I’m excited to share this great post from Jackie of With Just a Bit of Magic!
Becoming a mom is one of the most wonderful things that can happen to a woman and it doesn’t matter if it’s through adoption or your natural born child… it’s still an amazing experience. One that you’re never forget.
When my daughter was born my life was completely changed and in so many ways that I could never go back. My heart was full of love, my future was bright, and I was so full of ideas of all things that my daughter and I would do together… the great times that we would share throughout the years.
The first few years were wonderful and then along came another little girl… and then another. My heart and hands were full. Life was complete and I had three beautiful little girls that were the light of my life.
To this very day they are my everything.
Then one day life changed.
I took a test that forever changed our lives.
Two blue lines.
I was going to be a mom again. A new mom again after my oldest was a teen… after all three of my girls were potty trained… after I had gotten rid of every single baby item that I ever owned… after I had been a mom of self-sufficient kids for so long that it was like starting all over again.
There was a bright side! I had three helpers and all the gadgets that are out there on the market now are immensely better than they were when the girls were babies. Once I came to terms with becoming a mom again I was happy about it and was really planning all the things that I’d do different and how easy it was going to be.
Oh. My. Was I ever wrong! The pregnancy was not as easy as it was the first three times and I have my age & lack of exercise to blame for that. Then once my absolutely beautiful son was in my arms my life was forever changed yet again… my heart was so full of love. It’s amazing the capacity one has for love, isn’t it?
I was a mom… again. I quickly learned that some things were like second nature… diapering, feeding, burping, and the cuddles. I relished in the cuddles and holding my little boy but what I didn’t expect was the fussing that was rather frequent or the spitting up or trying to figure out why. I had no clue what was wrong… it was literally like being a new mom again. Then the girls were asking constant questions about him and they were questions that I really couldn’t answer. It was kind of scary… I didn’t know why he was fussing, crying, not sleeping, spitting up, or any of it.
We made it through the infant stage with lots of babywearing because that is what seemed to work the best to soothe him.
Now, we’re at the “fun” part. He’s a toddler.
The terrible two’s and wondering why’s of a three year old and every day it’s something new and different with him. He’s in a constant state of motion from the moment he wakes until the moment he goes to bed at night and there are times I wonder what in the world did I get myself into!
Becoming a mom again after your kids are older and rather self-sufficient is a definite challenge and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. It just takes a lot more patience (which I’m low on at times), energy, and help from those around you.
Jackie is a wife, mother of 4 kids from toddler to teen, a project manager, a writer, and social media consultant and to pull it all off it takes a bit of magic! You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and just about everywhere in between. And yes… she does have a magic wand!
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Wow! I have to say…I’ve been wanting that to happen to me! What a blessing…Yes, big changes but what a blessing!
My youngest truly is a blessing considering I had two miscarriages before him. He’s my little miracle!
I have just one, and I think that’s all I’ll stick to, hehe. But I admit, I do miss the baby cuddles!! Maybe I’ll change my mind… one day 😛
That is one thing that I do miss… baby cuddles. But then I remember that there is more than just the cute cuddles to having a baby and I quickly change my mind.
I had a friend who had her third child when her first two were already out of the house! I think it would definitely be a challenge. My son is 7 and I can’t imagine starting over. Still, if it happened, I’d be happy once I got over the initial shock!
Wow! That really is starting over isn’t it! I know now that I am really done for sure. No more. None.
Oh how I can relate to this my daughter was 16 when my son was born and he is 3 now. He is always in a constant state of motion too. It is a crazy time but I love being a mom again too.
My son is the exact same way! Always busy… always moving… from the time he gets up until the moment he goes to bed.
I became a mom again but in a slightly different way…
Our kids were all 18+, 3 out of 4 were moved out. And then… we got custody of our 6 month old grandson. HUGE life changer LOL
He’s 6 now and I have to say it’s been worth the ride! I couldn’t imagine starting over when it all 1st happened. I think, as an older, more life experienced ‘mom again’ I was better prepared than I thought. Also, more tired 🙂
I can totally agree with the more tired part! Whew…. those little kids can really keep moving non-stop can’t they?
My daughter is a teenager, and I really can’t imagine getting pregnant again! But it must be nice to have help from the older kids! 🙂
It is nice to have help but for the most part I don’t ask much of them. We have friends that had a baby and had older kids and it seemed that for most of the time they older kids were watching and taking care of the baby. I vowed that I wouldn’t do that because it’s not their job to raise my baby.
