating a lot of that because I am not allowed to lift anything heavier than Will. That cuts down on some things I am able to handle with Kenzie alone. I also don't want to take Will into certain situations because I don't want him to get sick at this point. One thing we are really missing right now is story time. I'm just not comfortable taking Will (or Kenzie who could easily carry something home) into that situation with all those kids at one time. We are holding off on church for a few more weeks for the same reason. I definitely miss church. We do go out to stores and sometimes to dinner. We keep Will covered though or I wear him to avoid anyone getting too close.
For now our "schedule" looks a little like this: Kenzie still gets up around 7:30 or 8:00. Usually Will has either just nursed an hour or so before or I find that he will likely wake up within 15 minutes of Kenzie getting up and he wants to nurse. So, we still have Kenzie's morning routine intact. I get her up, let her potty, put undies on her, and let her drink her morning milk in our bed while we watch tv. Again, sometimes I nurse Will during this time so I get to cuddle both my babies in the morning.
After Kenzie finishes her milk, we usually have breakfast. Meal times are not really fun with a toddler. I get a lot of arguing over what she wants to/plans to eat. I can make her one thing (which she requests) and then be told that she does NOT want that. Kenzie is also not a great breakfast eater in general so this meal is a bit of a fight usually. After breakfast we get everyone dressed. Then we think about any easy errands we can run. For instance, this week we went to the car wash and Winn Dixie. Easy trips. After any errands (or if we don't have any) we come home and I usually do a bit of cleaning if I have the energy at that point. I also try to spend some time playing with Kenzie. She usually requests dress up, reading, or playing with blocks.
Will nurses randomly through all of these activities. I can almost plan on him wanting to eat every 2 hours or so. I try to plan some errands around that. I don't mind nursing when I am out, but I like to do it in the car so that I can keep Kenzie wrangled during that time. When lunch rolls around I make Kenzie lunch and then sit with her at the table (Will is usually napping in his swing. If he isn't napping then I end up holding him during lunch usually but I try to make it mostly Kenzie time.) After lunch is Kenzie's nap. I sit with her and read her a book before putting her down. For the last few weeks we have been having a lot of napping issues. We have a "no nap day" every few days it seems. Those make for long afternoons. During Kenzie's nap I try to get some of my own stuff done, like paying bills, working on the blog, and all sorts of other things. That is of course contingent on Will napping during that time. I sometimes spend time holding him, which I don't mind. That is part of my "Will time."
After nap we try to usually get outside for a bit. Right now I only have a regular stroller for one child. I ordered our double so it should be here soon. That means though that walks have to be short because Kenzie has to walk on her own. We usually just go around the cul de sac behind the house. Kenzie loves to walk alongside Will and me. We sometimes play out front or on the back porch as well or we visit our neighbors and play outside with them (our neighbors have three young children themselves.) I am ready to get back to the parks but I want to wait until I am clear to lift something heavier than Will so that I can make sure to be 100% for Kenzie. Right now I couldn't put her in a swing or anything if I wanted to so I don't want to tease her. The end of our day is usually encompassed by me considering what to make for dinner. Right now I am making super easy foods but I think I will be back to making normal meals soon. Kenzie usually watches a bit of TV while I cook. It keeps her busy but I have to be careful because I don't want her to have too much screen time. Then... Daddy comes home. Whew!
Some days are really fast. Some are really slow. It has always been that way. Now I just follow around two kids while the day passes. I am so looking forward to being back to 100% (6 weeks out or so) and being able to go back to doing our normal routine (or as normal as it will be with 2 kids). Until then my goal is to just keep it together for each child. Make sure Kenzie has the attention she needs and Will gets all his needs met as well.
I know I have a lot of friends with two or more little ones. So, any tips for me? How do you work out your days and make sure you have ample amounts of time for each child?
