The Second Time Mom

As a second time mom, I face all the typical stuff - taking fewer pictures, making one child wait while I tend to the other child, comparing the two children, etc. There are a few things that caught me by surprise though.

As a first time mom, I remember hearing that we should savor the time we have when they are infants. I had a really hard time with this. I don't know if it was because Sam was a difficult baby or because I was so impatient, wanting to see what he could do next. With Rae, I don't seem to have this problem. She hasn't rolled over yet, even though other babies her age are rolling? No problem, she'll do it eventually. Instead, I love having conversations with my chatty girl in baby speak. I love her gummy smiles after I nurse her. I love how she throws her legs in the air and giggles when I take her diaper off.

I try find the time each day to just soak in Rae in her infant stage. She's definitely an easier baby than Sam was, but even on those tough days, I find myself just reveling in her current state of being. I don't want her to grow up too fast or too slow. I just want her to be Rae.

I also find that because I am more confident in my parenting abilities (Sam's turning out to be a pretty great kid, if I do say so myself), I am not agonizing over decisions. A lot of these were things we already went through with Sam, so that is part of it, but there are things that we're doing differently. We're still cloth diapering, vaccinating, and sending her to daycare. However, we're working on that whole "fall asleep on your own" thing a little earlier. (Part of that is Rae though, she just doesn't want to be rocked to sleep and fights sleep if we try to cuddle her when she's tired.)

I also have NO interest in "Mommy Wars". I have made peace with my parenting choices and I feel no need to defend myself or judge others for their choices. I know which topics will start a fight and steer clear.

Being a second time mom has already held plenty of surprises and I am sure there are plenty more.