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.
Rebecca says
So happy for you! Congratulations!
Eva says
Congratulations! I have two girls born in June 2009 and April 2013 so it is about the same age difference. My big girl was so excited while I was pregnant but then she was very disappointed when her sister arrived, so be prepared for anything. We had done our best to prepare her. But the first few weeks were very difficult because she was a bit cross with us for not allowing her to watch how her sister came out from the belly and then she wanted to play with her and did not really understand how fragile she was. So for the first weeks she mostly ignored the baby, and when I asked if her little sister was cute, her reply was: “No, not really, but she’s very soft”. But with time the situation improved a lot, and now when the baby is almost 6 months old there is a lot of love between them. She is now a very proud big sister and very protective and caring towards the little one, and LOVES to make her laugh. Congratulations again and take care!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Eva! We are definitely hoping for the best but preparing for the worst! I think it’ll be really fun to see how the family dynamic grows and changes!
xo
s
Wesley says
We’re so happy for you guys!! I also like knowing you waited until the time was right for you to tell family members, I think it’s great you know yourselves that well and wanted to be true to what felt good for you.
Nicole says
I’m not sure why I’m torturing myself reading these posts and all the comments, yet here I am. I am obviously very happy for you guys but after just experiencing my second early miscarriage after my second failed ivf (first miscarriage was from an iui), I am just pretty down on life right now. We will be such good parents and are so ready for our baby. Enjoy your pregnancy and I hope you have a stress free and easy delivery.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh Nicole, I’m so sorry for your losses. I can’t imagine what you’re going through, and I’m sending you so much love.
xo
s
Katy says
Hi Nicole,
I’m not sure you’ll ever see this…but I’m thinking about you. I’ve had a very similar route to yours. I’m now 37 and finally have 2 kids after lots of IVF and an incompetent cervix. I’ve had two losses, one at 22 weeks. I had a hard time getting out of bed for a long time, but it slowly got better. I was sad, mad, angry, depressed – you name it. We’ve had to be tenacious to have our family and it makes them all the more dear and it really puts what’s important in life into perspective. I really try not to sweat the little things. All that being said, have you found someone to talk to? I am still close with ladies that I met through a loss group 5 years ago. If you do need someone to talk to I don’t know if there’s a way to pass on my email without sending it out to the whole world. Take care, Nicole.
YoungHouseLove says
I’m so sorry for your losses Katy. Thank you for sharing your story. I hope Nicole sees it.
xo
s
Kate says
Just out of curiousity, has Clara noticed/been concerned about your all-day sickness? Just wondering how you field those questions (without her feeling like her little sibling is making her mommy sick, lol!) Or is she oblivious to your frequent bathroom runs?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, poor Clara is definitely onto me but I just tell her that my tummy’s not feeling very well and then she says “you can play with my doll!” or “I can rub your back” or something else sweet to cheer me up. I think since she sees John and I do those things when she doesn’t feel well, she is a good little nurturer. It’s very cute.
xo
s
Lisa says
Hey you five,
I was so happy about your news – oh my gosh, all I want is see you both making a new nursery for your new bean <3
(I knew it since you postet: "The maybe nursery.") ;-)
I'm your fanatic blogreader from Germany since maybe an year now and I LOVE seeing all your steps on your way to your perfect home and family. Hell I would love to make the same!
All I could say is, I keep on reading your blog (secretly at work)and wish your whole family the best I could!
Love Lisa
(Excuses for my not-so-well-schoolenglish)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Lisa! Your English is perfect!
xo
s
Stardancer says
I commented on the Big Reveal post, but I can’t resist commenting here as well. I am so excited for you!!! I’ve been working my way through the archives and I keep noticing the little “future potential nursery” and “if/when we have another kid”, so I knew you were hoping for another. So many congratulations!
becca says
Thank you for sharing! Reading about Clara’s reaction and her interest in ‘the bun’ has helped me a lot. Right now we have one sweet little girl, and I’ve been really struggling with the idea that having a second child would somehow detract from her happiness/childhood experience, but I can see now that I was nervous for no reason. There’s always enough love! Thank you so much. Clara will be a great big sister.
Mrs. A says
I agree – one of the best things about having kid #2 is how awesome they are together! Watching siblings interact is hilarious!
