Just Because I Didn't Blog As Much, Doesn't Mean I Don't Love You Just as Much

Good Times With Isla

At the beginning of my mat leave this year, someone, somewhat condescendingly said to me, "You have no idea what it's like to take care of two kids"... you know, in that same way that people with even one kid, tell people with no kids, "You have no idea what it's like with kids"?

It's so freakin' annoying. And I do my darndest never to pull this card.

I remember also at the beginning of my mat leave, when it was really, really hard - when Isla didn't sleep, and Archer didn't sleep and Isla nursed ever 10 seconds (pretty much) and Archer was...well...a 2 1/2 year old... another parent of two telling me, "yeah, it gets better after 2 or 3 years...".

Wha?!?

Safe and Sound

Was this one of those other unspoken rules amongst parents that they don't tell you facts like this in advance of baby #2  -- in the same way that moms don't as a rule share the dirty details of physically having a baby (if you don't know, don't ask... you don't need to know...well, you do... but it's too fresh for me still so ask someone else)?

But it was really, really hard. In a way that I didn't experience with Archer alone. There were literally days (still are sometimes) where I would sit in one room in our house, for what seemed like hours on end, just like making sure one of the kids wasn't going to hurt themselves or the other, with Toopy and Binoo blaring on tv in the background and forgoing basic bodily functions like feeding myself or going to the bathroom.

This was not the Downtown Mama of a few years back where I'd hang out at cafes, have hours to make great food, wardrobe plan, hang with other cool mamas. This was akin to the hardest boot camp ever - like that crazy military-style boot camp they just did in Barrie (why do people voluntarily do those things by the way?). I was one Tough Mudder.

BFFs

On top of this all I was stressed about work, I was stressed about some stuff we're going through personally... it was tough y'all. And as such, I didn't feel much like blogging - never mind the fact that any time I now pull out a computer in front of Archer he grabs it from me so he can surf the Treehouse and Nick Jr websites.

But in the last few weeks the cloud has been lifting - and things haven't been so hard. Isla sleeps really well - has been for a while. The work stuff is sorted and I start something really great in a couple weeks. I have even learned to love those crazy little guys Toopy and Binoo (they keep Archer happy and therefore mama happy).

So I wanted to write this for you Isla, to let you know that just because I didn't blog like I did when I was on mat leave with Archer, doesn't mean that in actual fact my time alone with you has been amazing.

And even though I didn't write about it, we did a *lot of fun things.

Fine, I want this outfit too.

We did a crazy trip to Winnipeg with Archer in March (just the 3 of us which will demonstrate just how insane I was at the beginning of my mat leave), we rocked out at Rainbow Songs, we found super cool new baby hang out places like Smock Cafe in Roncesvalles, we hung out with other friends on mat leave, we made 24 meals in an hour and a half at Supperworks with Gigi (must write a separate post about this later) and just today, we bought *the cutest back to school... (well, not "back to school"... just "to school")... outfits for you at Joe Fresh (babies need motorcycle booties, right?).

And even though things were sometimes hard - and maybe they will be for a while for other reasons -- your smile lights up my life and I look forward to all of the other great things we're going to do together  in the years to come.