So what's it like?!

This is a question we hear often from friends who either have zero children or just have one and are considering more. What's it like with two kids? Today is my last full day of maternity leave, and I feel like after almost eight weeks, I can say - to this point - what it's like:

1. There aren't enough hours in the day, thus our decision to hire a housekeeper who comes 2x per month and has drastically changed my life. I will only love her more when I'm back at work. :) With two kids comes choosing priorities, and this is one area where we decided to get some help.
2. We live for the weekends even more now because the weeks fly by like crazy. In the evenings, we are busy, busy, busy and before I know it we're all sleeping and the day is gone. Saturdays and Sundays can't come often enough.
3. If you are lucky, your older child will ADORE the baby, and that is (so far) the case in our home.
4. Suddenly, your older child seems extremely grown up, and I've had to be careful to not expect too much from her. She is still only two.
5. The "your older child will regress" scenario isn't always true. Sydney has only done better with her potty-training (we're about 99% there!) and she is extremely patient when she can tell Collin's needs are more urgent than her own. Talk about maturity and luck!
6. I have never been so happy, exhausted and overwhelmed all at the same time.
7. Having three is out of the question ;-)  We already knew this was our plan for a family, but now I KNOW for sure. Two is perfect and plenty for us!
8. Twice the love is twice as great, and seeing the love between the kids is priceless. Yes, I already think Collin loves Sydney. He is actually calmer when she's talking to him, which is funny to me because she is loud and right up in his face.
9. Having two was definitely the best decision for us, and I am also pleased with the spacing of two years between. Sydney already doesn't remember a day without him, I'm quite certain. Also, being only two years old, she isn't aware of some simple things that would possibly upset her if she were older. For example, she has no clue that Collin and I have spent every weekday together for the last 7 weeks while she was at school. She would tell me that Mommy and Daddy go to work and Sydney and Collin go to school. I wonder where she thought his school was?! Ignorance is bliss.

So, almost eight weeks in, that's what I know about having two kids. I feel very fortunate to have my sweet family. I know Randall and I have many, many more years of crazy/happy/fun/stressful times ahead, and I wouldn't change it for the world.