Holy cow, I think you guys had even more questions than the last time we did this after announcing that Clara was on the way! But it was fun to dive in and answer as many things as we could before hitting 4,500 words (because honestly that’s pushing it, even for us). So here are a whole lot of answers for you sweet folks who had us beaming all day on Wednesday after our little bun announcement. We have so much to be thankful for, and you guys are definitely on the list.
Will you find out the sex of the baby? Are you taking a blood test to find out early, like Maternity21? Do you or John have a preference? Sherry, any “maternal instinct” feelings on whether this bean is a lady bean or a lad? After Clara’s scary birth, all we really hope for is a healthy baby. Sounds cliche, but it’s true. A little sister for Clara would be adorable, and it’s also fun to think about having a boy since that’s something we’ve never experienced. I have a feeling it’s a girl, but I definitely could be wrong. My doctor relies on 20 week ultrasounds for the big reveal, so we won’t know what’s cooking until November. But we’re looking forward to “the half-time show.” With Clara it was such a nice exciting moment in the middle of everything to learn who was joining our family – and of course we’ll tell you guys when we know. In the meantime it’s fun to have a little while to guess and wonder and lie in bed and talk about ten million possible scenarios and names and nursery ideas.
Is this the secret side project that you guys have been working on? Nope! While technically the baby was a secret project, it’s not the secret project that we mentioned in our blogiversary pie chart. That’s a side gig that we’ve been doing for over a year (we didn’t put kid-time on those graphs, so Clara care isn’t on there either). Hilariously enough, our secret project is also due to come out this spring! Ahh! Can’t wait to get the ok to spill those beans. Maybe in a few months…
How different has this pregnancy been in comparison to the first? Has your morning sickness subsided? Have you found anything that worked? I was never really that tired while pregnant with Clara but I’m feeling a lot more fatigued with this one, although I hear that’s pretty common since I have a kiddo to run after this time. With Clara I was sick in the morning (around 8-10am) which lasted until 16 or 17 weeks – so usually after I woke up and got sick a few times I could eat something heavy for breakfast (I loved a baked potato or a bagel with cream cheese) and then be good for the rest of the day. With this pregnancy I’m having all day sickness, which threw me for a loop for the first couple of months but now I feel like I’m sort of a pro at navigating the nauseous 24/7 waters. It’s all for a good cause! I’ve tried everything from ginger candies and ginger gum to acupressure bands and B6/B12/magnesium. Seems like “bowing to the bowl” as I affectionately call it, is just part of growing this amazing little bun, so it’s all worth it… although I wouldn’t be mad if it ended before 17 weeks this time. Here’s hoping!
Do you think that this will be your last baby or do you think that you’ll go back for more? John and I agreed we’d take family planning one kid at a time, so we won’t say a firm yes or no to three before we’ve adjusted to two, but at this point we’re both excited and satisfied by the idea of being a family of four (well, five with the Burgs).
Sherry, what prompted you to take a test? Morning sickness, food aversions, exhaustion? My earliest symptom with Clara was feeling dizzy (even just sitting on the sofa) so when I had that again I thought… could it be?! It was so exciting to confirm it. I stared at the test for five minutes before it sunk in.
How did you tell John? We had been trying for a while but I tried not to say anything to lead him to believe that I was pregnant just because I didn’t want to get his hopes up if I wasn’t. So even when I was feeling dizzy, I didn’t want to jinx myself and say “dude, I’m totally preggy” only to find out I wasn’t. So I waited to take a test in the morning, could hardly contain myself when it came up positive, and then hid it for a little John-surprise later. Around 9:00 that morning I was working on a post and I said “hey John can you come look at this with me?” and pointed to my screen, but I had put the positive pregnancy test on the keyboard. John came over and looked at the screen for what seemed like forever and then said “it looks good – waiiit a minute!” and saw the test sitting there on the keyboard. He laughed and I laughed and we smooched. It was sweet.
How did you tell your parents/family? Did you really wait until the end of your first trimester?! Yup, just like we did with Clara! We just prefer to get that “safe to share” salute from the doc – plus we love to deliver that news in person if we can. That opportunity presented itself this weekend when everyone was gathering at our house to celebrate John’s dad’s birthday. We had convinced my mom (Nonna) to schedule her fall visit to coincide with it, so we could tell almost all of our parents at once. For the actual reveal, we played off of John’s family’s “birthday crown” tradition. His mom always made paper crowns for them growing up and the tradition has continued even now that everyone’s an adult. So in addition to making a crown for his dad, John thought it would be funny to make one for me, with “Birthday Boy” on his dad’s and “Pregnant Lady” on mine. I wondered if it was weirdly thunder-stealing of us (hijacking his birthday to announce our baby) but we realized that there’s probably nothing more exciting for our parents than hearing that they’re going to be grandparents again, so we went for it. And it was awesome. John popped the crown on his dad’s head and as we all clapped and cheered John walked over to me and put mine on my head too. Everyone went crazy. It was awesome. Nothing beats being surrounded by the family and wearing a wicked awesome homemade paper crown.