Aww I loved reading this. My Mom had my sister later in life; i’m 14 years older than her. So, it’s interesting to read how my Moms must have felt starting over. Although, she did take advantage of having a teenager in the house; I missed quite a few fun outings with friends because I was always stuck babysitting. Congrats to you and your family and enjoy those “terrific twos”! 😀
Thank you! My girls don’t babysit very often… mostly because I don’t want them to miss out on their childhood and they do not have the patience to deal with him! LOL!
Jackie,
I keep holding on to baby stuff even though I say we’re “one and done.”
I know that as soon as I throw something away, I’ll get pregnant again!
I still have baby stuff. You know the things that are special and important to me. I’ll keep them forever probably but no more babies here!
I have a pre teen son and I am pregnant with my second one. Can’t wait to become a Mom again
Congratulations!!
Aww, what a Blessing! I think everything happens for a reason and Babies are always a blessing…Congrats to you and your family! :0)
Thank you! He really is a blessing to us… I had two miscarriages before I had him.
How wonderful that you were able to add a son to your family! It had to be a surprising and exciting time, glad to hear that the girls enjoy being involved and that the toddler stage is fun!
The toddler stage can be fun and very trying at times that’s for sure.
My sister is due with her first in October and our mom can’t get over how so many things have improved in that time. I guess you also experienced product improvements between your oldest girl and your son. It must be nice to do it again and finally have a boy too.
The products that are available now are incredible! There are so many things to help a mom & baby out that being a new mom should be a breeze… of course we all know that it isn’t.
I’m so jealous. We have three girls now, and while we are planning on having one more, I think just one more. I’m praying that it’s a boy. I know that is selfish, but I’ve always wanted a boy. I think parenting is a lot like riding a bike. It’s hard at first, but then you learn how to do it. Even if you haven’t ridden in years, it’s easy to pick it back up 😉
I think you’re right. You remember pretty easily where you made mistakes before and what you did that was really good. Although it doesn’t always help when each kid is different!
Good luck on a boy!
Aww! Congrats and good luck on your second time around. My mom had her first 3 children (back to back, we were all 11 months apart). Two years later she had another. She thought she was done…but three years later, she ended up having 2 more girls. So now she is a mom to six girls! Crazy! But still a blessing! I know its totally different with the younger kids and all the stuff going on in the world now.
6 girls!! Oh my… I could not imagine having that many girls! Your mom must have had patience of steel! LOL!
My brother in law is twelve years older than his sister and they are so close. He feels like he took part in raising her and they have a very special bond. I’m sure it was a shock but a beautiful way to make your family even more complete.
I think that each of the girls has a special bond with their little brother even though there is a big age difference there…. I can see it every once in a while and it makes me smile.
14 years between my oldest and youngest, one in the middle. Lots of help but challenging too!
I definitely agree on the challenging part!
I think it would be tough from an energy standpoint, but I would also think that with maturity comes a greater appreciation for every moment and a true realization of how fleeting their childhoods are.
You are so right! I notice more things now than I did when the girls were little and remember to hold tight to those little things because they do grow up fast.
I had my daughters in my late 20s, early 30s, and they took every ounce of energy out of me! I don’t know how women these days have babies at such older ages because I would have no energy for the toddler years!! Congrats to you and it sounds like you have a wonderful family!
I will admit that it is a lot harder now to have a toddler than it was when my girls were younger. But maybe all this running around will help keep me young! LOL!
Becoming a mama is a gift and I agree that somethings come much more easily the second time. On the other hand you’re dealing with a completely different baby so that presents its own challenges.
I love the unexpected surprises of motherhood and agree sharing the journey with a support system makes it even better and all that more enjoyable!
The support that I have is so important! Without my family, husband, and older kids I just do not think that it’d be easy. Not that it’s easy now, but help is great when you’re a parent.
Having kids is just so great, no matter the age. But it’s true, we have less steam when we get older. I didn’t even start until I was 34.
It was a lot easier when the girls were little that’s for sure! But as I’ve gotten older it is more of a challenge to keep up with a toddler all day. But I wouldn’t change it for anything!
Since I had my first son at a younger age, it was like starting over when we had our second. Some of it came right back to me, but not everything works with every baby, so I had to re-learn a lot too.
We’re done having babies, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I didn’t think about it a lot. I have always wondered what it would be like if I had to “start all over again” if I got pregnant when the kids are older. It’s a strange thought! LOL
I have four kids three boys one girl. We “think” we are done having kids but I do wonder what will it be to have a baby once my other kids are older.