First of all, thank you for all of the congratulations on the big “announcement” yesterday. I figured I’d stay true to the way I first revealed my pregnancy with Nora, and let the ultrasound do the talking.
Many of you were insightful and apparently had hunches that I might be expecting another baby. And truth be told, my pregnancy is a MAJOR reason why I’ve been so quiet on the blog the past few months. This baby has sucked the life out of me. Seriously, first trimester was awful. I know women who have had it way worse, of course, but it was just so much different than my pregnancy with Nora. Back then, I felt more tired than usual, and I had a LITTLE bit of yucky feeling and food aversions, but it was NOTHING compared to this time. Up until a week or two ago, I had a very, VERY short list of foods that I could handle thinking about, let alone EATING. I’m still not completely out of the woods, as I found myself gagging when putting dinner into the crockpot the other night. But hey! I was actually making dinner, which is a huge improvement over where I was a few short weeks ago.
We found out about the soon-to-arrive addition to our family the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Due to the holiday weekend, I had enjoyed a good bit of wine on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, so at least I had my fill before I had to give up the good stuff. :) I was really expecting the test to be negative, and then… holy crap.
I had all of the same fears about first trimester this time around, so we kept it pretty quiet until we went in for the NT scan yesterday at 12 weeks (well, 12 weeks, 2 days if you want to get all technical). The due date is August 6. Nora and her baby brother or sister will be just under three years apart.
Speaking of Nora, whenever I ask her if I have a baby in my belly she replies, steadfastly, “Noooooo.” On a related note, my friend’s 2-year-old boy goes to daycare with Nora and he has taken to running over to me and giving me hugs when I walk in to pick up Nora, and although Nora tolerates it to an extent, she always is sure to say, “MY mama!”
I think she might have a hard time coming to terms with sharing me.
But alas, every time we ask her if she’s having a brother or a sister, she says “sister” in her own little way. Don’t get too excited about that, though, because when asked if it’s a boy or a girl, she has been known to say, “boy.” The kid is no help. Patience, though… we will find out in the delivery room. That’s right—we are planning another surprise this time. It was a lot of fun when I was pregnant with Nora, so we are excited to experience the surprise all over again.
With blogging, I always feel like my inspiration and my drive to write is hindered when I am keeping a secret like this. I felt the same way when I was in my first trimester with Nora—if I can’t write what I am experiencing at the time, it feels like I can’t write about anything. That, combined with the sickness and exhaustion (oh, and the hustle and bustle of the holidays), kept me away from this space. Hopefully I can slowly and surely get myself back here more often.
I’m hoping to start weekly pregnancy updates at some point, but it still feels too soon. I still LOVE looking back on those posts from my pregnancy with Nora, so I want to chronicle this experience in the same way. I think I started at 16 weeks with Nora, so I’ll aim for that again here—unless my belly suddenly pops out in a way that is too big to continue to ignore. :)
We are on our way to becoming the parents of TWO children. A family of FOUR.
It’s a wild ride. We’re pretty excited about it.
21 Responses to Soon to be two
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About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
So happy for you! (And glad you got some good wine drinking in before you had to give it up, ha.) I hope the rest of the pregnancy goes smoothly!
So excited for you. And I totally get keeping it secret for a while!
First trimester totally sucks! It’s so different the second time around for me as well.(I’m about 11 weeks right now) It takes everything I have just to get up in the morning, and take care of my 3 year old, never mind laundry, cooking, showering. Can’t even think about food…. the morning sickness has been so much worse this time….not so much the throwing up, but the constant feeling of needing to, the food aversions to just about anything/everything. My poor hubby hasn’t had a dinner cooked for him in about 3 weeks!
Here’s hoping you start to feel better!!!! And Congrats again!
We’re thrilled for you! Nora will be an awesome sister.
Congrats!! I hope you are feeling better – my pregnancy with Luke was SO much harder than with Annie… having a toddler certainly didn’t help!
Congratulations Heather! My second pregnancy was so much harder than my first also but as you know, more than worth it in the end! Hope those yucky food aversions will be gone for good soon.
Congratulations! I’m due with #2 in July, and the due date is three weeks before DD’s third birthday :) I hope you continue to feel better – I’m 16 weeks along now and have been absolutely nauseous since about week six … still waiting to feel better, but I, too, celebrated the small victories of actually being able to make dinner again, even if it wasn’t particularly appetizing to me. The fatigue and nausea have definitely been more intense the second time around!
OMG Congratulations Heather! I’m so excited for you and your little family :) I was wondering when the next one would come and was curious why you weren’t around as much. I just had my second baby three weeks ago and in in mommy heaven and although my first is 6 1/2 the jealousy is still there. Thankfully getting better now. I’m excited to continuing to follow you on this next journey and adventure. Best wishes!
