1. OK: labor/delivery was still hard. I sort of thought it wouldn’t be, given that
it wasn’t my first rodeo. It was. Contractions still hurt, recovery is still
hard. My expectations were probably higher than they should have been (“I’m a
pro! I’ve got this!”), but I’ve heard that oxytocin helps you forget the pain,
so maybe that’s why? And no rest for the wicked or post-partum mommy of >1,
either. Still… after 2 weeks,
significant improvement, after 4, even more, after 6, walks felt normal, now at
10, runs feel normal. When I can find
the time! Even with all the recovery woes, I am still so grateful to hold my
baby in my arms rather than on top of my bladder. Pregnancy, I’m out.
2. Breastfeeding was easier second time around, but it was
still hard in the beginning. It does not surprise me at all that people give it
up for so many, many reasons. I shed
tears the second time around too, still had to have my husband pinch me while
my baby latched. Thankfully all nerve endings were once again destroyed and it
no longer hurts. My breast could be on fire and I might not know.
3. Exiting the house with >1 children: timing is
everything. There are magical windows of time that open and close like an old
Nintendo video game obstacle course before someone needs to be fed, someone
needs to use the potty, goes potty, or throws a tantrum. I continue to devise
all sorts of systems to make this go more smoothly, but in the game keeps
changing. Still, battle on, innner Warrior, keep those sticker charts and car
treat bribes and quiet threats coming, because love and school drop-off are worth fighting for!
4. Babies are physically exhausting: if you nurse them, they
literally suck the energy out of your body, and of course they are designed to
wake up every few hours. Yet they got nothin’ on two and three year olds… still
physically exhausting- to be read in a loud whine: (“mommy, CARRY me,” “NO, NOT
THIS SIPPY THE OTHER PINK SIPPY!!”) AND mentally exhausting. Play with me! Play
with me! Play with me! Taken together, I cultivate an hour or two of kid-free
time, just so I can hit the reset/reboot button- for everyone’s benefit.
5. I inhabit the same house and bed as my husband, but
typically can’t get past one or two phrases of conversation:
“So, I was talking to my mom on the phone, and ...no, G, you
already had a snack and we’re going to have dinner in 5 minutes.”
“Oh and we need to pay those utility bills; I left them
right on the… sure, yes, you can go down to the basement but mommy can’t
because she’s cooking dinner.”
“So how did that conversation with your boss…Whoa!
Poop-splosion! OK you do the diaper change I’ll ferry the seat-cover up to the
washing machine… again…”
6. Although I heard about it and imagined it would be true,
there is nothing I have ever encountered so heart-filling than being with arms’
reach of all three of my family members. So far I have only one picture of the
four of us, and it’s a selfie at that, but we’re all resting in our bed, and my
heart had exploded.