How did you tell Clara? Does she get it? We decided to tell Clara the same day we announced to our whole family. She’s so chatty that we worried she’d spill the beans prematurely and it felt unfair to get her all excited about it but then ask her not to talk about it with anyone else. She was playing with her cousins during the whole crown reveal, so moments after that celebration John and I took her aside and told her there was a baby swimming around in my belly. I wasn’t sure how into it she’d be, but she was IN LOVE with the news. It was adorable and I cried like a baby. She rubbed my belly, and put her ear up to it, and kissed it and asked the sweetest questions (Is the baby getting her face wet? She might not like that! Is she being a good listener in there?). I was amazed by how much she “got it” and how interested she was. And every day since she has talked about the baby and how she’s going to share her toys and be gentle and hold the baby like this (*mimes holding a doll and rocking it gently*). She’s going to be the best big sister ever. Excuse me while I sob for an hour or two.
Does Clara have a guess on the sex of the baby? Or any name suggestions? She says it’s going to be a girl, and she wants to name her Pom-pom Petersik. So far we are highly amused, but not convinced.
What are you doing to prepare Clara for a sibling? We’re just talking about things like “this empty room will be the baby’s room” and “when a baby is really tiny it sleeps a lot.” Just mentioning little things whenever she asks or seems interested. Mostly I’ve been telling her that she’ll always be my first baby and I love her so much and even if I have to feed the baby or hold the baby when it cries, I will always be loving her at the same time, and that my heart is so big and full of love for both of them. I never want her to feel displaced or second-fiddle – and I hear from a lot of my friends that they feel the same way then they’re pregnant (so it’s nice to know I’m not the only sniffly hormonal one).
Is the new baby also going to be called the bean, or does this one have a different nickname? This one seems to have affectionately become known as the bun. It seems fitting since Clara still holds the title of The Bean, and of course we have The Burgs… so The Bun rounds out our little trio.
How far along are you? When are you due? With every checkup, the measurements they take seem to shift the date a bit one way or another (and due to complications with Clara’s birth I won’t be able to go full term, so I’ll probably be delivered about a week early – but that’s something they’ll decide at the very end). The best guess is that I’m in my 13th week and we’ll have the baby sometime around the middle of April, although that might continue to change as the baby grows and they monitor me.
Do you have any names rolling around in your head yet? We tend to like names with personal or family meaning (Clara was named after John’s grandma while her middle name honors my dad and my Great Aunt) so the name of a family member or one that references something special to us seems to be what we’re usually drawn to. We generally like to toss out ideas just for fun in the beginning, but we don’t pin anything down until we find out the sex of the baby. Even then, we plan not to lock anything in (or share our finalists) until we meet the baby. So we’ll probably go into delivery day with two name contenders, and then say “yup, totally a ___.”
Will you be doing a weekly photo project with this baby like the one you did with Clara? Yes, we’d love to! We’re not sure if we’ll do the same thing (bright fabric + white onesie + photoshopped week number + cute baby) or if we’ll come up with something else. We’ve toyed with something like putting the baby in/on/around different things each week to show scale/growth and vary the background (like in a basket, on a wagon, on a pillow) but we’re not sure if we’ll run out of things or it’ll get too complicated. We’ll definitely do something, we just don’t have a clue what yet.
Are you due on the same date as Katie Bower? Did you try to time it with Katie’s pregnancy or was that a happy coincidence? She’s due sometime in March, and I’m due around mid-April, so we’re actually about the same distance apart as last time (Will was April, Clara was May). It’s always nice to have someone to talk pregnancy symptoms with (we sound like a fun bunch, eh?) and I like that she’s paving the way, especially because she’s on number three. I keep telling her she has to warn me about all the things that I forget are coming – it’s been a whole lot longer since I did this! As for if we planned it, I don’t think we could have planned it if we tried! We both wanted to expand our families and had been trying, but ending up in such a close range for our due dates again was a complete coincidence. We each have other friends who are expecting around that time too, so it feels like there’s a little spring baby boom.
After such a traumatic birth with Clara, how did you know it was the right time to try again? How do you manage the anxiety? Second time around you’ll have a scheduled c-section right? Does that make it less of a risk for you? Yes, my placental abruption was triggered by labor, so it’s safest for me (and this baby) not to go into labor again. So I’ll be closely monitored and will have a planned c-section whenever we think labor is impending (I’d never want to give birth too early, so there will be a lot of monitoring, but waiting too long and abrupting before having the baby could be very dangerous for both of us). So yeah, it’s sort of complicated but I’m trying to just have faith and appreciate this blessing and remember how amazing the medical team was that saved Clara. I think recognizing that I can’t control everything (stressing and worrying won’t solve anything) helps too. As for how I knew it was the right time to try again, I think we just needed some time. This baby will be four years younger than Clara, and putting that much time between her birth and getting pregnant again just felt right for us. I was able to heal (physically and mentally) and somehow the excitement now outweighs the fear, which it definitely didn’t even a year ago. I’m still a bundle of nerves, but I also feel so thrilled and humbled to be pregnant – and so thankful for everything that’s going well so far. It’s all we can ask for.
