Josiah at 1 Month

On Sunday Josiah turned one month old, and we’ve been happily eating up every minute with this little guy. It’s hard at this point to say what his personality is like — I mean, let’s be honest: he doesn’t do much more than sleep, eat and poop. But in comparing him to Jameson at this age, Jordan and I do get the sense that he’s a bit more relaxed than his older brother was. Jordan is convinced this is due to us being more calm as second-time parents. He could be right, but I also think Josiah might just have a different temperament. Either way, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how his personality develops and reveals itself.

And on the topic of parenthood, a lot of people have asked, “What it’s been like to go from one to two kids?” I certainly asked people this question after they had their second child, and I’d gotten a wide range of responses — from it being pretty overwhelming to it actually being far easier than they expected.

I think we’re falling somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. It’s hard to coordinate logistics like multiple car seats when we travel by car or to calm down two little people when there are simultaneous tears. I’ve definitely had crazy moments where I’ve used one hand to pull Jameson down from his bunk bed and rushed him to the potty, all while using the other hand to cradle Josiah like a football to keep him on the boob.

But there are other things that are easier. We don’t have the shock that can come with having your first child. Where you question how anyone let you leave the hospital with this little person. I haven’t woken up with nightmares about something happening to Josiah while we’re asleep, as I did with Jameson. We’ve been far less intimidated about venturing out around the city with Josiah. And (for now) we can often use Josiah as a “bribe” to combat erratic toddler behavior and make Jameson comply with instructions. Walks to daycare and the bedtime routine are a little smoother when Josiah is involved.
I think we’re also way more present as parents — knowing that the lack of sleep is temporary, the troubleshooting just comes with the territory, and the milestones will come in due time, leaving us space to soak up what’s happening right now.

The random smiles.

The adorable onesies.

The little giggles in his sleep.

The diapers (so, so many diapers).

The uncontrolled movements.

The resistance to waking up to eat.

The inclination to wake up at 1:40 a.m. (like clockwork. every.single.night.)

The finger holding.

The sweet cuddles.

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