Thank you all so much for all of the sweet comments on our pregnancy announcement. You all are truly awesome!
We are due on July 19, 2015 and Caroline and Baby M2 will be 14 months apart. We are are really excited about it, a little terrified, but mostly excited. We always wanted our kiddies to be close in age (my siblings and I are each a year apart) but we definitely aren’t naive to the fact that we have some tough diaper-filled years ahead!
Anyway, some answers to the most common questions I’ve received since sharing our news…
How far along are you and how are you feeling? I am 15 weeks pregnant and the first trimester was exactly like my last pregnancy – terrible. Fighting through nausea, frequent dizzy spells and extreme exhaustion while chasing around a very mobile baby has been tough! But thankfully I am feeling better these days now that I am in my second trimester.
How did you find out? Even though I stopped breastfeeding a few months after Caroline was born my cycle was all out of whack. I began tracking, charting, testing, temping, etc. for a few months to see if things were getting back to “normal” and they definitely were not. So a few days before my routine mammogram {I get these very often due to my family breast cancer history} I took a pregnancy test – negative. When I arrived to my appointment the technician must have asked me a million times if I was pregnant and I assured her that I had just received a negative pregnancy test but that we were in fact “trying”. She made me sign a waver stating I wasn’t pregnant, informed me of all of the terrible risks associated with radiation exposure to a fetus and then decided to dress me with a lead apron just in case. I knew I wasn’t pregnant but felt very nervous throughout the entire screen and even throughout the next few days. She really scared me. By the weekend I ultimately decided to take another pregnancy test. POSITIVE.We should have been jumping for joy but were immediately crippled with fear thinking about the mammogram I just had 5 days earlier and the warning from the technician. I called my doctor first thing the very next morning and he squeezed me in on his lunch break for an ultrasound. Despite a positive pregnancy test the ultrasound showed NO baby and we were devastated. A few days later we went back in for another ultrasound – still no baby but my uterus appeared to be doing something. We continued to go in for ultrasounds every few days to check on the progress and were getting really discouraged (no fetal pole, growing too slowly, not progressing, etc). The doctor informed us that there was some risk that we could lose the baby in the coming weeks due to the radiation exposure from the mammogram. We spent a lot of time in prayer during the weeks that followed. Finally, after 8 long weeks of doctor’s appointments and ultrasounds my doctor informed us that he was confident that the baby was healthy, was safe from any radiation exposure and confirmed me for a July 19, 2015 due date!
Will you find out the gender? Yep! In fact, we already know! At 13 weeks my doctor referred us to a specialized maternal-fetal medicine physician who told us with 80% confidence the gender of baby M2! We will receive confirmation at our 18 week anatomy scan and then I will share the news!
Do you have a name? Yep, that’s picked out too and I can’t wait to share.
Are you going to post weekly bumpdates? Oh heck no. And you’re welcome. I barely have time to keep up with the blog as it is and towards the end of my last pregnancy I was so sick of writing those things (and taking pictures)! I still can’t believe I posted 28 updates on my pregnancy with Caroline. Twenty Eight! I
will try to scratch some highlights down on a monthly basis this time
around just so #2 doesn’t feel neglected but nothing nearly as detailed
as the first time around. Six updates is much more manageable.
Will you return to work after #2 is born? Sure am! Although the thought of a second daycare payment is nauseating, I really enjoy being a working mom and contributing to our family. Also, we love Caroline’s daycare (and so does she) and I love my job so this works out perfect for us. More thoughts on this subject here.
Nursery plans? Haha.
Will you do anything different this time around? Oh yes. Here are the top 5 things that come to mind…
1. I’ll throw in the towel on breastfeeding much earlier. I wanted to exclusively breastfeed Caroline so badly. For months I experimented with every single recommendation from friends and bloggers, old wives tales from the internet and guidance from doctors and lactation consultants in an attempt to breastfeed. It was exhausting, disappointing and extremely frustrating. I even committed to pumping at work despite only getting an ounce or two {at most} each time. Finally at 4 months I threw in the towel and I was a better mom for it. I’ll give it another shot this time around but I’m not going to kill myself over it again.
2. I’ll splurge on the very best SIDS monitor there is. Feel free to send recommendations. I’m leaning towards the Snuza since it’s portable and has rave reviews.
3. I won’t feel guilty about co-sleeping. Everyone does it but no one admits it. For us, it was a life changing decision and we bed-shared with Caroline until she was two months old. Our doctor and lactation consultant also recommended co-sleeping.
