Two and Three

Michael and Ava are only 15 and a half months apart in age. So, when Ava was born, Michael was a very young one. Parenting a one year old and a baby was… challenging. We got very little sleep. Michael didn’t understand that sometimes Mama and Daddy needed to tend to Ava, and Ava certainly didn’t understand that sometimes Mama and Daddy needed to tend to Michael. Everyone was in cloth diapers. We changed lots of diapers and washed lots of diapers. There was lots of crying. It was just a rough time. The learning curve for jumping from one baby to two was very steep.

Fast forward a year. Now the children are one and two. They’re both mobile, but not particularly steady on their feet. They’re still both in cloth diapers. Only one of them is talking. This was worrisome. They’re old enough to both want the same toy at the same time. Going out was a challenge because they were both at ages where they had to be closely supervised to make sure they didn’t tumble down a small step, or fall into the creek, or try to climb something they couldn’t get back down from. Again, challenging.

Now we’re at two and three. This stage is nice. They’re both out of diapers (except when asleep). They both talk (yea!). They’re both relatively steady on their feet. I no longer feel like they must be wearing long pants when they’re walking on the sidewalk to prevent bloody knees. They can feed themselves at the table. They can climb up and down most play structures successfully. They can both get up and down the stairs safely. Almost all the baby gates are down. Even the one at the top of the stairs is rarely used. They’re playing with each other. They’re having conversations with each other. I am starting to remember why I wanted my kids to be so close together. I wanted them to be playmates and friends. That is starting now and I like it. I’m beginning to feel less like I’m drowning and more like I’m taking control.

I expect things will only get better from here. Well, better until they’re both pre-teens and teenagers at the same time. That will be a whole new challenge that is thankfully still very far away.