By Cheryl Bac
E-mail Cheryl Bac
About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons incl...
(More)About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons including Chicago and Boston. Exercise is an integral part of my life. I hope to one day go back to long distance running and tackle the New York City Marathon. Right now I run after my one year old son. Although I am a stay-at-home mom, we are rarely "at home." My mom also stayed at home with my brother and me. She warned me that, although rewarding, it can be isolating. So, with her help, I learned the importance of getting out into the community and meeting other mothers. On the rare occasion when I am at home and have a hand or two free, I squeeze in time to scrapbook. As a new mom, many challenges are thrown my way. I hope my opinions, triumphs, and struggles help experienced parents reminisce, new parents cope, and parents-to-be get an honest glimpse of what the first years of motherhood can entail.
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Our daughter is becoming a faster and faster crawler every day. Over the past ten months she has watched her older brother play with all of his toys and now she is very eager to join in. Our son is not as excited about his sister's new mobility. And I am figuring out how to keep the peace.
Over the past 10 months the ways our two kids coexist has been in constant change. When our daughter was a newborn I could easily read paperback books to my son with my daughter sleeping in my arms. Now board books are a much easier choice so she doesn't tear up the pages. When our daughter was an infant, she enjoyed it when her brother dangled toys in front of her. Now she tries to snatch them away and is frustrated if he takes them out of her reach. When she started sitting up, she enjoyed watching her brother play with his vehicles at a distance. Now she quickly crawls over and tries to join in on the fun.
It's exciting, yet exhausting, to see their relationship develop and to try to keep up with all of the constant adjustments. Our son is looking forward to the day when his sister stops putting toys in her mouth. And I'm sure our daughter is excited to learn how to walk, talk and play like her older brother.
Some days it is tempting to just divide our living room in half. An older kid only area and a baby only area. However, I'm glad our pediatrician suggested something else. She suggested creating just an "older kids only area." That way the choking hazards are away from baby and the complex toddler/preschooler toys don't get messed with. But our son can freely choose to join his sister as she explores. And, at least at this stage, she is always eager for his company.
How did you keep the peace during your second child's first year?