4. I’m going to try my hardest not to gain a million pounds. I am really hoping not to use the “but I’m pregnant” excuse to fuel bad donut habits again. My baby weight didn’t magically melt off like it does for some. It took me 6 long, hungry months to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. That being said, the day I found out I was pregnant I ate a box of pop-tarts…so…
5. I’ll give myself grace.
Did I cover everything? Any lingering questions?
Congratulations!! I love the transparency in this 🙂 My sister is in the same boat & I am always amazed at how she chases around my nephew while growing a human inside of her – you go girls, you Mamas amaze me! Praying for a smooth pregnancy!
Congrats again, lady!!!! So glad everything is okay with baby #2!
Congratulations!! I can't wait to read more. Blessings to you & your family! 🙂
Congratulations! I'm so happy for y'all and will pray for a healthy pregnancy and baby! Be sure to take some time for yourself this pregnancy without feeling guilty!
Super congratulations and I'm so glad this little peanut is okay! My oldest is a July 19th baby! I love the list – giving yourself grace is key! I wanted to add I struggled like crazy to nurse our first and when the second came it was such a different situation – more milk, easier nursling, longer breaks between sessions. Definitely don't pressure yourself to make it work but know each time can be different (I can't make pumping work to create bottles and have never had kids close together which could definitely change things, but just saying don't feel defeated already). We are big time cosleeper a (otherwise we would never sleep)! My ped is totally against it but he's never offered to come feed my baby at night so we do what works (and I know a lot people say they can't sleep with a baby beside them but I sleep better with them right there – but I have a whole system to protect their nose from being covered). Best of luck to you!! So excited to follow along on this adventure!
Congratulations, a high school friend has boys that are 14 months apart and they are the cutest! Can't wait to find out more!
Congrats! We have the snuza and love it. We've never had a false alarm with it, and it helped me sleep so much better at night knowing our little one was wearing it. Congrats again on your growing little family!
Thank you for the update, have been thinking about you! What a scary situation with the mammogram, thank God everything is okay. Can't wait to know boy or girl! Either way, they will love being close in age, as I'm sure you know from experience. See you at church!
Congratulations! This is so exciting! I am glad that everything seems to be okay after the mammogram! I know that had to be terrifying! I can't wait to see the gender and the name! 🙂
That's so fun that you know the gender already!! Glad to hear you are feeling better and that baby is healthy and growing!! I'm so excited for you and your family!
Thank you so much for sharing! SO exciting! I agree I probably won't breastfeed as long with my next one.. I put SO much pressure on myself and ran myself ragged pumping! Once I put him on formula and realized he was still happy and heathy and thriving, I wondered why I stressed about it so much. It was a total game changer and we were all so much happier in the end! Also, we used the HiSense motion monitor in our son's crib and LOVED it. Brought me so much peace of mind! Very cool that you will remain a working mom too 🙂
Congrats! So excited for you and your sweet family…praying for a healthy, relaxing, and blessed pregnancy!!
Congratulations!! So so happy for your sweet family!
Yay! Congrats again! We have two babes (22 months apart) and it is the best thing EVER! I love love love it and cannot wait to have #3 🙂 Cannot wait to hear the news on the gender (I always LOVE hearing and have NO patience)!
Congrats lady!! I am currently 20 weeks pregnant (with my first) and registering is a headache!! I've been looking for a good SIDS monitor too, especially after reading your blog post about it with Caroline!! – so let me know what you end up with! 🙂
Love it!!! Such a blessing! Definitely don't feel guilty about co-sleeping, it's the only way to catch any Zs those first 5 months. Ha! Wishing yall the very best!
Love your honesty in this post – especially about breastfeeding. While I was lucky enough to breastfeed Caleb until he was almost 12 months old, it was a definite sacrifice on my part (I was a working mom for much of his first year, and pumping at work was TOUGH). I doubt that I would be able to do it again with baby #2 if I was working. The stress of it all took such a toll on my body, I was seriously underweight and just not healthy. What's most important is that you're healthy and baby is healthy, regardless of breast v. formula.And goodness, sweet girl. The first few weeks of this pregnancy sound tough! For different reasons, the first few weeks of my second pregnancy were also really scary – nothing showed up on ultrasound for us until after 7 weeks, and then there was no fetal pole for another 2 weeks – so I can understand what you were feeling! Glad to hear that everything turned out to be ok, and loving that cute bump!!! Overall, just glad that we are both being blessed with sweet little additions to our families this year, and can't wait to keep up with you as you prepare to welcome baby M2!!!