How did the timing of this relate to some of your other big events – book tour, moving, the showhouse, etc? Did you intentionally plan around those? The book tour and the move were both completed before I became pregnant (it was nice timing to have already started settling in at this new house when we learned the good news). And while we certainly didn’t want to throw pregnancy into the mix during the craziness that was our book tour, we still have busy months ahead of us with writing our second book, the showhouse, and the “secret project” (the last two of those have deadlines within weeks of my due date). So we’re doing our best to plan, get ahead wherever we can, and remember some advice that we got before having Clara: if everyone waited until they had lots of spare time on their hands to have children, it might get put off forever. Sometimes you just have to dive in and make time for something that’s as important to you as family.
Is 2014 going to be the year of baby #2 and book baby #2?! If so, does that mean you’ll be on tour with a newborn and we’ll all get to oogle him/her? As sweet as that sounds, our second book probably won’t be out until 2015 or 2016 (they take so long!) so this baby will lap the book by a mile. We’re grateful for that though, since touring with a baby would most likely be miserable for all parties involved (a little baby-travel is fun, but 30 flights over a few weeks might be a bit much).
I know that’s kind of personal, I’m just curious if it took you longer to conceive #2 than Clara, because it seems like everyone I know, myself included, did. Yup, it took us longer for #2 as well!
When you threw your back out during the Oprah shoot…was that a euphemism for “morning sickness”? Nope, I actually wasn’t pregnant then (it was back in May when they filmed that) but I sure am thankful that I’ve made it through moving and early pregnancy without doing that again!
What tips you have for a fellow pregnant DIY lover. What types of projects do you continue doing while pregnant and what do you stay away from? I know you all usually use no-VOC paint but I wasn’t sure if you took any other precautions. I was really careful when I was pregnant with Clara, and I’m following the same guidelines with this pregnancy – always using no-VOC paint with no-VOC colorants (Olympic’s Premium line, Mythic, or Benjamin Moore’s Natura line all are wonderful for that) in a well ventilated area. I also use sealers that are safer (Safecoat Acrylacq can be ordered online and is a great baby-safe non-toxic alternative to the fumier stuff).
If something’s oil-based (like spray paint) I either wear a high quality respirator (not one of those paper ones, a real VOC-blocking one) or I ask John to take over if it’s a more involved project (wearing the mask for too long makes breathing difficult when I’m pregnant for some reason). I also check product labels or Google around to see if something I’m planning to do or use (like Crazy Glue) is bad while pregnant (hint, it is!). I also skip any heavy lifting or super vigorous work. I’m all about climbing a ladder to limb up a tree or painting ceiling beams while arching my back for five hours when I’m not pregnant, but when I am, those jobs get wait-listed. Update: being exposed to lead paint is also especially dangerous if you’re pregnant. More on that here.
Do you plan to make any changes with blogging? What are your plans for maternity leave? Are you considering daycare/full-time preschool or hiring someone to help with the blog? We don’t know exactly what will happen, just because this job has always surprised us (who knew we’d be here 6 years ago?), but we don’t have plans for childcare or blog employees at this point. We’d be fooling ourselves if we didn’t acknowledge that having another child to raise will require some major re-balancing of things, but we hope to continue to switch off with kids, projects, post-writing, and the rest of our work-at-home-parent jobs to the best of our ability.
I didn’t take any maternity leave when Clara arrived (even with an emergency C-section we didn’t miss a post) but we did write a lot of posts in advance and “stockpiled” some stuff in anticipation of having a newborn, so we hope to do that again this time around. The truth is that two kids could be a total game changer and we might need to make more drastic changes, but we’ll cross those bridges when we get there. For now we’re just readying ourselves for the adventure and leaving ourselves open to the possibilities, which seemed to work when Clara came home (it’s comforting to remember that we’ve juggled a newborn before while both being full time bloggers).
Do you see the blog going more towards lifestyle/mommy type of stuff? Our site has always had family stuff mixed in among the home chatter (we’ve posted about birthday celebrations, road trips, anniversary traditions, trips to the fair, and other random thoughts from the very beginning) but DIY has always been our first love, so we have no plans for this to become a mommy/daddy blog, especially since it didn’t take that turn when we had Clara. The balance seems to be a big slice of home related stuff and a smaller slice of personal/family/random – so I think after six years of that general ratio, it’s just how we like to blog. Having another child is definitely a big deal in our little world, and since this blog is essentially about our home life we’re sure it’ll get worked in regularly, but we don’t ever foresee it overshadowing our core DIY focus.
Will you keep pregnancy posts to Young House Life? We’re planning to stick to the same formula that we used for our pregnancy/birth with Clara, meaning that DIY-related updates (like putting the nursery together) or home-related kid stuff (like this post about what we bought to prepare for Clara’s arrival or this one about living with kid stuff everywhere) will be shared over here along with other “meaty” life and family posts (like Clara’s birth story, our cloth diapering adventures, my experience with 14 months of breastfeeding, etc). Meanwhile quick little updates/videos/photos about pregnancy and having a newborn will most likely live over on Young House Life. We think of that site as sort of a family photo/video album, so short clips and quick stories usually end up over there.
I can’t wait for you guys to plan another nursery. Can you share a mood board? Or just give us any small hints on plans for that room? We’re so excited about the nursery, but I think we’ll do what we did when we were pregnant with Clara: wait until we know the sex before starting on the room. It also helps ease my mind because I don’t want to feel like I’m jumping the gun on anything since this pregnancy isn’t guaranteed to be a smooth one. So by waiting a little while we can just kick around ideas and give ourselves time to gear up and dive in when we’re closer to my due date.
