We’re in the last days of only child-dom here at the Ellis house. Our little preschooler is about to have his world rocked.
We’ve had some really sweet moments of playing and reading and snuggles. I’ve cherished his smile and being able to give him every last ounce of my attention during the days we spend together. My husband and I have worked to prepare him for the change that’s about to come, but there’s no real way to prepare a preschooler for the unpredictability and difference a newborn brings.
I used to think taking care of one little guy was tough. Now I look at my friends and relatives who have two or three or four or five, and I think, “HOW do they do it?” And then I get hit with a wave of terror and I think, “How will I do it?!”
When you only have one kid, sometimes people with more than one treat you like you treat your friends who don’t have kids. Parents of multiples have this look in their eyes that says, quite plainly, “Lady, I have seen some things.”
I don’t get it. Yet. But I will. Ohhhh, I will.
I’ve never yet been outnumbered by my kids. In days or weeks, that will happen.
I’ve never had to play person-to-person defense-against-small-people with my spouse to get us out of the house on time. We’re about to head down that road.
I’ve never managed a baby and a preschooler simultaneously. Unless I count the eight or so minutes my friends have left me with their babies so they could take their own preschoolers to the potty in peace. And I handled that like a champ, so how hard could this be, right?
Riiiiiight?!
Pray for me, friends. It’s about to get real around here.
For those of you with more than one little person in your house, what advice do you have for transitioning from one to more-than-one?
Courtney Ellis 
Courtney, we raised SIX. It is not that difficult – merely take what you do for Lincoln and multiply it by the number of children in your family. A few more potatoes in the stew, a few more place settings at the table, a slightly larger laundry pile, and LOTS of prayer. You can and will do it like a Pro. Lincoln WILL adapt – in order to survive.
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Love this, Chester! Thank you for the encouragement. We can DEFINITELY add some more potatoes to the stew without any trouble. 🙂
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We found it pretty manageable until… Now. Now that #2 is walking and almost talking she’s a real threat to #1. The first year didn’t feel hard because #1 didn’t really care. Now she toddles around and takes his toys and yeah, he cares. Maybe someday they’ll be best friends? Not today. You guys will be fine!
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Good to know we have a year to adjust! Thanks, Beth.
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You can do it! The first month was really the hardest, but you’ll get a routine down. Please reach out if you’d like us to come over to entertain Lincoln.
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