July 3, 2014

Pregnancy, The Nursery, The Dog, The Blog & More...

Recently I've received a ton of questions regarding pregnancy, baby girl's nursery, the dog and more so rather than replying individually to each of these comments/emails, I figured I'd answer them all in one big fat post.

I (think) I've included the main questions but if I forgot anything, or if you have any questions for me, feel free to leave them in the comments and I'll update this post with the answers!

Overall, how is being pregnant?

I think I'm finally at the point to where I can say I've truthfully LOVED every part of carrying this baby girl in my belly. (I write this as she's wedged up under my rib cage...) I have thanked God every single day for not only blessing us with this little girl, but for keeping a close watch on both her and I's healthy throughout this entire journey and he continues to watch over us on a daily basis. Sure-I've put on almost 20 pounds, my clothes don't fit, a double chin is slowing making it's debut and everyday a different part of my body aches or feels weird but that's what I committed to when Beau and I decided to start a family! I have gladly given up my body for our sweet girl and I'd do it again in a heartbeat! (And I will!)

When do we get to see the nursery?

The nursery, to me, is definitely a big deal because we've put so much time, effort and thought into every little detail, but that's not why I'm holding out on y'all. As soon as I have her bedding in and everything is about 90% put together, I'll be ready to "reveal" baby girl's room! Also, I have not a single thing hung on the walls yet. I don't know why but putting nails in the wall is so hard for me to do so as soon as I have stuff up on the walls + her bedding, I'll be ready to post pictures. :) I promise!

What about Oakley?

Like I say to everyone who asks this question...what about her? Oakley has been and still will be a huge part of our family. She was my first baby girl, and always will be, so I have absolutely no intentions of kicking her out to live in the backyard or anything crazy like that. Will things change? I'm sure they will change a little bit, especially when baby first comes home, but Beau and I have both agreed that we refuse to push her to the side and completely forget about how important it is for us to love on her, take her on walks and play with her. It's a really big deal for us to make sure that when Paisley comes home, Oakley still gets all the love and attention we gave her before. And for the record, NO...we will not be kicking her out of our bed either. Baby will have her own bed or bassinet to sleep in, while Beau and I will continue allowing Oakley to sleep with us. It's all she's ever known and I just can't fathom kicking her off the bed onto the floor. Plus, she's the best snuggle bug in all the land. Why would I want to change that?!

Will you be staying at home after baby comes?

I have planned to take off 12 weeks once baby girl makes her big debut but after that, it's back to work for this girl. Though I'd love to one day stay at home with my babies, now is not the right time for that. I love my job far too much to give it up, plus we still need my portion of income to afford life...especially now that daycare is a part of the budget. (Damn you, day care! SO EXPENSIVE!!)

Are you planning on more kids in the future?

Yes-Beau and I fully plan on having (and pray for) at least 2 mini's running around our household. We both come from families of two children so it just came naturally for both of us to want two kids. Should God bless us with more, of course we'd welcome that but as of now, we're just planning for two.

When can we expect baby #2?

I honestly don't know! Beau and I have discussed our kiddos being 2 years apart, but then again, that was before we actually had one. Paisley could give us a complete run for our money, making us push this back but as of now, as in this very moment, I'd like to start trying for baby numero dos some time in 2016.

What prenatal vitamins are you taking?

Many of you may (or may not) know that I work for a health and wellness center/supplement company. Therefore, all the vitamins I take come from my company because I know they've been researched and are of the highest, purest quality on the market. When you're pregnant, you really have to scale back on what you're taking, especially with herbs, because different vitamins, minerals and herbs affect women differently when they're pregnant. Also, a lot of research still has not been conducted on the effects of certain vitamins during pregnancy. In saying this, I've kept my prenatal vitamin regimen very basic for the simple fact that A) I didn't want to take anything that might negatively effect baby girl or my pregnancy and B) because I have enough to worry about right now and taking a whole slew of vitamins is the last thing I want to worry about. Also, I've heard a lot of prenatal vitamins can make women sick/nauseous and because I've taken these for years and they've never made me feel this way, I knew they were safe for me to continue taking while pregnant.

