TWO kids? That sounds hard.

Today, we went to see some preggo friends at the Hoboken Italian Festival and it was no less than 400 degrees out. We almost melted away completely, but somehow survived. Thank God for that misting tent.

It was a fun, but hectic day. Trying to keep up with friends who have buns in the oven, but none on the ground quite yet. It seemed like a reasonable idea to them for everyone to sit in the beer garden. But, all I heard was, "Wait, we're supposed to what?" Sit...in...one...place. Outside? With so much action whizzing around us? Yeah, that isn't really a thing for Piper. She wanted to EXPLORE! Run free! And the whole day gave me an epiphany. 

Here it is: I really need to enjoy this time as a family of three because having two is going to be a DOOZY. And I mean, HARD. With two kids, there will be no taking turns. No one person who gets to keep a normal conversation with our friends while the other half runs through crowds like a maniac, saving our kid from herself. Today, keeping up with Piper was tough enough (the temperature could have also magnified all problems).

And while pregnancy is no treat, at least our little guy is having his needs met (have I mentioned yet, that we're having a BOY) with minimal effort (other than the usual weird cramping, back pain, restless sleep, unending thirst and hunger) from me. I need to SLOW DOWN, RELAX, and ENJOY this time. It will never be like this again:)

38 weeks, 33 weeks, 23 weeks and a very sweaty and upset 22 month old Piper!

22 Weeks!

Feeling good. So much bigger this time around. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the endless pasta dinners and ice cream:) 

Still not a fan of sleeping/dressing/doing much of anything pregnant but it's easier than the first time and at least I know a pregnancy without heartburn can exist!

Acne is getting better though! Big difference from my pregnancy with Piper. Thank God!

Next appt is at 24 weeks. 

Lbi with the fam.

Xoxo

L

7 things that helped me get baby ready...

Having a dog- HAHAHA, sorry that was funny. Whatever you do, don't listen to your friend who cooks classic gourmet meals and eats at the dinner table with her Husky every evening. Just because your dog is high maintenance for a dog and acts like a human, doesn't make it a baby - unless it has no usable legs, can't be left alone for more than 2 minutes, can't see 10 inches past his face, and breastfeeds from you every 2 hours – NO, the answer is no. 

But it's not all bad news! Turns out that before giving birth, I first had to turn my 8 pound terrier mix into a baby. Sure, he hated being swaddled in my arms and being rocked to sleep (he stayed awake), but it helped me feel maternal as hell and calm leading up to the barbaric (ahem, beautiful) occurrence known as birthing a small human. Plus, it was a good arm workout - great for future baby lifting.

Cushy/soft back-board for your bed - Forget the nursery. I redid my bedroom. Before having a kid, I knew that I'd most likely breastfeed and even if I didn't, I knew that as an extremely tired pregnant person, I would not be any less tired with a newborn. Therefore, I would be performing my throughout-the-night feedings leaning against my bed backboard. If I so much as had to step foot out of my bed for the first 3 months while the kiddo slept beside me, I'd be pissed.

Massages and pedicures - This is a no-brainer. I paid women all over the states of New York and New Jersey to give my swollen feet a good rub down. It wasn't glamorous and it definitely added up price-wise, but after having a child explode out of my body, I didn't feel guilty for too long.

Hiding a burp cloth in the arm of every couch - This goes back to me being lazy not psychic. You never know when spew or milk leakage may occur. And I can promise that you won’t want to go running for a paper towel every time it does. You just had a baby. You’re tired. Stay seated. Relax a little.

Breastfeeding pillow - you can call it a Boppy or whatever you want, but I prefer life-saving u-shaped cushion to be used in a multitude of ways all day, everyday. 

I bought one of these before having my kid and thought it would just be another expensive dog-bed, but oh, how wrong I was. I used it endlessly, whether I was breastfeeding, napping, doing the dreaded tummy time, for flying in comfort across the country with a newborn, and for a nice place to rest my dinner plate.

DVR'd TV shows- Now, I'm not saying that your kid won't fall asleep in a swing or a mamaroo or whatever, but mine sure as hell didn't. She only fell asleep ON me. I know what you're thinking- Aw, how sweet. And besides being completely trapped, it really was. If I didn't feel like a hostage, I'd totally cry over the preciousness. And I know I should sleep when the baby does - which I did once A DAY, but I can't take 5 naps, every two hours. I just can't. That's why I saved 3 to 4 episodes of all my favorite shows before giving birth. Nothing could get me more excited to breastfeed my child into a milk coma more than back to back episodes of Naked and Afraid or The Real Housewives of New York City.

Infertility –That’s funny – I wasn’t crying a minute ago. Don’t mind me!

Infertility is pretty much the worst thing to happen to someone wanting a baby...so OF COURSE it's the best way to prepare a preggo for baby-dom.

But seriously, if there is any good to come out of endless testing, pregnancy loss and heartache, it's how freaking ready I was for my daughter and this new pregnancy when they actually worked out. This also really prepared me for how much pregnancy sucks. Without it, I would be destined for 41 weeks of eye rolls and complaining over missing Sangria. Instead, I just lived in fear of anything going wrong, became overly nice and maintained a very thankful attitude that would not be present otherwise. Blessings all around!

xoxo

Laura

Piper Holds the Poo.

Because sometimes you have to help out and hold the poop bag. No matter how cute you are.