Moments of Musing

Life With Two Under Two

Filed Under: 2under2, mom of two, motherhood //

As I was writing this, I had to stop one sentence in and stop pumping. The baby was hungry and S wanted something. Multitasking has become one of my best skills. I’ll be sure to update my resume with it.

A few days ago, I spoke with my mom over the phone and she asked me how the day was going. I probably told her something along the lines of “Oh, you know—crazy.” She replied something along the lines of, “Well that’s normal when you have two under two” while chuckling.

“I’ve traded a bit of my sanity so my kids could grow up and experience their childhoods together,” I thought to myself after I got off the phone with her. 



That is basically how life with two kids under two-years-old is going… There is constant breast feeding and there are constant tantrums. There are many belly laughs and there are many cries (mainly from the kiddos — I’ve kept it together pretty surprisingly well.) There is basically no shortage of emotion here.

Some days start off with smiles, hugs and kisses. Others start off with cries and tantrums. Some days are much more hectic than others but all days are filled with love.
I’ve learned to let go of expectation and accept having little control over how the days go. I’m learning patience is truly a virtue and is key to feeling in control over my emotions. If I am patient with myself in my mothering role and with the kids in their kids roles then I am much calmer and feel better (AKA less guilty).
These are the days, though. I know I’ll look back and wish for them again. So, I wouldn’t trade any of these days… not even the hard ones. 

Love Your {Postpartum} Body – Pt. 2

Filed Under: motherhood, postpartum body //

Read Part 1 here. 


Each pregnancy, I gained 40+ pounds. This time it was a bit more shocking because I only gained one pound (just one!) the first trimester due to feeling sick. However, once I felt well my appetite caught up with me. 


If you know me, you know I am a relatively healthy eater + try to get workouts in however I can so gaining that much during my first pregnancy was mentally trying. I knew this second time that my body could and would “bounce” back if I treated it well. 

Ultimately, though, I promised to give myself grace with pregnancy #2 and I truly believe it’s allowed me to be less stressed about my body, which in turn has helped me feel emotionally better postpartum, nurse successfully thus far and be healthier (I eat and hydrate MUCH MORE this time postpartum than I did last time!) 

Now, I am still human. So, even though I’m down 32 pounds, I was slightly disappointed it wasn’t more when I stepped on the scale at my appointment last week. There I was disappointed right after I had drafted this body positivity post! The irony was not lost on me. However, I quickly readjusted my attitude and was happy and grateful again that more important than any weight lost, I have healthy kids and I am recovering and feeling well.

All of this is to say to be kind to yourself and your body. Treat it well. Nourish it — with the right foods (and treats!), love and self-care. Have grace. Give grace. 


So, You’re Having a Boy

Filed Under: boy mom, motherhood //

This post is for all the moms of boys, perhaps especially those who were wishing for girls.

Before we found out our first baby’s sex when I was pregnant, I had a nightmare and in it, my main concern was the well-being of my baby boy. Something about that nightmare and the powerfulness of it told me I was having a boy. I just felt it was a sign. I started preparing myself on my Pinterest baby board, which had mainly girly things, and got to pinning baby boy-related pins. Lo and behold a few months later, we found out he was a boy.

(I had a dream during my second pregnancy, too, but it confused me. In it, my mom told me I was having a girl — but I was upset in reaction to her news. I wasn’t sure whether that meant the baby was a girl and I was simply upset because I wanted another boy, or that the baby was a boy.)

Of course, when I found out I was having my first boy I wondered whether I would still be able to do some of the things moms and baby girls can do. As a boy mom, I’m here to tell you, yes you can:

1. You can co-sleep and cuddle with your baby boy.

2. You can match outfits with your baby boy.

3. You can bathe with your baby boy.

4. You can go shopping with– and even ask advice of (haha)–your baby boy.

5. Most importantly, you will bond with him and love him endlesy, and he will love you. That’s what matters most, right? Not what sex or gender he is but that he is your child and you are his mom, for life.

Maternity Leave Guest Series: 3 Tips on Becoming a Mom of Two

Filed Under: guest post, maternity leave guest series, motherhood //

As most of you know, I will be away from blogland a bit while I’m on maternity leave. Lucky for me – AND you!- I’ve partnered with some lovely bloggers to consistently bring you great content. 

This week, I am sharing a post by Joceline from A Raad Story. She offers some great tips for transitioning to becoming a mom of two.

 Enjoy!

