1) Everything you eat must either be made in less than 2 minutes, be identical to what your child is eating (yum yum grilled cheese sandwiches and hot dogs), or you go hungry. Why? you ask... My husband doesn't seem to understand this either...but every mom I've ever talked to "gets" it. So - for you men out there - here you go. On the rare day that your toddler does decide to eat their food, if you are up slicing vegetables to put on a salad for lunch, or frying an egg for breakfast, then they will be done eating before you can even sit down to begin eating your creation. Which means that shortly after they are done eating (VERY shortly) they want to get down from their chair and run around. "So why is that a problem?" a) because you can't trust a toddler alone for more than 5 seconds and b) they normally either want up in your lap as you are trying to eat your food and share what you are eating even though they are probably full or c) they want you to go with them to play or read or give them attention.
2) Coffee has become my best friend. There was a time in college I tried to drink coffee on a regular basis in the morning. It lasted for a while, but pretty much evaporated into an every-once in a while habit. I still loved to have coffee with a good ooey gooey chocolate creation after dinner, or on a cold morning when I was still living up north. However, if I don't have my two cups of coffee (which by the size of my cups, is really like 3 or 4 cups) every morning, I don't have the energy to chase after my 21 month old. I'll find myself falling asleep as we are reading Mr. Brown Can Moo Can You? for the hundredth time. The fun part...coffee is a diuretic...which means I've now become pretty regular... :)
3) When one child cries, they both cry. I don't know why this is. But it never seems to fail that the moment my 21 month old is crying, whether it be from falling down or having a poopy diaper, my 7 week old chooses that exact moment to start squalling as well. Then...I am left with this mother's guilt... As much as I want to be there for my daughter and make sure she knows that if she is hurt or upset she can come to me and I'll be there...I am not fully there for her - as my mind is aching for my son wanting to pick him up and comfort him...so that he knows that if he is hurt or upset he can come to me and I'll be there... Which...in turn...makes me less patient with my daughter than I normally would be.
4) The television has become my 2nd best friend. As a brand new mom with Kendall, I tried to tell myself (and anyone that would listen at the time) that I wasn't going to let her watch tv until she was 2 years old. Then I got pregnant with Carson. And the fatigue set in. Now...the television has become an almost constant in our home. I do try to limit it - only an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. But...I know that even that is a lot. But, now that I have Carson, Kendall needs to be distracted by something as I'm feeding him, otherwise she is trying to crawl up in my lap along with him the whole time. Mother's guilt is hitting me very hard even now as I type this...because I know as I think about it that she probably watches much more than 2 hours a day. We have days that she doesn't watch any...and then other days where I can't seem to turn it off. Noggin and Disney channels are our favorite... And she has learned from watching tv - she learned from Dora the Explorer that a train says Choo Choo. She learned from Backyardigans that a pirate says Argh and a caveman says Ugg. I tell myself that when it isn't so hot outside - we'll spend more time playing outside...but right now going out into 98 degree weather for 2 hours is not very realistic - especially with a 7 week old...
5) The love I feel for my children is constantly growing. Ok, ok...ending today's list with a sappy thing probably isn't very fair. However, it amazes me each day how much I love each of my kids. Sometimes, the love I feel comes over me so hard I feel like crying. Just watching my daughter run around and be silly makes me laugh and makes my heart swell. Looking at my son and imagining what he will be like at Kendall's age makes me so happy that I get to be the person that watches him grow on a daily basis. I say a prayer every night as I go to sleep - I thank God for trusting me with such beautiful souls as my children. Why He decided that I was the best mommy for them, I can't imagine - because I know I've never done anything remotely good enough to deserve the Grace He has shown me in my two beautiful children. I only hope I can make Him proud in how I raise them...
Ok...that is it for now. As this blog goes along, I'm sure I will have even more things I've learned (hence the Part 1 part). In the meantime - here is a picture of my two precious ones. 
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