I don't yet have a "schedule" going on or anything like that. Truth be told, that makes me a bit antsy. I used to have a schedule with Kenzie in the way that we have certain things we usually do on each day of the week to occupy our time. Right now we are holding off on reinstating a lot of that because I am not allowed to lift anything heavier than Will. That cuts down on some things I am able to handle with Kenzie alone. I also don't want to take Will into certain situations because I don't want him to get sick at this point. One thing we are really missing right now is story time. I'm just not comfortable taking Will (or Kenzie who could easily carry something home) into that situation with all those kids at one time. We are holding off on church for a few more weeks for the same reason. I definitely miss church. We do go out to stores and sometimes to dinner. We keep Will covered though or I wear him to avoid anyone getting too close.
For now our "schedule" looks a little like this: Kenzie still gets up around 7:30 or 8:00. Usually Will has either just nursed an hour or so before or I find that he will likely wake up within 15 minutes of Kenzie getting up and he wants to nurse. So, we still have Kenzie's morning routine intact. I get her up, let her potty, put undies on her, and let her drink her morning milk in our bed while we watch tv. Again, sometimes I nurse Will during this time so I get to cuddle both my babies in the morning.
After Kenzie finishes her milk, we usually have breakfast. Meal times are not really fun with a toddler. I get a lot of arguing over what she wants to/plans to eat. I can make her one thing (which she requests) and then be told that she does NOT want that. Kenzie is also not a great breakfast eater in general so this meal is a bit of a fight usually. After breakfast we get everyone dressed. Then we think about any easy errands we can run. For instance, this week we went to the car wash and Winn Dixie. Easy trips. After any errands (or if we don't have any) we come home and I usually do a bit of cleaning if I have the energy at that point. I also try to spend some time playing with Kenzie. She usually requests dress up, reading, or playing with blocks.
Will nurses randomly through all of these activities. I can almost plan on him wanting to eat every 2 hours or so. I try to plan some errands around that. I don't mind nursing when I am out, but I like to do it in the car so that I can keep Kenzie wrangled during that time. When lunch rolls around I make Kenzie lunch and then sit with her at the table (Will is usually napping in his swing. If he isn't napping then I end up holding him during lunch usually but I try to make it mostly Kenzie time.) After lunch is Kenzie's nap. I sit with her and read her a book before putting her down. For the last few weeks we have been having a lot of napping issues. We have a "no nap day" every few days it seems. Those make for long afternoons. During Kenzie's nap I try to get some of my own stuff done, like paying bills, working on the blog, and all sorts of other things. That is of course contingent on Will napping during that time. I sometimes spend time holding him, which I don't mind. That is part of my "Will time."
After nap we try to usually get outside for a bit. Right now I only have a regular stroller for one child. I ordered our double so it should be here soon. That means though that walks have to be short because Kenzie has to walk on her own. We usually just go around the cul de sac behind the house. Kenzie loves to walk alongside Will and me. We sometimes play out front or on the back porch as well or we visit our neighbors and play outside with them (our neighbors have three young children themselves.) I am ready to get back to the parks but I want to wait until I am clear to lift something heavier than Will so that I can make sure to be 100% for Kenzie. Right now I couldn't put her in a swing or anything if I wanted to so I don't want to tease her. The end of our day is usually encompassed by me considering what to make for dinner. Right now I am making super easy foods but I think I will be back to making normal meals soon. Kenzie usually watches a bit of TV while I cook. It keeps her busy but I have to be careful because I don't want her to have too much screen time. Then... Daddy comes home. Whew!
Some days are really fast. Some are really slow. It has always been that way. Now I just follow around two kids while the day passes. I am so looking forward to being back to 100% (6 weeks out or so) and being able to go back to doing our normal routine (or as normal as it will be with 2 kids). Until then my goal is to just keep it together for each child. Make sure Kenzie has the attention she needs and Will gets all his needs met as well.
I know I have a lot of friends with two or more little ones. So, any tips for me? How do you work out your days and make sure you have ample amounts of time for each child?
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