My littles were 2U2. Granted, they were children #2 and 3, but here's what I experienced.
1. Jack (2) had a hard time expressing what was bothering him, so he got more frustrated at the baby and me.
2. Remember that whole, nap when baby naps shit? Doesn't happen. Remember being pregnant and putting your feet up and dreaming all this dreamy shit about your child? Nope.
3. Remember newborns eat, sleep, eat, sleep...repeat? Try fitting in time to leave to do activities for rambunctious older child.
4. Oh, but they are oh so sweet together! And child 2 becomes awesomely flexible and can nap anywhere! And every mistake you made with child 1 you don't repeat because its so fresh in your mind!
You can do this! Just think, it will be super crazy for a few years. And then home freeeeeeee!!
The bad: helping the older kid understand why you can't give them attention right now when they can't be reasoned with. Trying to teach the older kid stuff while taking care of a baby. Not being able to pick the older one up for a while. Also, when you are pregnant and huge and your kiddo takes off their diaper and poops in the crib. It is hard to bend over and clean up poop over the side of the crib.
I've told my baby she isn't allowed to do this so I should be all set right?
My littles were 2U2. Granted, they were children #2 and 3, but here's what I experienced.
1. Jack (2) had a hard time expressing what was bothering him, so he got more frustrated at the baby and me.
2. Remember that whole, nap when baby naps shit? Doesn't happen. Remember being pregnant and putting your feet up and dreaming all this dreamy shit about your child? Nope.
3. Remember newborns eat, sleep, eat, sleep...repeat? Try fitting in time to leave to do activities for rambunctious older child.
4. Oh, but they are oh so sweet together! And child 2 becomes awesomely flexible and can nap anywhere! And every mistake you made with child 1 you don't repeat because its so fresh in your mind!
You can do this! Just think, it will be super crazy for a few years. And then home freeeeeeee!!
All of these points, but definitely #2. When you hear about FTMs complaining about being tired during pregnancy and having a newborn, you'll chuckle.
DS1 and DS2 are 19 1/2 months apart. DS2 was colicky for oh the first 8 months of life. The first year of his life really went by in a huge blur and looking back was not the best of times. That being said they are now great friends and keep each other very entertained which made have DD easier.
The other hard part is that at 20 months DS1 still needed a lot of attention in part because we were his main form of entertainment and obviously couldn't do much of anything by himself. As he got older, it got much easier. Even something as simple as being able to put on his own shoes helped!
I'm not going to lie, and it might not be this way for everyone, but that first year was really hard for us. We still will think back on it and wonder how the hell we made it through!
Man I read these stories and realize that I had it really easy. I wasn't tired when he was a newborn, breast feeding was easy, and we just had a few meltdowns from Hazel. I still got to shower almost every day and they napped at the same time. They still nap at the same time.
I've decided to have this happen for me when I have the second.
Trudy you should go for this option also! Sounds great
Oh man, Violet was the easiest newborn. I'm going to be screwed next time and get some annoying, crying BOY who never sleeps.
Haha I'm afraid to have another because Ada has pretty much been easy and sleeps like a dream.
My sister and I are 14 months apart. My sister was the first and just like Ada. I was second and a disaster, didn't sleep, needy, hyper, dirty. My mom told me once she was hoping Ada would be a disaster as payback!
The worst part for me was hands down being hugely pregnant and attending to the needs of someone who doesn't understand at all that there was another child in my belly. He went through a big kicking while being changed phase that was hard to deal with, and all the physical stuff was just *so* hard. I leaned on my other mom friends a lot during the last months and they helped me out when he needed someone to go down a slide with him or whatever. He also was too young to just keep at home all the time without risk of us both going bonkers. For my next pregnancy we have bought a bunch of outside toys and I am hoping that the two of them will play more together so that I won't have to go out as much. I definitely dread the thought of being pregnant and watching two kids rather than the thought of taking care of three kids. One bonus is that I only gained 15 lbs the second time since I never had a chance to just sit around. As far as on the outside, there are hard days where Jameson can be crabby and push Anna, or one of them is sick and it's hard to attend to the other, or both are sick and need me at the same time, but all in all it isn't too bad. For the most part they adore each other and it is super sweet to see Jameson being protective of Anna, or see the big hugs they give each other in the morning. I think it has also helped Jameson immensely in not being jealous of much, and has helped him to be able to share better than your average 2.5 year old. The good for sure outweighs the bad, or I wouldn't be wanting to do it again Also with having 3-4 kids, the close spacing will make sure that the gap between the first and last won't be too big either.
