I don’t know if you’ve ever seen those Luv’s diaper
commercials documenting the differences between parenting your first born and
second. It’s hilarious, but oh so
true! For your first you are all up on
them, disinfecting everywhere and everything, always cleaning them, always
making sure they don’t venture into any unknown zone and constantly referring
to the mommy books you read. Now I’m not
suggesting that you neglect your second child, but you do learn from your first
and realize hey, chill out and just enjoy this time because they’re only this
small for such a short period. I’m
certainly not saying you put your child in harm’s way or ignore them, but you
honestly take a more relaxed approach the second time around, at least that’s
how it’s been in our household.
For Isaac I was dead set on that boy not getting sick for as
long as possible and that meant me limiting his time around kids. Let’s face it, when your kid hangs around
other kids they’re bound to get sick. I
managed to do this until he was at around 2 years old. When Ian came I knew there was no avoiding
this because his older brother is obviously a kid. Also, whenever we want a date night we take
them to Parents Night Out at our church or the Y, they attend Sunday school, we
drop them off with the other kids at the YMCA when we work out and Isaac now
attends Parents Morning Out at the YMCA a couple times a week. Ian didn’t get sick until he was around 1,
but I remember if that happened with Isaac I probably would have freaked
out. I really feel like I was one of
those crazy moms looking back lol. We
have come to grips with sickness and just know this is unavoidable and a normal
part of growing up.
Another thing is that with Isaac we were so apprehensive to
have anyone but each other or our parents babysit him. We actually vowed that we wouldn’t have
anyone watch him until he could talk.
I’m sorry, but Dateline, 20/20, the news really put the fear in us. When Ian arrived, we were still really
cautious, but by the time he was 6 months he was attending Sunday school and participating
in the babysitting services at our church or the YMCA. We loosened up and realized that we really
like them being in a group setting, engaging in fun activities. It allows us to have date nights and the boys
to have fun socializing with other kids who are the same age. And let’s be honest, having 2 young kids is
incredibly difficult and tiresome, so we not only want, but beckon the breaks!
With Isaac we wanted to make sure we had every gadget,
newest and coolest baby product out there.
Let me tell you, looking back, that was so foolish on our part because
it’s incredibly expensive and a lot of these products were a total waste. Trust
me, I have had many a buyer’s remorse on account of this “addiction.” There are essentials that are needed and
valuable assets, as well as some fave toys, but if you take a trip to any baby
store you will end up talking yourself into purchasing some craziness. However, when Ian was born, the only items we
bought were the essentials and an activity jumper that was and still is a
lifesaver lol. Even hubby noticed this
lol.
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| Our tiny "diaper bag" by BUILT |
I am laughing as I write about this one, but O.M.G. the
diaper bag lol! Isaac’s diaper bags were
huge and full of stuff. I remember it being so heavy and definitely needing a
stroller to lug that thing around. Did I
use the products in there? Some of them,
but the majority, heck no. For Ian, we
carry diapers, wipes, a nursing cover-up and a change of clothes in the
smallest bag. Also, we completely
ditched the stroller and exclusively carry in our Boba or Tula. For us, this
has made for an easy going life this time around lol. With two active little boys, we have to be
able to move, run and act quickly, so the less material items to worry about, the
better!
This is going to sound horrible, but was Isaac our guinea
pig to parenting? Hmm, yeah, kinda lol. We made mistakes, we saw things that worked and
continue to keep all of this in mind with Ian.
Each child is different and our boys are like night and day, so we have
to tailor our parenting to each, but the basics remain the same, and having
been there done that, really takes the edge off. No way am I saying that we’re pros or experts
when it comes to parenting, but we’ve just found our groove and what works for
our little family and I think this is true for most parents as time progresses.
We get thrown curve balls all.the.time, but instead of panicking about it, we
assess and work towards the least stressful solution. Why complicate life? In my book, simplicity = happiness. I say find out what works for you and your
family and don’t be disheartened. It’s
rough at first (if anyone tells you otherwise they’re straight up lying lol),
but it gets better and just seeing those sweet innocent little faces will make
all the difference!
