Surviving Solo

I have now been a mom for 19 months. Unbelievable, to me, still  I went "solo" as a parent for the first time when Ginny, our first born, turned 3 weeks old.  I had no doubts I could handle it.  In fact, I looked forward to it.  Going solo after Grace arrived worried me.  This time I would not only have my 3 week old to care for, but also her 19-month-old sister. Eek!

 

A couple of months before I had Grace, I found myself getting nervous about her arrival for this reason alone.  Having a c-section? That was nothing. Getting no sleep? Been there, done that. Being left alone with 2 little ones all day? Terrifying!

Why was I worried? I was not sure how I could balance it all--taking care of a newborns needs as well as giving Ginny the attention she requires.  The thought was overwhelming. I knew Ginny would be jealous of the new baby and the attention she would get. My concern was in helping her see that she still has my love and attention. Additionally, I had developed a schedule with Ginny. Would that be thrown off because of Grace's needs? How would Ginny handle things when I nursed Grace? Lots of questions and concerns weighed on me.

On Tuesday, just 2 days ago, I went solo for the first time with Ginny and Grace.  I am surviving thus far, and so are the girls.  My schedule seems to mainly revolve around nursing Grace (she is exclusively breastfed); however, I have been able to balance that with Ginny's schedule.  Luckily, Ginny got past most of the jealousy issues by the time Grace was 2 weeks old.  When I nurse Grace, Ginny does seem to suddenly want attention from me. Usually, I can read her a book at those times and it is enough to satisfy her. 

The best thing about this week has been watching Ginny with Grace. She loves giving her hugs and kisses, especially when I nurse.  That can be a bit awkward, but worth it. Before Ginny can give Grace a hug, she points at me and says her newest word--boob. 

Right now, I am just trying to survive our days and schedules solo. The only other thing I work on is laundry, never ending when you have 2 little ones AND cloth diaper. Cleaning will have to wait until my DH has a day off. In a week or two, I will add it to our daily schedules, but I'm not ready for that now. My goal is just taking things one day at a time. So far, so good.