Any weird cravings this time? Baked potatoes. Just like last time. And salt and vinegar chips. And pickles. I’m a stereotype with the pickles. I can’t help it.
Where did you get that fabric in the background of your photos on Wednesday?! We got that at a local fabric outlet called U-Fab, and it was marked from $27 a yard down to $7.99 a yard (we shared it on Instagram here). It’s by Braemore and it’s called Pomegranite. He’s the listing on U-Fab’s site. We’re thinking of either using it here in our house somewhere or in the showhouse. It was too good of a deal to pass up.
Will you, Sherry, maybe learn to drive again/take lessons or anything since you said you do not drive anymore? Oh yeah, I owe you guys an update on that! I’ve been driving! John’s still the primary driver just because he likes it and knows all the shortcuts, but I occasionally run errands or will switch off with John on long road trips to give him a break if he’s tired. I’ve always had my license (kept renewing it even when I was in NYC for 6 years taking the subway) so it just took a little practice to get back in the saddle, so to speak.
Since Burger is a “barky dog” do you have any tips for keeping the house quiet during baby nap times? Right before Clara was born my sister-in-law told me never to tiptoe around a sleeping baby (she said she vacuumed under all three of her kids’ cribs while they slept blissfully) and there really does seem to be something to it. We’ve DIYed while Clara sleeps (and Burger has had random barking fits) pretty much since we brought Clara home – and while I’m sure some of it’s nature and some of it’s nurture (in other words, it probably won’t work with every kiddo), Clara has grown up to be a nice solid sleeper through all the chaos. We do use a sound machine in her room (to block the hammering or the barking somewhat) and also have light blocking curtains in there (she does seem to prefer total darkness even if there’s banging in the background).
Will you cloth diaper again? Will you use the same ones you used on Clara? Did you take your diaper sprayer with you from the old house? We have all of our supplies (our Bum Genius diapers and our sprayers) and we plan to reuse them after the baby gets big enough, like we did with Clara (I think it took her 2-3 months to grow into the one-size-fits-alls but they lasted her for years until she potty trained). We think all of them are in good enough condition to be reused, although we need to double-check them (since they’ve been packed up for several months now) and don’t mind picking up a few more if we need to. They definitely pay for themselves a hundred times over.
Are you nesting? I don’t think I am just yet. I’m making lots of lists and definitely have a million things I’d love to do before the baby’s here, but I’m not in that emptying-every-cabinet-and-scrubbing-it-like-a-maniac stage yet (that happened around 35 weeks with Clara).
Does the pregnancy change what’s next on your to-do list? Well it definitely bumped the nursery onto the list! I think generally we’re still interested in living here and seeing how this house works for our now-growing family, so we’re not planning to gut any kitchens or bathrooms before the baby comes since we’ll only have been in this house a few months (we generally like to wait over a year for those things). But I think we’ll keep nice and busy on non-gut jobs like setting up the nursery, adding built-ins to the bedroom and the office, working more on the living room and the guest room and the dining room, along with doing some in-the-meantime updates in the kitchen and bathrooms before those bigger down-the-road renovations.
I feel like a member of my own family is having a baby, can we all be honorary aunts and uncles please??? Yes. We are so grateful for all of the healthy baby prayers/vibes/dances that you guys have sent our way. Honestly, we’ll take every last one of them and we love you guys. Don’t make me get all hormonal and goobery. *sob* Too late.
Sarah T says
Congratulations!!! I hope your morning sickness subsides quickly! We haven’t started our family yet but that part seems to me like it would be the hardest. And just FYI, my mom calls throwing up, “worshiping the porcelain goddess.” Yay for vomiting euphemisms!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Now I’m going to be laughing about that while bowlin’
xo
s
Larissa says
So thrilled for you guys. I have a 2.5 year old boy and a 1 year old girl and seeing them play and laugh and sing together is better than anything in the whole world combined and multiplied by infinity. The first few months of having two was a little rough, but I think Clara being older will definitely help some of the issues I had with a 16 month old and a newborn. Clara is going to be an amazing big sister!!! And I know you guys are going to be fantastic at cultivating a sweet, encouraging, loving relationship between them.
Again, so thrilled for you guys. Thrilled.
Rosemarie says
This post got me all emotional. I’ve been trying to get pregnant on our first child for 6 months now and it’s getting me down. I know people say you shouldn’t worry till a year, but I thought it would have happened by now.
YoungHouseLove says
I’m so sorry Rosemarie! It has never happened right away for us, so I know what you mean. A few of my friends who tried for over a year used an ovulation detector and were pregnant within a matter of months, so maybe your cycle is just less regular than you think? I’m no expert, but I thought that suggestion might help. I think they sell ovulation kits over the counter now too, so you could try one of those if you don’t want to buy a detector (I think detectors are $150 or so, but the monthly kits are around $15 I think?).
xo
s
Kim says
If you have not yet read Toni WEchsler’s “Take Control of Your Fertility” or something along those lines – I recommend it. I know a few people myself included who followed her recommendations – even the gross sounding one and got prego quickly. I have heard of the ovulation kits working as well but Toni’s methods try to show you just before you ovulate vs after like the kits. Some people if you wait for just as it happens or after it is just too late.
