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Life got much harder once Ds started walking (about February). The kids were fighting a lot and since DS wants to do everything his sister is doing, there were a lot of tears (either because he physically couldn't do it or because I wouldn't let him for fear of his safety). Things have gotten a lot better in the last month or two, though, and they play pretty well together now. DD's also getting out of the terrible three's and DS hasn't yet started the terrible two's, so we're in a good spot right now.

The first year was tough! My son was 2 years 3 months when she was born so he was still pretty young and was going through the terrible twos. But it's so much better now that he's 3 1/2. He's starting to take on the older brother role now and it makes life much easier. He'll feed her her bottle, get her blankie from her room, put her shoes on, pat her back when she's coughing. It's nice having a little helper. But the first 12 months...sigh...glad that phase is over!

I think there were some stressful times as each of them felt with milestones and tantrum periods. I had a Lot of refereeing with my three boys but not as bad with Lilly in the mix.

@Mrs. Bee: recently my boys started taking care of Lilly more, holding her hand or helping her with things. It didn't seem to happen much until they were about 4.

@autumnlove: You'll get through it! I'll tell you some GOOD thngs about 2nd-time parenting to hopefully make you less scared!

- The 2nd time around, you pretty much know the drill. Feeding, burping, sleeping, washing...It all comes back and it feels like second nature. With #1, I always felt confused and anxious because all of this was so brand new to me. You'll feel like a pro the 2nd time.

- You'll learn to let go a lot more the 2nd time. I don't know about you but I was always nervous about # of sleep hours, # of ounces, hitting milestones at specific times, germs!, etc. I definitely eased up A LOT with #2.

- You'll learn to appreciate the little things. I was always so worried about how my son was growing and developing, that I didn't always take the time to enjoy precious little moments. The 2nd time around, I wasn't nearly as anxious and was able to soak in everything a lot more. And we plan on not having any more kids after 2, so I definitely am trying to soak everything up.

I know people comment on how hard having two is (I know I do all the time!). It's hard when you're going through it but looking back, you realize it wasn't that bad and that you actually miss some parts of it.

Following - great question @autumnlove: !