When I was pregnant with Harry I think I asked anyone that had birthed 2 children what their experience was like. I wish I could say I was exaggerating, but I wanted to know ALL the details from EVERYONE. What else is a nervous mom to do?! That’s the thing about pregnancy/labor/raising children, you’re going to get a lot of feedback all over the map. And when you are hormonal, sometimes you just think, “Wellllll, if I have one more person’s experience to hear about maybe that will make it true for me.” ha.

With all of that being said, I’m an open book for you on the transition to 2 as I go through it because I wanted to know all the details when I was pregnant! We are ONLY 10 days in, but I’d say in terms of the newborn transition it is far easier than transitioning from 0-1. There’s less of a shock factor, you know? I heard one mom say, “Well, I’m already giving a bath at 7 pm, so what’s one more to bathe?!” And that’s how this week has felt. Ask me again how I feel when he is crawling and trying to put Maxi’s Barbie shoes in his mouth? 😉 That’s when I think the “hard” transition is really going to kick in! Or when it’s the fall and Maxi is back in MDO, work is in full force, and he’s napping less. Ask me then, y’all. Ask me then! haha. But for right now, the lack of sleep and nursing isn’t new to me, so it’s felt more relaxed. With Maxi, I had no clue things were phases, and this time I know if he was up a lot cluster feeding one night, it doesn’t mean he’ll do the same the next night, etc.

Maxi has also blown me away during this transition. I think a huge part of my nerves stemmed from not knowing how she would react. She has been so nurturing and has fawned over her baby brother, which has been the greatest gift to see. You forget all that morning sickness the moment you see your oldest holding your youngest. It’s so, so worth it!

But as we adjust and settle into our new groove, I wanted to share some Amazon finds that have made the past few days a lot smoother! Because if there is one thing saving us all in parenthood it’s the one-click ordering on Amazon. ha!

1. Tote Bag– My friend, Trenny, told me to get a bag together of toys/prizes while Maxi adjusted to me needing time to nurse baby brother. I ordered this tote bin which is just one of the best bags I’ve ever bought online. It is large and stands alone so it doesn’t fall over. You could even keep this in your car or in the trunk if you needed to have items for your kids in the car! I gathered some of her older toys to rotate, a few prizes like these felt boards, fresh Play-Doh and crayons, and educational toys like this. She is allowed to grab one thing while I nurse and then when I finish, that goes back in the tote bag. So far, it has kept the idea exciting for her so she isn’t upset by me needing to sit down for 20 minutes. She’s honestly done so well and half the time I feed doesn’t even want an activity, she just wants to sit with me and get me water and ask me lots of questions about her baby brother. It’s so sweet!
2. Baby Swing– We had a mamaRoo from Maxi, but somehow it broke like 5 days before I gave birth. Paul tried to fix it and then we just gave up and ordered this baby swing. He actually enjoys it more than Maxi enjoyed her mamRoo- so this is a win in our book!
3. BodyArmor Drinks– I had never had these before, but read in a ton of mom FB groups they were great for hydrating after birth/nursing. I’m obsessed with them!
4. Tumbler Cups– Speaking of drinks, these are also the tumbler cups I’ve been using for my water and juices. They don’t leak and aren’t too large to carry around the house from the nursery to the living room.
5. Nursing Bras– I ordered a few different nursing bras, but these from Amazon are what I have worn the most! So far they have worked with every type of top or dress I’ve worn. They are also extremely comfortable, and I’m not ashamed to admit I’m a little *too* picky when it comes to nursing bras/tanks. Safe to say, I love these bras!
6. Sorting Pie Toy– The next three items are toys that we actually ordered when quarantine started, but they are what Maxi has played with the most while I’ve done laundry or changed diapers. This pie sorter has them sort fruits by color and she will do this for 30 minutes at a time!
7. Drawing Board– Maxi loves to draw shapes and have us say what they are or vice versa. We do it on this drawing board in bed together and it’s one of her favorite activities.
8. Water Mat– If your little one loves arts and crafts {Maxi does!} but you don’t want them getting out markers/crayons each time you have to nurse, grab this water mat. It colors and stamps with water, so there is no mess to clean and Maxi thinks it is pure magic.
9. Postpartum Underwear– Okay, let’s get TMI here for 5 seconds. Get this postpartum underwear for after birth. Just trust me! They are actually advertised for c-section recovery and while I didn’t have a c-section the compression was SO helpful with those postpartum contractions. I will say, those contractions are NO joke after baby #2. They always say they are way worse after your first pregnancy and I must have ignored that warning because I hardly had any after I gave birth to Maxi. They were so intense the second time around I actually would throw up from them on day 2/3. But this underwear helped immensely with the pressure. Okay, TMI rant over.
10. Nursing Tanks– I ordered three different styles of nursing tanks to see which would be my favorite, and so far these win!

As I drink cold coffee and snuggle these two babies tight, these items above are helping make everything go a little bit smoother. 🙂 Have a great weekend!