The competency test.

Two children. Two babies, more like, and two boys at that! Our little Ambrose arrived six weeks ago, and I find myself mother to the dreaded--nay, feared--"two under two." With my not-so-little Baby J just days away from his second birthday, I've realized that having a second child is like taking the finals of motherhood--and that your first child is only the midterm.

Things this time around seem somewhat more familiar. After going through the 8-month parenting trial that was Baby J's infanthood, I can truly be aware of and grateful for a more mellow baby this time around. To be finally competent in soothing, swaddling, bathing and nursing an infant doesn't hurt, either. This kid sleeps when I sleep, he eats well, he smiles on demand. He's definitely getting a passing grade, even if I might not be.

To say that my writing time has suffered as a result of the care and feeding of two little people is painfully obvious to me. But each blog post is a fresh start at the resolution to get the heck back online--between my exams, of course.