Easy peasy

I'm sure I've written about this before, but the transition from 1 to 2 kiddos was not an easy one for me. I think there were several things that contributed to the difficulty...the fact that Elliott was only 16 months old and in a very difficult, fight-me-on-everything stage...the fact that she was only 16 months so I essentially had two babies (with one thinking she was a big girl)...the fact that it was winter in South Bend, that although mild last year, made it really difficult to get out of the house...but the biggie was I thought it was going to be easy.  Expectations can be brutal.  Don't ask me why I had this expectation, but I guess I just thought because they were so close in age it would be easier.  Hmmm...as I write this I realize how silly that sounds.  Let's blame it on a pregnancy brain.

Anyway, I realized a couple days ago that all the sudden, we've entered an easier season.  I really hate to even say something like this because I know that tomorrow it can change, but I am so thankful that life has felt a little more normal recently.  I think many things have probably contributed to the fact that it easier, most obviously the fact that I just get more used to life with two kids and what that requires.  But another huge plus has been the fact that Elliott has become more and more independent.  She insists on walking out to the car by herself and climbing into her carseat (if only she could buckle herself in, right?), she climbs in and out of her high chair, she actually climbs into the crib on her own, climbs up and down the stairs independently, can eat food not cut in tiny pieces, can communicate *somewhat* what she wants.  All these things definitely have freed up my hands to do other things, especially caring for another baby.

It also helps that Mason *might* be the easiest baby ever and is totally content to play with the toys on the floor.  Seriously.  He is so easy!  Plus he doesn't have to eat every 3 hours which gives us way more time in between feedings to actually get things accomplished.  Oh, did I mention they actually nap at the same time in the afternoon?  Amazing.  So nice to have more than 10 minutes to myself (even though the length can vary tremendously).

Now that things are easier, maybe we should start thinking about a third? :) Not sure I feel that confident yet.