Yum poptarts……lol! Congrats on baby #2!!
So many exciting things! Thrilled for y'all and can't wait to hear more! Gender and name announcements are like my favorite thing EVER 🙂
Aw, baby two, we love you already!!!! We need a playdate on the books because I miss you and Caroline tons!!!
Congratulations!!! What a beautiful blessing! 🙂
Oh friend, I am so so excite for you – and reading this post made me even more excited!!!! Yay for all going well and healthy now – and know you are in our prayers! And you know the gender… eeeeeeeeek!! I can't wait to find out and the beautiful name too. I won't lie, I;m quite sad that you won't be doing weekly updates 🙁 But i can totally see why!It is one of my biggest regrets during both my pregnancies but maybe for my third!x
And posts like this are why I love you, little blogger friend! Love your honesty and so happy for y'all. I agree, give yourself grace, don't beat yourself up over the breastfeeding issue {I gave in about the same point as you did and was a happier, better Mom for doing it. Wish I had done it sooner!} and co-sleep all you want. {We did that a ton and still do sometimes! My Mom told me yesterday I slept in their bed til I was 4 and my little sister came along…o-m-gosh!!}
I love your honesty!! I can't wait to read further updates and it will be hard with two babes at once, but also so fun to see them growing together. 🙂
This is so sweet and I love reading along. Congrats on baby #2!! I'm expecting my first in June and have really enjoyed following your blog and all the helpful hints and advice. Your top 5 are so helpful and re-assuring. Thanks so much for sharing!
So excited for you guys! My sister and I are a year apart (13 mo) and we're best friends. It's so fun to have someone so close in age to grow up with. And my mom said while it was a little tough when we were small, it soon helped so much that we were able to entertain one another. So yay for that! We have the angelcare monitor and it has worked well for us with both kids. You have to tinker with the sensitivity setting when you first set it up but after that, very few false alarms. As for breastfeeding, good for you. All you can do is your best. No need to beat yourself up. I will tell you, I also had a hard time with nursing, pumping and production the first time around. I was also trying very hard to lose the baby weight as I felt so terrible about how much I had put on. I don't think I was eating enough. This time, I've decided to give myself more time to lose it. I'm not trying to diet and I think it's making a huge difference in production and nursing is going great this time. Just my experience but I thought I'd share as maybe it could help or save you some of that breastfeeding stress the second go-round! And to encourage that this time could go so much better. There's hope! 🙂
Congratulations!!!!!
So exciting! Our little girl Lily Kate was born May 25th of last year (due date was june 5th) and we are pregnant with another little girl, Annabel, due June 15th! So I know how you feel! So excited yet a little nervous! We were trying too! 😉 (Everyone thinks we are crazy and people are always asking if it was planned!) But I just wanted to say congratulations and I am excited to follow along on your journey and see how your babies are doing! 🙂
Love this! Congratulations!
Also, I highly recommend the angel care monitor. We love it, there are times it has gone off for no reason. But, I would rather be safe!!
Ah! I'm green with envy, and so, so excited for yall! We're itching for baby #2 but can't fathom a second daycare payment just yet, along with needing some time to rebuild pto for maternity leave! hah #wethinktoomuch So very happy for your sweet little family and look forward to following along for baby M2!
love this post mama!!!! just so happy for ya'll and for Caroline to get a sibling…there is nothing like it and I promise you will LOVE them being so close in age 😉
Congratulations! Yeah we still co sleep over here and love it! And I'm with you on throwing in the towel earlier with the breastfeeding! I'm not putting myself through that stress next time!
So glad things turned out well in the end. I will be praying for you all. How exciting!
EEP! I've been waiting for this post for a week! You're going to be the BEST mama of two! xoxox
Ahh so exciting and your due date is the day before my birthday 😉 Congratulations again, and even more exciting is knowing the gender, or at least a very educated guess until the confirmation appointment!
Congratulations again! I don't blame you at all for not wanting to do pregnancy updates. They are A LOT of work and you've got one to take care of already. I barely remember to do them myself! It's good to be honest with yourself, in particular about breastfeeding, you'll be a happier mom with that attitude from the get go.
Ahh!! This is all so, so exciting!! Love your honesty about the bumpdates! I won't be dojng them as frequently the 2nd time either!! So time consuming & I'm def over it! So happy for y'all though!! What an exciting time!!
Love this post! So happy for y'all!
Congrats again! You are amazing to take on 2 in diapers! So happy your family has this to look forward to!
