My first few months of parenthood are an overwhelming blur. I remember some beautiful, tender moments with Lincoln and plenty of painful, frustrating, and exhausting ones as well … but mostly it is just a hazy few months in my memory. Part of me wishes I could go back and relive it with a little less pressure, a little less stress, and a little less overwhelm (and another part of me says NO THANK YOU because I’m glad those first months are far behind me).
I would love to be able to tell myself that it’s all temporary – each struggle and each sweet moment. It would have been nice to know I’d be sleeping through the night sooner than I expected and also that it was okay to hold my baby through a nap now and then. It would have been nice to worry a bit less about forming good habits and whether or not Lincoln was hearing enough words per hour. I’d let myself off the hook more often but I’d like to think I’d have just as many dance parties with baby Linc in the living room.
This time around, I’m much more low key when it comes to just about everything. My biggest worry has been meeting the needs to two children simultaneously. Lincoln mostly needs to be fed and played with and Adelaide mostly needs to be fed and held. It means that often while Adelaide is eating Lincoln learns to wait (patiently or impatiently) for whatever toy he’s asking for. It also means that when Lincoln snuggles in for one song before bed, Adelaide is out of luck for a few minutes. Sometimes I can time it so she’s napping when I’m putting Lincoln down for naps or bed, but when I can’t, we substitute the mamaRoo for the mama.
Our friends let us use their mamaRoo baby seat with Lincoln so we’ve been in debt to 4moms for a long time now. It has a variety of motion options, a few different speeds, and an adjustable incline. Adelaide loves it as much as Lincoln did and it is the perfect solution when I can’t be holding her. I love having it set up in the living room while I play on the floor with Lincoln. Lincoln loves that he has easy access to her toes, which he loves to tickle (did you catch it in the video? I die).
5 Year Anniversary + Tears