These excerpts are from
Baby Number Two By Christina Schmidt via mothering.com
When we had our second baby, I secretly feared we'd made a terrible mistake. My older son had just entered the notorious Twos. The new baby demanded constant attention and required maddeningly little sleep. I'd wanted my children close in age so they would be friends, but I often doubted we would survive to see that day.
As the months passed, I anxiously awaited any sign of sibling bonding, but for the most part my older son regarded his baby brother with nothing more than curiosity, boredom, some jealousy, and occasional disdain. I'd envisioned the second baby bringing us into balance as a family, and imagined all the wonderful things my two sons would experience together. What I got was extreme sleep deprivation, resentment, and excessive guilt, as I struggled to meet everyones needs and to remember why this had once seemed like such a good idea.
But I've learned to appreciate life as a mother of two and the chaos that naturally follows. You have to be more observant -- the joyful moments are usually brief, unexpected, and tucked obscurely within everyday life, but invariably they are off-the-charts adorable. One minute I'll be thinking that my children are aliens bent on the destruction of mankind and all I want is to beam them back to their mother ship. Then suddenly they'll trot down the hall with their arms around each other, singing and laughing together, and I marvel at the magic of their interactions.
encouragement from a MOPs blogger...
Little Bird is tired of school. It was really fun for about eight months and she couldn’t wait to go. Now she complains. She drags her feet, she whines. I can’t say I blame her. I’m getting tired too.
I know I need a break, and yet I keep going. Scheduling appointments and playdates when what we all need is an hour with the shades drawn and a stack of books. I can guarantee you we need this more than we need a clean kitchen or car, and heck, maybe even more than we need clean socks. I don’t know why I imagine I should be capable of going enormous stretches of time without rest. If I don’t rest, I’m not a good mother. Simple as that.
It’s the same reason why on an airplane they tell you to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting your child. We are no good to our children if we have passed out. So why is it so hard for moms to take a little break? Often, when I do get rest, I feel guilty about it. My husband takes the girls out to the park or I escape to a coffee shop, and as I sit there nagging guilt wriggles in—I should be with my kids now, the little voice says. But I remind myself that I am resting now so I can enjoy them later. I can’t have one without the other.
Rest is important for every task. I once heard it said that resting when you are tired is as important for creativity as working when you are inspired. The same thing goes for all jobs, and especially for mothering. I notice some rests are more satisfying than others.
Sure, we’d all love to fly to the Caribbean. But in the meantime, I find a big difference between slumping brain dead in front of the TV at 9 p.m. for my ‘rest’ and taking a half-hour coffee break to do some journaling or just sitting outside looking at the sky. Sure, sometimes the slump is necessary because we are exhausted. But it’s the purposeful rest that revitalizes me and makes me feel like I’ve had some quality time for myself. That allows me to keep giving to my kids.
We all know this, but I know I can use a reminder. Little Bird and Starbuck are just plain tired of school. Their bodies are telling them it’s time for a break. If we listen, our bodies will too. I’m no expert on scripture, but I’m pretty sure that even God took time to rest – so I’m pretty sure it’s okay for moms to as well.
by Brittany 5/31/2011 http://www.mom-ology.org/page.php?pageid=3005