Good Luck
Lindsay says
And I heartily 2nd the rec for Toni Weschler’s book. I won’t type detail here (not the place for that) but I guarantee you will learn things you didn’t know (unless you’re already an MD with a gyn specialty? hehe – and even then… maybe?). But seriously. Read it. You’ll feel like you know significantly more about how your body works. I had no idea how little I really knew. Blows the mind, I tell you!
Kelsey says
You are so sweet to answer all these questions! I am over the moon for your family. Although I don’t know you guys personally after having my own sweet baby boy 6 months ago I now know how amazing it is to have a baby and it just makes me all the more excited for anyone having a baby (if that makes sense!). You are the research queen so you probably have come across them but the new BumGenius AIO, the Freetimes, are ahhhhhmazing. They dry faster and they wick very well. That’s what we’re using and have been so happy with them. Big hugs! High fives!
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh those sound awesome! Maybe we can get 6 of those to offset the current collection.
xo
s
Eileen says
Congrats again guys, I’m so happy for you. I’m just a few weeks behind you, due in early May, so I’ll be eagerly awaiting to hear what the next stage is going to be like.
I’m with you on the all day sickness, I hope it goes away quickly! I know this is a horribly disgusting question so forgive me, but do you find “bowing to the bowl” helps? I hate throwing up so I just try and fight back the urge every time but wonder if I’d just feel better if I got it over with.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, it definitely helps. I don’t force it, but I have learned not to fight it. If it’s going to happen, I just let it happen. I do feel some relief for an hour or two and it allows me to get some food down so I’m not starving the bun.
xo
s
Erika says
Congrats! That is great news. I have 2 girls and have to say, girls are fabulous. I was convinced nr 2 was a boy but my eldest insisted she was getting a sister. how right she was.
I had all-day nausea on my second as well so you have my sympathies. The only thing that worked for me were mints. I didn’t believe it would be that easy but after 2 mints in the morning, my nausea was far more bearable.
I hope your nausea alleviates soon. Enjoy this time.
YoungHouseLove says
Haven’t tried that! Now I will!
xo
s
Kimberly @ Turning It Home says
I’ve heard morning sickness gets worse each pregnancy. I was also nauseous all day long with my second, of course cleaning all those cloth diapers didn’t help at the time! I hope that’s just a wives tale, though.
Stephanie says
Someone else said mint gum – gum causes gas and that mint gum made me burp more, which was soooo much worse! Fair warning! Mint was good-ish but gum was bad. I haven’t had gum in two years because that memory is so heavy!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, thanks Stephanie!
xo
s
Stacy says
Kimberly – I haven’t heard that about the nausea being worse with the second. I was nauseous with my 2nd daughter but nothing like with my first. Part of it was I knew how to take care of it I think. And I requested Zofran right away from my doctor when I found out I was pregnant (it was the nausea that made me go take a pregnancy test). Hopefully it is just an old wives tale because I’ve been thinking about getting pregnant again when my 2nd is about a year or so.
Crystal @ 29 Rue House says
I haven’t said it yet so congratulations!!!
So excited for you guys and good luck! You’re definitely experts at juggling things around and making it work!
Marissa says
First of all, congrats!! Reading your blog has really helped me this past year. We have been trying for number 2 for a while.. And it seems as though everyone I know is pregnant and they have perfectly spaced their kids two years apart. My son will be 3 in December… And it makes me feel better that maybe 4 years apart, God willing, is not so bad after all. It seems that Clara is excited and maybe my son will be too. So happy for you guys… Hoping to join the baby club again soon:)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, I hope you do too Marissa! We keep hearing from people with a 4 year spread who say it’s awesome and John and his youngest sister were 4 years apart and are very close!
xo
s
Mary says
I’ve been trying to figure out how to add my congratulations and thought I’d piggy back on this comment. My son is 3 1/2 and trying for a second has taken us awhile so I just wanted to say I love your positive comments about kids spaced further apart and look forward to seeing more about how Clara embraces your new baby! Congratulations Petersiks! Wishing you all the best!
Isabel says
Thank you for taking the time to answer all these questions and for letting us share this journey with you. We’ll all be rooting for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery. And just for kicks, I too am going to guess that the baby is a girl :)
Brenda says
I think Pom-Pom would be an adorable nickname. Clara is totally onto something. :)
Courtney says
Congratulations! Thanks for being so generous with your sharing. It is so fun for your readers to hear all the details. And Clara looks SO much like you (Sherry) in the Rock-a-Bye picture. She looks so happy to be a big sister!
Sue says
So excited and happy for you!! Thank you for always making your readers feel like a welcome part of your growing(!) family.
Julia says
Congratulations!
My son was born early in April this year, so it’s going to be really nice to “re-live” it with a toddler on my lap.
We’ll both have our fingers crossed for a save and happy pregnancy for you guys!