And, just because it struck a chord with me today (mom that I am trying to do way too much) – here’s a bit of mom humor from Kid President: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ4Rnba85o8
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, so cute!
xo
s
Aurelie says
so many congrats to you guys and thanks for sharing all this info! I have to apologize for creating more work for you… because I posted a comment/question to the original bun announcement post but for the life of me can’t find it now (and i’ve read through pages and pages and pages of comments looking for it! which is entertaining reading but i’ve given up on my needle in the haystack!)… but my question for you is this: Sherry, was the move to VA a difficult decision for you way back when? Was/are there any heated discussions about how you wanted to stay in the big city or closer to your mom, instead of relocating to be closer to John’s family? I think about this often as my husband (a NJ native and east coaster true and true) made a big move out west to be with me and closer to my family before we got married, 5 yrs ago. We have a great life out west and have laid down roots (and two little babies to boot!), but we still have some disagreements about where to live and if I’d ever move back east (no!!!). Thanks for sharing, interested to hear your experience with this as you guys expand your brood.
YoungHouseLove says
I have always just thought there are people who could never leave their family/hometown and people who love to branch out and move around. It just seemed like half of the girls at my college went home every weekend or lived nearby (so they sort of were home already) and the other half were all from places that were far away and hardly every went home except for winter and summer break. I just think it’s how people are made. So as much as I LOVE my family, I have always been excited to explore and forge out on my own and make my own path. I do send a whole lot of texts and emails and we have phone calls and now even FaceTime so that helps, but when John told me how much he loved VA, I was down! I loved the city, but we were looking for a place to slow down and be able to afford a house and Richmond sounded perfect. To this day I love it here and am so happy I up and moved with mah man! It can definitely be a really hard choice for some people though!
xo
s
Aurelie says
oh and one more thing, having just had our second child 4 weeks ago… the worst thing someone said to me while pregnant with our second was “enjoy all the time with your first that you can because you won’t remember the next year of his/her life once the newborn comes” which made me cry out of sadness. but it’s not true!! yes, it’s hectic and crazy and sometimes tear-inducing with two (at least in the very beginning which is my only experience so far). but there is so much joy in seeing your children interact, and in watching your older child take on his/her role as big bro/sis. it will never be the same as when you only had one, but it is wonderful and such a blessing. now about that sleep deprivation thing… ugh! this too shall pass :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks! That’s so nice to hear!
xo
s
Aurelie says
ok this is the last one: never trust your first child to predict the gender of your second! we didn’t find out the sex of our second, and our 2.5 year old son was adamant it was a boy (whenever anyone would ask what’s in my belly he’d say EMPHATICALLY, “a penis!!”) and that he wanted to name the baby pete. well… I figured he must have ultrasound vision or be clairvoyant or something. but… it was a girl :-) when he saw her getting a bath in the first few days he said “where’s the penis?” which prompted an interesting conversation about girls vs boys to say the least! ahhh kids.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! So funny!
xo
s
Alison says
So happy for you guys! I’m pregnant too and do the beginning of May so it will be fun to follow along with your pregnancy! Congrats!
Courtney says
Congratulations to all four of you (Burger included)! I am due April 1st with our second, and I am really looking forward to following your pregnancy along with my own! My husband and I have very similar philosophies and parenting styles as you two (from what you have shared, at least). I am currently 15 weeks pregnant and am really struggling with the flu vaccine decision. My doctor recommends it, but we try to be a pretty chemical free family and limit anything that could be harmful to ourselves or our child. You seem to share this philosophy. I completely understand if this is too personal and you don’t feel comfortable answering, especially with some of rude and critical comments as of late, but will you get the flu shot during pregnancy? I don’t know if it is possible for you to email me privately, but I was interested in your take on this issue. I have done exhaustive research and still don’t feel comfortable, but I also want to protect our baby. Thank you and congrats again! So very excited!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw, thanks Courtney! I’ll shoot you an email!
xo
s
Hayley says
Will you accept gifts readers send you for the new baby?
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Hayley, others have asked about this and while we’d love little notes and cards and stuff, we feel uncomfortable with folks sending us presents or spending a lot of time (or money) on things. Honestly, just the well wishes and kind words have been amazing! That’s all we need!
xo
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Seraph says
Hey there! I’ve been reading you since before you were younghouselove and it’s been so much fun to watch all the varying house + family combos you guys have gone through.
Also: I don’t want to have kids, and little kids don’t usually appeal to me, but your little family is just so precious I can’t stand it and I love reading about Clara. So bravo! And congratulations! And sending so many good thoughts!
