The Sweetest Mother's Day Gift!

I Am the Mother of Two Under Two

In: Baby

3 Minute Read

By Ashleigh Beaver

toddler, newborn, new baby, siblings, motherhood, Irish twins, www.herviewfromhome.com — Inna Churikova/Shutterstock.com

The days are long and the nights are short.

The coffee is brewed but often never even makes it to the cup until the kids are down for their morning naps.

I love this life but I’m also exhausted by it.

I am a stay-at-home mom with two under two.

I love waking up every morning being greeted by my toddler with his wild excitement to start a new day. I equally love walking into my little one’s room and peeking down into her crib to see her beautiful eyes looking back at me.

But . . .

Being the one to make breakfast every morning, juggle booty changes, and meet the demands of little people constantly at my feet is also, at times, very exhausting.

Daily I am searching Google for indoor creative activities in order to keep the TV from coming on. Sometimes the activities are a success but often end in meltdowns because the new textures were a little overwhelming or they just want to eat everything.

Often my toddler would rather eat the crumbs from under the table that is last night’s dinner but won’t eat the homemade gourmet lunch I placed in front of him (peanut butter sandwich with bananas and yogurt. So not gourmet, but not bad . . . right?).

The baby needs a nap but is going to require a little snuggle time; I hear the toddler’s feet running across his bedroom floor after I have told him to stay in bed for the millionth time.

I spend my free time crawling under all of the furniture in order to find the pieces to each toy.

We own a thousand pacis but somehow I cannot find a single one.

I try to introduce a new bath activity by purchasing finger painting soap but all my toddler can focus on is the fact that the water is too cold for his toes but too hot for his booty.

Is Dad home yet?

It’s dinner time and we are back to eating the crumbs from lunch that are under the table. (I thought he didn’t like his lunch?)

My husband walks into the home as jolly as an elf at Christmastime. He walks up hoping for a kiss but in turn is handed a screaming child with a plate of leftovers that have been in the fridge for a few days now . . . I hope. Sorry, babe.

I often retreat to the car for a few moments of silence so I can return 10 minutes later in a better mood for my poor husband.

Once the kids are down I am depleted. I’ll take a glass of wine over a kiss, a clean house over quality time, a moment of silence over chatter.

This is motherhood for my family sometimes, but it doesn’t mean I am not absolutely in love with my family and grateful for my life.

It’s OK not to be picture perfect. I am no less a loving mother or wife.

It was a stressful day—but a life I would choose all over again.

You may also like:

My Seven Momtras As A Stay-At-Home Mom

The Nights Are So Long

This is Stay-at-Home Motherhood

So God Made a Grandmother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Order Now!

baby Motherhood new baby parenting siblings stay at home mom tired mom toddler young kids

Ashleigh Beaver

My name is Ashleigh and I am the mother of two sweet children on earth and two babies in heaven. I am married to my high school sweetheart and live in NC.

To My Angel Babies

In: Baby, Loss

To my three angel babies, From the moment I saw that first positive pregnancy test, you became a part of me. You were never just an idea, a hope, or a dream—you were my babies. I loved you from the very beginning, and I still do. Not a day passes that I don’t think of you or pray for you. I dreamt of watching you grow up with your big brother, dreamt of who you would become, and all the memories we’d make. You may have been tiny, but the dreams I had for you were not. To some, you...

Keep Reading

Having a Holiday Baby Is Extra Special

In: Baby, Motherhood

Newborn baby in santa hat sleeping with lights around him

“That’s right, my secondborn will have mashed potato cakes every year for his birthday,” I say with a forced laugh, knowing exactly how cheesy I sound. My husband and I didn’t exactly plan for a holiday baby, but here we are. Our due date is November 21st, so depending on the year, our son may often share a birthday party with the holiday of gratitude and pumpkin everything. When people find out when we are expecting, the responses are usually mixed, like they’re unsure what to say. These statements range anywhere from a slightly sarcastic “Oh, that will be a...

Keep Reading

I’d Given Up on Getting Pregnant‚ But Hope Had Other Plans

In: Baby, Motherhood

This is the story I wish someone had shared with me when I was losing all hope. I never imagined I would be the one writing this. But here I am, opening up about something that once felt too painful to say out loud. A truth I believed I would carry silently forever: I had given up on becoming pregnant. After five years. Five years that left me emotionally worn out, physically drained, financially stretched, and spiritually defeated. Five years that included five separate rounds of ovulation-stimulating medication. (I’m purposely leaving out the name to protect others from self-medicating.) Eventually,...

Keep Reading

It’s a Good Day To Celebrate Your Rainbow Baby

In: Baby, Grief, Motherhood

Rainbow baby lying on blanket with onesie that says "rainbow"

Dear Mama, Today, take a moment for yourself. A moment to reflect on this powerful journey. And just soak it in. Soak every single second of it in. Hold that baby a little longer. A little tighter. Smell their sweet little head and stare into their big, beautiful eyes. Whether it’s been a day, a week, a month, or longer since that precious little life joined the world, chances are it’s flying by. So take a minute to slow down, soak it in, and celebrate. Celebrate this little miracle you prayed for so hard. This little human you and your...

Keep Reading

What Comes after the NICU? Sometimes It’s the Struggle No One Sees.