Awww... you just don't know how adorable sweet and awesome the boys are! They love their mama's oh so much! And that drama that most girls exist in? Boys don't do it. They are freaking awesome. Trust me!
DS 1 and 3 were awesome. DS 2 was a holy terror. But, he is just the sweetest thing ever and loves me soo much. I swear some days if he could crawl back in to the womb he would. When those little boys look at you with their sweet little voices and say "mommy, you look so pretty today." I swear, you'll melt. You just wait.
The thought of having a colicky 2nd child makes me break out in hives. I can't handle it. Those of you mamas who had to deal with it are goddesses in my book!
Man I read these stories and realize that I had it really easy. I wasn't tired when he was a newborn, breast feeding was easy, and we just had a few meltdowns from Hazel. I still got to shower almost every day and they napped at the same time. They still nap at the same time.
I've decided to have this happen for me when I have the second.
Trudy you should go for this option also! Sounds great
Yes, I am putting in my order now...and I've told DS that he will be a super flexible, chill, STTN older child.
The thought of having a colicky 2nd child makes me break out in hives. I can't handle it. Those of you mamas who had to deal with it are goddesses in my book!
Same here. I shudder when I think of weeks 2-12 with DS. I can't imagine if I'd also had a toddler during those days/nights.
4u2 here. It was tough, not going to lie. The good: Because they are so close in age, when one goes through a stage it won't be long before the other will be doing it to, so I felt like I was more prepared the second time. Also, sharing. They know and understand sharing better. The bad: Having a newborn (for me 2) and a two year old (again 2) was work. I felt like my two year olds were always getting into things while I was occupied with a baby. Finding time for all of them as individuals was hard for me. This is still a challenge I face today, but they are also older now.
You can do this! Just remember that when things get tough, tomorrow is another day. Not all days will be bad, you will have more good days than bad. You will become pro at being able to talk on the phone, while making a bottle, and feeding a toddler. You will become the master of multitasking, you will learn how to shave your legs and brush your teeth at the same time....WHILE going to the bathroom. lol. I was kidding and kinda not kidding about that. When moments get tough, just remember it will pass. You will wear this well! Congrats to the new LO, this is very exciting!
4u2 here. It was tough, not going to lie. The good: Because they are so close in age, when one goes through a stage it won't be long before the other will be doing it to, so I felt like I was more prepared the second time. Also, sharing. They know and understand sharing better. The bad: Having a newborn (for me 2) and a two year old (again 2) was work. I felt like my two year olds were always getting into things while I was occupied with a baby. Finding time for all of them as individuals was hard for me. This is still a challenge I face today, but they are also older now.
You can do this! Just remember that when things get tough, tomorrow is another day. Not all days will be bad, you will have more good days than bad. You will become pro at being able to talk on the phone, while making a bottle, and feeding a toddler. You will become the master of multitasking, you will learn how to shave your legs and brush your teeth at the same time....WHILE going to the bathroom. lol. I was kidding and kinda not kidding about that. When moments get tough, just remember it will pass. You will wear this well! Congrats to the new LO, this is very exciting!
FOUR under two!?!? I know I already knew about that but good lord!
I'm going to need to see that picture again of the older twins bottle feeding the younger twins. So cute!
4u2 here. It was tough, not going to lie. The good: Because they are so close in age, when one goes through a stage it won't be long before the other will be doing it to, so I felt like I was more prepared the second time. Also, sharing. They know and understand sharing better. The bad: Having a newborn (for me 2) and a two year old (again 2) was work. I felt like my two year olds were always getting into things while I was occupied with a baby. Finding time for all of them as individuals was hard for me. This is still a challenge I face today, but they are also older now.
You can do this! Just remember that when things get tough, tomorrow is another day. Not all days will be bad, you will have more good days than bad. You will become pro at being able to talk on the phone, while making a bottle, and feeding a toddler. You will become the master of multitasking, you will learn how to shave your legs and brush your teeth at the same time....WHILE going to the bathroom. lol. I was kidding and kinda not kidding about that. When moments get tough, just remember it will pass. You will wear this well! Congrats to the new LO, this is very exciting!
FOUR under two!?!? I know I already knew about that but good lord!
I'm going to need to see that picture again of the older twins bottle feeding the younger twins. So cute!
