It's Gobbles Time!: not quite ready...

Last weekend - I mean ten days ago, not two (always playing catch-up on this blog), I was ready to put to the test the age-old question. Am I ready for baby number two?

I've mentioned quite a few times that my affinity for beer and wine has precluded me from even considering 9 months of sobriety for at least 2 years. But, as the last of the pumpkin ales are being cleared off of the store shelves and we restock our winter alcohol supply, I realize that every season comes every year. So if I miss it one year, I'll be able to have my fill the next. With my body back to normal and having had my fill of alcoholic treats, I mentioned to my husband, you know? I think I can handle it again. I think I'm ready.

Um, sure. My body can handle it again, but could the rest of me? Could our family? Could our firstborn, used-to-getting-all-the-attention son? Back to the aforementioned test.

One of my girlfriends was looking for a babysitter for her son, Gobbles' Lil Buddy, six months old. I happily obliged because 1- he's friggan adorable, 2- I've been wanting to get into some kind of baby-swap / co-op thing with our friends so hubs and I can get a night out without dumping him on my mom all the time, and 3 - Hubs was out of town for a bachelor party, so it was a perfect time for me to "test" my ability to handle two kids.

HA. ha. HA.

Ok. It really wasn't that bad. Save for the one hour time period during bedtime, it was actually very pleasant and a lot of fun. The boys played together for over an hour after Lil Buddy arrived, exploring everything in the living room, reading books, and talking to the puppies, each other, and themselves. Lil buddy was having a lot of fun, but there was something I started to notice about my Gobbles that bothered me.

My son is a bully!

He did a few little things throughout the duration of their playtime that made me cringe at the thought of him shoving kids into lockers and stealing their lunch money when he's older. When I first sat them down together and was talking to Lil Buddy, Gobbles reached out and gave him a little smack. I took his hand, laid it at his side, and gave him a firm "No!". I then distracted them by putting them into the ball pit. I should note that this is the first time I ever really had to try "discipline" on him. He's too young for time out, but everything I've read said that they do understand NO and to just be firm and then move on with a distraction. Seemed to work, he didn't touch Lil Buddy again.

But, as we moved on to the ball pit, Gobbles displayed a little bit of brattiness a second time. Every time Lil Buddy picked up a toy, Gobbles would mash his hands into the balls and knock them all around (that's what she said. sorry. so sorry...) in sort of a mini temper-tantrum. Then with the book, Gobbles would pull it away as if to say I'm reading!

Ok, maybe not so much of a bully, but definitely a little brat. When I got into daycare the following Monday I asked the teachers about it, and they were dumbfounded. Apparently my boy is an angel for them, so they say. So the way he acted must have been because it was so unusual to have another child on his turf, with his toys. Hmmm... am I really ready for child number 2? Wait - there's more!

Anyway, playtime was going swimmingly until the signs of weariness became apparent. With that, I fixed the boys their bottles and began to feed. At 6 months old, Gobbles still didn't hold his bottle, so I held Lil Buddy's for him. He kept grabbing it as if to say, "gimme gimme, I got this!" What a smart guy! On the floor, Gobbles tanked his bottle and tossed it aside as usual. He crawled over to where Lil Buddy and I were on the couch, realized I was feeding another baby, and started pulling on my leg.

Lil Buddy finished his bottle and I lifted him to my shoulder to burp. Suddenly, chaos erupted.

Let's just say he did a little more than burp and there was pre-eaten formula all over the couch all of the sudden.  Cannoli leaped up in happiness and began to clean it up, having not seen this for months.  Free milk, just for me! In his process of leaping up he knocked Gobbles over, which normally would have been fine but tonight it caused him to erupt into tears. Meanwhile, Lil Buddy not feeling so hot after loosing half his dinner decided he wanted to let me know how he felt too.

I dashed into the kitchen with Lil Buddy in tow leaving Gobbles where he was and grabbed a towel and some cleaner. I gave the couch a quick wipe with one crying baby in hand and the other back on my leg.

Uh oh! here we go... I thought.

I dropped Buddy's mom a quick text to see if the spit up was ok, scooped up both babies, and took them upstairs for pajama-ing. One baby screamed in the crib as the other one wailed on the changing table.  Switch. Repeat.

With both guys in their pjs I got their pacifiers and figured we could quiet down until we fell asleep, considering between screams both babies were nodding off. Hahaha not quite. We got back downstairs and I tried to soothe Lil Buddy, who seemed to quiet every time I stood and rocked / bounced him. Gobbles on the other hand, did not like this. He grabbed on my leg and cried the biggest crocodile tears ever.  I will NOT share my mommy! So I sat down on the couch, pulled Gobbles into my lap, and held both babies. This worked for about ten seconds when Lil Buddy realized he was not bouncing anymore and started wailing.

Finally I stood up, bouncing two giant babies in my arms. Then, a moment of silence. It was great until I realized that I wasn't going to be able to keep bouncing for long, as my arms were beginning to feel like jello. Before my arms could give way, Gobbles again realized that he was sharing me and started crying, triggering a chain reaction from his new bff / nemesis for mom's attention. After a minute or so, Gobbles calmed down so I put him down.

Then, the reason for his calm revealed itself. Pllllthhhplllllllhhhhpbbbbb.

So we all made our way back up the stairs to repeat the last 15 minutes this time with a poopy diaper change. Only this time there was some spit up in the crib when we were done. Not enough to write home about, but enough to require a sheet change. What now?

Then it hit me, god invented pack and plays for a reason! I ran Gobbles downstairs and left Lil Buddy in the crib, ran back up and grabbed the pack and play and set it up downstairs. I ran back upstairs to get Lil Buddy, brought him back down, put him in the pack and play, grabbed Gobbles to come upstairs with me so he wouldn't try and climb the steps. I changed the crib sheets with lightning speed, and got Gobbles situated for bed. Have I mentioned through this WHOLE ordeal both kids are screaming?

I gave Gobbles a quick hug and kiss, apologized to him that I was going to hang out with another baby, wished him goodnight, and laid him in his crib. Of course, he popped right back up screaming, but I quietly gave him one more kiss and closed the door, grabbing the monitor and heading back to Lil Buddy. He was waiting for me in the pack and play, wondering what kind of crazy place this was where his mommy left him. I picked him up, rocked him a bit more, and we listened to Gobbles settle in to sleep on the monitor. (He has been doing great with crying it out for bedtime and naps. It now takes him between 2 and 8 minutes to get to sleep, but sometimes it's only 30 seconds!).

Suddenly, after about 5 minutes of bopping around the living room - much easier with one baby - the house was silent. I laid Lil Buddy in the pack and play and settled down on the couch. I was shocked as I looked at the clock and realized that this whole ordeal from spit to sleep was less than an hour.

It was then, in the quiet of the living room where I could hear two little boys snoring away, that I decided no, we're not quite ready for number 2. Gobbles needs to be walking and able to get up and down the stairs safely before we can deal with a second. He also needs to learn to share! The could take another year, or just a few months, but for right now, I can be a little patient.

Again, the night really wasn't that bad, just a whirlwind of an hour that gave me a nice workout. Look at all the fun they had!