Ty says
Congrats again! So excited to see how you handle 2 kids while working from home. I have 1 and finally hired a virtual assistant (she lives 15 mins from me but gets to work from her home most days). It’s been totally worth paying her every month. The amount of time I get to spend working on the business vs working in the business has paid off. The business has grown and my work/life balance is much improved.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Ty! Someone else was telling us that too! We’re not really sure what the heck we could outsource (we always want to answer our own comments and emails and do our own projects and posts) but we definitely can keep thinking about it once the baby comes and see where we end up.
xo
s
Rachel says
Reading about Clara’s excitement brought me back and made me tear up a bit. Being a big sister is one of the best things ever! I remember being so excited when I found out my little sisters were on their way, and when each of them came home. It is just the best! Clara will make an amazing big sis!
I think the name Pom-Pom is nice. It’s better than Sucky. ;) One friend’s daughter wanted to name her little brother Jazz – and another wanted to name her brother Eustace. Haha. I have no idea where kids come up with these things!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, it IS better than Sucky! And Eustace and Jazz are so funny!
xo
s
Jessica says
I’m so excited for you guys, I feel like it’s someone I actually know in real life having a baby. It’s weird how connected people feel when they read a blog every day.
Myself and my boyfriend recently bought a house and we have a room free for our someday-nursery too (probably not as soon as you guys will be doing it :p) So I can’t wait to see what you do with that room.
I missed the posts around the time of Clara’s birth because I hadn’t discovered your blog back then, but I look forward to reading about your pregnancy journey this time – We are probably going to start trying in a year so it will help to read the ups and downs :)
Jessica says
I haven’t finished reading yet, but my birthday is April 16th AND its quite awesome. In case you were wondering.
xo.
Jenny says
This post has helped me think I’m ready to take the dive into trying to have a kid…my husband was ready the day he “put a ring on it.”
Sarah says
YAY! Even more excited about it now that I’ve seen this post – thank you for being willing to share these intimate moments with us!! Love and prayers to you all…and please post bump photo updates!
brooke @ claremont road says
I just cried reading about you telling Clara. Stupid breastfeeding hormones….
Anyway, congratulations! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Brooke!
xo
s
Kelly says
First, Congrats! I am so happy for you!
I didn’t respond to the announcement post. So I thought I would say it here. I think those few nasty comments earlier are so totally uncalled for. This is your blog and most importantly your life. You share what you want when you want how your want and if you want. If they don’t like, boo on them (nice words that are better than the ones that are actually in my head) and they should find something else to do (once again, see other parenthesis).
On another note, I know you guys don’t want to share your actual physical address for obvious reasons, but I think you should totally get a PO box so that we NICE and LOVING people can send you cards and gifts and such! I would so like to do an online total stranger baby shower party for you! At the very least, I would love to send you a card or note or something small like that!
Hearts and Hugs to you guys and Clara and Burger!
Emily says
Yes, I totally second the PO Box idea! I was just thinking of that recently :). It’s weird, but your readers really do get to feel like they know you, even if we’ve never met. Comeon, YHL Fan Club all the way :). Maybe if we send you enough box tops, we can get a paint decoder ring? If you hold it up to a certain color it would show you awesome color combinations!
Oh yah, and CONGRATULATIONS!!! So happy to hear this news for you and Clara will just be an awesome big sister :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you guys are so sweet.
xo
s
KiwiKat says
Would your publisher accept mail on your behalf? Because that may be an alternative to getting a PO Box….
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I’m not sure about that! We do have a PO Box already, we just feel bad saying “here’s our address, send us stuff!” – you know? I mean once we shared our PO Box to ask for postcards from people to put on our wall, so notes and stuff are awesome, we just don’t want people spending time and money on stuff because it makes us feel, I don’t know… weird?! We LOVE you guys but you don’t have to send us a thing! Just your prayers/good vibes/happy dances are amazing enough!
xo
s
Melissa says
So incredibly happy for you guys! And I SO appreciate your positive words and outlook! I’m in a similar spot in my life, thinking about trying for baby #2, remembering some “scary” things that happened with labor & delivery the first time around…but I will think about you and how you’re focusing on giving up control and just having faith in what’s meant to be..that’s really all we can do! I wish you a wonderful pregnancy and all the best as your family (and belly haha) continues to grow!
Jenelle says
For our weekly photos, we used the same cream-colored blanket each week as a background, the same teddy bear each week for scale, and put her in a different outfit each week. I liked changing the outfits because it was a good record of all those cute little clothes that only fit for such a short time. And the same plain background made all of the picture cohesive from week to week. I just put the week number photoshopped into an appropriate spot in the photo each week using the same font and size. It moved around the photo depending on the position of my daughter, but still looked good all together.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so cute!
xo
s
Laura says
So happy for you two (three? FOUR!), praying like crazy for Baby Bun to be healthy. This post made me all gooby as well since my uterus has been begging for occupation for about a year now. We’re nowhere near ready; but this made me even more excited for when the day does come, that I can surprise my guy like you did John. :teary smile:
God bless you guys!!
Lisa @ Double Door Ranch says
I sobbed right along with you when you described Clara becoming a big sister! Could not be more excited and happy for you all!
