On Monday my sweet Charlotte girl will be one. Not only is it her birthday but it marks one year of being a mom of two. I don’t think I realized before having Charlotte how hard it would be having two kids so young. Liam wasn’t even 3 until she was a few months old. Then throw in a pandemic, being at home with no school or childcare for 6 months, and Andrew and I still having to work our full-time jobs. It’s absolutely not how I saw this year going. Being a mom of 2 is SO MUCH WORK, but more than that it’s SO MUCH FUN!

Being A Mom Of 2: One Year In

• Your heart will grow: I was worried if I could truly love them both. Did I have enough love for that? Everyone tells you that you can and that it will. It really does. The first time I saw Charlotte I literally felt my heart grow. Then I saw them together and couldn’t hold back the tears. I was so in love with them both I thought I would never stop crying. Your heart does really double.
• You will feel like you are disappointing both: Oh yes. When Charlotte was sick in February and had to be hospitalized obviously I needed to be with her. But, I couldn’t be with Liam. I vividly remember my mom calling me and Liam crying because he missed us. We were in the ER with Charlotte and they were giving her an IV and I was holding her down and on the phone with Liam at the same time trying to sing him to sleep. I have never felt more like I was failing both my kids. It’s hard having two and I can’t even imagine more than two but you really don’t disappoint them. They wake up every day and love you and think you’re just about the greatest person ever.
• You will learn to ask for help: I don’t think I have ever had to rely on Andrew more than this last year. Thankfully he’s been home for 99% of it. Trying to parent two kids, work full time, volunteer at Liam’s school, and so on and so forth is just a lot. You learn quickly you can’t do it all and you learn to ask for help where you need it. Maybe that’s help with housework, help with yard work, help with the kids, or help with work. Ask for it when you need it.
• You will find a rhythm: It does happen. One day you wake up and you have found your rhythm. You have a routine, and you know what each day needs to look like. Even with COVID-19, it does happen! It gets much easier once that happens.
• Their relationship will be your favorite: When we brought Charlotte home, Liam was obsessed. He couldn’t wait to hold her and I feel like a big part of that is that we talked about her so much when I was pregnant. The novelty eventually wore off when he realized that no she could not play with him right away. But once she started smiling he became her favorite. He could get her to smile the easiest out of everyone and once she started interacting with them it became so much fun to see them laugh at each other and play. It’s truly our favorite thing to watch them together.

I would not change anything about this year and while it hasn’t been perfect it has taught me so much. Being a mom of 2 is wonderful and I truly love every crazy second.