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.
Jillian@TheHumbleGourmet says
Okay, not going to lie, but I got a little weepy when I heard. After hearing Clara’s birth story and knowing about everything that must have gone into your decision to have another baby, I couldn’t be happier for you! I wish you a happy and very healthy pregnancy. :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Jillian, you’re so sweet.
xo
s
Caitlin says
So very happy for you guys!! Hope it goes much smoother than last time…definitely brought a tear to my eye reading Clara’s birth story.
I happen to work at a General Contracting company in Boston and we do high-end residential renovations using strictly Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams paints. I have recently learned that Benjamin Moore’s Natura line is NOT actually 0 VOC. The pigment they use to color the paint is not 0 VOC so the overall can of paint has a low amount in it once it is mixed with the white base. Sherwin Williams’ ProMar 200 line is a true 0 VOC product if you’re ok switching brands….just thought I would let you guys know so you can stay safe!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Caitlin! I think it varies by store and how they mix it! Our local paint store that vends Benjamin Moore is called Virginia Paint and they have no VOCs in the colorants or the base (Olympic Premium through Home Depot also does that as well). Thanks for the tip about Sherwin Williams’ ProMar 200 too!
xo
s
Bella says
Congratulations i am soo thrilled for you guys :)
It is amazing how big clara has gotten because that is pretty much how long i have been following your blog! I don’t think i have missed a single blog post since then haha.
I am looking forward to seeing how it all works out with clara and the bun (soo cute) because i have a 2 year old too but seeing as i still have 3 years of college to finish before we can even think about kid nr 2 it will be interesting with the huge age difference. (I am not like 18 or something btw i just started college pretty late at 22) ;)
And oh yeah we loved! the toy library idea. Works sooo well with my son!
YoungHouseLove says
So glad it works for you guys too! We’re always saying “why didn’t we do this sooner?!”
xo
s
Sarah says
Love PomPom! When my oldest sister was pregnant with her second she asked her son what he wanted to name the baby. He had been watching food network with his mom and said he wanted to name the baby Paula Dean. It ended up being a boy though. So they named him Gabriel Dean. So his brother at least had a say in his middle name!
My son wanted us to name our daughter Spongebob or Sandy. Definitely didnt go with either of those.
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Alison says
First of all, so, SO happy for you guys! But secondly, I wanted to tell you that I too had the lovely All-day sickness that you describe with my second and I finally found that chewing gum worked wonders for me! I have no idea why, but I was so grateful for some relief. Just thought I would share because anything is worth a shot when you feel that miserable! But it’s all worth it in the end! Wishing you a happy and healthy pregnancy!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Alison!
xo
s
Steph Reiner says
Pom-pom… I die. She is too cute!!! I am seriously so excited for you guys and I love that you are sharing this journey! It’s so encouraging to hear you be so joyful and positive – even among the all day sickness! Definitely will be praying for you and baby… GAH! This is so exciting!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Steph!
xo
s
Carrie says
Congratulations to you all! I am a first time poster but long time follower. I just wanted to offer some supportive words to you on this amazing journey. I had a very scary placental abruption with my first four years ago and in May I successfully delivered a full term, healthy baby boy! Totally different pregnancy and birth experience! I just wanted to tell you how different it can be the second time around.
Best wishes to your beautiful family.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s amazing Carrie! So glad to hear it!
xo
s
Kacy says
*Fellow-hormonal-Mom sob* I got totally teary-eyed reading your post about Clara being excited to be a big sister…that is so sweet! I’m a mom to an 8-month old little girl and I hope that when the time comes she’s as excited as Clara. PS – LOVE the paper crown idea. Totally stealing that idea. ;)
jordan says
What is your guess that Katie B will have?
YoungHouseLove says
My lips are sealed about that! Haha!
xo
s
Julie says
I’m so excited for your family! We just found out last weekend that we’re expecting #2 (shh — you’re only the 5th and 6th people we’ve told, but we know you won’t blab to our families!) and it’s so hard to reign in our excitement. Our first pregnancy did not end the way we expected, but we were blessed with a beautiful girl afterward, so I understand wanting to play it safe. Best wishes to you all, and I hope it’s a happy, healthy, and smooth pregnancy and delivery!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, all the best Julie!
xo
s
Mary says
I think I’ve said this before in the comments, but 4 years between kids is awesome. My sisters are 4 years younger, and it was nice because we were never really in school together at the same time (I was in middle school when the were in first grade, I graduated high school and they hit it a year later.) so we got to be our own people in school. But now as adults 4 years is basically nothing, and we’re all good friends who hang out fairly often :)
And again, congratulations!! I second that it feels like a distant family member is expecting :D
rachael says
Congratulations again! Our kids are 2.5 years apart and people always comment that is such a nice age difference. I just agree if its a stranger. However, after we had our daughter we never wanted a second child. I had an IUD put in place and thought that I’d keep it in for 5 years and then move onto something more permanent. Got pregnant, kept the IUD in the whole duration and even took the doctor an hour to remove it after our son was born. I cannot believe for the life of me that I felt like I was complete with one child. The big man in the sky definitely knew something we didn’t.