Well, I don't know if it technically counts since my older girls just turned 2 three weeks before I had my second set. But I still had 4 in diapers at the same time. I might have to pull up that photo, can't remember which computer I saved it on! I love that picture, they were so cute!!! I gotta go find it!
Post by dixeedeluxe on Apr 9, 2013 11:10:23 GMT -5
Honestly, I don't think any of our challenges were unique to 2u2.  - I don't mind two in diapers - Adeline was my bad sleeper, not Edie - I don't pay for daycare so I didn't have the added cost of two "infants" - Edie was never ever ever jealous of time I spent with Adeline. Ever. I brought Adeline home and then there were just two kids and it's like it was the way it'd always been for Edie. - FF my second, so that really made lots of thing more manageable than they might've otherwise been.  I guess one crappy thing would be that if Adeline wasn't so giant, I wouldn't have been able to re-use any of Edie's old clothes because they were born in opposite seasons. But that corrected itself within weeks.  A good thing is that I didn't have to deal with a tiny baby AND deal with taking an older one to school because she wasn't even 2 yet.
C25K...it works Seaside 5K...........40:45(2012) Turkey Trot..........41:30(2012)/37:08(2013)/37:40(2014) St Pat's 5K..........39:27(2013)/38:48(2014)/35:12(2015) Belair Town Run......38:09(2013)/36:27(2014) Back To Football 5K..37:36(2013)/43:44(2015) Balt Run Fest 5K.....34:59(2013)/41:50(2014)/35:54(2015)
Man I read these stories and realize that I had it really easy. I wasn't tired when he was a newborn, breast feeding was easy, and we just had a few meltdowns from Hazel. I still got to shower almost every day and they napped at the same time. They still nap at the same time.
This is kind of how it was for me. DS1 didn't STTN before Eli, but it was like the sleep gods descended on our house and he suddenly got it by time the DS2 was here. He has a mild temperament and they got along really well. They are 16.5 months apart. I was actually kind of surprised how easy the transition was.
Honestly, I don't think any of our challenges were unique to 2u2.
- I don't mind two in diapers - Adeline was my bad sleeper, not Edie - I don't pay for daycare so I didn't have the added cost of two "infants" - Edie was never ever ever jealous of time I spent with Adeline. Ever. I brought Adeline home and then there were just two kids and it's like it was the way it'd always been for Edie. - FF my second, so that really made lots of thing more manageable than they might've otherwise been.
I guess one crappy thing would be that if Adeline wasn't so giant, I wouldn't have been able to re-use any of Edie's old clothes because they were born in opposite seasons. But that corrected itself within weeks. A good thing is that I didn't have to deal with a tiny baby AND deal with taking an older one to school because she wasn't even 2 yet.
I think this is a big positive that a lot of people don't think of. An 18-24 month old just doesn't have a lot of activities (preschool, playdates, classes) as compared to a 3, 4, 5 year old. I've thought about the fact that if we have ours 3 or so years apart then I'll be dealing with preschool drop offs/pick ups and such while having a newborn.
I have to admit, I was afraid to open this. But now I'm glad I did.
This for me too! For some reason, since this was a surprise, I find myself thinking of all the things to be scared of, instead of all the wonderful benefits of 2u2. Everyone tells me how much they'll love each other, and C won't have a chance to be REALLY jealous. I keep thinking 2 in diapers, 2 in daycare, and on and on. This thread and all the birth stories that are being posted make me kind of excited for October
Post by creamsiclechica on Apr 9, 2013 12:07:16 GMT -5
I have to agree, I was also petrified opening this. And I've been in full on panic mode, since well, as easy as A's temperament is, she still isn't STTN, not even close, so I have been freaking the fuck out thinking I'll never make it. But this is sweet and reassuring that life will be manageable, even if it's a little tough sometimes.
The thought of having a colicky 2nd child makes me break out in hives. I can't handle it. Those of you mamas who had to deal with it are goddesses in my book!
Same here. I shudder when I think of weeks 2-12 with DS. I can't imagine if I'd also had a toddler during those days/nights.
Kai didn't have colic, but he had bad reflux and was a horrible sleeper. I remember thinking in those days that I couldn't understand how people had two kids at all, much less 2u2.
New baby isn't here yet but it is really hard to bend over and get himin and out of the crib. Its also hard picking him up all the time and carrying him around. And the kicks hurt when he is being rough. I will take all the above all. Day every day though in exchange for my new little man.
They will be close in school, be in the same sports, have similar friends, diapers at the same time, less jealousy. I can't wait.