Sweet Abandon: Not without some chaos and cuteness

I am here to tell you that I have officially made it through 1/2 the week on my own....alive, and should I say, even thriving? If you take a way the sleep depravity that I am feeling I would go as far as saying I think I am figuring out the constant balancing act that comes with having 2 kids under the age of 2. Monday was a scary day for me, but once I realized that yes, I could give both Cole and Bennett quality time, keep my patience after waking up at the crack of dawn, get myself fully dressed (no, I am not talking about pajama pants here), and manage to have dinner piping hot and ready by the time my hubby walked through the door. If you would have asked if I thought any of that would happen in the first day, I would have given you a resounding "no". But let's not get ahead of ourselves and thinking that all my days have gone without a hitch.

You didn't see the pile of cereal left on the floor when Cole decided to open the box and turn it upside down.Or the yogurt splattered everywhere when he decided that he was done.....

You didn't see when I had to chase Cole down the hall...while breastfeeding....and using one hand to grab his arm and drag him to a timeout while saying things like "no, it is not ok to whack your mama with a hanger." (never underestimate the abilities a mom has, even while nursing little man!)

You didn't hear the screaming and whining that unfolded when I had to pick Bennett up because, well, he was crying....but big brother preferred that he stay laying next to him regardless.

I may or may not have used "snacks" as a way to buy a little extra peaceful time while I was busy tending to Bennett. (I don't think Cole would ever complain about this one).

Or the day I looked up to see that Cole had just discovered that his finger fit perfectly in his nose, and he proceeded to stuff it up there over and over again, as I repeatedly pulled it out.

And I may have left out a key detail such as the only way I got a shower, dressed and makeup applied was merely the fact that I got up while it was still very dark out.....not as awesome sounding as before huh.

You most definitely cannot see the pile of toys at my feet that I am choosing to ignore so that I can type this post.

Our days are not perfect, and I know we will have good ones and then ones that seem like the "song that never ends". I'm sure I will have many moments when I "lose" it both mentally and emotionally. But you know what? I plan on doing my very best to soak up the good along with the bad, because in retrospect I only get them this little for a snippet of time.

I mean can you believe this little dude will be two in 4 days???

Seriously, a snippet of time....

And this little guy will grow up like his brother did...why do they do that? Cole and I decided to have a photo shoot to capture Bennett at 5 weeks, so that when he is about to turn two, I can look back at these pictures and pinch myself at how big he has become. So here are a few of the photos we took.