I dont really consider myself new to motherhood thing since I have a 2 year old, but since we have added 2 more children…I feel like a brand new mom learning how to operate with children! I went from one child to three. Even though Darrick II is still in the hospital I still operate as if they are all together at home.
A Few Things I Have Learned…
Morning “Me” Time…My husband leaves very early for work each day. After I see him off I go back to sleep. He calls me when he gets to work to let me know he arrived safely then I go into a deep sleep for about an hour to 90 minutes. I then get up early to have some “me” time. During this time I shower, call the hospital to check on Darrick, get my clothes together, spend some time on my iPad, read a daily devotional or do some blogging stuff…and by the time I am done doing my own thing Emma is usually waking up. I have learned that having this time to myself helps me mentally prep for the day as well as just gives me moment to focus on “Carissa the Woman” and not “Carissa the Wife & Mom”
No Time for Procrastination…Planning Ahead Im not going to lie when it was just Emma and I together during the day I didn’t have to prepare ahead of time for anything. Well the only really thing I would prepare in advance for was her Speech Therapy appointments (weekly appointment). However, some days I could get up early and get us both ready and still be on time for the appointment. Since I now have two more children that are newborns along with a toddler I have to prepare everything in advance. The diaper bag must be prepared the night before to ensure that nothing is left out. Clothes must be taken out for both children and prepped a head of time. Even having one child that is still in the hospital, I have to the night before of how I am going to fit in my time at the hospital with him and get his stuff together incase I have to take something to him.
Organization…to piggy back on what I just said I plan everything ahead of time. I purchased a Heart & Arrow Design planner notepad to help me get organized from day to day!
I have noticed when I plan a day ahead that I have less chance of forgetting something that needs to be done.
Take Notes from other Moms…now I have mentioned before I am not big on “unsolicited advice” when it comes to my family. There are only a handful of people that can provide me unsolicited advice that I will actually listen to. But what I do like to do is read; so usually when I have questions, concerns or interested in “how other moms operate” I research it. I read blogs, parenting articles, sometimes talk to friends with children or talk to other bloggers with similar backgrounds…from there I usually take notes and figure out how to proceed. For example, when we had feeding issues with Emma due to her cleft lip and palate I researched social media sites as well as google and found a support group; in the group I can ask questions talk to other moms in similar situations. Same for the twins, I found a group of moms who have twins or are expecting twins and it helped a great deal in learning about twins and discussing the symptoms I was having while pregnant.
Another example is getting on a schedule and dietary concerns of breastfeeding. I found very resourceful information by searching Pinterest. So I guess what I am saying is I love getting information from other moms, blogs and through internet research…I just don’t like someone “telling” me what I NEED to do!
The Oldest Child…bringing a sibling home can be a shock to your oldest child. I have learned the importance of making sure I include Emma in every step of the way with the “new baby/babies”. In our situation Emma knew I was pregnant, she didn’t really know or understand that I was eventually going to get rid of the big belly and she would have two siblings. However, being on this journey of bringing two more siblings into the picture we have learned how fast our little ones personality can change. So in order to make feel loved; I include her on getting the baby dressed, being my assistant when changing diapers (like throwing them away), learning new things about herself and watching her (so she has my undivided attention), letting her help her brother by giving him the pacifier as long as we are watching, having her help me bring the bottles in the kitchen and coloring pictures for her brothers hospital room…every little task in her eyes is her helping her cope with not being the only child anymore, and helping her understand that she is now the “big sister”. We also show her pictures of her brother that is still in the hospital so she understands that she has two brothers so it’s not such a shock when he comes home.
Emma is too little to visit but we still take her to the hospital and she plays in the waiting area with a family member while we visit. She likes the role of helping out, and will often help without being asked when she sees you doing something that she has helped out with previously.
What important things did you learn through your Motherhood Journey?
