We’ve officially made it past the four week mark with baby Charlotte, and I have to say I’m incredibly proud of Garrett for adjusting to this new way of life so quickly and so well. From the minute he saw Charlotte, he went into big brother mode – asking to hold her, and wanting to get as close to her as possible if anyone else was holding her. Every morning he walks into our room (where I’m more than likely nursing Charlotte back to sleep) and he gets as high-pitched as a banshee saying “Hiiiiii. Whatcha doingggggg?” (I realized that he gets this from me – isn’t it funny how a toddler can remind you just how often you say things out of habit?). There have only been a handful of times where he’s gotten upset over me not being able to do whatever it was he was asking me to do, which ended up making me feel way more guilty than he had intended. Even so, I try not to let my head wander to “that place.” That place where you remember what it was like with just you and him. That place where your mind tricks you into thinking he would have been so much happier as an only child.
Nope, not gonna put myself through that. I’ve come to realize, with a little encouragement from fellow mamas of multiples, that it just takes time. So I’m calling this my “grace period.” I’m going to forgive myself for all the things I would have normally beaten myself over the head about and just let it go. So what, I totally forgot about the witching hour when your baby screams their head off cuz they’re so overtired, and all they really want is just to be swaddled. So what, I won’t be able to do every little thing for my son anymore and he may just have to learn to do things for himself (oh the horror!). So what, I ate a huge vat of queso that was clearly too spicy because now my baby has a gas bubble the size of Texas – cuz dang that was good. So what, I decided to have half a cider because my sweet friend bought us a six pack – it’s like apple juice for the baby right? (J/K I totally didn’t nurse her until later – calm down, sanctimommies).
As hard as these first few weeks/months are adjusting to a family of four, there are a few bits of advice that have really helped us so far. One was the aforementioned “grace” that never comes easy, but is an absolute must – especially if this isn’t your first child. Trust me, you’re gonna still make mistakes and no one will fault you for that, and if they do they’re not worth a flip anyway. The second was to find little pockets of time to spend with just your older child. So when my new favorite children’s brand, Seedling (see previous post), launched a whole new line of space activity kits – mama was psyched. I knew it would be the perfect activity for me to do with Garrett at home while Charlotte napped, and given his overwhelming reaction to the first package we received – I was excited to surprise him with more space-themed fun.
Here’s my little monkey in action with all three kits, but I think the Galaxy coloring kit was his favorite – as you can see by the pics :). The peg people are super cute, and my mom loved them because she said it reminded her of when they used to play with clothes pins all the time as kids. I was most excited about the solar system, and it was a good thing, because I had to definitely be involved more with that one. I’ll just say that air dry clay is not for the faint of heart – it’s quite a bit messy/sticky, which of course Garrett loved – so I took off my “oh my gosh, how am I going to clean this up” mom hat for two seconds and just enjoyed the mommy and me time :).
*Disclosure: I received a complimentary product in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.
Interstellar Peg People ($8.99)
Launch littles one’s imaginations into the next dimension! This simple to make DIY kit includes everything you need to create two mini space explorers and a rocket ship to zip them up to the stars.
Be The Master of Your Own Solar System ($49.99)
Create a universe all your own! Use this set of planets and stars, colored clay, glitter, and fabric to create the ultimate solar system.
Colour the Galaxy ($19.99)
3, 2, 1 blast off! Take a creative journey through space as you color the galaxy your way. This DIY craft set makes the perfect activity for an afternoon of creative play!
These kits look awesome! Definitely checking out for my daughter. And give yourself that grace mama!
They are so cool & they have all different kinds! Thank you ?
What a fun and creative activity for your little guy!
Thanks! We had the best time doing them together ?
These kits are pretty amazing and he looks like he is having so much fun! Also, I use to nurse while drinking a beer…come at me sanctimommies!!
They are the best and he gets so excited to do them together ? Bahaha, yessss! Well it’s good for lactation at least ?
First, such a fun activity. Second, always always allow for a grace period during every transition! <3
We had so much fun doing all three ? Thank you for the support & I’m doing so much better with that the second time around ?
It’s so great that your taking time to enjoy these with him! Go mama!
Thanks!! I’m trying so hard to spend time with just him and hopefully it’s helping the new baby transition ? Plus I just miss my time with him and we had so much fun with these!