This came with many challenges, to say the least, and surely added some extra chaos but after several months... I may finally have the hang of it.
1. Do Your Best to Stick to a Schedule, But Also Be Okay with Change
This was a hard one for me at first. With just two children, having a schedule really worked great for us. Journee had her specific nap times, Jaxon had school time and scheduled television time. It was all around quite a bit easier. Then we added sweet little Joelle to the mix and everything I worked so hard to accomplish with our schedule went right out the door. Nap times were a mess, the television seemed to be on quite a lot because Joelle needed to eat often and trying to breastfeed constantly and keep an eye on everyone and everything else became quite impossible. To top it all off, I had an injury during labor that caused me to be on what seemed like a second bedrest because I couldn't walk. Stressed out was an understatement. So, to keep your right mind in all of this... do your very best to make a schedule and try to stick to it. It may have to change a bit, but be okay with tweaking to find what works best with your children.
2. Clean as You Go
This is so crucial to not having a messy house all of the time. This is something I really struggled with for most of the last five months. I am slowly learning now that after meals, I have to immediately clean up all of the messes, or it just will not get done (and nobody likes to have to clean up 8-day old syrup off of your chair). As the messes happen, stop and attack the mess before it gets out of hand. Too many times, it got out of hand and all it did was bring on more stress.
3. Utilize Your Toddler's Willingness to Help
Journee loves her baby sister, so much so that she also loves to help mommy with EVERYTHING baby-related. This can be a blessing and a curse, of course. I try my best to allow her to help as much as possible. Even though she is only two, she can still help some. Don't be afraid to let them do the little things to help ease some of the load. Journee loves to get the diaper and wipes for me during changes. She sits with her and talks with her while I get food. She goes and grabs blankets, toys, and pacifiers. She just loves to help her mommy with her little sister and let's be very honest, having the extra set of hands (no matter the size) is really nice!
If you take anything away from this... this one is the one you need to take! Having the girls nap midday at the same time has been literally AMAZING for our family as a whole. Mind you, my husband is working during the day, so most of these will pertain to being home with the kids alone. Joelle is still young enough to need three small naps a day. She sleeps around ten for maybe thirty minutes and the same for around five. At noon I get the girls changed and they both lay down by 12:30. They normally are asleep in minutes and are out until 3:30. This time is when Jaxon and I homeschool and I can get cleaning and some work done between lessons. Like I said before, if you take anything away...this is the one that will change everything! The same can be said about bedtime! All three of my children are in bed at 8PM and it has literally helped even my mental health in so many ways.
5. Set Aside Time Just for Your Toddler and Other Children
This is very important. Before baby, your toddler was the baby and they now have to share their mommy and daddy with someone else who needs so much attention. Make sure to set aside time just for them and your other children if you have more. During Joelle's small naps, Journee knows that is her mommy time. Most times it is spent cuddled up on the couch, especially in the mornings. Other times we spend it learning our shapes, colors, ABCs, and numbers. Whatever it may be that we do during that time, it is so important to her and to me that she has her time, too. Jax and I get nap times alone and it has been awesome for us. It can be hard to find time for all of them, but to keep things smooth in the house (as smooth as it can be with multiple children), this is so important.
This life can be tough, having little ones so close together. Just think though, in a few years they will grow to be very close. Watching them grow and learn together is so rewarding.
I know how hard some days can be. Let's be honest here... every single time I leave the room, Journee pulls out something. This picture shows her bread adventure! She also squeezed into her sister's six-month pants! On top of that, just today she took my half-full 44 oz Diet Mountain Dew and dumped it into my brand new double stroller, then dumped a bag of cereal on top of it. If anyone gets how hard this can be, I sure do.
They are only little for a short time momma. Enjoy every second of this life, because before you know it, you'll blink and they'll be all grown up! 💓
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