Round 2, here we come

After making us wait, the newest addition of our family finally arrived on Monday. Like her brother, she came out in a hurry with a serious head of hair. 

Obviously we’ve known for months that we were having another baby - sort of hard to miss it - but I am truly stunned by how much we forgot. I somehow forgot even really simple things, like the fact that you have to burp a newborn. Her brother is not even a year and a half old yet, but you’d think he was 20 given how we’re struggling to remember everything. 

Of course it’s been sleepless and a bit hazy, but it’s also been blissful. Having another kid so close in age has put into perspective just how fast this newborn time passes. Seeing her brother already so big and not at all a baby anymore is a constant reminder to try and enjoy this time, as exhausting as it is. 

I read a mantra from a female rock climber a few months ago, and I can’t get it out of my head. As she was attempting a free-climb (as the first woman no less) up a particularly challenging route she kept repeating “slow is smooth, smooth is fast.”  Now, she was performing actual death-defying physical feats and casually setting new records and I’m just trying to figure things out with kid number 2, but it resonates with me. She said she’s someone who likes to hurry and she had to remind herself why slowing down was a good thing right then. I rushed through a lot of the newborn phase with my first. Like so many other new mothers, I was eager and anxious to prove to myself that I could have a baby and keep up with my career. It felt like there were unspoken, invisible goals I had to hit. Completely self imposed, but still very real. 

I’m trying to remember Harrington’s mantra this time around. I still wanted to get back to work quickly, I am passionate about what I do and not working stresses me out more than doing it. But I’m approaching it differently. I’m trying to go against my own nature and slow down for a moment in this phase. 

I’m keeping the newsletter short this week but so appreciated all of your support (and naming suggestions!) that I wanted to share our news with each of you. This community is deeply important to me, and what I’d love to do this week instead is turn it back to all of you.

What do you remember most from the newborn days? If you had another right now, what would you do differently? As I work on absorbing each of these newborn days and taking a slightly different approach to melding family and career, I’d love to hear about your own experiences, advice, and thoughts. What helped you adjust to work and parenthood and what do you wish you had done differently? What would have helped from your employer? Every family finds their own rhythms, but I want to hear your thoughts and insights.