Routine Tames the Craziness

I am the mother of an active 2-year-old son and a joyful 1-year-old daughter. My children are 13 months apart. My life is full of fun craziness., but my life is organized chaos thanks to Babywise.

 

From the very beginning, we incorporated Babywise principles into our parenting. It has not always gone smoothly and things like sleeping have been a challenge, but without the tools and knowledge we have gained from attending Growing Kids God’s Way classes, we would not be enjoying this season of our lives.

 

I cannot tell you how often I hear things like “Oh, your life must be crazy” or “Your life might be crazy now, but it will be so nice later” or “You have your hands full.” I have heard them all. The second I say how close my children are in age and that we actually planned it that way, I get the sympathy look every time. I usually respond with a smile and say “Yep and I LOVE it.”

 

I am not just waiting for them to grow up; I enjoy being with my babies right now. We attend playdates, storytimes, go out to eat, etc. My life is full and I love it.

 

While we were already doing a lot of Babywise things, when I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, I really started to see how I needed to do more with my four-month-old son. Independent playtime and a structured routine became crucial.

 

Teach as you mean to go, right? It is so much easier to let things slide with one child because they have your complete attention. From an early age, I saw my son as a sibling and the work has paid off tenfold.

 

You cannot prepare an infant for a sibling, but you can create a daily routine that will be familiar once the baby arrives. So that is what I did. I started working out a newborn and one-year-old schedule before my daughter arrived. I figured out about when my daughter might nurse and went from there. With 2 naps, an independent playtime, and blanket time, I had plenty of time to nurse and take care of my daughter. Plus, I knew when I would be able to nap and get housework done. I was tired, but life was not out of control.

 

My son never showed signs of jealousy or baby regression because, I think, he was use to his routine and playing by himself. The transition from one kid to two went as smoothly as it could.

 

We are now a year into parenting two children and I am no longer the mother of 2 children under 2 since my son turned 2 at the end of June. Not sure what our toddler years will bring us, but all the work and consistency I am sure will pay off. (I already say “Show me self control” about a 1,000 times a day.) I know that we are as prepared as we can be for it because of Babywise.

 

You can follow my parenting journey at Wilson’s (almost) Irish Twins (wilsonirishtwins.blogspot.com

 

Jodie from Wilson’s (almost) Irish Twins 

4 thoughts on “Routine Tames the Craziness”

  1. Great story! Mine publishes tomorrow, but I failed to mention my kids' ages! #1 is 28 months, #2 is 9 months, and #3 is due in November (2 and 3 will be only 14 months apart). That, added to the insanity of military life, makes routine an absolute necessity for our family!

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  2. We are debating right now about expanding. Having our 2 so close in age, I needed a little break, but I don't want such a big gap that it is 2 against 1. There is never a perfect time (or spacing) to have a baby. We just need to pray that it is best for our family.

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  3. Yeah, 14 months is a little closer than I might have anticipated. I've told hubs that I'm definitely going to want 3 and 4 a little farther apart than that. ;o)

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