Sidenote, I saw a guy last night that looked exactly like John when he’s a little scruffy. Wanted to say something or snag a pic but I couldn’t think of a way to do that without seeming completely insane. Hahaha
xo,
L
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! Was it him? He gets scruffy sometimes. I love it. Can’t remember if he ran any solo errands last night. I think he ran into Target with us in the car after dinner…
xo
s
Lisa @ Double Door Ranch says
Well, I was at a bar in suburban Chicago, so I’m gonna say probably not… ;) Total doppelganger though, especially in profile. I was staring like a bit of a creeper. Haha
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!!!
xo
s
Erin @ The Impatient Gardener says
Thanks so much for taking us along on this journey with you! It’s so much fun. And yep, Clara is going to be the best big sister EVER.
Katy@TheOpenDoor says
A huge congratulations to you both (and Clara…and Burger)! I am so happy for you and can’t wait to follow along with all your adventures as a family of four.
Oh, and my childhood nickname was Bun, too. And Biscuit. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Biscuit is adorable too!
xo
s
KiwiKat says
My friends baby was “Maurice” before she (yep) was born, with another friend calling her bub “legume”. I was Little Egypt – apparently I did a lot of belly dancing, according to my mother….and my brother was the roller babe, as he used to do slow rolls over, just as Mum had (finally) got comfy….just as well she loves us both!
Sarah says
And ditto on the bumGenius Freetimes – LOVE them! But make sure to get the snaps on those, also. Me no likey velcro!
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, I love the snaps since they seem to hold up better over time.
xo
s
Jenny G. says
Yay!!!!! I’m so excited for you guys! I’m also kind of excited to read along about a family with less traditional spacing between kiddos. Our daughter is 17 months old, and I feel like everyone we know with a similarly aged kid is pregnant with #2 right now! Meanwhile, though I’d like to have a second someday, I am firmly in the so. not. ready. camp. At this point we’re going for a spacing more like yours, so I’m very excited to read all about it! Congrats again!
Sarah says
Funny about the pickles & salt / vinegar chips. With both of my pregnancies I actually *drank* the pickle juice. I would get an insane craving, and that was the only thing that would solve it. The thought now is kind of disgusting, but man, those pregnancy cravings are no joke!
Laura says
I was wondering how you snuck a pregnancy test in the groceries without John knowing, but it’s because you’re a driver again.
Congrats on everything, all the best.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah, I’m a sneaky girl.
xo
s
Tina C. says
Congratulations! Something my pediatrician told me when I was expecting #2 (and that helped a ton) is whenever you need to nurse/feed baby 2, include your older child by reading a book together during the feeding. My oldest was almost 2 when we had baby #2 and it helped a lot.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s THE BEST idea. Thanks so much!
xo
s
Christine aka The Stampin' Ninja says
Tina, I also did something similar when I had my second (and third and will do again when I have my fourth in March!) – sometimes we read but we also built “fun kits” for each child that they were only allowed to play with when Mommy was feeding the baby… They loved the idea SO much that they were almost begging me to feed the new baby! LOL! (“Mama, the baby is crying! I think they’re hungry!!! Where’s our fun kits?!?)
Sherry, like I mentioned, I have three little ones (the oldest is 5) and another on the way due in mid-March & in my experience going from one to two children was the biggest adjustment & it begins with the pregnancy of the second. No longer is that pregnancy “all about you”, enjoying naps whenever you want, sitting & treasuring those quiet times before the new baby arrives, rubbing your belly, feeling the flutters (or internal butt woopings if your babies are anything like mine, LOL!) but now you have a mini human to look after during all that! While it’s more work & you’re more exhausted for sure, I also think it makes it more special because they can be involved too. If I have a rough morning/day I just let my kids know that the new baby needs Mama to relax & we spend it together cuddling, watching a movie, etc.
And to add to the “cute things older siblings say about new babies” – I have one boy, my oldest, & two girls… Both my son & my oldest daughter have informed me that “if this one isn’t a boy I can’t bring it home from the hospital”! My son has also informed me that he wants to name it “Tony Stark” (big Ironman fan) – in fact he often asks how “baby Tony” is doing when I pick him up from kindergarten!
Congratulations again! So happy for the entire Petersik crew (but especially my favorite, Burger! ;0)
YoungHouseLove says
Love this! Thanks for all the great advice everyone!
xo
s
lindsay says
Hi guys ! congrattttssss !!!! my husband and I are also expecting, (due in the middle of November) and I wanted to know if you guys have any baby books that you love.? I read the, “Simplicity Parenting” book from your sidebar and really enjoyed it. Just curious if you had any other favorites you could share?
lindsay
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, I read another amazing one called How To Talk So Your Kids Listen, And Listen So Your Kids Talk. It’s for older kids (not newborns/babies) but the concept is amazing and sort of changed my world. I loved it! As for baby books, I had some hand me downs (What To Expect When You’re Expecting) but mostly just read an app on my phone this time. Ah, we live in the future.
xo
s
Chrissie says
First of all congrats! So exciting :)
Let me tell you, I had INTENSE salt&vinegar chip cravings with my son, very distinct salty cravings. I have heard salty=boy sweet=girl, but if you had salty with Clara, well, that just throws that out the window doesn’t it?! haha!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I did! Both pregnancies I have been off chocolate/sugar almost completely (I don’t even want jelly beans- and I LOVE jelly beans!) but the whole savory thing is turned way up. Potatoes and salty chips and pickles… mmm.
xo
s
Natalie C says
I thought “her name will be Santa Claus” and she will bring Clara toys… no?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha I forgot about that! Well the current vote is for Pom-Pom, but you never know when Santa Clause will come back around!
xo
s
Amanda Healy says
Loved this post! My favorite is the pic of Burger…I’d swear he actually IS thinking, ‘where the heck is my burrito?’ I’m totally Team-YOU-do-what’s-best-for-YOUR-family so all I’ll say is Congratulations(!!!) and I’ll be praying for a safe/drama-free pregnancy and L&D! Enjoy your weekend :)
Lauren at Beautiful Fight says
Congrats, again!
