Second Time...

I spent a lot of time worrying that being having a second child was going too hectic to enjoy. I imagined there certainly was such a thing as too much of a good thing and I wouldn't be able to love being a Mum like I had.

My reality of it all second time around has been that it is seriously hectic. Most days I wake up, roll around in bed for about ten minutes whilst baby and toddler sniffs and squiggly noises bring me in to the land of the living. Then we're up and I swear the world fast forwards on it's hinges, everything happens in lightening speed. My head buzzes thinking ten tasks ahead of the present to make sure everything happens in the right order and before I know it we're a dozen near-emergencies dodged, my hair's resembling a birds nest, the lounge looks like a toy emporium and the day is over! In a flash, like that a day is done. And every day is over like that. NEOWWWWNNNN... (That's a fast car noise.)

That sounds negative. Sometimes it is. Sometimes my back aches, the domestic mess irritates me and my chipped nails piss me off and I wish I had a little more time. On the whole though it's great. Because what happens when you ride out everyday at lightening speed is you get rid of a lot of nonsense. Some nonsense is tangible, actual stuff that doesn't happen anymore, like I never really clean the highchair, I hardly ever get to go shopping so all of Euna's tights have holes or stains and I am yet to put Bow in clothes that aren't baby grows. The other nonsense is nonsense that's not happening in my head and the vast majority of it is one form or another or worrying. Like I don't really worry if Euna's naps go AWOL, much less bothered if we don't leave the house some days, I'm never concerning myself with implementing some new parenting initiative I read about in an article (because I haven't read the article), I don't see something someone else is doing and instantly feel bad that's not what we're doing... Stuff like that.

Basically second time is like being able to parent on a permanent chill pill. It's sans all that jittery rawness of first time and what's left is a steadier head, way more self-belief, the ability to enjoy more fully and because I know what's to come I am so much less nervous to lose my baby to childhood.

Bada-bup-bayaaahhhhh I'm loving it! ;) Some snaps from last week...