Whether or not you concur with what I'm about to relate, it doesn't matter. The thoughts and feelings I'm about to share are from my own personal experience. However, feel free to comment anything you wish to...comment.
When you realize you're going to have another child--child #2--your first thoughts (at least for me) are full of uncertainty, doubt, fear. How do you deal with two kids when you can barely handle one?? Will I go insane? To lessen the negative feelings, you try to make yourself feel better by saying things like, "Well, at least I know how to take care of baby now. At least I'll know how to change the diapers." and so on. With the first baby, you've experimented and made mistakes and corrected those mistakes, trying to figure out what will work for that baby. For instance, with Jackson, I wasn't able to breastfeed. So I pumped and then he went to formula. With Braden, I really wanted to BF. And to my surprise, I wish I could go back to a bottle. In fact, I've told Trapper that when we have our next baby, I want to BF but also bottlefeed so that the baby will learn to take it from both. Braden WILL NOT take a bottle, and I really really wish he would. I'm tired of BFing.
Another example: Jackson wouldn't sleep through the night. I had to rock him every night, sometimes 4 or 5 times. Then we figured out the Sleep Lady Shuffle from a book we read. It worked like a charm, even on day 1. After a week, we never had a problem again. Braden is much more clingy and stubborn. The first time I tried the Shuffle technique, he cried for 45 minutes. I know that's better than some kids have it, but I fully expected Braden to do well like Jackson had done.
Then came the wise words of my mama. "What may work for one child, may not work for another." I've realized that Jackson is a calm, and compliant little boy. I can usually get him to do whatever I want. Braden, I'm beginning to understand, is a little more stubborn. He wants his mama. If I don't come when he wants, he lets me know. Getting him to do something takes a little more time and effort. With the sleep lady shuffle, it has taken almost a month to get him adjusted to the new routine. However, thankfully, it's working...slowly. He still wakes up a lot at night, but at least I can get him to fall asleep on his own with very little fuss involved.
Braden is also crawling now. We've all been waiting for this moment since he was about 5 1/2 months old, but it's official. He still kind of uses one leg hitched underneath him to keep himself from falling over, but he crawls. The kid is extremely mobile and doesn't like to be still. He definitely keeps me on my toes. But he is a sweet sweet little boy. I can't help but kiss and love on him. He has a sweet little smile and the way he jabbers on and on makes me laugh. It's so funny how different he and Jackson are, but I love them just the same. It'll be interesting to see, when they get older, how their personalities will get along.
5 comments:
I guess I was in a different situation going into child # 2. I was ready and looking forward to it because I felt like I had things pretty well under control. I was getting bored and looking forward to having more to fill my time. Annabelle was so independent and I like feeling needed so I was looking forward to the change of pace! With the first there was, of course, a huge learning curve and we let things (like sleeping through the night!) go way too far. I thought I would be more strict about that with Layla, but with the possibility that she will be our last, I spoil her way too much. I'm probably holidng her back because I want her to stay my little baby! But I agree, each kid is different. That's very clear with our kids, anyway. For example....food motivates Layla! All joking aside, they really are different. Anyway, enough rambling. Hope you're having fun chasing your mobile little boy!
That's the great thing of having multiple children is that you realize that each and every baby is DIFFERENT!!!! My first and second were similar, 1st one was compliant, 2nd was demanding. But I'm so glad that they are different. How boring would life be if we just had clones?
I keep thinking how different baby #2 will be. I'm not pregnant or anything, but I wonder often what differences there will be. Beckett is such a relaxed kid and can take a lot. I think I'll be very surprised with how different my next baby will be compared to him!
I had those same anxious feelings expecting #2. and my boys are, to say the least, quite different... frustrating the same tricks don't work for both, but I love the complimentary feel of diverse personalities in our family. :)
funny... with #3 i'm not anxious at all (which is very unlike me). and, even though the pregnancy is similar to the other, this third little guy already feels like he's his own little self and personality. ha! i guess we'll see! :)
I fear that our child #2 will take after Brock because Pierce is patient and laid back like me. (Brock is opposite.) I do keep thinking that next time around it will be so much easier but then I realize that there will probably be all new challenges. By the way, I love the picture in your header. Cute matching pajamas and I love that you and Trapper each have your own mini-me! They're cute little boys!
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