Here's my list of prenatal vitamins:


Will you continue blogging after baby?

This is a question I can honestly say I don't know the answer to. While I'd like to say "yes!", I really can't answer this because I just don't know what life will be like being a full-time working mom. It's become very obvious to me (and probably you, too) that blogging is not a top priority for me anymore. Though I still enjoy it, I am finding it harder and harder to not only to find the time to write my own posts, but to read others and connect with other bloggers and being an all or nothing girl, I've struggled with this for a while. Do I keep going? Or do I give it all up? Do I just write when I feel like it and not worry about the pressures that can come with blogging? I don't know! I guess only time will tell. :)

Ok! That's it...I think?! I hope you can all understand/support the decisions Beau and I have made for our little family and if not, too bad! ;)

Have a great Fourth of July weekend, y'all!

xo

11 comments:

  1. So excited for you guys!! You are a beautiful pregnant Mama, I hope if I am blessed to carry a babe, I look half as gorgeous as you! Can't wait to see sweet little Paisley. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. i say blog when you can and do it for you! I know you have a lot more readers than I do but I blog when I feel like it and not because I feel obligated. I just want to be able to look back and see what we did when we were younger. Comments and "fans" are great but at the end of the day if it feels like work, it's time to step back and do it when you want!

    I also love that you plan on loving Oakley the same as before the baby. I hate reading stories about their dog being their baby and then fast forward a few years and the dog is being thrown to a shelter because they can't provide for them as much as they used to. Any love you give a dog is better than giving it to a shelter. Dogs are life long commitments not temporary replacements for things. Sorry for the rant, people annoy me :)

    Cannot wait to see the baby's room

    ReplyDelete
  3. So much truth in this post! You must do what is right for you and your family. Also, I'm not sure if anyone has suggested it yet or not, but take a baby blanket that has been used by your daughter home for Oakley to have. This will allow Oakley to begin getting familiar with her scent. We did this when my nephew was born and there was very little adjustment when he finally came home. Their dog just sniffed the baby then sniffed the blanket several times and then laid down next to his crib.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We started trying after our daughter turned 1. It took us 9 months to get pregnant. My girls are 2 years and 4 months apart. It's a perfect age! We started potty training at 2 years 2 months so by the time baby got here, she was fully trained(though she did regress) That's huge to us, not having 2 in diapers ;) She was old enough to play independently and help out by getting bibs, burp cloths and books for us. You will know when the right time is.

    ReplyDelete
  5. In terms of blogging, I say write when you feel like it! You will get your own natural groove and I'm assuming you will want to blog a little about being a new mom. Just see what happens! I hope you don't stop blogging completely though! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  6. My sister and I are 2 years and 5 days apart and it was the best thing ever. You will know when it is right for your little family. We will all be here if/when you have the time.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love this post.. I think what I love most about this post though however is the truth that comes with this post :) I am truly happy for you both & cannot wait to see sweet Paisley!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Awesome post my friend - and great reading your answers. I have to admit, your last answer brought tears to my eyes - I understand the maybe not blogging due to lack of time but that makes me wish we lived closer so we could stay in touch more (without these blogs of ours!)… The age gap of your kiddies will come to you - I honestly believe that one day, you will wake up and just know you are ready to start trying for Number 2. Our gap is 2 years and 1 month and we love it - it is so perfect x

    ReplyDelete
  9. I've felt like the best decision regarding blogging I've made was just to do it when I had something to say and let it happen when I want it to happen. People will be around to read. Being a working mom while juggling a lot of things is hard, but it can be done.

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from my readers! I read each and every comment left on my blog. If you have a specific question, feel free to email me at snhoward16@gmail.com.

Also, please make sure your email address is set up with your profile so that I am able to respond to you. xoxo

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...