Getting the hang of 2 kids - A few tips

So... Little Luke just turned 4 months old.


Not sure how he is already that old!
Fastest 4 months of my life! But we can't imagine life without baby Luke!
He adds the perfect amount of sweetness and "Chill" that our household sometimes needs during some crazy 3 year old tantrums that seem to be occurring more frequently HA.

Adjusting from one kid to two was a little tough for me, but also easier in ways where I assumed it would be harder. If that makes any sense at all?! Just roll with it :)

The hardest adjustment for me has been the amount of energy I felt I lacked in the transition from 1 to 2! So I thought of the top 3 things that have helped ME since having two kiddos to have more energy every day.

#1. GO TO BED AT A DECENT HOUR. This may be self explanatory but seriously makes all the difference in my attitude and mood for the day!

Get your SLEEP!  I remember after just having Ryan and having a rough night when he was sick, wouldn't eat, ETC, and I was exhausted. HOWEVER, that exhaustion was made better with the fact that I was able to sleep the next day anytime he slept. :) Fast forward to NOW, having two kids and regardless of the night I have had with baby Luke, I'm up bright and early when my toddler calls "MOMMY" from his bedroom at whatever time that may be. 

Aaron and I have had to adjust our schedule a little to make sure we still have "US" time at night, while also getting to bed at a decent hour so I can get up, get in a little workout, and have enough energy for my morning "MOMMY" call from my 3 year old.

2 things that helped with getting more sleep and adjusting our schedule...
#1. Put the kids to bed earlier to make sure we get plenty of "US time".
#2. Save movies and certain shows till the weekend so we aren't tempted to keep watching until late hours. We obviously have had a history of this :)



#2. WORK OUT BEFORE THE KIDS GET UP.

Ok, I realize some of you go to the gym and take the kids - totally awesome! But if you are like us with no gym pass and doing morning DVD's or morning runs, try and do them before the kids get up.
If you follow step #1 at getting to bed at a decent hour, your body can get up 30 minutes earlier from your normal wake up time to work out. I have such a better day with WAY more energy if I get up, workout, and have breakfast almost ready by the time Ryan wakes up. Sometimes Ryan gets up earlier than usual and throws off my schedule so I put a show on for him, get him a little baggie of cereal to hold him over until breakfast and then I go and finish my workout. Everyone can do 30 minutes. Just remember that tomorrow morning :)
I am 95 percent sure I will NOT work out if I don't start before the kiddos wake up, it's SO much harder when they are up! ( plus there are a million and five more excuses to justify NOT working out when they are up ) 


#3. Nap time / Quiet TIME

OCCASSIONALLY the stars will align and both boys will be down for naps at the same time! It's quite the miracle. Ryan is still taking good naps ( knock on wood ) but even for the days he doesn't fall asleep, I stick him in his room for "quiet time". I set some books by his bed and he is pretty good about laying in bed for awhile looking at books or playing quietly.
I NEED this time. Ryan knows that it's not an option whether or not to go down for a nap or to have quiet time. It happens at the same time, every single day.  During this time ( where hopefully Luke is napping ) I go lay down, shut my eyes for a second or two, and try to rest. It makes all the difference and gives me a boost for the second half of the day :)

If I get all 3 of those things in, I am guaranteed to have more energy and I'm positive I'm a way more patient, happy mom :) Which they deserve so much. - Sweetest kiddos!


Once you have the energy, gosh it's the cutest best thing ever watching them together.
My mommy heart just explodes.

Sometimes I double take my kids because they are SO similar. The first thing I notice in this picture is the same little button nose! ^^ Little twinners. Ryan gets so frustrated because Aaron and I call him "Luke" and Luke, "Ryan" half the time. Always messing them up. We are totally "THOSE" parents.
Aaron's like "Well honey, I guess we have a definite "mold" for the look of our children" HA and apparently Aaron has really strong genes because our babies have "POWELL" written all over them. :)


Ryan joins in on tummy time.
"Luke do a funny face like me!"
And this is Luke's face 95 percent of the time while he watches Ryan be all crazy. ^^
( And yes Ryan's right eye is starting to swell. Poor thing. This is before it got really really bad, but that's a story for another day :) )


Ryan is in quite the Imagination stage right now and it's so fun to watch.
The other day he grabbed an empty box from our extra bedroom upstairs, and said he wanted to make a caboose.
I was thinking to myself, "a caboose?" Ok, child, whatever your little heart desires.

He then asked for a red marker. 
Colored the box red. 
Then he went to try and pick Luke up...
I saved a "potentially dangerous moment" when I asked where he wanted to take Luke. HA

"To my caboose MOMMY!" he replied.

So of course I stepped in and stuck some pillows and blankets to make Luke's bumpy ride around the house a little more safe in the hands of his 3 year old brother.
Luke is such a trooper. And I applauded Ryan on his creativity! Made for one exciting afternoon before daddy got home.



Oh let's not forget that Ryan wanted his sharks to ride in the caboose with Luke but wanted Luke NOT to touch them. This is him saying "NO BABY LUKE, You can't touch my sharks!"  ^^ He is clearly still learning to share his toys with his brother. HA Luke is a little saint - just chill as ever!


Luke hardly ever cries. Best baby ever.
But I will say, he WILL cry is when you set him down while we eat dinner.
It's like he knows what's going on and doesn't want to miss out on hearing Ryan's 500 stories he has to tell daddy when he gets home from work.
So Luke is ALWAYS at the table with us.
Granted Ryan puts him to sleep with his story telling and Luke doesn't quite make it through dinner wide eyed ;) but he is always there with us.

( And yes, Aaron is eating a veggie straw.. ^^ We keep dinner classy over here! )


Please be best best friends one day. ^^


So as long as Luke doesn't "accidentally" touch Ryan's sharks,
we have a happy household :)
But in all seriousness, they are the cutest together, and Luke just lights up every time Ryan walks in the room!
I'm so happy they will always have each other.
Here's to being a mom to the TWO sweetest baby boys! The best.

Karina Marie Powell

7 comments:

  1. Your so awesome! Thanks for the tips I'm getting pretty excited/nervous for two boys! But seeing your guys together makes me more excited! They are the cutest!

    ReplyDelete
  2. They are seriously so cute! Thanks for the awesome tips, I'll have to file that away for someday :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such a great post my friend, and three very important tips to coping with two!!
    And these boys are the cutest - just love them! x

    ReplyDelete
  4. they are sooo cute, karina! and seriously TWINS. I love it. Also love your little tips! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  5. You have such beautiful children and they look so much alike!! I think these are great tips, we dont have kids yet but I am filing these ideas away in the back of my head! I think the nap time/ quiet time is a wonderful idea!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Totally agree with all of these tips! Also, we LOVE veggie straws for dinner. :) Miss you guys!! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's amazing that you find the time to work out before they wake up! What time do you get up to do that? I have a 2 1/2 month old and as much as I would love to do it - his morning and wake time is still unpredictable!

    ReplyDelete