Grace is indeed the perfect word. For us all! ;). Round two might be super easier, God only knows right?? So excited for you & your sweet fam.All will be well.
I'm really happy for you! My kids are 21 months apart…not as close, but still close! I am so glad we decided to have babies close together…it's made a huge difference! And I promise, you get into a serious rhythm with two that are close together! Many blessings to you and your family!
I've been anxiously waiting for this post ever since your pregnancy announcement! I am so excited for you guys and absolutely can't wait to find out the gender and name!! Congratulations!!! 🙂
Oh mama!! How terrifying about the radiation scare!! So happy that M2 is thriving and chugging along just fine. Per usual excited to follow along!
How scary – but God is good! Glad to hear despite the prolonged worry period that all is well and baby is healthy.
So exciting and so happy for you guys!! I'm so sorry you guys had to go through those long weeks of not knowing about the baby. I can't imagine how hard that was. I'm so happy baby and mama are both healthy!!!
Congrats!!! i had a feeling you'd be making this announcement sooner rather than later!!
yah! so happy for you!! and looking forward to the monthly bumpdates! (good job doing them so often before — i dont know how you did it!) can't wait to find out the baby's gender too! so exciting! xo jillian
Congratulations!! So happy for you and your little fam :)Kristina http://www.medicineandmanicures.com
AHHHHH!!! I was SO excited to see your post on this! I've been [not so] patiently waiting to hear ALL about it! I am SO HAPPY for y'all!!!!!! And can't WAIT for the gender reveal! Either way – it's a win-win because it's a BABY! And babies are the BEST GIFTS EVER!!!! 😉 So, so happy!!!
What a fun update! And your honesty (about so many things) is just amazing and makes me feel so much better about things we did (and didn't) do!
I have good news to share with the world today, i made a vow to my self that i will tell the world about PRIEST ONOME after he helped me with his spell that made my wife and i settled our difference. We where both married for years without issue, we visited different hospitals but nor could help us. i loved my wife so much and never intended to drive her out for a second woman. One day as we where both deliberating on how to solve our bareness we got a news from a radio station that PRIEST ONOME can put a stop to all problem with his spell so we called his mobile number and then emailed him for a solution and after all was done i and very glade to announce to the world that my wife had a set of twine 9 month later. Do you have problem of any kind and you think all hope is lost then you have a chance to met PRIEST ONOME today for help his email is: [email protected]
I have been waiting for this post!!! I'm so excited for you guys! I can't even imagine the weight off your shoulders that must come with a second pregnancy, now that you have already been through it! Can't wait to hear the gender! I can't believe you already know!!!
So fun! We are due with baby #2 on July 4th so super close!!!
Congratulations, such a blessing for your family!!
Both of my kids (now 3 and 6) were born on July 21! Maybe M2 will have the same 🙂
July 19th is my birthday! That would be so cool if M2 and I shared the day…Happy Thursday :)http://www.lovecompassionatelee.com/
Christina, I just want to say thank you for being so real & honest on the things that you will do differently this next time around. I tried nursing for 6 weeks & then threw in the towel. It wasn't working for either of us & Cash wasn't getting enough from me. I have no regrets in my decision, because in the end, I did what was best for MY family & as a mother, that's all you can do. 🙂 Congratulations, again!
Yay! Happy happy news. Huge congratulations to you all. What a terrifying time you had in those early weeks. My heart goes out to you. It amazes me that you found strength to blog your usual positive messages during that time. My babe is 3 months old. Your difficulties breast feeding really helped me come to terms with my own. I think you are a hero mum going to the lengths you went to. I'm grateful to be mixed feeding still but I still find it hard to come to terms with the loss of exclusive bf-ing. We Co sleep and I love it. It's amazing how having a baby modifies how you parent versus what you thought you would do. I loved your bump dates but struggled to even photo graph regularly so well done you for managing it last time although will look forward to any crumbs of news you manage to drop! Wishing you a healthy and wonderful rest of pregnancy x
Congratulations to you and your growing family! We have the Snuza and absolutely love it. I used it with my daughter for her first year and now my son is wearing it. It's my peace of mind every night. Worth every penny!
Congratulations!!! I'm glad everything is working out ok. I'm sure you were a nervous mess for those first few weeks. We coslept until our kids were 9 months old, and will definitely do it again if we're blessed with another babe. It's such a sanity saver.
Congratulations!! 🙂 So excited for you and your family! Happy that baby is doing just fine 🙂
Congratulations! So excited for you and your family!! July 19th was my sweet mama's birthday….it's a good day :).
