Life with TWO!

Just over 16 months ago we were 1st time parents and were trying to adapt to our new lifestyle of little to no sleep and a little baby that ruled the house hold. No longer could any decisions be made without thinking first about how it would work with Brinley. Any task that needed to be done quickly turned into a full blown event. A simple trip to the grocery required a diaper bag filled with every imaginable item- like extra diapers, spare clothes, bibs, pacifier, back up pacifier, and of coarse enough milk to last the whole time. If we thought on the off chance that we would be doing anything else then even more things had to be packed like the breast pump and all 20 parts along with a cooler for the milk. So, we tried to limit trips out unless we felt it was truly worth packing all the stuff. It truly amazes me how much could be needed for such a little person.

Brinley loves her little brother!

The jury is still out if Landon feels the same!

After we found out about Landon we were both extremely nervous about what our future held. I was asking people with children that were born rather close together for any advice they might have for us. It was funny that about half the people didn't have many complaints (one friend even said she thought it was easier with two) yet others said they struggled for many years trying to care for two young children. This gave us hope and also struck some major fears.

The Thinker

A lot of this fear stemmed from the fact that Brinley was not a very good eater for the first 3 months. Brinley's feedings were a battle of endurance and most days she won because it was just so frustrating. This was especially hard because we both work with children and we just couldn't figure it out. It always seemed like she would eat good for us during the week and then as soon as normal business hours were over (doctors office closed) then she would refuse to eat. This prompted a few visits to the Twilight Clinic because we didn't know if something else could be wrong. In the end she had reflux and a little medicine fixed her right up.

Were we about to endure another 3 months of torture? Well, we were about to find out. This second pregnancy seemed like it flew by when the first took forever, when in fact Landon stayed in the womb 5 days longer than his sister. From the moment Landon has arrived, in dramatic fashion, he has been nothing but a little blessing. He has been a good eater, sleeps decent (best when held) and doesn't cry nearly as much as what I remember Brinley did. Two months into our journey with two children and I would say that it has definitely been easier the second time around. (ASK me again in a few months!)

Landon loves to be held while sleeping, but Brinley doesn't want to miss out either.

Mommy and the kiddos!

Me and my little mini me!

However, for any of you rushing out there to have almost "Irish twins" you need to realize that we are in a completely different occupational situation than most. With Jennifer and I both being nurses at the hospital we don't work normal 8-5 jobs. In fact, after Brinley was born we both took new positions with the hospital to ensure that one of us could be at home with her at all times. We didn't have any family here in Lexington at the time that could watch her and there are not day cares open during night shift. So, with our new jobs we both only work 2 days a week and we are never scheduled at the same time, therefore leaving 3 days off a week to spend as a family.

After coming home from the hospital with Landon we kind of split child duties between the two kids. I was able to take 6 weeks off to stay at home and spend time bonding with my new son. Since Landon was spending a lot of time breastfeeding, Jennifer would primarily take care of him and I would run around and take care of Brinley. This worked great for me because Brinley plays most of the day and she can now drink and eat by herself as well as sleeps about 12 hours a night. Jennifer however drew the short straw and was left getting up in the middle of the night to feed Landon. However, things are about to really change because Jennifer's nine weeks of maternity leave are over tonight and I will be in charge of both little ones for 12 hours while mommy is at work. I will be interested to see how things go, because for the past 8 weeks I have been sleeping through every time that Landon wakes up to feed at night. (Jennifer swears that I slept through Brinley's screams when she was at work because she always slept through the night for me and never for her.) Luckily my parents were coming to visit this weekend, so I have one more weekend until I get my real solo test with both kids.

Our beautiful little kiddos!

So, with all the stuff that we packed with just Brinley then you would naturally think that we have twice as much to gather up every time we head out. That would be an incorrect statement because in fact I think we pack even less now. The only real issue when heading out anywhere is if you have to go out by yourself. This is difficult because now you are outnumbered and it seems like they both are fighting for your attention. If Landon gets upset and you go to pick him up, then Brinley at that precise moment wants nothing else in the world than to be held by you. I will tell you this - there is never a dull moment in this house hold and I am not sure when things might calm down.

Brinley always wants to be held when mommy is holding Landon. The moby wrap has been a lifesaver. Thanks Kasey for letting us borrow it!

I hope when we get our routine down I will have a little more free time to chronicle our adventures as a family of four. Jennifer and I couldn't be more happy with the two wonderful blessings that we have been given the opportunity to raise. Brinley and Landon are two of the most precious gifts that I have been given and I can't wait to see them grow. Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Our little family!