Anyways, just wanted to add that we also did not tell our daughter how much fun the baby would be, and how much they would play together and how awesome it would be to be a big sister. Because, lets face it, sometimes babies cry, and they sleep ALOT, and they let you not go to the park b/c they’re sick, and lots of other debbie downer things. They are awesome, but sometimes not to an older child.
YoungHouseLove says
Wow! What a story Rachael! I love that you ended up with two and love it!
xo
s
Jessica @ The Desert Abode says
I didn’t get a chance to comment earlier in the week (read: 7 1/2 month old) but I wanted to say congrats and wish you a healthy pregnancy, a healthy delivery and a healthy baby! Clara’s going to be an awesome big sister!! I hope I can say the same about Emily someday. :)
P.S. Your blog remains my favorite and the one I still make time for each day even with my own little bean to attend to.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jessica!
xo
s
Ali says
Congrats!!!
Also, totally unrelated… but just saw that snapwidget has an ‘example’ photo of YHL on their website showing your instagram feed and LOL’d at John eating a bag of potato chips. :)
YoungHouseLove says
SO funny!
xo
s
Natalie says
Are you showing yet? I’m a little over 12 weeks with my second and I am as big as I was at 6 months with my first! Crazytown.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah I think I’m really popping although some people miss it (while others are like “heyyyyyo!”) – I feel like I’m a little bigger than I was with Clara and not as low (taller belly bump if that makes sense).
xo
s
Diana P. says
Congratulations again!
I too felt TONS of mom guilt and anxiety with my second (fearing the postpartum depression I had with my first did not help). But I literally could not have asked for or imagined a better scenario. My daughter (3 1/2) and my son (1 1/2) are BEST friends. She adores him, and wants to be with him all the time. I had to move their beds head to head because she wants to be in the crib with him snuggling. When we pick her up from dance class, he runs and gives her a HUGE hug. They ask for each other all the time. Lorelei sometimes calls her brother “my best friend, Asher” rather than “my brother.” It is the most amazing thing to watch.
It is absolutely wonderful to give Clara lots of assurance that she will always be your first baby and carve out special time for her. But also talk up the fact that you and daddy are giving her a best friend for LIFE and the relationship they share will bless you even more than the prospect of a new baby (if you can imagine). Be prepared for your joy to be more than doubled!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Diana! That’s so sweet!
xo
s
Julie says
Mine are 4 years apart and I’ve found it to be a good age gap… I only had to be at home for one year with the newborn and 4 year old, and the next year the older one was off to kindergarten. Plus, won’t have 2 in college ($$) at the same time!
Katie Z says
Definitely trust Clara’s intuition when it comes to the gender of The Bun. My oldest nephew was right for each of his younger cousins, even when we disagreed and told him otherwise. He also named all of them: the first was a girl to be named Roger (a girl named Claire), the second was a boy to be named Chuck (a boy named Andrew) and last was another boy to be named T-Rex (a boy named Matthew). Right on the gender, completely off on the names, but we give him credit where credit was due. :)
Many congratulations on your newest family member. What a lucky baby s/he is!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! I love it!
xo
s
Hillary says
Yay for mid-April babies! I’m April 14th and my 4 year old daughter is April 15th. I went in on the 13th and had her on the 15th so we each got to have our own birthdays (though I would have preferred hers on the 13th–hehe!
MonW says
As a big sister, (3.5 years older), I was given a cute little book to read or be read to, called “Babies Are Like That”. It explained all about the sleeping, the eating, the noise, and the smells. ;) I was moved from the nursery to a big girl bed a month or so before the birth. Babies need nurseries, and big girls have beds. I did miss hearing Dad drill, sand or cut in the garage. Garage and nursery shared a common wall.
I was also in charge of explaining why Mommy was ok riding a bicycle “like that” in the exasperated voice of a child asked to repeat things like a parrot too many times. Mommy would get very mad and Mommy was not supposed to get very mad. And why Mommy could dig in the dirt, or paint things outside….. I helped.
