Baby #2: We're in the Home Stretch!

Hello! With less 2 weeks until our due date, I wanted to pop back in here with one final pregnancy update. I can't believe we are so close to meeting this boy!

Pregnancy is so weird. You go nine months counting down and being so ready for the pregnancy part to be over -- the back pain, swelling, heart burn, general discomfort and other unpleasant symptoms. You anxiously count down the weeks because you can't wait for what's next - loving on a sweet, tiny baby. Then as you finally near the end of this journey, you find yourself wanting to savor the being pregnant part because you realize any day now it could be over. There is no feeling like the feeling of a baby moving around inside you and suddenly you realize how much you'll miss those kicks and tumbles. Like I've said before, I don't know what the future holds for our family, but knowing that we could decide we are perfectly happy with two kids has me wanting to soak in these last few weeks even more.

I know my pregnancy updates have been sparse and pretty random this time around, so this post will likely be all over the place, too!

How I'm Feeling
My answer to this typically depends on how well I slept the night before because after a long night of little sleep, my coping skills fly out the window. Aside from sleep issues, I'm still dealing with regular heart burn and serious lower back pain most days, but otherwise I can't really complain.

On My Mind
As we've approached these last few weeks of pregnancy, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't feeling a bit anxious. The general anticipation and excitement is one thing, but I've definitely found myself feeling anxious about labor, breastfeeding, adjusting to life with 2 kids, etc. It's funny because I expected to feel so cool and calm this time around since I've been through it once before, but it's kind of been the opposite. Ignorance is bliss and I think with my first pregnancy, while we took a class at the hospital and did our best to prepare, I still didn't know what to expect so leading up to it all I remember feeling is excitement.

Emma's birth wasn't traumatic in any way, but circumstances like her being posterior, getting stuck on my pubic bone, me pushing for 2.5 hours and her having to spend the first 12 hours of her life in the transition nursery have me wondering how things will be different this time. I wouldn't say I'm worried as much as it just being on my mind a lot, but I'm reminding myself that despite the circumstances that didn't go as I'd hoped with Emma's birth, she is healthy as can be and I would go through it again in a heartbeat. No matter how things go down this time, the end result is all that matters but I definitely wouldn't mind being one of those women who say they pushed twice and boom! baby was here!

One thing that's helping me feel more relaxed as we near the end of pregnancy is Jonathan's schedule. He has more flexibility with work than he ever has before, which has been great in these last few weeks but will be a big deal when we go into labor and then as we settle into a new normal at home. It's easing my mind a lot to know he'll be able to manage his schedule and be available to help more, especially in those first few days home with the baby.

Nursery Progress
We just put the finishing touches on this in the last few days and I'm so happy with this space! It could maybe use a few more things on the walls, but I don't love to buy things for the sake of filling space, so if I come across something later on that I like, we could always add to it.

Final Prep

My hospital bag is about 90% packed aside from a few last minute things I'll throw in when it's time to go. I took a day last week and cooked a few freezer meals to have on hand. I spent an entire afternoon cooking and really only ended up with maybe 6 dinners but even if it gets us through the first few days back at home, I know it will be helpful. 

I need to get a bag together for Emma since she'll be with her grandparents while we are in the hospital. Speaking of Emma, I'm also working on putting together a little basket of fun toys for her that I can take out when I'm nursing to keep her entertained. She's been loving stickers lately and has started to get into coloring, too so I think a few fun things like this and maybe a puzzle will be perfect for this. I've heard this tip from a lot of moms and I think it might help especially in those first few weeks.

Other than those things, we are ready to rock and roll. In the meantime, I'm trying to stay on top of the work I do for Jonathan so that whenever the time comes, things don't fall too behind on that end. We're also hosting Jonathan's 30th birthday party (an old school field day with water balloon toss, dodgeball and other fun games) at our house this weekend and even though in a way, I felt like we overcommitted a bit planning this 10 days before our due date, preparing for this and having a few things on my to do list to get ready will be good for me this week. We also have so many people helping out so that I really don't have to do much so I'm thankful for that!

Right now I'm really trying to relax and enjoy this last bit of time before the baby arrives. I've heard from so many moms that the hardest part of transitioning from one to two kids is just missing that one-on-one time with their first born. Needless to say, I've been really trying to soak up this time with Emma before we add her baby brother into the mix. I know things are going to be fine and we'll have a new normal here very soon that we'll love just the same, but I'm certainly a little emotional about the changes coming our way.

Emotions are high right now and allll over the place, but I'm feeling so grateful for a healthy pregnancy, our beautiful little family and a husband who is all in 100% of the time. Emma is going to be the sweetest big sister and I'm anxious to finally lay eyes on our sweet boy any day now.