Congrats to you and your sweet family!!! How scary with the mammogram! So so happy you have a healthy baby growing in there. Wishing you a fabulous pregnancy from here on out. Oh and we used the Snuza with both of my kiddos and loved it. After they started to move around a bit (and were unswaddled) it was impossible to keep on, but as little babes it was amazing!!!! Highly recommend.
eeek! I am still so excited for yall it isn't even funny! Thanks for the information (purchasing that monitor like today) and for your complete honesty! ha! Love it and I look forward to following along – bumpdates or no bumpdates 😉 Have a great day friend! xo
Makes me so excited for you and your sweet (GROWING!!!) family! Can't wait to hear the GENDER + NAME!!! Eekkk and girlfriend… you have to keep the baby blog alive! Although, the weekly ones get stressful, maybe there's a way to add a tidbit of your pregnancy journey in each weeks "5 on Friday" posts. I can't wait to hear about the Snuza… we had the basic angel care monitor. I have another GF who used it and LOVED it! Congrats, friend! xo
Congratulations, Christina.
my name is pascal from New zealand, am here to share this testimony on how me and my wife was able to be come parents. we tried for so many years to become parents but there was no success of child bearing. We went to different hospitals but they keep saying the same thing that i was the problem and my wife was perfectly okay. One day i decided to try traditional and spiritual help, i contacted a man who i came across on the internet called [DR ODOGUN] of [email protected] i ask him for help and he told me that i was the cause of my wife inability to bear a child. I became more confuse and worried and at this time my wife was making moves for a divorce. I told the man everything and he decided to help me, he told me he is going to help me by either casting a spell or given me traditional medicine to drink, that i should decide on which one to take. At the end of the day i choose the spell casting because i wanted my wife to see it as a miracle because she was a strong christian. I did all he ask me to do and i got all the results i needed without my wife knowing and today am a father. Thanks to DR ODOGUN i will forever be grateful sir.
ninest123 07.21nike free, nike outlet, longchamp outlet, prada outlet, polo ralph lauren outlet, ray ban sunglasses, kate spade handbags, coach outlet, chanel handbags, tiffany jewelry, christian louboutin outlet, louboutin outlet, louboutin shoes, gucci outlet, ray ban sunglasses, nike air max, michael kors outlet, replica watches, burberry, michael kors outlet, michael kors outlet, coach outlet, michael kors outlet, nike air max, oakley sunglasses, coach factory outlet, kate spade outlet, longchamp, burberry outlet online, jordan shoes, longchamp outlet, polo ralph lauren outlet, tory burch outlet, michael kors outlet, michael kors, oakley sunglasses, tiffany and co, louboutin, oakley sunglasses, prada handbags
coach purses, nike free, hollister pas cher, converse pas cher, ralph lauren pas cher, lacoste pas cher, air force, nike air max, true religion outlet, north face, hollister, north face, tn pas cher, michael kors, true religion jeans, air max, louboutin pas cher, longchamp pas cher, mulberry, oakley pas cher, vans pas cher, ray ban pas cher, ray ban uk, michael kors, michael kors, ralph lauren uk, new balance pas cher, timberland, vanessa bruno, nike blazer, lululemon, true religion jeans, true religion jeans, hermes, nike roshe run, burberry, sac guess, air jordan pas cher, sac longchamp, hogan
nike free run uk, ferragamo shoes, lululemon, p90x workout, hollister, valentino shoes, nike roshe, bottega veneta, longchamp, soccer jerseys, nike huarache, wedding dresses, celine handbags, new balance, nfl jerseys, herve leger, nike air max, abercrombie and fitch, abercrombie and fitch, chi flat iron, asics running shoes, ghd, giuseppe zanotti, mont blanc, mac cosmetics, babyliss, mcm handbags, nike roshe, nike trainers, north face outlet, beats by dre, insanity workout, jimmy choo shoes, nike air max, soccer shoes, vans shoes, birkin bag, instyler, reebok shoes, north face outlet
supra shoes, hollister, coach outlet, ralph lauren, lancel, juicy couture outlet, pandora charms, swarovski crystal, hollister, converse, hollister, thomas sabo, swarovski, nike air max, marc jacobs, baseball bats, converse outlet, karen millen, pandora jewelry, montre pas cher, replica watches, links of london, timberland boots, pandora charms, gucci, vans, oakley, louboutin, juicy couture outlet, toms shoes, ray ban, iphone 6 cases, nike air max, wedding dressesninest123 07.21