The day I became a big sister, I discovered a brand new baby doll waiting for me with my grandparents in the living room.
I could tend my “baby” while Mom tended our new baby. My baby wasn’t as messy as that new sister. I helped bring burp clothes, drip catchers and even diapers to Mom.
Eventually, the nursery was switched to a bigger girl room and Sis moved into my old big girl room with the big girl bed.
I still like the drill sound. ;)
During her nap times, I was helping Dad. Sort parts or “paint” wood scraps with water. No mess. Happy kid, Happy Dad.
I couldn’t sleep through anything as a newborn. Sis wouldn’t have cared if the planes and trains were in the room with her.
@Clara:
You are the Big Sis! You know all about the dog, mommy and Daddy, and all the rest of the family.
You’ll be the expert on your baby brother or sister.
It gets fun when Mom and Dad ask you to translate for your Sister. Sometimes, you will have no idea s/he is saying either. It’s Ok.
The little one will repeat what you say and do. That is what is supposed to happen. :) You will not like that, sometimes. That’s ok, too.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, love it MonW!
xo
s
Lauren @ Everyday Lauren says
I hope your surprise is a decorated, paid for house….for me….as your neighbor!
With maybe a guaranteed job if I move into this house…
XO Lauren
Lauren @ Everyday Lauren says
I’m sorry, **WHEN** I move into this house…. haha
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Elizabeth says
I’m about week behind you (12 weeks tomorrow, my dates are pretty firm) and you have my sympathy with the all-day sickness. I almost have it down to a science in terms of how to manage it, my goal is to avoid throwing up in public, pretty much. :) This is by far the worst I’ve had! I have a friend who is ahead of me (15 weeks) and was just quizzing her, she said it got better for her about 13 weeks, but who knows, of course.
Question- are you planning to post a picture of your current baby bump? There’s nothing much to photograph here, but I feel like I will probably “pop” in the next 2-3 weeks.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, if I avoid getting sick in public (or outside, like in our yard) I’m a triumphant momma! As for my baby bump, John and I took about 6 pics over the course of my pregnancy with Clara, just to see it grow. So they weren’t weekly or even monthly, but we like to capture something to look back on. So we’ll have to do one soon. I’m definitely round but not fully obvious yet (I feel super obvious, but some people still miss it, so it’s not like around 15/16 weeks when there’s no denying it anymore! Haha!
xo
s
Julie says
Yay! I bought the Free time diapers by Bumgenius after reading your posts on cloth diapers. The difference is that they have two semi attached flaps so they dry faster. I love them so far! I highly recommend if you guys decide to purchase a few more!
YoungHouseLove says
Those sound cool!
xo
s
Aimee says
One of my favorite posts. I cried.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Aimee!
xo
s
Judith says
Congrats!!! So happy for you.
Kathryn says
I’m so glad you’re driving again! Power to the woman driver! :)
Ever considered a gender reveal party? Seriously, they are so fun!
We did this one with balloons for my friends last summer. So freaking cute:
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds really fun! John and I like to tell people in the flesh with something chill (we brought pink cookies to a family party to hint at Clara’s gender and everyone was like “ohhhh!” – it was cute.
xo
s
Rebecca says
So excited for you guys! Can’t wait to see what you guys do with a nursery! I’m pregnant with my second as well and am due May 1 (which happens to be the exact same due date as my first), so just a few weeks behind you; so this is especially exciting for me to get to follow along (kind of in real time with my pregnancy). My oldest was born May 10, 2011 so a little more than a year younger than Clara and he loves watching all the little videos you post of Clara! Love you guys and good luck with your pregnancy!
P.S. I feel ya on the morning sickness Sherry…bleh.
Jessica says
To those readers who asked about a barking dog or loud DIY projects with a sleeping baby: My son, 17 months was raised with three dogs, two hearing dogs that bark NON-STOP. Seriously. (We’re in a 900sq ft apartment, temporarily) and it effects him none whatsoever. Sometimes he’d be surprised but he’s so used to it and vacuuming (follows it around and touches it while I’m stopped) it’s nothing to him. So don’t worry about that stuff. Honestly, it all sorts itself out! :)
Jessica says
Ahem, hearding! But they sure don’t hear me yelling “Quiet!”.
Lilly says
Thanks for the great post! Best wishes for a healthy pregnancy!
