With my first child, I did a lot of things right. However, I also did a lot of things wrong. (She’ll forgive me for posting a picture of her in nothing but a diaper on Facebook one day, won’t she?). One of the best things about having another child is that I’m getting a do over–a chance to right all of the wrongs from my introduction to motherhood. So when my son was born this past April, I promised myself I would do a lot of things differently. Here are just a few:
Make time for cuddling. When my daughter was an infant, I spent most of my time walking around in a sleepy haze–nursing and changing diapers on autopilot. This time, I’m reminding myself to snap out of my zombie-like state and be present. I want to appreciate those quiet moments (even if they do come at 3am!), and snuggle with my little boy. Soon, he’ll be asking me to drop him off three blocks away from school so his friends don’t catch him hopping out of my Subaru!
Don’t rush the firsts. I used to obsess about when my daughter would hit her milestones. I couldn’t wait for her to crawl. And when crawling wasn’t enough, I wanted her to take off on two feet. That was until I realized that the knickknacks in my living room were just too tempting for her little hands to pass up. This time, I plan to appreciate the time when my son is content sitting in a chair at my feet while I read. Because his sister is anxiously waiting to teach him her favorite game: “Hide from Mommy.”
Use my tiny wingman. Rather than complain about the death of my social life, this time around I’m going to do a better job of using my little guy to help me make friends with other mommies. Instead of keeping myself locked up in the apartment, we are going to head out to the playground, the bookstore and anywhere else we can find like-minded people who don’t mind hanging out with the under-three crowd. After all, the playground is one of the few places you can strike up a conversation with a complete stranger and not look weird.
Take advantage of baby’s palate. Before she could talk, my daughter would happily gobble up just about anything that came out of my food processor. Now that she can ask for what she wants, it’s usually only bunny-shaped mac ‘n cheese or peanut butter sandwiches. I have to be more creative than ever to sneak in fruits and veggies. I plan on taking advantage of my son’s clean palate by giving him as much spinach as possible.
Accept a helping hand. With my first, I had something to prove. I wanted to show the world that I was Super Mom, and foolishly turned down help from everyone–including my husband. This time, I will happily accept any offers to help with housework and errands so I can spend more time bonding with the kiddies (or catching up on some much needed sleep!).
