Pink doll shoes. A sippy cup with milk. A glow-in-the-dark pacifier. These items litter my husband’s desk. When we married in 2016, we knew we wanted to build a family and have kids, and with what seems like a blink of the eye, our lives have transitioned to this new reality. A few days ago, I said to my husband, can you believe we have two kids? He laughed. In two short years, here we are with two beautiful daughters.
But back to the pink doll shoes. The clutter is unbelievable…I never realized how much stuff you accumulate when you have kids. Prior to having kids, I may not have really noticed that my friends with kids had baby and kid stuff EVERYWHERE. I suppose I saw the clutter but it simply didn’t register as something important or worth remembering. In addition to the clutter, our daily processes have changed so much. We are constantly closing doors and moving items out of Ember’s reach. If you walk into our home, you’ll notice items lining our windowsills and counters. But the funny part is we don’t even notice anymore. My husband doesn’t even see those pink doll shoes. They are simply part of our landscape now. It’s a messy, chaotic reality that we’ve learned to welcome with open arms (or at least closed eyes as to avoid the mess!).
For the first time since Ivy’s birth, I am seeing clearly. These last few days I’ve broken through the haze. I’m finally feeling a little less crazy and a little more balanced. I’m not sure if my hormones are settling down, or if I’m simply getting the hang of juggling both girls. Or maybe it’s because I’m sleeping more. Ivy is gaining weight and growing like crazy, which means that I can relax and sleep without setting alarms every two hours. No matter what the reason, I’m grateful that the first month is behind us, and I’m so glad Ivy is flourishing. If I remember correctly, and I may not, the first 4ish weeks post-Ember’s birth were hell for me, so maybe I should have expected this. If we have another child, I’ll do my best to remember that I’ll be fine once I make it through the first month.
Ivy is now a month old, and I’m so glad she’s doing well. This past month, I’ve had to accept certain realities and adjust my expectations, as I’m guessing most parents do when they bring more children into the world. Ivy is very different from Ember Eve, and even more significant is that our life is very different now compared to when Ember was born. Despite the clutter and the constant juggling, life is good. It’s finally good again, and I’m grateful.
PHOTOS: Ivy at 1 month
