It’s true what they say about becoming a parent for the second time.  You’re more relaxed overall and tend to let more slide. With Enzo I remember being really picky and concerned about everything we gave him to eat. He never had sugary sweets before he turned 1, and then it was few and far between. While we’re still careful what we feed the kids, I think Phoebe had tastes of “bad” foods a lot earlier than he did. We try to stay away from too many processed foods, but when we do pull them out, I don’t feel as guilty as I used to.  With two kids and full-time jobs, life gets crazy.

We’re gearing up to go on vacation and I’m recalling some of our first trips with Enzo.  Now we’ll be traveling with two kids and I’m hoping to bring even less than with him. Granted, Phoebe is older than Enzo was when we first flew, and we’re “cheating” a tad by renting some things when we arrive (like boosters so that way the kids can eat meals comfortably in our rental condo).  The goal is still to travel with less, and that means bringing only our foldable nice umbrella stroller and mostly wearing Phoebe when we’re out and about.

I’m really excited that Enzo has agreed to be worn for part of the trip, though!  We bought a new custom carrier that is just a tad too big for Phoebe right now, but fits Enzo really well and he thinks it’s cool (because super heroes).  At first I had to talk him into it, but it was so comfy he didn’t want down and wanted me to run around the house with him… while also having to hold Phoebe. Talk about a workout!

I’m really excited about being able to potentially ditch the stroller, though. Josh doesn’t mind the new carrier (again, super heroes) so we can each wear a munchkin and maybe even see about getting rid of our big bulky stroller in the future. There’s nothing worse than being out and about and wanting to go exploring, only to realize that your stroller can’t fit anywhere.

Phoebe is generally happy to be worn, aside from cranky moments here and there where she doesn’t seem to know what she wants and will pull my hair and be naughty.  For the most part, though, baby wearing has been a lifesaver with two kids.  I can wear Phoebe and still interact with Enzo because my hands are free as well as cook and clean.  Plus, carriers have magic sleepy dust… if Phoebe is having trouble sleeping she’s guaranteed to take a nap while being worn.

This also makes for good reading time for mama. 😉