Erin says
Have you heard of PICA? It’s where people crave weird non-food items like chalk, stones, metal! drywall, etc. whenever I hear pregnant people talking about cravings I get this flashback to nursing school where they said “usually these cravings are due to deficiency in vitamins or minerals”. Enjoy your pickles and potatoes! You probably need the extra electrolytes and carbs to grow that sweet little future DIYer. Just don’t munch on any pebbles (so tempting… I know) :P
YoungHouseLove says
I have heard of that! My friend’s mom had it! So funny how our bodies work sometimes!
xo
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Sevi says
It’s exciting to share a due date (well approx.) with you Sherry on your second pregnancy :) I’m also in my 13 weeks now with my first child. It will be much nicer to read about nursery ideas when I actually need them :P
Congrats and I hope everything goes smoothly on your pregnancy :D
Leanne W. says
Congratulations, I am so happy for you all! I also had a placenta abruption with my first baby, she was born at 25 wks. weighing, 1 lb. 9 oz. and thankfully everything turned out fine, she’ll be 18 in Dec. But I remember being so scared when I got pregnant with my second one. Like you said in your blog when you told us your story about Clara, I was more scared than excited. But I just wanted encourage you and let you know that things went smoothly the second time around. No complications! I hope that you all can just relax and enjoy during this pregnancy! I’ll be praying for your family and can’t wait to see the new little Petersik on the blog at some point!:)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Leanne! That’s so good to hear!
xo
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Lilly says
Congratulation, so happy for you! I also wanted to tell you my SIL had a placental abruption with her first (very scary story too-but the baby survived and is very healthy), and she scheduled a c-section for 36-38 weeks (I am not sure when) for her second. Everything went without a hitch and they now have a healthy baby girl. Just something to give you hope,and my prayers for a safe pregnancy and delivery! Can’t wait to “meet” her or him!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much for the tip Lilly!
xo
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Chrissy says
Congratulations you guys! I’ve followed your blog for years now and feel like I know you and am so happy for you! Can’t wait to see what you do with another nursery!
Katy says
Sherry,
I’ve had several high-risk pregnancies. I won’t trouble you with the details, but in my case I had the most fabulous doctor…I felt like I could go see her at the drop of a hat for ANY reason. There were times I would feel some odd twinge (ie. freak-out!), call the office, and they’d tell me to come right in. It usually wasn’t any big deal, but knowing I could check on things as any given time helped. I’ve got 2 healthy kids, Clara who’s 3 1/2, and Gus who is a little over a year. Both were planned C-sections, one 3 weeks early, and one 4 weeks early. My heart goes out to you and gets tight thinking about difficult pregnancies, but have faith — even if you’re freaked out crying every other day!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much Katy! That’s so great to hear! I really like my doc and definitely plan on calling for any of those scary twinges. So glad to have her!
xo
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[email protected] says
Congrats!!!! I agree with you, based on your cravings I think baby is a girl. 50/50 chance we are right. :)
Heather says
I’m so out of the loop! I have read your yall’s blog and Katie’s forever. Then our computer broke and I tried to keep up on my phone. It worked for awhile. Then I had a baby (Ella Marie is 7.5 months now) and well… Let’s just say I haven’t read in awhile. I saw a post by Katie on Facebook and went and checked it out. Found out she was pregnant and said to myself “I wonder if Sherry is too?” And look you are! Congratulations!
I will now be spending nursing and nap time catching back up on both blogs :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Heather!
xo
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Kate C says
I do so hope you guys get another good sleeper like Clara. I remember you saying that she basically always slept through the night. I’m so envious. My daughter is a terrible sleeper. It’s been 16 long months of helping her learn how to nap well and sleep well at night, and we’re not completely there yet. We have black out curtains and the sound machine too, but she always was the kid who would wake up with too much noise. I tried to be the mom who vacuumed while her kids slept, but Tara wouldn’t have it. We don’t have to be absolutely silent, but we do turn it down a notch when she sleeps. Also, we have a tiny house.
So here’s a wish for another great sleeper for you!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Kate! I’m certain it’ll be a whole new ball game. Ahh!
xo
s
Tania Quinn says
Congratulations! I’m a little further along that you (due April 2nd). My husband and I call our baby nugget or the McQuinn since s/he looked like a McDonanld’s nugget at 8 weeks. I hope you start feeling better soon! I didn’t suffer much from nausea, but ginger ale helped settle my stomach. During the first trimester, nasty headaches and almost passing out at Home Depot were common side effects. Love your blog and best wishes for a healthy and safe pregnancy!
