Surprise! We Have an Announcement!
Hey Everyone!
If you follow me on social media, you might have noticed I have been a bit absent….well, that’s because we have a surprise!
Baby Holman #2 coming early November, 2023!
We found out we were expecting when our daughter was 10 months old – so it’s been a bit crazy growing a baby and taking care of a toddler, which is why I haven’t been able to be on social media much. We are so excited for this new addition though, and can’t wait for his arrival! (Yes, baby #2 is a boy!)
I can’t just leave you with an update like that without giving you a few details, so here are some of my thoughts about adding a little boy to our family, my thoughts and fears, and what I am going to do different – or rather, what I *wanted* to different, and what actually has happened so far!
Thoughts on Two Under Two
This baby was definitely unplanned, and as such, the prospect has been a little more intimidating, and I’ll admit, it took me a bit to warm up to the idea. Originally, we were thinking about having about 2 years between kids, and while we *are* close to that, God had other plans, and decided our kids needed to be 19(ish) months apart instead. So two under two, here we go!
My biggest concerns were centered around Brielle, our daughter. I was worried about being pregnant and taking care of her, nursing her while pregnant, trying to get her potty trained and sleeping in her own room before baby brother arrives, and just how she would react to a new little brother invading her previously only child life.
So far, caring and nursing while pregnant has been hard, but she is almost weaned, and I no longer worry about juggling both her and a new baby, because we have reached the point when she is (mostly) fine when nursing only when I want her to! 🙂 I don’t have to worry about not nursing her for the whole day, or only nursing a bit a night. So there is one stress gone! She also has been doing SOOO well when I babysit her 5 month old cousin, so I’m no longer worried about her interacting with her new baby brother when he arrives, especially since with every day that has gone by she has gotten more and more helpful and understanding, which also is such a relief.
Potty training is the next hurdle, and hopefully we will have that accomplished by the end of this month (September) – I’ll keep you updated on that! She definitely seems pretty ready (far more ready than she was back in July), so I’m hopeful that it won’t be a big deal and she will be at least mostly good to go by the time baby brother arrives. 🙂
The last hurdle will be getting her to sleep in her own room – I’m not so sure that is going to happen, but we have made progress and she will nap (most of the time) on her own, and has dropped to one long nap a day instead of 2 or 3 short naps, which has helped a lot!
Overall, I’m very happy with where we are, am a lot less stressed about how I will handle two under two, and I am soooo excited for Baby Boy Holman to get here!
What I Am Doing Different: Expectations vs Reality
When I first found out I was pregnant, I had all these goals and ideas of how I would do better and what I would do differently this pregnancy. For example, I was going to be consistent in my food intact, prenatal vitamins, exercising and stretches, education, etc. That was the expectation…the reality? I’ve done NONE of that! Oops. Caring for a toddler is HARD WORK, and working from home and then being a full time nanny for a 5 month old really takes all of your time! So have I done anything that I planned? Not really…however, I have still gotten a lot of activity in cause chasing a toddler and entertaining a 5 month old don’t allow for a lot of seat time. 😉 It’s all okay though! If you find yourself in the same situation, give yourself some grace – it’s hard work, and you are doing your best with what you’ve got!
One thing I AM doing differently this time, is that I have been seeing a midwife instead of an OBGYN since the beginning, and I’ve been LOVING it! With my midwife, I feel seen, heard, loved, encouraged, and I’ve been giving SOOOO much more helpful information than I got while under the OBGYN’s care with Brielle. I HIGHLY recommend finding a good midwife, ESPECIALLY if you like a more holistic/natural/crunchy lifestyle. I am soooo excited to have another home birth, and this time it’s actually planned far in advance (with Bri I only had a month to prepare cause I switched from hospital to home birth at 37 weeks).
As far as the actual birth goes, this time I am far more confident since I know what to expect. Everyone says labor is much shorter the second time around, so I’m hoping that is the case this time, cause with Brielle I had a looooooong labor, and I would very much love to NOT repeat that! 😅 I also am way more confident in being able to breathe through contractions and breathe baby down instead of forceful pushing, which will hopefully mean I won’t tear this time! Just like with my first birth, I plan on a completely unmedicated birth with as few (preferably no!) interventions possible! I won’t have a doula this time due to finances and the fact that my doula is on maternity leave (lol), but my midwife is so awesome I think it will be just fine!
In Summary
All that to say, our lives are about to change again, and amidst the family dynamic change, both my husband and I have been navigating starting new businesses, building passive income, and working on side hustles to help support our family. I am so excited for these new ventures and for Baby Holman #2, and I am thrilled I get to bring you along on the journey!
Now, I want to hear from you:
If you’ve had kids, how was the transition from 1-2?
Did your second birth go how you’d hoped? Was it easier?
Do you have any homebirth/undmedicated birth/pregnancy questions for me?
I would LOVE to hear from you, so feel free to drop a comment or send me an email!
See you soon!