I am pregnant for the first time, with boy/girl twins due in January. So far we only have a paint color for the nursery (a very pale green), but we’ll be getting 2 hand-me-down cribs, which may or may not match, and then we’ll try to decorate around them. I’m looking forward to what you’ll be doing with your future nursery!
YoungHouseLove says
Congrats on the twins Lilly!
xo
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RS Robinson says
Hey guys! I used cloth diapers with my kids too. Let me be honest: I had a harder time keeping up with them with the 2nd baby. I would encourage you to stock up on more to help go longer between washings. They are great money savers and I’m so glad that we used them though!
YoungHouseLove says
Great tip!
xo
s
Melissa@TheChicDream says
Thanks for answering so many of our questions! You may already know this but you can rent newborn cloth diapers for up to three months (and sometimes longer) until your baby grows into the one-sizes. We did that and it worked out great. New or gently-used. We opted for the new ones. Congrats again!
Loreen says
4 years is a great age gap for siblings! My “baby” brother is 4 years younger and we have a very close relationship. I remember so clearly when he came home from the hospital. My mother had wrapped a surprise baby doll for me when she had to leave for her C section. It was the first time I’d spent the night without her (at grandma and grandpa’s house) and the doll was a sweet present I could cuddle while waiting for my new brother.
And my mother let me dress my brother in whatever I wanted (funny to look at pictures of my super-masculine sports loving brother dressed in a pink nightdress!) As a result, I thought of him as “my” baby and took care of him. We never really fought and as adults we have a very loving relationship.
Here’s hoping Clara and sibling have a great bond too!
(Do think of giving her a special present when you leave for the hospital!)
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo
s
Anah says
Congratulations to you and to your husband. I’m usually a lurker and had been following your blog since! What a wonderful blessings! :)
Liza says
Never posted before but so happy for total strangers!!
My oldest boys are 3.5 years apart and I agree with others that’s its a great difference.
On my second my sickness was helped by snacking on Sour Patch Kids. Wierd and don’t hear many people say it,but it sure worked for me
Congrats on your growing family :)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks for all the sick tips guys!
xo
s
Amy says
First, congrats to your family! Second, a comment on cloth diapers from a fellow user…bum genius can be “refreshed” pretty easily with new elastic, if the legs are stretched out. (Lots of tutorials online). And if you want to cloth diaper from day one, there are some great online rental programs for newborn sized diapers. We did that with our last baby and it got us through the first three months, until the one-size diapers fit better. Best of luck!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Amy!
xo
s
Kendall says
It is really strange how close we all feel to your little family! When I read the news I had to text my husband to tell him “JOHN AND SHERRY ARE PREGNANT!!”. After starring at my screen for a second it just felt strange that I haven’t met you in person and that you have no idea who I am! The internet is so strange that way. Despite the momentary awkwardness, I’m so so glad you all have this blog and share your family with the world. It makes me so happy to see someone else working their way through this life stage. I’m trying to conceive at the moment myself and it seems like you guys go through each life stage a few years ahead of me. I love reading along and learning from your experience. My absolute favorite thing is how you stay true to yourself. It makes it so this blog comes from a place of love instead of fear. You can tell with every post! So congrats YHL and thank you for staying true to your name.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Kendall!
xo
s
Rachael says
Congrats! You should totally get this shirt for Halloween, I found it while searching for cute costume ideas for my little one!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/128478463/halloween-skeleton-shirt-halloween?ref=br_feed_14&br_feed_tlp=halloween
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
Kate says
I made my own just like that last year (I was due the end of January) and everyone loved it! So cute.
JennP says
My little ladies just turned 3 and 1 a few weeks ago (their birthdays are just a couple weeks apart). I had a super scary emergency c-section like you with my first. It was premature, they put me under general, sent my hubby out of the room and whisked my baby off to NICU :( The second, scheduled c-section was so amazing in comparison! It was low stress and just so perfectly joyful. I hope everything goes smoothly and that you get to enjoy the experience together this time!!
Pamela @ Little Red House says
Re morning sickness: My sister has been extremely sick with her current pregnancy and the only thing that has helped is peppermint oil (she did not go to the doctor for a prescription anti-nausea medication). I have no details on how she used or how often or anything like that but I’m sure Google can help you with that info.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Pamela!
xo
s
Amanda B says
Congrats! Such a sweet post and what wonderful news.
