Pregnant again!

Dianne - posted on 01/26/2010

I had 3 boys, 18mo and 2.5 yrs apart respectively. The middle child only slept 2 hours at night and when he was awake, he was in trouble. We don't remember 1992 at all due to sleep deprivation. At the age of 8 he started to outgrow the ADHD behaviors, and now he is our quiet, peaceful child. I used to hire 2 -13yr old's to babysit for an hour or 2 after school. They had taken a babysitting course and were very dependable. This saved my sanity.
All I can say is hang in there. If at all possible, walk them an hour or 2 daily. No matter how hard it is for you. Make it a goal to get out of the house. We went to McDonalds play room when it rained. Dad and I got some talk time and the kids burned off their energy.
Enjoy them, they grow so fast. Sleep well.

Dana - posted on 01/24/2010

Thanks for posting Emily! I know it is going to be ok, just still getting used to the idea a little :) I love that my girls are so close and we planned it that way, but we were thinking we would wait a couple more years and have 2 more close together. That's what we get for making plans, I guess... Thanks for the ideas for around the house. I know seeing a mess when he walks in is what bugs my husband the most too. I'm hoping to have some sort of cleaning schedule put into place in the next few months so I'll be in the habit of it already when the baby comes and hopefully I won't be as frazzled as I'm afraid I will be :) I really do LOVE my babies and love being home with them, and you're right about baby carries being a life saver! I discovered that early on with my son when I just couldn't put him down. I'll be going to the dr on Thursday so I know seeing that little baby in there for real will definitely be the turning point from 'how am I going to do this?' to 'I know I can do this' Your babies are adorable by the way :) My husband brought up the possibility of us having twins a couple of weeks ago when we noticed my belly sticking out much sooner than it has in the past. Scary!

Emily - posted on 01/23/2010

Me! me! me!! My first two are 12 months and 1 day apart. #2 and #3 are exactly 19 months apart, and there's a 20 1/2 month gap between #3 and my twins (who are now 4 months old). So, currently, my girls are 4, 3 and 2. And yes... I have 5 children under 5.

Honestly, I love it. It can be very crazy, loud, stressful and frustrating sometimes, but it's totally worth it. My older three girls are the best of friends and are much more creative together than when they're apart. They come up with some pretty creative games. Sometimes they get a little too hyper when all three of them are together and I have to separate them (like now... they're each getting "break-time" on their own beds).

As for the house and the husband, take is slow and don't expect too much. Ask your husband to be responsible for one regular household task... maybe he can start one load of laundry before he leaves for work... maybe he can do the dinner dishes (or better, cook dinner), and encourage him to be a part of the bedtime routine (it's the only way I survived coordinating bedtime for so many little ones... I can do it on my own now if I have to, but it can be a fun family time when DH and I do it together).

For the house, ask your DH what bothers him most about the house (only one thing!) and make sure that one thing is taken care of before he gets home from work. My DH hates walking into the house and seeing a mess first thing... so we try to do a pick up of the living room just before he gets home, and vacuuming is an extra bonus. When we do our pick-ups, we grab a laundry basket and just throw in all the misplaced stuff (toys, laundry, throw-pillows, loose papers & art projects, etc). We can have the house *looking* great within 10 minutes (the kids help fill our "cleanup basket"), and then it's pretty easy for me to sit in one spot, sort through the basket and hand things to kids to run and put away as fast as they can. :)

Congrats and good luck with your wonderful adventure!

Oh... and baby carriers are complete lifesavers!! I can't tell you how many hours I've spent with babies & toddlers on my back in the last few years. :)

Catlin - posted on 01/14/2010

I only have 2 babes that are almost 5 years apart, so I don't know what you're going through. But, maybe take a "girls" weekend and leave the hubby home with the kids. My hubby just had to get on unemployment due to lack of work, so he stays home with the kids on the 3 days I have to work. All of a sudden he doesn't complain that it doesn't look like I didn't do anything if I've been home and he's been out for the day =) Congratulations...?

Catlin - posted on 01/14/2010

I only have 2 babes that are almost 5 years apart, so I don't know what you're going through. But, maybe take a "girls" weekend and leave the hubby home with the kids. My hubby just had to get on unemployment due to lack of work, so he stays home with the kids on the 3 days I have to work. All of a sudden he doesn't complain that it doesn't look like I didn't do anything if I've been home and he's been out for the day =) Congratulations...?