 (Maternity robe by ShopPinkBlush.com)

This week we welcomed our second baby and first baby girl, Olivia Joy!  And she has indeed brought our now, family of four, so much happiness.  I began to feel a tad nervous for my firstborn son a few days prior to the baby’s arrival.  Our days consisted of mommy-and-me moments of quality time that demanded my full attention, so you can imagine why I began to worry how my son would handle having a new baby around the house.  Fortunately, with the advice of other seasoned moms and asking God for wisdom on this new stage, I can honestly say that my son has transitioned better than expected!  There are a few ways I am making sure his transition of being the only child to becoming the big brother, are as smooth as possible.  Here are 3 things that have helped me become a mom of two and help my firstborn transition to having a new baby in town. 
  1. Maintain your firstborn’s same routine.  My firstborn son is a toddler.  We’ve had him on a routine since he was a newborn.  When he is out of his routine, for example, when he does not take his afternoon nap when he is supposed to, he becomes fussy.  We wanted to make sure that upon returning home from the hospital, he would be on his routine no matter what!  Because your newborn baby will be sleeping most of the time, you will notice that it is easy to keep your firstborn’s routine.  We have been able to continue with Caleb’s routine primarily because newborn babies sleep a lot during the day.
  2. Make him or her feel extra special.  My sister who is now a mom of 3, gave me this advice and we have applied it with Caleb.  When he does something new, we celebrate it by saying phrases like, “Wow, Caleb, good job!” or “Yay Caleb!” And clap our hands.  It makes him feel special.  If your child is older, you can say words of affirmation and also spend quality time with them.  Another way to make your older child feel special is by including him or her in activities that involve your newborn, such as, during diaper changes, they can pass you a diaper, etc. and these small tasks will make them happy to help out.
  3. Encourage and allow them to get acquainted naturally.  Do not force your older child to hug or hold the baby if they do not want to.  Simply introduce them and any time you are with your newborn, welcome your older child to come, see, and touch the baby.  If you have a toddler, they will obviously not fully understand that newborns must be handled with care, so be extra careful when they reach out to touch the baby.  Unknowingly, they may tap or reach out roughly, so always keep an eye out whenever they are together.  My son has naturally transitioned into a protective older brother and is always on the look out when he hears his sister cry.  He runs to me and tries to tell me – it’s the cutest thing!
Other things to consider: 
  • At the hospital, I placed my newborn in her bed when I knew my son was coming for the first time to meet his baby sister.  When he came in, my attention was on him and I happily greeted him.  Then we introduced him to the baby, however because my son is still too young, he didn’t comprehend completely what was going on and he kept on running and playing.  If you have an older child, you can try what my sister did with her kids.  She greeted them with a small gift and told them the baby “brought them gifts”. These are little details that can make all the difference.
  • Don’t take it personal if he only wants daddy.  My son only wanted to be with his dad during the first two days of having his sister around.  This behavior is natural.  But he or she will slowly draw closer to you again as the days go by.
  • I knew I wouldn’t be able to carry my son a month after childbirth and the thought of this made me feel blue days before.  I wanted to hold my 15 month old son a little longer and carry him all the time.  I even rocked him to sleep the night before going to the hospital and embraced that moment with all my heart.  I strongly encourage you to pick up, carry, and hold your firstborn child a little longer!  Because you will definitely miss this for a couple of weeks.
Being a mom of two is the sweetest feeling!  God makes us capable of handling and enjoying both children with love and wisdom.  If you are a soon-to-be mom of two, there is nothing to worry about.  You will do a wonderful job!  Hope these tips will help you transition smoothly.
Here are a few photos of my last day as a mom of one.  I’m so glad I captured these moments.  Enjoy!  (Maternity robe by ShopPinkBlush.com)















Maternity Leave Guest Series: 6 Month Baby Schedule

Filed Under: baby, guest post, maternity leave guest series, motherhood //

As most of you know, I will be away from blogland a bit while I’m on maternity leave. Lucky for me – AND you!- I’ve partnered with some lovely bloggers to consistently bring you great content. 

This week, I am sharing a post by Rachael from Rach Somp. She offers great insight into what a 6 month baby schedule can look like. 



Enjoy!






Max’s Onsie: Old Navy  /  Max’s Jeans: Old Navy  /  Max’s Cap: Amazon  /  Max’s Shoes: Converse



How?  How in the world has it been 6 months since our baby boy entered this world.  For some reason I still can’t seem to wrap my head around it all.  It is true what they say that the days are long but the months are short.  As hard and as challenging as these past 6 months have been it goes without saying that they have been the very best months of our lives.  I have worked hard the past few weeks to get Max on an actual baby schedule so I figured I would share what we are doing and along with some of our current favorite things.

As a reference here is Max’s Nursery details as well as my favorite Newborn Baby Must Haves in case you have any questions on newborn items or things you see from his nursery in the above pictures.

