The case for #2

I had a lot of fears about having two kids. Don’t get me wrong, I always knew that I wanted Jacob to have a sibling, but it seemed like such a daunting task. What would it be like to not be able to sleep when the baby sleeps because big brother is awake and wants to do puzzles? Life seems so packed to the gills with one child, work, commuting and owning a home, how could we handle two?

I have to say that I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how great it’s been. Granted, we are lucky to (knock wood) have created two boys who are sweet and mellow, so I might be singing a different tune if we had a colicky newborn.

The thing is that this time we know what we’re doing; we’ve traveled the newborn road before. And compared to the added burden of my physical complications the last time, this go around is a breeze. Yes, Josh and I are sleep deprived and slightly batty. And still, I so happy, I not crying.

The other thing is that in the last two years, we’ve built up a local support network. Our neighbor has provided us with two hot dinners (and the fixings for a third in the freezer) since we returned from the hospital. My friend A dropped off snacks, frozen pizza, and while she was at it she conquered our dishes and changed a load of laundry, all while being 7 months pregnant. My in laws took Jacob to the zoo, and he’s in daycare full time for the next few weeks.

This time around, I can take care of Cody. I’m taking it easy, but I have exponential leaps in my recovery.  To think that it was just a week ago when five minutes of standing in the shower left me sitting on the side of the tub as my incision burned and my insides cried out for mercy. Only a few days ago I tried to change Cody’s diaper and after standing for 1 minute I had to cry out for Josh to come help me. Now I take the whole night shift, so hopefully Josh won't be too much of a zombie when he goes back to work. And while I'll miss my sweetie pie when he goes back to work, I'm totally confident that I can handle Cody all by myself. Hopefully I'll still feel that way when it actually happens!