Double Digits
Where did the time go?!?! I have less than 100 days to go until my newest son is born. Wow! I can’t believe it. Next week I start the third trimester already. I haven’t prepared a single thing, but the good news is that we basically have everything we need. We will most likely be leaving the “nursery” as is and moving big brother Jax into his new big boy room, decorated as he pleases. He is really into sharks and dinosaurs and bugs and trucks and cars and airplanes (LOL!) so basically our options are wide open.
We still haven’t decided on a name for this new little one. I’m sure it will come to us eventually. We have been working on our house for months now and I’m sure everything will get done in the next 3 months before bringing home baby! I feel relaxed about it all.
On the other hand, I’m tired. Really really bone tired. I have such sleep issues and have had them since pregnant with my first. Sometimes I honestly don’t know how I function or survive, but I seem to manage well enough. I guess one of these years I will be able to sleep normally (and soundly) again.
Otherwise on the pregnancy front, my weight gain has been slow and steady and matches what I gained last time, which is cool. I (hopefully) won’t have to worry about losing a ton of (if any) weight post pregnancy. I am pretty uncomfortable already though. My lower back hurts and I get braxton hicks contractions all the time, which are somewhat painful to me. I had a pretty bad bout of heartburn for a while, but it seems to have left the building for the time being. My baby boy is very very active in the womb and lets himself be known very often. It’s strange and cool at the same time.
I’m just really looking forward to meeting this little guy and having him join our family. I think Jax will be a great big brother. I know it will be an adjustment and I am definitely worried about how we’ll manage at the beginning, but I know it will be ok. Any words of wisdom from those of you who have been there?
As far as adjustment... like you said, you will do fine! The two very best things that I did were to stuff my freezer full of meals and pull out/clean my bjorn carrier!! Another good thing that we did was fill up a box of new toys for Nicole. It was stuff that she hadn't seen before so if I really needed 15 minutes (really, when I was trying to nurse it came in super handy) I'd give her a new toy (they were cheap - books, puzzles, coloring books, etc).
You will be amazed at how well you adjust. It was so much easier for me the 2nd time around, b/c I knew what to expect, and I was able to prepare myself for the stuff that gave me anxiety the first time around. It's still challenging, don't get me wrong, but I didn't have any fear the 2nd time around. It was a lot more enjoyable.
I am so excited for you!
I can't believe you're down to double digits already!!
My best advice would be to grab every bit of sleep you can, and accept help when it is offered. Gavin was a horrible sleeper for the first year, and I was totally exhausted all the time from running with McKenna. I finally learned to say yes when my neighbor and good friend volunteered to take him so I could sleep. It made a world of difference. With the second, I learned that I was still a good mom if I accepted help with meals, errands, etc. instead of trying to do it all alone.