Month 2 of Having 2!

2 month photo!

Hadassah officially turned 2 months old yesterday (Ben turned 21 months old the day before that)! Goodness, time is passing so quickly. It is so fun to see her grow, and yet I want it to slow down...just a little...especially because by the time her next "month birthday" comes I will be back to being a full time absentee working mother.
I have so deeply loved being with my amazing, adorable, wonderful children these 2 months. It is so fun to form deeper bonds with them, and I have actually kind of enjoyed the challenge of trying to get the basic housework done with both of them. This month we have started venturing out a little bit (mostly to doctor's appointments, but also some to friends' houses, the park, etc.) which is definitely much more intimidating and challenging with 2 than 1! Especially because Ben is still young enough that he can't be trusted to necessarily stay with me in parking lots (or not throw a screaming fit in the middle of the doctor's office because I am directing him away from something he wants to explore). Thank goodness for babywearing. Seriously, I don't know how I would do the 2 babies without that! I can tie Ben to my back (double win-he loves it so no fits, I am in complete control of where he can and cannot go, and I am also able to limit what he can get into without fighting him-wait, that's a triple win!) and carry Hadassah in front. At times, I will tie Hadassah in front as well in order to mop the floor or do some other task that requires two hands.

Mopping day!

I am really actually enjoying having 2 close together. So many people (when I was pregnant and now) will give me horrified looks when they learn how close together they are and say something along the lines of "wow, you are busy" or something else that really means "you are crazy and I am so so sooooo glad it's you and not me!" While they are certainly entitled to feel that way, I honestly love having the two so close in age. Really, the biggest "inconvenience" is how stinking fast we go through diapers!  We were doing diaper laundry about every 2 days for a while-now it's about every 3, and I suspect it will stay there for a while-much more doable! But because they are both in baby stage still (less so with Ben, but still somewhat), there has been so much sweet time spent snuggling (either tandem nursing, or reading him a story while Hadassah nurses or sleeps), we have been able to triandem nap (love that!!), and the plus of 2 in diapers is we can just do big family diaper changes when the need arises!

Plus, these moments happen!

So far the biggest challenge for me is lack of sleep. Hadassah is still a night owl, while Ben is a (super super) early morning bird. So in addition to the waking up all night, I've got one who likes to party til all hours (often past midnight) and one who likes to be up before 6! In some ways I guess it's good training for going back to work, in others...well, I wish I could rest up now! (not that sleep carries over or anything) On a lot of mornings, my amazing husband takes Ben out so I can catch another catnap before getting up, which helps tremendously!
New things Hadassah is doing this month:
Smiling back! We still have to work pretty hard to get it out of her, but she will smile back at us. And oh goodness-this girl is beautiful anyway, but a smile transforms her face into a pretty angelic one. I keep trying to capture it photographically and so far have had limited success. One day, I will show you!
She also coos back at us when we talk to her, which is pretty darn cute!
She still really loves snuggling, especially with Mommy, but is starting to do much better with letting other people hold her and wear her (this kid LOOOVVESSS being worn and definitely shows a preference for which wrap she loves best...unfortunately her favorite one isn't actually mine! Thankfully the friend whose wrap it actually is won't need it herself till August, so worst case, we've got a little bit to try to get her to fall in love with one that belongs to us).
She isn't taking a pacifier very well. She doesn't suck fingers either. I'm a little concerned about this for when I go back to work, since sucking is clearly very soothing for her. But maybe she will for someone who doesn't smell like milkies.

Hadassah's favorite wrap-it has the Celtic symbol for motherhood woven into it

Oh, I love motherhood so much...I am so thankful to be in the "little babies" stage of my life. Of course it is not all sunshine and roses, there are challenges along the way, but overall I am truly thankful to be here right now!