Molly has a secret and she is bursting to share it with you!
She's going to be a BIG SISTER in January. I'm just over 14 weeks along with another little girl. Scott and I are over the moon about having another little girl to add to our family. Molly is very excited about a baby and kisses my belly throughout the day while yelling, BABY! It's adorable.
The future is now! I was offered the MaterniT21 test by my doctor and it is "WHOA! FUTURE!". It is a very non-invasive blood test where my blood is drawn and then the baby's DNA is extracted to test for chromosomal issues. Additionally if you do want to find out the sex at this point, they can tell you that too. My genetic counselor did say that they would confirm the sex at the Anatomy Scan when I'm about 20 weeks along. Here's hoping that you won't see a post saying, "OOPS! Looks like there is a boy in there."
Being pregnant a second time is totally different than the first. I'm way more laid back this time. I didn't even see the doctor until I was 10 weeks along. I called them when I first found out since I was running the Vancouver Half Marathon a few weeks later to get the OK. Other than my nurse telling me that I was crazy to run a half marathon, pregnant or not, she told me that I could come in at 10 weeks for my first check-up and that I didn't need to come in to confirm the pregnancy. I was OK with that because honestly, I had already pee'd on 4 tests and they were all positive. Also I felt pregnant., I feel pregnant. So far (knock on wood), I'm not as nauseous as I was with Molly nor as tired. My time may come soon enough though.
We've named this baby, Chicken Nugget. As usual, we have a funny reason why. As we were driving up to Vancouver, I was going on about running a race while pregnant, blah, blah, blah and Scott said, "Dude! It's not even the size of a chicken nugget yet. Don't worry, your doctor said it was OK and you've been training." I laughed and said, "Well the baby shall now be named, Chicken Nugget"
I've curtailed my running since the race as I really like my pelvic floor and would like to keep it as much as possible. Running while pregnant has so many risks that I am not willing to take. I have been busy swimming, Barre3'ing, walking and hiking. I plan to remain as active as possible throughout this pregnancy. It strangely enough helps keep the nausea down and the energy level up. I'm sure that I'll be modifying my activity as my belly grows though.
So got any tips on bringing home a new baby when you already have one kiddo at home? Anything we should do now to prepare Molly for her new sister? She comes to all my doctor appointments and even got to attend the ultrasound. She thought the pictures were hilarious! The tech was so awesome with her which made things even easier.
Okay, 1) Molly is, like, the cutest kid on earth. And 2) with Sam there were two things that I think helped prepare him. One was a book we got from the library called We Have A Baby, and the other was spending an afternoon with our friends' baby, which helped make the idea real for him. Oh, and 3) CONGRATULATIONS! Yay baby!
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to think of what we did...we talked a lot about the baby of course, and how the baby would require my time, there would be times he would need to wait for things, etc. My mom came in when C2 was born and planned special things for C1 while we were in the hospital, so I think he was so busy and felt special that he didn't feel overshadowed. Also, a friend brought a gift to the hospital for C1. It was cool because then he came to meet his brother & got a present, so double bonus ;) When the baby got home, we let C1 help wherever possible - bottles, baths, getting diapers, etc. - which helped him feel included. We really haven't had many sibling issues until now - C2 doesn't understand how to share yet so C1 has to always be the one who has to share, so that becomes a challenge ;) Molly will be great!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!! Molly is so adorable and she will be the best big sister ever!!
ReplyDeleteYay, baby!!!
ReplyDeleteOne of my friends just had her second and her oldest was 4 when her little brother arrived. They let Kacy choose what outfit for her brother to wear home from the hospital, help out with the baby (bringing stuff to mommy when needed), and basically just feel included as much as possible. I know that a few of us got her Big Sister presents (coloring books, stickers, play-doh) to 1) help her feel special too and 2) keep her occupied!
You guys will do great!! YAY!!
Congrats again! Molly looks so happy and adorable in her picture!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on a baby sister for Molly! I found your blog by your cloth diapering post. I love reading your updates and have picked up some great tips and advice from you that I hope will be helpful when my first baby arrives next month. I think we're practically North Seattle neighbors :)
ReplyDeleteExpect the unexpected.... We bought a present for Abbie from Madison thinking she would be excited about a baby but Abbie was not happy with her sister she didn't want anything to do with her, I was devistated but it ended up being a blessing because..... I didn't have to worry about Abbie smothering her when I needed to take a shower or make dinner, etc. Abbie warmed up to Madison of course and they are best friends now. Because they will be close in age my best advice is to reassure Molly that you have enough cuddles for two babies.... I was continuously telling Abbie I have two laps and two arms for cuddling don't worry. I delayed potty training because once Abbie saw her sister in diapers any progress was lost. Don't stress about that too much it is not so bad to have two in diapers at the same time... just assembly line diaper changes.
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