Two

They say that after you have two kids, having more doesn't make it harder. You get used to it.

I don't believe it. {smile}

When I had one I thought "I'm sure two is harder, but how hard can it be?" Well, now I know. With one child, picture being tied to a bike and having it pull you in one direction. With two, picture being pulled by two bikes in different directions. Nice illustration, huh?

Some days that's what it feels like. Maybe that's just because they are little. A three year old and nine month old is a handful. That's just two! Moms of three or more, do you ever feel like you're getting pulled in different directions all day? Does it get easier when they are older or is it just hard in a different way?

There is so much joy in raising children. There is so much sorrow. So much satisfaction and so much discontentment. They fill you and drain you. They make you want to kiss and hug them, they make you want to lock them in the bathroom and run away. They remind you of being a child, and they make you realize  how hard it is to be an adult. 

There is one way that having two has made parenting easier. They now have each other to play with. Baby E no longer needs my attention every minute because she has Baby T's attention. This has made the transition to two so much more bearable! But in every other way I just find it harder. Harder physically, in terms of housework, working from home, getting dinner on the table. Harder because I can't always give them one-on-one attention when they crave it. 

I feel like I got so much more done when I had one. I thought it was really hard, and it was. Going from zero kids to one is a learning curve. Now my brain is occupied with two at all times and it's a thrilling ride, a roller coaster where sometimes you want to scream, smile, or sigh in relief.

How was the transition from one to two for you? What about two to three?