5 things that happen when you have 2 kids below age of 2

Sure, I knew the ride would not be smooth, and I knew I was about to face challenges I never imagined, but all the dread was limited to how I was going to be a mother to a very restless 6-month-old while being pregnant with number 2.

Somehow, I never pictured how things will work out post-pregnancy. I never worried about how I will handle a toddler and a newborn. The most I thought about the future was when I was making plans towards who will care for toddler while I was in the hospital having the second.

My daughter is four month old now, and believe me, 'challenging' does not cut it when it comes to describing my experience. So, if you are having your babies close together or thinking about doing that, you should probably know what to expect.

1. Sleep will be a thing of the past: No, I shit you not, you will one day wonder, "when was the last time I slept for more than 2 hours straight?" I am not exaggerating, I am simply assuring you, you will yearn for those days you took sleep for granted. When I am not dealing with JB (My first) who believes, all by himself that his bedtime is 12am, I am trying to rock HB (my second) back to sleep after she wakes at 2am. My husband and I have made a 'game' called 'pass the baby' from this. Each of us rock the baby for 30 minutes so the other gets some sleep. The one who finally gets the baby to close her eyes wins. Yeah, pathetic, I know, but it does make my husband and I feel like a team, so there's that.

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2. You will chase a toddler with a baby attached to your boob: Did you just laugh at that image? Well you won't be laughing when it happens to you. JB is an extremely active and mischievous toddler. He will deliberately choose to wreak havoc whenever I am nursing. He would either sprint to the nearest area out of my line of vision (and I know once I cannot see him, he is destroying something), or choose to go, just outside my reach and proceed to take off his diaper, or reach for the TV remote and begin banging it hard on the wall. No amount or decibel of yelling will stop him, leaving me to chase him around the house, nursing baby attached. This will in turn cause HB to scream bloody murder. Overwhelmed? absolutely.

3. You will bond with partner: I am assuming, if you are having babies 15 months apart, you have some sort of boyfriend/husband type person. I mean, will a single mother whose first is 6-month old want to risk doing it alone with 2 under 2? I hope not. So, back to my point. After I had my first, I felt empowered, like I have got this motherhood thing down, like fathers are only decorative. I did almost everything baby related and whenever husband tries to help, I bite his head off, saying he is doing it wrongly. I was smug and I knew it. But when number 2 came, all that changed. Like I mentioned in point 1 above, you start to feel like a team. One time, at about 3am, HB woke up screaming, which woke JB up and pissed him off so he starts screaming too. Husband and I ran into their room and each wordlessly picked up a baby. It was almost like it was rehearsed. We exchanged looks and started laughing, because at that moment, each of us knew that there was only one other person in the whole world that gets how we are feeling at the time and we were looking at them.

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4. Milestones make you doubly proud: Last week, JB said a new word 'Bye bye'. Previously, when you say that to him, he just waves. But one Saturday afternoon, as I was heading out, I said bye, and he not only waved, but said 'bye bye' in return. My heart filled with pride. Later that evening, Little HB was lying by me in bed, then she suddenly rolled over from back to front for the first time. Honestly, it was like winning the lottery. I squealed with excitement and my mood lifted instantly. That's the thing with two kiddos going through major milestones at the same time, you have these proud mommy moments back to back.

5. Your heart will be full: Yes, no doubt, they are double the challenges, but they are also double the joy. These days, as soon as I step in the door when I return from work, JB leaves whatever he is doing and runs to give me a hug, while HB giggles and waves her arms around. I have two babies that love and miss me. Sure, diaper, food, etc costs are doubled, but it is so worth it, I promise.