Congratulations! Nora is going to be such a great big sister! I am currently a day past my due date & I can tell you that my pregnancy has been so much more difficult than it was with Kira; it literally kicked my rear! The 1st trimester was definitely the worst of it though so I’m glad you’re out of the woods. As for Nora & “my mama”, hopefully it’ll pass. We went through that with Kira, we told her around the 12wk mark about baby because we wanted to give her as much time as possible to digest & adjust to all the upcoming changes. She’s been such a trooper! It took her a bit but now if you ask her if she’ll share Mama & Daddy with Delfina she says yes & is actually getting impatient for the baby to get here (as we all are!). We purchased “I’m a Big Sister” by Ronne Randall & Kristina Stephenson, it’s been a great help! We’ve been reading it since I was 12wks haha. Now when we talk about how Kira will help us with Delfina she is so excited & says “just like Ellie, Mama!” (Ellie is the big sister in the book) Anyway, best of luck to you & your beautiful growing family!
Congratulations, Heather! I’m so excited for you but also selfishly I am so looking forward to reading about what it is like for you expanding your family so I can get some good perspective on what that’s like. My husband and I are thinking about having a second (our little girl is almost 2 and is the joy of our lives!) Wishing you a smooth ride for the rest of your pregnancy.
Congratulations! Nora will be such a great big sister. Look forward to reading your journey with this new little one as I just started following your blog when you were pregnant with Nora! I love that your keeping the sex quiet until the birth.
Congrats! I kept my pregnancy a secret until 26 weeks. Blogging while keeping SUCH A BIG SECRET really is hard!
As super excited as I am for you and your sweet little family, this news makes me selfishly sad. I started following your blog back when you were planning your wedding, because I, too was planning my wedding. My husband and I were married June 7, 2008. We started trying to get pregnant in early 2010, though I wanted to start trying sooner. FINALLY after over a year of trying, we got pregnant with our first, a little girl. I read your blog with excitement for the things to come for us, after we’d tried for so long. My due date was October 27, 2012. We named her Grace Louise, and she was beautiful. On October 19, 2012, we had a check-up. Only 8 days before my due date, and my precious Grace was gone. They induced labor the next day, and she was born on October 21 at 3:08 am. There was not a single thing wrong with her; just a big fat knot in the cord. That was it. She was so close to being in our arms. We had her tiny body cremated so we could bring her home with us, where she belongs. I look around at the people in my life who are blessed with children and who take them for granted or wish they didn’t have them. There are others, like you and your husband, who are terrific parents. Both groups make me sad because I am heartbroken. My husband and I will try again as soon as the doctor gives her OK (likely around April), but then who knows how long it will take us to get pregnant again. I’m sorry to vomit all over your page…I truly am excited for you. I just thought I’d share my little story because we walked the same path there for a little while…wedding planners, newlyweds, homeowners, trying to start a family. Our paths went so very differently. Congrats to you and yours, and I wish you a healthy pregnancy.
Katie, I’m so very sorry for the heartbreak you have experienced. Your story struck a chord with me because I was present with my brother and his wife as they welcomed their baby boy in July. When he was FINALLY born (after a long ordeal of a labor), it was discovered that he had a knot in his cord. A tight knot. The nurses showed us all the knot and told us how very lucky this little boy was to be alive. It was sobering to know that the outcome could have been so very different—the same as yours. I’m happy to know the story of your sweet Grace. She mattered, and she had a purpose, even if she did not get to be your “take home” baby. I don’t know why things turn out the way they do sometimes. No one deserves these horrible things to happen to them. It is terrifying to think about all of the things that have to go right to birth a healthy baby and raise him or her into adulthood. I know your name, I remember you commenting on my blog before. I wish you the best; I so hope that you will get another shot at being able to bring home your baby. Many blessings to you.
First off, Congratulations!! Second, as soon as I read that you found out right after Thanksgiving I was like, “well, that sounds familiar”, and then I read that you are due August 6. That was my exact due date with my son! And I found out the Monday after Thanksgiving! So I pretty much know exactly how you are feeling at this point :) For the record, I ended up having a July baby (July 27, 2011) but summer babies are fun! And Nora has some time to get used to the idea of a sibling. Hope you continue feeling better!
Yeah, I’m excited to have a little more summer within my maternity leave than last time! Nora was born in mid-September and although we still had some really nice days, it was right at the point where the weather really starts to turn to fall. I’m interested to see if I’ll have another (slightly) early baby or if this pregnancy will be different. It’s strange how things are so unknown again, even though I’ve been through it before!
Heather,
Kira just received her 2nd copy of “I’m a Big Sister” from her Aunt. If you’d like we can send it up your way, I’m sure Nora would love it! Hope you’re feeling well & that your vacation didn’t kick your rear ;) Best Wishes!
Tara, if you see this, that would be awesome if you don’t mind sharing it. :) Please e-mail me! heatherdriveblog at yahoo dot com.
You got it!
Congratulations.
Just caught up — HUGE CONGRATS :) I hope you are feeling better soon. The 1st trimester with a toddler is no joke, my friend. Hang in there!
I’ve been so behind in reading your blog and finally caught up! I love following your blog and have followed your wedding blog as well where I was able to use your templates on making invitations and the cardbox holder with much success! Then, I’ve been reading Heather Drive since I have a 16 month old at home and it’s been great to get good tips and read Nora’s experiences as she’s been growing up! :)
Congratulations on the upcoming arrival of your 2nd baby!