One Plus One Does NOT Equal Two

So in my world of common sense, one plus one equals two. I know that, learned it from an early age, and believed that to be true. Now add the factor of children, and that simple equation just does not hold up to truth. One kid plus one kid does not feel like just two kids, it feels like four or six kids.



When we were getting ready for Allie to be born, I remember telling myself, no problem, we got through Phoebe, the oldest one, we can get through the second with no problem. We are pros now that we've been through one. Oh what a mistaken thought that was. Allie is nothing like Phoebe, from tempermant, to feeding, to sleeping. It's like they are night and day, and for that matter, Allie still has her days messed up with nights. You know what that means, sleepless nights for mommy and daddy. So now we have two opposite daughters, who are 19 months apart, and it is literally man on man. No more zone defense like we used to play. If you get a break it is because one of them is down for a nap or away at day care. If they are up, you are up. If they are running, you are running.



I think this is the very reason why it feels like so much more than two. There is no break to take, at least a much smaller window compared to just one kid. You know, with the first baby, she would take long naps like most babies do. So for a good three hours, we were left to do our own things like watch TV, cook a meal, spend some time together as a couple, go do a few errands, take a nap, or the one that went out the window....work out. Those days feel so long ago, even though it has only been two months. Now, Phoebe goes down for a nap roughly from one to three, and maybe four if she is extra tired. In that window, Allie is usually up and wanting to feed, and that means mommy is up for duty. During that time, daddy gets to run the errands as fast as he can for fear that Phoebe is going to wake up only after an hour or so of napping. Then leaving mommy with just the two would not be a good thing for mommy, and ultimately, daddy.