I have been excited about having another sweet little bundle of joy (a pink-faced darling, if you will). Washing and folding Boo's clothes (my in-utero name for him, if you don't know) made me so look forward to having little rolls and a soft baby belly to fill them with. Buying a new-to-me swing off of Craig's List gave me the excited giggles.
But the giggles have quieted, and now I'm getting nervous! We have had some rough bedtimes lately and some tantrums and what-not that made me say to myself (in a most exasperated tone), What am I thinking having another child?!?! :) (I literally said that out loud when I was on a grocery-run by myself last night.) I guess I forget that raising and training children to love and obey God is tough work and not always pretty. Especially since the ones (at least this one) doing the raising and training are pretty selfish and sinful too.
So, my house is in fairly ship-shape condition. Organized, labeled, stream-lined. But I still am trying to think of ways to make things easier and smoother after Boo is Boo no longer, but a name that shall not be named. :) (yet.) But here are a few questions for you. If you never have before, PLEASE leave an answer or a comment!
- What are some things you did before having a baby to make your life easier afterwards? meals, food in freezer, etc.
- What are your kids' favorite snacks? Especially healthy and easy to make-ahead? Simon can open the fridge. I think I'll work with that and try to have a stash of something in there so he can get it himself. Like when I'm busy. :) Peanut butter is out, because Simey is allergic.
- What's your kids' favorite thing to do to stay busy (without driving you nuts or tearing apart your house)?
- Any tips/tricks about life with baby that you HAVE to share?
- Is there anything you wish you had known/someone had told you when you had your baby? (or your 3rd baby?) :)
Thanks in advance for your help!
Happy December and Merry Christmas!
Katie
9 comments:
Mentally you have to enjoy the moments, sometimes just let everything go especially in the next 3 months. Thinking - I am going to even enjoy this mess, just have a box so they can pick up, throw toys in and get them out, organizing can be done in 3 months when the weather is nicer and you are stronger, baby is in routine. Remember - Daily - Be not weary in well doing. I love you Katie, You may have to have Chris do the disciplining, even calling him home, talking to them on the phone immediately. Remind the boys about consequences before baby comes home. Luke's responsibilities.
It will go great take one day at a time.
Love Mother xo
Your mom said it all, Katie!
It's been nearly 3 months since we added Baby 3 in as many years. t's definitely a matter of daily survival and prayer!
I didn't do any cooking/baking ahead, just cooked some ground beef and chicken and froze it. I did some grocery shopping beforehand. I made a big list of meals that could be made with the items purchased, so I knew what my options were.
Ellia (middle child, 15 months when Baby 3 came) has been the most difficult part of daily life. She's big enough to get into/onto/under things, but still too little to have much common sense about it. :) Brienna is the easy part of the equation! :)
Hey, KT,
I don't have much advice for you as we're in the same boat!
1. Freezer meals/meats really helped after having Clive. Also some friends from church provided meals for us for 2 weeks and that was a HUGE blessing. I can't even explain what a huge relief that was.
2. Unfortunately my kiddos aren't big on healthy snacks. :) Don't get me wrong we do fruit a lot but often I do rice cakes, nutella/graham crackers, or animal crackers and dried cranberries.
3. Watching movies. :) Of course we have to limit that to 1 a day or else they'd watch movies/tv all day long. They both enjoy listening to stories on cd. We have a little rocking chair and desk set up next to their cd player (a cheap one so we don't care if they handle it) so they can pick things out themselves to listen to without my assistance. Chloe loves coloring and again I have all her coloring stuff within easy reach so she can do it herself.
4. Uh, not really. I take it one day at a time and beg God for grace when I get impatient or feel discontentment creeping into my attitude.
5. I wish someone would have told me to create sleeping routines for the new baby and not try to have the baby "around" the activity all the time. Clive's sleep patterns were way messed up because I let him get overtired and over-stimulated because I swaddled him or held him all the time. Talk about feeling enslaved and then extra frustrated because of lack of sleep!
Hang in there, lady! What a super wonderful Christmas present your little boo will be!
Love,Alicia
1. I have snack tubs pre-portioned that the girls can get. healthy stuff that they can do alone so I don't have to run downstairs every time they need a snack. Beth made me a ton of frozen meals and it was AWESOME.
2. I don't know what's healthy but they really like goldfish and pretzels....I think if they only have a few options they will learn to like them. and my girls love to have the freedom to get their own. I think its a little thing that teaches them responsibility.
3. coloring, colorforms (like the things that go on the window...super clean and easy and they love them), puzzles.
4. you don't have to be a hero....when you just have a baby....let TV be your friend. Seriously....I dont want to have TV kids that watch 5 hours a day but for quite a while with a new baby they can handle it.
5. everyone said 2 to 3 was easier than 1 to 2. that's not true. they lied to me. that was not nice or appreciated. but you will love him still. =)
ps...I asked mike what he would tell you...this is how it went...
me, "do you have anything to tell katie"
mike, "she's dead"
Katie: Just remember that with God's help you can handle this. You might not want to try and pass a sanity test for the next 4 months at least. There is no special time you have to have a meal and dust will not destroy your condo. 9/63,8/64,and1/66 were the birthdates of my boys and I am still alive. Push the idea of big brothers being so special. Plan for a few meals ahead of time and don't count the times you have a can of soup. Love ya, and a big hug.
We are going through some real challenges with our very strong willed two year old. People told me we wouldn't get two like that in a row but we did. I am just so thankful that while we still have many times of training with our four year old, it's nothing like when she was two! Still, I have asked myself the same thing so many times, "Another child added to the mix?!" And yes, my own selfishness also adds to the chaos at our house. But here we are -- in our case, four months from adding baby #3 to our family. :-) The mix of emotions.
Great job getting your house in ship-shape and also for being so organized. That will make your life tons easier. I don't have anything to add to the others' answers to your questions. I loved reading what they wrote too.
Excited for you.
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