**A few mentionables:  This is 100% what works for us.  There is not one baby that is like another so what works for us might not work for you.  I am currently home with Max all day so my schedule might not be realistic for moms who work outside of the home.  Again, this is all okay!   I am simply hoping to share some insight into our day in the hopes that this might help some of you out there.   I rely heavily on Moms on Call so feel free to download their books via Amazon.



Our 6 Month Baby Schedule

7:00am  Max wakes for the day
  •  If he wakes and is a little fussy I try to hold him off to as close to 7am as I can and I wake him at 7am even if he is still sleeping 



7:05am  Feeding

  • Feedings would be either breastmilk or formula, whichever you are currently doing


7:15am  Play time
  • We still love our skip hop play mat
  • We hang more things from it like the O Ball
  • Any book that is crinkly he loves to put in his mouth
  • Scout via Leapfrog is his current favorite 



8:00am  Feeding- Solid Foods  2-3oz

  • I have been making a majority of our food in bulk via the baby brezza
  • Then I freeze everything in these OXO food trays
  • I also use these bibs because no one warned me just how messy it will get and how you really can’t get those stains out of their clothes.  I ruined so many sleepers and onsies from food
  • we currently use this Chicco 360 Hook Chair instead of a traditional high chair.  I do love the ease of the swivel chair but I do have my eye on this high chair
  • Here are the spoons we got and I still have yet to purchase any baby bowls or plates
  • We are starting to sippy cup train after eating solids (i just hand him the sappy cup and he puts it to his mouth, eventually I will put milk in it) 


8:15am Play Time

9:00am  Nap
  • Generally he sleeps about 1.5 hours in his crib.  I don’t let him sleep more than 2 hours
  • We use the Merlin’s Magic Sleepsuit during his daytime naps
  • We use white noise, a humidifier and I do make it as dark as I can for him.  He used to hate napping in his crib during the day but the sleep suit helped us!

11:00am  Feeding 
  • I try to hold him off as best as I can so he feeds at this time, regardless of when he wakes from his nap

11:15am Playtime
  • This Zany Cube came highly recommended from other moms so we ordered it.  It arrives today!
  • We are also getting ready to order this Vtech Sit to Stand Walker.  Another highly recommended item
  • He is starting to really love his jumper
  • His grandparents spoiled him over Christmas with his very own BWM that I push him around on



12:00pm Short/Light Feeding 


12:05pm Back to Play Time

1:00pm Afternoon Nap
  • I tend to use this time to run errands if I need to.  He doesn’t always get a deep sleep if we are out and about and tends to dose in and out 
  • This nap is No longer than 2 hours. If we are home this nap is in his crib and sleep suit 
  • If he sleeps long in the morning this nap tends to be only an hour
  • If I am home I will play with and distract him until his next feeding

3:00 pm  Feeding

3:15pm Playtime
  • I try to get 30 minutes each play session of one on one time interacting with him 
  • Then I give him his space and independent time (aka I try to also get stuff done!)

4:30pm  Feeding- Solids 2-3 oz

4:45pm-6:45pm Varies
  • Drew is typically home so during these hours we will walk the dogs while Max is in the stroller.  
  • sometimes Max will fall asleep during the walk, if not then he typically falls asleep around 6:00pm.  These naps are never more than 30 minutes

6:45pm Story Time
  • He starts to get really fussy around this time because he is getting hungry and tired.  We try to read to him and distract him as much as possible

7:00pm  Bathtime

7:20pm Final Feeding 

7:45pm  He is typically asleep by this time
  • I burp him and no longer let him fall asleep while feeding.  I want him good and full!
  • I put him in his dock a tot, in the crib while he is awake.  He used to fuss but doesn’t anymore
  • The white noise is on, humidifier is on, thermostat set to 71 degrees (don’t forget we live in FL so only the A/C runs) 
  • He sleeps in cotton sleepers and a Halo Sleepsack
  • He officially sleeps through the night and wakes again between 6:00-7:00am


Obviously no day is the exact same and somedays are harder then others.  For example I wrote this post and the next morning Max woke at 5am crying off and on until 6:30am unit I finally caved and got him up for the day.  Sometimes I have more things to do and we are out and about but the above schedule is what I would call a typical day.  


My main focus was to get Max sleeping through the night when he was first born so most of my energy went towards that.  I felt by the time he hit 5 months we were both ready to get our days in order.  Up until that point our days were a free for all.  (which is 100% okay!)  I actually start back to work part time from home today for an advertising company in addition to wanting to revamp and form my own brand.  This was the driving factor in me wanting to a set baby schedule during the day.  I now feel it is easier for me to plan and get most of the things done in a day that I need to get done.  

I hope this helps some of you new moms out there.  Don’t forget it’s all trial and error and no one knows what is best for your baby but you!