Let me preface all of this by saying WE ARE NOT PREGNANT. Ha! I am, however, very excited to announce that this is my very first post in the Real Talk with Real Moms (#realtalkrealmoms) series with several awesome blogger ladies! Scroll through to the bottom of the post for links to everyone in the group!
Every month a group of us will write on a topic relating to parenthood, and this month is about going from one kid to two. To be totally candid, I’ve never been the type that was in a rush to become a parent. I always thought I wanted kids but I’m more of the “let’s see how it goes” person when it comes to how many, when, and at what age I’d have them.
Jared and I used to debate whether we wanted two kids (which is what I grew up with) or three (what he grew up with).We’re currently in the “give me all of the babies!” phase, so three is looking good for us for now.
On one hand, the idea of being outnumbered by kids totally freaks me out, but on the other hand, I’ve never been more in love than after having Gwen.
She’s sassy, loves food, HATES sleep, and is the best thing that ever happened to us. I wrote a little about the changes that came with having a baby along with the pressure of both Jared and I being self-employed by Sugar & Cloth here, and I feel like we’re FINALLY finding our groove now that she’s 13 months old.
Gwen had colic and reflux (on top of hating to sleep) so I’m timid about the idea of trying for another baby just yet! I literally look at friends with chill babies (ughm, more chill than ours) and think to myself “oh my gosh, are they usually this calm? Why didn’t we get that?!”. Is that horrible to admit?!
I would even chalk it up to just being a newbie parent that’s struggling even it wasn’t for that fact that pretty everyone that’s ever watched Gwen has left us with “Is she usually like this?” before heading out, haha! I laugh to not cry really.
All of this to say that we’ll likely wait until Gwen is closer to two before trying for another. Thankfully we’ve never experienced the emotions that come with struggling to get pregnant so far, but it is something that sticks in the back of my mind as a fear if we were to wait too long.
You just never know what the future will hold, but I am a big believer in things all having a perfect purpose and place in time.
Did you all have any good/bad experiences with how far apart your children or siblings were? Any ages you really felt the heat of having multiple kids under a certain age? Tell me all the good stories!
Be sure to click the links below to read more from my blogger pals gushing on the topic, too!
Real Talk With Real Moms | Our Thoughts on Going from One Kid to Two
The Fresh Exchange | Lovely Indeed | Studio DIY | Natalie Borton | A Daily Something | The Sweetest Occasion |
The Proper Blog | Parker Etc | The Effortless Chic | Oh Lovely Day | The Life Styled
The first child is always the ‘hardest’, the second is always ‘chiller’ and the third is a breeze :) The first absorbes all parental worries. The new parents are too much after baby’s needs and that makes them even more needy. Parents think if i don’t do this that will make my child sick, or it will be fatal, etc… With the second you have a ‘distance’ look and are chiller, so is the baby
Hi Alice! Thanks so much for your insight. Everyone has been telling us the same thing so we feel more confident now that a second baby will be “chiller”!
hi there, i happened upon this post searching for the colorblock ikea besta units as a playroom idea. i am a sahm to 2 under 2, a 4 mo. and 20 mo. old. it’s crazytown. but i love it. and once i sleep train the lil’ one, hopefully i will feel more energy and not have to go to bed every night at 8 pm. our first was ivf and the second a complete surprise. it definitely helps that my husband is a very active co-parent after he gets off work.
Hi, Laura! We are so glad that you stumbled upon our site. Your kids are so close in age! That’s wonderful to hear that you have a very active hands-on husband. Good luck with the sleep training! XOXO
We have just found out we’re pregnant and we have an 8 month old baby boy!! There was blind panic for about ten minutes and then we settled into the idea and now we are excited. Luckily we have a ‘chill’ baby now, I’m really hoping for another ‘chill’ but I don’t think it works like that!! Either way it’s easier to give into what is happening and get ready rather than get very worked up or anxious. I’m hoping we come out of the ‘2 under 2 years unscathed!!
Oh gosh! That’s crazy but congrats!They’re going to be so close in age! Best of luck! XOXO
My 3 kids are all 26 months apart. It was a busy time when they were little, but it was so much fun! And as all 3 are teenagers now…two in high school and one in his first year of college, their lives were intertwined with school and sports and friends throughout their childhoods, and that’s been so wonderful too. My experience, and my friends’ experience is that the biggest transition is from one to two, because someone will always need something, and the oldest has the hard task of learning to share. But it’s all so sweet too. I used to love to watch them play together, lost in their own world, totally oblivious that I was in the room. Two to three was the easiest thing in the world, since we were already in the deep end! Looking back, I could have easily added a 4th, and I often wish I did!
Hi Linda! Oh gosh. We can’t imagine what dealing with teenagers will be like! It’s funny that you aren’t the only one who told us that after two to three is easy after the first one. XOXO
For now, we’re ok with just one (almost 3yo). Given my son has some developmental delays, which is very challenging to us as new parents, we would focus first with him. Praying everything will be fine, and once life becomes stable, MAYBE we can consider adding one. 💜
Hi Iza. I can’t imagine being a new parent and then also dealing with the delays. We also hope that everything will be fine for you and your family. Sending you lots of love!
We have no plans for another, but I can say that at Em’s current age (3 years and 3 months) a newborn would be massively overwhelming but also feel doable if I were completely honest. She’s verbal, very helpful and no longer in diapers and all of that would make juggling a little one and a baby so much easier. I think had we expected to have another we probably would have thought about it/started trying around the 2 year old mark, too! G will be an adorable big sister whenever the time comes. xoxo
Omg. No diapers and a talking Baby G would be so awesome. We totally agree with you. Everything is overwhelming but we think it’s doable. XOXO