Chris says
First, I am SO happy for you guys. You are awesome! And you have a beautiful family!! Yay you guys!! :) You sound so down to earth and easy to relate to and I loved the break down of your thought processes in this post–great to read as a parent myself :-) I am a mom of 3 under the age of 6 (youngest just turned 1 two weeks ago!) and my only thought/response is in regards to the idea of attempting to not intentionally be quiet around the new baby–my MIL kept telling me when we had #2 that I needed to NOT try to keep #1 quiet or try to keep the house quiet. Well, that backfired 100%! lol! By the time #2 arrived I was so desperate for my own bit of rest (my #1 was only 2 years old at the time though) that I would have taped someone’s mouth closed if I needed to (including house guests) in order to keep that new little one asleep as long as possible! lol! But it’s great that you both get to be at home to share the load and switch off when needed, so hopefully you will find it more do-able than I did! :-) But seriously, keep some duct tape handy (for company) just in case . . . (kidding!) :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
CA @ How To Be A Heroine says
I love the nickname “bun” because when the baby is born, you can always say “honeybun.” That’s still what my mother calls me to this day.
YoungHouseLove says
Cute!
xo
s
Aimee Avella says
One of my favorite posts. I cried.(Long time reader. First time commenter)
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Aimee!
xo
s
MC says
I’ve read this post twice today! I just love it and I am so happy for you all! I’m so thrilled that Clara is so excited about the baby. I’m only two years older than my brother and I think that age difference was a bit harder and I was a little bit jealous. I think Clara’s four age advantage will help her understand better things that a two year cannot.
I’ll be sending ya’ll good, non-all-day sickness thoughts throughout and reading all the updates!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks MC!
xo
s
Jaimie says
Pom-pom is adorable! My brothers wanted to name my baby sister Michael Jordan or Nomar Garciapara (obviously before we knew she was going to be a girl).
YoungHouseLove says
So funny!
xo
s
hollyloo says
congratulations on the new petersiklet!!! just had to pop in to see if you’d seen this yet? http://www.jcrew.com/baby.jsp *swoon*
YoungHouseLove says
Ahh! So cute! And Petersiklet is hilarious. Might have to adopt that phrase…
xo
s
Xanthe says
When I was preggo with my two, I had all day morning sickness as well and lasted till I was about 25/26 weeks. Didn’t really find a magic cure unfortunately but I found that it wasn’t as severe if I didn’t let myself get too hungry or too full. I ate a lot of plain starchy food. I couldn’t touch chocolate at all!!! I was instantly sick. This may sound gross but the only time I didn’t feel sick was straight after vomiting so that’s when I ate everything! Everyone thought it was so weird that I was tucking into my lunch 2 mins after being sick. x
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! That’s what I do! Eat right after I’m sick, since my stomach seems momentarily settled and then I’m not starving the baby!
xo
s
Maya says
Congratulations!! I’m so happy for you. There are four years between me and my little sister (who also religiously reads this blog), and it’s been wonderful. I don’t remember feeling jealous of her for a moment, though my mom might have heard a few complaints from me had she turned out to be a boy. My only disappointment was that she wasn’t twins. :)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny!
xo
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Syndee Mac says
I’m so happy for you guys…especially since I know how stressful it is deciding to go for baby #2 after a placental abruption. My son is a couple months younger than Clara, and we both almost didn’t make it after my placenta ruptured at home, even though I had a completely healthy, no-complication pregnancy, like you. I was petrified of getting pregnant again after the trauma of hemorrhaging at home, the 911 call, the paramedics not finding the baby’s heartbeat, the ambulance ride to the hospital already thinking my baby was gone, my husband thinking I wasn’t going to make it, the nurse at the hospital not finding the baby’s heartbeat at first and then miraculously finding it (after what felt like 5 years and I’d given up), and then an emergency C-section just in time to save both of us. I always wanted to post and say thank you for verbalizing all the terror that is felt during all this, because I never could. It took me a long time to come to terms with what happened. I am pregnant with #2 now, too, and due in a couple weeks. Although I can honestly say we are ecstatic and so happy with this pregnancy (a baby girl this time :) ), we are still very cautious (my husband would wrap me in bubble wrap if he could) and have not hesitated to go to the hospital at the slightest twinge (had a short period of pre-term labor but all is good now). I’m so thankful for the doctors and nurses that encourage us to come in, since they know my history. However, we are hoping for the most boring, routine, pre-scheduled C-section in just a few weeks :)
YoungHouseLove says
OH my gosh, what a scary story! So glad you guys made it! And I agree with you on the most boring pre-scheduled c-section wishes! That sounds amazing to me! All the best, Syndee!
xo
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