Pros and Cons on being Child #2 (at least for Eleanor):
Let's start with the Cons:
1. Baby Book - Likely, you don't have one. And if you do, it's probably pretty dismal. Kenley has an ultra sound book, mommy's belly book, a baby book, and much of her first two years of life blogged. Eleanor has maybe 3 pages filled out in her baby book?
2. Photos Displayed - There probably aren't very many of you. John and I, in general, are pretty terrible at getting photos hung. We do have a giant family canvas as well as some relative and Kenley photos in a collage. Eleanor has...nothing. I know! Gasp! We hung up two empty frames right before she was born with the intention of filling them with pictures of the new baby. Um...that was 18 months ago y'all.
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| How have I not hung up pictures of this beauty?! |
3. Hand Me Downs - You have tons. Kenley had some of the most adorable little onesies and dresses. Eleanor has them too but...they may have small spit up stains on them. Whatever, not going to buy new Little Boden clothes. Also, you get all the hand me down toys, bedding, shoes, etc. Which may actually be a pro? SO many toys from the get go.
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| Kenley hand me downs |
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| We finally got you some of your own |
4. Visitors - Less of them. Pretty much every human we know came to visit Kenley in the hospital or at home during her first few weeks of life. Eleanor...um...the grandparents came to the hospital and um...a handful of people stopped by over a few months. Don't worry E, you're still very much loved.
5. Nap Schedule - Is there even one? With two kids, Eleanor has more or less needed to just "go with the flow". Car naps, carrier naps, stroller naps, etc. Kenley was on a very strict, "We must be home by X time!" Sleep when you can Eleanor!
6. Room Decor - It's probably pretty simple. Pre-Kenley we purchased adorable floral bedding, bird decals, I made bird letters for her name, made a map heart frame of everyone in the family, had vases of flowers, etc. Eleanor has...one cloud and raindrop frame in her section of their room.
7. Extracurricular Activities - There probably aren't very many. We had Kenley in all the "mommy and me" stuff (swim, gymboree, etc.) Eleanor's extracurricular activities are...
museum tours? That's fun though too!
What a downer blog right? Well...there are some winner things about being the second born!
The AWESOME parts about being child number two:
1. Treats - You get them at an earlier age! Kenley wasn't allowed to have sugar until maybe 20 months. Eleanor has...well...get ready to judge me...had a lollipop around 10 months. It's tricky to allow your 3 year old to have one and your littlest look at you like "WTF, where is mine?!"
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| Considering there is a 7-11 on our block, I'm impressed with my skills of not letting E have a Slurpee for 17 months |
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| Popcorn is her guilty pleasure. She is currently eating a bowl of it while I write this blog |
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| Lollipop the size of her face from Wizarding World of Harry Potter. She actually didn't even like it. |
2. Nursing - You get to nurse pretty much forever. I naturally dried up with Kenley when she was around 10.5 months. I had planned on stopping when she was one anyways so no big deal. Eleanor is still nursing at 18 months. Last kid, nurse as long as you want, I'm gonna miss it.
3. Sleep Arrangements - The philosophy this time around is likely "Whatever way I can get sleep". Kenley sleeps in her bed, by herself. Well...daddy has to stay in there sometimes because we are going through an afraid of the dark/sees faces in things phase (hopefully a phase). Eleanor has taken over our king sized bed. Yes, we co-sleep. Never my intention but...only way to catch a tiny bit of sleep.
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| Napping on mommy |
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| Napping on cousin Kelsey |
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| Your crib is primarily used for playing |
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| You napped in there ONCE. It was glorious |
4. Mom has it figured out - Okay, this isn't true AT ALL. If the kids are alive at the end of the day, it was a good day.
5. Fun Adventures - You get to go to some many fun places and see new exciting things. With Kenley we stayed home a lot other than our extracurricular activities and short park outings. Eleanor has been to numerous museums, beaches, parks, theme parks, etc. She will probably never remember any of them but I have photos and videos of her joy at seeing giant balloons, mammoth skeletons, wind tubes, the beach, etc.
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| Apple Picking |
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| Malibu |
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| Universal Studios Hollywood |
6. Toys - You get to play with toys that are "not meant for kids under 3". Don't get me wrong people, I keep close eye on her that she doesn't swallow anything. But with Kenley I was very strict with those suggestions. Eleanor has been playing with playdoh for pretty much ever. You also get to "watch" TV at an earlier age. You lose interest after 5-8 minutes but know the word "Minion" and "Barney".
7. A Loving Older Sibling - The absolute best part of being child number two - having a big sister who adores you and thinks you are hilarious. Except maybe when you are stealing her toys.
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| Loving on baby sister |
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| Showing off her baby at the doctor |
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| Nakey TV watching |
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| "Don't worry Eleanor, I've got you" |
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| My favorite sisters ever |