In: Baby, Motherhood

Mother sitting beside preemie in a NICU basinette

They clap when you bring the baby home—finally, miraculously, out of the NICU. They celebrate the milestones, the trials overcome, and mark the battle as won. You made it. You’re home. You’re okay, the baby’s okay. But what about what comes after? What about the silence that follows the storm? The slow, aching process of unpacking trauma no one talks about, and few understand. The wounds no one sees. The moments you’re expected to be grateful when you’re still gasping for air. The days spent trying to be okay, when so much of the past few months have been very...

Keep Reading

Surprise! I’m 42 and Pregnant.

In: Baby, Motherhood

Pregnant woman holding belly, black and white image

Seven years after I gave birth to my youngest child, I made an appointment with my primary care physician. I was 42, had been sick and fatigued, and thought I might have diabetes, thyroid cancer, or be going into menopause. When she asked if I could be pregnant, I laughed. I mean, it had been six months since my husband and I had been intimate—not the recipe for pregnancy. Then, the hCG test came back at 66,000. Shocked doesn’t even begin to encompass my feelings. A little backstory: When our youngest was two, my husband and I tried for a...

Keep Reading

To the Moms of COVID Babies Turning Five

In: Baby, Motherhood

Elevator door in hospital during COVID-19 pandemic

To the mamas of babies now turning five, the ones born during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alone, masked, giving birth in a hospital filled with fear and protocols. Some of you left through back hallways or maintenance elevators—quiet exits where there should’ve been balloons and cheers. The ones with no hospital visitors, no sibling introductions, no joyful flood of family holding your newborn. No newborn photos, no parties, no sweet “welcome to the world” celebrations. Just fear. Isolation. Quiet. Survival. You missed out on moments you dreamed of. And if that baby was your last, it might ache...

Keep Reading

Dear Mama, There’s a Story In Your C-Section Scar

In: Baby, Motherhood

I’ve given birth four times. Each experience has been uniquely different and beautiful. My last baby was born by Caesarean section after a complicated and traumatic pregnancy. After three natural deliveries, the thought of a major surgery to bring my baby earthside TERRIFIED me. Having a C-section never made me feel like I was taking “the easy way out.” Never did I hold myself to a different standard than other moms. Never did I feel like I had failed in birth or motherhood. In fact, it was the complete opposite. Enduring major surgery while entering into the most vulnerable days...

Keep Reading

He Was Almost the Boy I Let Get away

In: Baby, Motherhood

After two kids, two miscarriages, and a journey through postpartum depression, I was afraid to keep trying for the third baby I always knew I wanted. As I looked at the second negative pregnancy test, I felt a familiar range of emotions. I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. Did I feel relief because for another month I could avoid the daily fear of worrying I might miscarry again and spare the girls, my husband, and me from getting our hopes up just to have them crushed again? Did I feel relief because I was scared of going...

Keep Reading

Dear C-Section Mom, It’s Natural to Feel Whatever You Do

In: Baby, Motherhood

Woman with c-section scar holds baby on hip

When I was eight months pregnant with my firstborn, I thought I had it all figured out. I’d read the books, attended the birthing classes, and listened to the podcasts. I crafted a cutesy birth plan handout with a very clear message for the hospital staff: a natural, intervention-free birth. Ideally, there’d be some soothing instrumental music in the background to make it all feel organic and magical. I practiced my deep breathing and yoga ball moves. I packed the essential oils. I was ready. In reality, the complete opposite happened. I hit 39 weeks at the start of a...

Keep Reading

God is Not Done, and He is Good

Faith

God is Not Done, and He is Good

I Never Imagined What I Was Wearing on Graduation Day Might Stand in Between Me and My Future

Kids

I Am the Mother of Two Under Two

I love this life but I’m also exhausted by it.

It was a stressful day—but a life I would choose all over again.

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

Ashleigh Beaver

To My Angel Babies

Having a Holiday Baby Is Extra Special

I’d Given Up on Getting Pregnant‚ But Hope Had Other Plans

It’s a Good Day To Celebrate Your Rainbow Baby

What Comes after the NICU? Sometimes It’s the Struggle No One Sees.

Surprise! I’m 42 and Pregnant.

To the Moms of COVID Babies Turning Five

Dear Mama, There’s a Story In Your C-Section Scar

He Was Almost the Boy I Let Get away

Dear C-Section Mom, It’s Natural to Feel Whatever You Do

Get It Now

So God Made a Mother

I Am the Mother of Two Under Two

I love this life but I’m also exhausted by it.

It was a stressful day—but a life I would choose all over again.

If you liked this, you'll love our book, SO GOD MADE A GRANDMA

To My Angel Babies

Having a Holiday Baby Is Extra Special

I’d Given Up on Getting Pregnant‚ But Hope Had Other Plans

It’s a Good Day To Celebrate Your Rainbow Baby

What Comes after the NICU? Sometimes It’s the Struggle No One Sees.

Surprise! I’m 42 and Pregnant.

To the Moms of COVID Babies Turning Five

Dear Mama, There’s a Story In Your C-Section Scar

He Was Almost the Boy I Let Get away

Dear C-Section Mom, It’s Natural to Feel Whatever You Do

Previous Post

Next Post

You May Also Like