Here we grow again
Originally written on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011
Three weeks, three days pregnant
So … I’m preggggggnant! Again!
I have only known I was pregnant for about eight hours, and already, I can tell you that second pregnancies are different than first pregnancies.
When I found out I was pregnant with Baby Boy, I was pouring my feelings out on the computer mere MINUTES later. The pee stick was still wet (ew, sorry) and already I was blogging.
This time around? It is eight hours later, and I am just now able to write about it. Oh, and I’ve had this browser window open for the past two hours, trying to get to it between my freelance projects.
It’s sort of the same feeling, and sort of different. I’m really, really happy — we wanted this so much! — but not as giddy as I was when I found out I was pregnant with Baby Boy. I’m happy in more of a calm, hopeful … mature … way.
I’ve been there, done this, but I also recognize that every pregnancy is different — and every child is different. Having two children will be way different than having one. It’s just … different … already. I feel different, knowing.
As I wrote to lovely friend L in an email this morning, “Even though I was pretty positive I was pregnant, taking the test and knowing FOR SURE changes things. It’s still kind of shocking.” It’s real. Things are different than they were when I woke up this morning. Life is going to change.
It’s hard to imagine loving someone as much as I love Baby Boy. It’s hard to imagine having another baby, when he is still my baby — still the centre of our world. And yet I know that when we do welcome this baby, it will feel exactly as if he or she belongs. I’ll find it hard to remember a time when we were just a family of three.
I know this pregnancy is going to be different than my first pregnancy. My life LIFE is very different than it was two years ago.
I know I am not going to have as much time for Googling baby craft ideas and nursery photos and pregnancy info. I have a one-year-old now. I work from home now. We don’t even have a home now, technically — although hopefully we will, soon!
In the midst of all the chaos, I want to focus on enjoying this pregnancy, and making it as special as Baby Boy’s*. Because even though it is not the first, it is still equally as amazing, and this baby will be equally as amazing.
*Aww, crap! I just remembered about the heartburn and the swelling and the aching and the cravings and the green road-map boobs and the peeing all the time and the headaches and the nausea and the fat-faced-ness and the hotness and the blood-taking.
But, yes, definitely … “Magical.” “Wonderful.” “Cherished time of life.”**
**Ahh, I do remember the lovely large boobs. I’ll be glad to have those back!
The train bedroom
You know what’s time-consuming when you have a toddler (and work from home)? Everything! Well, specifically moving.
I can’t believe we are actually closing on our House of Dreams THIS FRIDAY! And then MOVING IN on SATURDAY! Needless to say, I have been one big flurry of how-will-we-decorate-this-room and what-do-we-need-to-get-for-this-room. Super exciting, of course, and also time-consuming.
Here’s a quick peek at what I’m planning for the toddler’s new bedroom. You remember that his bedroom at the condo was airplane-themed? Well, this time we’re going for his new favourite vehicle: trains! The kid nuts about Thomas and Chugginton, so it seemed obvious. And so cute!
We’re going for a colour scheme of navy and white, with little touches of red. I think it will be such a classic boy’s room. I went shopping with L last night for fabrics, and am SO happy with what we found.
Bear with me, dear readers, as I struggle to get our lives packed up YET AGAIN and get our butts hauled to our House of Dreams. Can’t wait to show you the place!
Not Me Monday
- When the toddler woke up at 7 a.m. this morning, I bounced out of bed and greeted him immediately. I did not turn down the monitor and lie in an sniffly miserable allergy-induced stupor for 10 minutes before retriving him.
- Then I totally didn’t drag his ass back to bed with me, praying he would lie next to me and sleep.
- I definitely didn’t long for the days of breastfeeding, when I could give him the boob and lure him back to sleep.
- I made him a hot and varied breakfast that was way more exciting than OJ, toast, and apple slices
- When he was finished breakfast, I
turned on the TV and let him watch Treehouse while I read archives of Amalah.com on my phonebegan a rousing and educational activity
My ever-changing morning routine
If there’s anything that is constantly amazing me about having kids, it’s that things never stop changing and evolving — things they do, things you do, routines to adjust.
When the toddler was a month or two old, I would shower and do my makeup while he sat in his bouncy seat (or carseat) in the bathroom. It was awesome when he got the hiccups, because then I didn’t feel the need to whip around the shower curtain and check on him every two seconds.
When he started crawling, I made a new plan and would set him down the hall from the bathroom, and rush through my makeup/tooth-brushing while he slowly ambled down the hall towards me.
When his crawling got too fast, I started sticking him in the (empty) tub while I got myself ready, and he’d play with bath toys. Then he graduated to climbing in and out of the tub on his own (which kept him occupied, so, cool).
Now, at 16 months? None of that will work anymore. However, the Toddler of Terror now loves really participating with me as I get ready in the morning.
- He loves getting in the shower with me — which is definitely not awesome when I need to wash my hair, and two hands would be nice.
- He is obsessed with sitting on the counter, brushing his teeth — always preferring MY brush to his own toddler-sized one. I think it’s the Colgate taste.
- We get dressed together. Often I get dressed first, while he runs around in my bathrobe (another thing he loves). Sometimes I also use this time to put away clean laundry.
- We comb out our wet hair together. He tries to help me put clips in mine.
- Then I usually sit in his room and put on my makeup, while he plays with the compacts and pretends to put it on himself — often just chewing on the powder puff thingy and the brushes.
While I rarely get to shower alone anymore (only on Darling Husband’s days off), it is nice to have a new getting-ready routine that works for us. He seems to be having a blast, I’m getting showered, dressed and ready. Everybody wins!
How do you juggle getting yourself ready in the morning?
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