Aimee says
Congratulations to your whole family! I’m so happy for you all.
Jess says
You guys are such a sweet little family! Clara is too cute, she’s going to be the best big sister. Thank you for letting us into your home and your lives. Sherry you are a brave lady, congrats on being pregnant and I wish you the best! Cannot wait to see the nursery!!
Lori says
Congratulations on the exciting news! Hope you feel better soon!
I’m due in early February and recently had our 20 week ultrasound and found out the gender. We included our 4 year old in the news by letting her be the first to find out – the ultrasound tech wrote it down on a piece of paper for her to read. I doubt I’ll ever forget the sound of her excited shriek when she found out she’ll have a little sister.
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo
s
Gabbi @ Retro Ranch Reno says
Mid-April sounds like a wonderful time to have a baby…perhaps April 13th so I can share a birthday with “The Bun”?! ;)
If you find out the sex in November, are you going to share it with your families in-person, Thanksgiving style?! That’d be a wonderful “I’m thankful for…”. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, we love sharing that in person when we can too! So we hope it’s ready for Thanksgiving!
xo
s
Gabbi @ Retro Ranch Reno says
Awesome! And if you are NJ for the holiday, you can come share the news with me & my hubby in person too! HAAAAAAAAA!!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! Ding dong, it’s me and my belly.
xo
s
Gabbi @ Retro Ranch Reno says
YES! Best visit, ever! ;)
April says
Congrats again! I love that Clara wants to name it Pom-pom. One of my friends was expecting their third (after having twins the first time) and her girls wanted to name the baby hamster. LOL Your blogging/work life will definitely have to adjust but you all will do wonderfully with it, I’m sure. I just had my second 9 weeks ago and you will be amazed at how much more relaxed you are with the second one.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh, Hamster = hilarious.
xo
s
Stacey says
I must be hormonal too ‘cos I had a little drizz over Clara’s reaction. Lots of love to all of you.
(PS: I like the new disclaimer too – I was enraged by comments made last week but I try not to engage trolls!)
Victoria says
So very excited for the three of you. I just had my first child, she’s 2 months old now. I was sitting here crying reading how Clara responded to the news of “The Bun”. Congrats to you all.
Chris says
I think Pom Pom is a great name, there will not be another child with that name in the class!
Cheerful Homemaker says
I gave birth to our second child in August. During my pregnancy I kept hearing it was so much easier adding the second child to the mix than the first one. Apparently they were all liars, because adding a second baby has been a much bigger adjustment!
Cotton Babies is having a clearance sale on their diapers right now for retiring colors! They had a seconds sale shortly after I got pregnant with my second baby and I stocked up since we were going to have 2 in diapers.
Congratulations!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for the tip! I hear 50% of people say 0 to 1 is such a bigger adjustment and 50% say that 1 to 2 is crazytown! Ahh! Guess we’ll have to see how it all goes down. Ha!
xo
s
Bethany says
I don’t have kids, but I read an article that said going from 2 to 3 kids is the hardest, or most stressful. That’s when the kids out number the adults, which seems terrifying. And if you’re out and about with the kids by yourself, you don’t have enough hands for everyone. After 3 kids everyone was like “eh, whatevs.” I guess if you can handle 3 you can pretty much handle anything! It was a really interesting read even though I can’t relate yet!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so interesting!
xo
s
Beth - BTW says
Geesh. I’m totally crying! I don’t know what it is…maybe that I have been following you for 5 years and live so close to you? Maybe just b/c I’m a mom to three little kids and can remember all of what you describe so fondly? Man!
Congratulations, again. What a great and happy thing!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Beth. You’re always so sweet.
xo
s
Sam M. | Atkinson Drive says
First of all, CONGRATULATIONS!!!
It’s so adorable that Clara is excited about the new little! I’m expecting my second this Christmas (literally) and it took us a few months to convince my little guy that there wasn’t a puppy in my belly… :-)
So excited to see the nursery and hear all of your updates!
Lisa @ Double Door Ranch says
I sobbed right along with you when you described Clara becoming a big sister! Could not be more excited and happy for you all!
Sidenote, I saw a guy last night that looked exactly like John when he’s a little scruffy. Wanted to say something or snag a pic but I couldn’t think of a way to do that without seeming completely insane. Hahaha
xo,
L
Ps, so sorry if you’re getting multiples of this comment. I’m getting that duplicate comment issue but its not showing up!
Amanda L says
Congrats again! I was sick way longer with #2 and much more intense. It did go away though. I like the attitude of see what happens. Our 2 are much different. You never do know what may happen!!