Stephanie Scotto says
Very exciting news! Congrats to you guys! Im so excited for you! I understand the fears you have all too well. During my third pregnancy I had an abruption and we lost our little boy at 20 weeks. But on a happier note my fourth pregnancy went perfectly fine and we had a healthy baby boy! But I understand all of the fears and the worries that come after something like this has happened to you. My favorite quote that helped me during my fourth pregnancy was “Let your faith be bigger than your fear.” I didn’t want the fear of what had happened to me paralyze me from trying again. Wishing you guys all the best! I love your blog!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the kind words Stephanie! I love that quote! And I’m so sorry for your loss.
xo
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Mary says
Congratulations to your family!!! I don’t know how I missed this! Yes I do. I’ve been running around chasing my 19 month old. I go for my first ultrasound tomorrow to see if I am either 13 weeks along or 15 weeks. I thought for sure my due date was April 21st but she thinks I’m off. We shall see. Exciting that we will both be expanding our families in just (around :) 6 short months. YAY!
Kelly says
I just saw this and wanted to congratulate all of you on your new little bun. What wonderful news! Clara is such a little sweetie that I know she’s going to be a great big sister. I’m so happy for you guys that she’s excited about the new baby. (I’m currently pregnant and my daughter is only 15 months, so she doesn’t get it at all. I ask her to come kiss her baby brother and point to my belly; she goes and kisses the dog. :-/)
Anyway, I hope your all-day sickness has subsided. I didn’t have it long with my daughter, but it was HORRIBLE this time around and lasted until about 18 weeks. Could be you guys are getting a boy!
Just curious, will we get to bet on the baby’s details closer to your due date?
YoungHouseLove says
That would be fun!
xo
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Rachel Ward says
YAY, sooo happy and excited for you! :D
Katie says
I was so thrilled to learn of your pregnancy. I have followed you for years now and you couldn’t be a more deserving couple. I have to say, I get a little bleary eyed sometimes when people I know get pregnant… My husband and I lost a baby four years ago and I haven’t been able to get pregnant since. It is a real struggle. I know what a scary labor you had with Clara, so it makes me happy you are prego again and that things should go more smoothly with a c section. You two make a lovely couple and I always love your photos of Clara, and of course your home remodeling. Anyway, thanks for sharing this awesome news. I pray you guys have a healthy and happy pregnancy and delivery. I have a strong feeling it is a girl, by the way! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw Katie, I’m so sorry for your loss, and thanks so much for the kind words.
xo
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Jen says
Congrats on baby #2! I read a cloth diaper post of your before we even thought about having a second child. You inspired me to cloth diaper! Our 2nd is almost potty training and I never regret the decision to CD!! Thanks for helping us save $$! Woot woot!
Yezenia says
Omg I’m so excited for you!!! Congrats!!
Mama Russia says
I have to say our daughters are 5 months apart, now our second babies will be 1 month apart +- some weeks depending on when mine comes. I have hit 12 weeks and I am hoping the all day sickness goes away. This pregnancy is much worse. At least with my oldest I would puke every morning and then be fine. Congratulations I’m so excited.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, it’s so much harder this time for me too! I’m still sick at 16/17 weeks now, so I hope it’s over soon! Sending you lots of luck with yours as well.
xo
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TA says
Congrats again! We can’t wait to “meet” Captain Barnacle :)
Inspired by y’all, I’m in the process of renovating our 1950’s/1970’s rancher. I’m doing it all by myself, too! Happily, we just learned we’re expecting :) Do you have any additional resources for determining what DIY projects/materials are safe while preggers? This is our first kid and first reno, so I’m pretty clueless in this area… Thanks!!!
YoungHouseLove says
If you search for 411 on baby #2 on our sidebar (in the search field) a post with that info should come up for you! Good luck and congrats!
xo
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Sarah says
I absolutely adore your photo project! We duplicated this idea when our own little girl was born. You can see the final pictures here: http://homemadesweethome.wordpress.com/olinas-fabric-project/
We only went through the first year though because my daughter (Olina) is such a wiggle worm! She wouldn’t sit/lay still after about 20 weeks. The constant moving combined with my amateur photography and Photoshop skills made the experience quite a challenge. Needless to say, I’m impressed you made it 3 years!
We are also expecting a little boy this Spring (due March 25th) and are contemplating what sort of weekly project to do specifically for him. I just wanted to share my current ideas with you: http://homemadesweethome.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/weekly-baby-photos/
Although, another idea that would be soooo sooo awesome is Mila’s Daydreams (which I’m sure you’ve seen): http://milasdaydreams.blogspot.co.uk/p/about-blog.html
I can’t wait to see what you decide to do!
YoungHouseLove says
SO sweet! Love that Sarah!
xo
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