Heyyyy mamma! It’s been well over a year since my last blog post. Life has been life-ing, but I’m back!
Ok, in case you don’t follow me on IG (I mean why aren’t you?!), last November, we welcomed baby #2! Yes, Baby Kali is here and whew, the transition from one kid to two has been a LOT.
My maternity leave was supposed to end on 4/26. Yup, after 5 1/2 months home I was set to return to work (well, I mean my upstairs office). But…God! A little over a month ago I decided to take advantage of a newly created leave for parents at my company. The Covid-19 Vaccine Childcare Support Leave is a leave for parents with children under the age of 5 (because there is no vaccine available), and not enrolled in daycare or school. Wow, that sounds like me! This leave allows parents 12 weeks of paid time off to care for their child. Now I know this sounds like a no brainer, but trust me I didn’t necessarily jump at the opportunity at first. Hear me out, hear me out! I had already stepped away from my career for almost half a year, so the thought of being away for an additional three months was a little frightening at first. If you’ve been here for a while, you know I’m about my babies…and my business! After playing out scenarios in my head for a few days, and talking it over with the hubby and friends, I decided that taking the leave was the best choice for me. After all, this amazing opportunity will probably never be available to me again.
I talked it over with my manager, and she was super supportive. I chatted with a few teammates who were very encouraging, and assured me they’d be fine continuing to cover my client work and not to worry about it, enjoy the time at home. It really made me feel at peace with my decision.
So what is life with two kids like? Some mornings I really can’t believe I have TWO whole kids. God is gracious. I knew the transition from one to two would not be easy, and it most certainly has proven so. Karter is a phenomenal big brother. The way he loves his baby sister is so special. He’s so smitten by her and wants to hug and kiss her all day (man, it’s been a rough winter trying to keep his daycare germs out of her face). Kali is equally in love, and all smiles at the mere sight of him. I love that for them!
I will say the hardest part is making sure each child gets an adequate amount of attention from me. Obviously, the baby needs a lot from me (especially being her source of nourishment), but Karter has his needs as well. There are still things he wants mommy and only mommy to do. Some nights that’s giving him a bath, or reading him a story and putting him to bed. He’s used to me dropping him off to daycare in the mornings, and I rarely do that anymore, but I try to pick him up in the evenings, if I can. The best way for me to describe my life right now, is like a game of wack-a-mole. You get one kid settled, and the other is crying for your attention. By the time the house is asleep for the night, I have zero energy left to do anything.
This has been a huge adjustment for me. I’m used to picking up and making moves. It’s been extremely hard for me to do so with a toddler and baby. Even with the amount of support I have, my kids still very much want mom. Last month I had to cancel a trip to Atlanta to attend a friend’s wedding, because Kali just isn’t ready. The Virgo in me doesn’t like having control these days, but I’m slowly learning how to just let the day unfold how it’s supposed to.
I don’t know what to expect these final two months of my time at home. I do know that I’m going to just embrace it, and let the chips fall where they may. My family is blessed, the kids are thriving, and although I don’t know what the hell I’m doing most days, I’m perfect in their eyes.
