Tomorrow, my second child will be two. I am sitting here trying to figure out how that's possible and how I actually managed to make it to this point. The past two years have been amazing, but they have also been incredibly challenging. My second daughter was born a short fifteen months after I had my first daughter. I had two kids under two for a total of nine months. I know nine months doesn't seem like a long time, but it was nine months of not sleeping for more than four consecutive hours, nine months of at least twelve diaper changes every day, nine months of wearing clothes covered in spit up, nine months of being overwhelmed anytime I tried to leave the house with my children and even without my children. It was a long nine months. The good news is, we made it to my oldest daughters second birthday; we survived two under two! Then my husband deployed. After surviving those first nine months with the most amazing teammate in the journey of parenthood, I now had to figure out how to do it alone. I wish I could tell you that having them so close together was easy, I wish I could tell you that single parenting was easy, I wish I could tell you that I have been nothing but patient with them every step of the way and I wish I could tell you that parenting didn't make me anxious and overwhelmed, but I can't.
I can't tell you that any of it will be easy (has anyone ever said parenting was easy), but what I can tell you is that within the day to day chaos of having infants and toddlers, there is something beautiful and amazing. It's the changes taking place. The changes that take place in your children as they grow and develop. The changes that take place in your heart as it grows larger than you could ever imagine. The love you feel the first time you hear them cry, the first time they say "mama", and the first time they give you an unprompted hug and wrap their tiny little arms around your neck. It's the changes that take place in your relationship with your spouse as you grow together trying to tackle the challenges of every day life with little ones. It's the changes that take place inside you as a mom, as you begin to figure it all out. These changes, all of them, are beautiful and amazing!
Some of the best advice my own mother has ever given me was to, "embrace the change". Life is never going to be easy, there are always going to be challenges and there is always going to be uncertainty. So instead of focusing on the day to day stress of motherhood, the hard moments and the stressful moments, keep your focus on the amazing changes taking place around you. Let happy and positive thoughts captivate your day and remind yourself that you are doing an amazing job. As a parent you have the opportunity to hold one of the most amazing, selfless and giving roles in life, so embrace it and all the joy that comes with it.
Note: Embracing the changes that occur after you become a parent isn't always easy. This is something I work towards on a daily basis. Happiness isn't necessarily a choice but your attitude about your current situation and role in life is a choice, and that attitude will determine your overall mood. So, stay positive!
