I know it's been quiet around here lately, but I wanted to share what we've been up to before baby #2 arrives in about three weeks. Life has been extremely busy on top of me dealing with sleepless nights and the typical 3rd trimester lack of energy. I haven't been able to stick to my typical daily routine of getting up at 5am in the mornings, therefore often stay at work longer, and just want to go to bed when I get home, which is exactly what I used to do when I was pregnant with Noah, but just isn't an option this time. Yes, Tony is doing his part and lets me rest as much as I can, but life with a toddler is just fundamentally different.
So, with little time to rest, here's what we have been up to.
I've been trying to do as many fun things with Noah as I can before his life is turned upside down as well. We've been going swimming which he absolutely loves, we've been going to the playground and water parks, and to a local petting zoo often. He even got to ride a horse there for the first time and did amazing. At only two years old he continues to amaze me; he's so not a baby anymore and acts like a big independent kid in so many ways. I've really been enjoying this age and we've had a great summer.
I also refinished a coffee table and turned it into an arts & craft table for Noah. He uses it every single day and it makes me happy. He was so excited knowing that I was working on a project just for him, I let him help me put things together in the garage, and he was so happy when the matching kids chair finally arrived and we set it up upstairs. He loves to draw and now just sits at his table and draws endless pictures after he is done with breakfast or dinner, or after we come home from daycare. It has made things a lot easier for us as well since he can entertain himself for a pretty long period of time while we get things done or just finish dinner in peace.
So, with little time to rest, here's what we have been up to.
I've been trying to do as many fun things with Noah as I can before his life is turned upside down as well. We've been going swimming which he absolutely loves, we've been going to the playground and water parks, and to a local petting zoo often. He even got to ride a horse there for the first time and did amazing. At only two years old he continues to amaze me; he's so not a baby anymore and acts like a big independent kid in so many ways. I've really been enjoying this age and we've had a great summer.
I also refinished a coffee table and turned it into an arts & craft table for Noah. He uses it every single day and it makes me happy. He was so excited knowing that I was working on a project just for him, I let him help me put things together in the garage, and he was so happy when the matching kids chair finally arrived and we set it up upstairs. He loves to draw and now just sits at his table and draws endless pictures after he is done with breakfast or dinner, or after we come home from daycare. It has made things a lot easier for us as well since he can entertain himself for a pretty long period of time while we get things done or just finish dinner in peace.
We (well, Tony mostly, but I help and keep Noah out of his way) have also continued to work on our remodel and are trying to put on finishing touches before the baby arrives. Everything has been functioning for a while now, but things like trim, crown molding, back splash, and a mantle for the fireplace had still been missing.
We're still working our way through that list but since we had back splash installed last weekend and he just installed the hood over the stove. I'm hopeful that we can get more done before the little one arrives. At least it's starting to look like a home again in here.
And then there's getting ready for the new baby...Since this is our second, we are so much more laid back and haven't done more than the basics. Sometimes I feel bad for her because we're not spending as much time and effort into decorating a room or setting everything up beforehand, but I guess that's just how it is (and freshly painted walls really turned out not to be the most important thing).
We have lots of clothes from friends and family and will be reusing many of Noah's clothes as well. I did end up buying some girl's clothes just because I felt like it, but at this point I think we have more than we'll need. Not a bad problem to have. I'm just proud of myself that I did a pretty good job organizing everything according to sizes. Newborn diapers have been added to my Amazon Subscribe & Save and just arrived yesterday (I can't get over how tiny they are!).
She has a dresser and changing table in our guestroom/my closet room - nothing special but all she'll need for the first few months. I also just picked up a glider/rocker yesterday I was gifted through a Facebook Buy Nothing group. I was planning to just clean the fabric but decided to upgrade it with new cushions instead. That's my big project for the weekend.
So what's left to do?
The crib, which will be in our bedroom at first, still needs to be assembled; I had taken it apart when I moved Noah to his big boy bed. And then I still need to finish a blanket I've been working on for a few months (When did I think I would find time for knitting?). And I still haven't packed a hospital bag for me or for Noah, but this probably has to do with the fact that we had three huge bags last time and didn't really use anything (we were at the hospital for about 45 minutes before Noah was born). I'm not expecting things to be much different this time around. Other than that, we'll just wait for her to arrive and see how things go.
I'm super excited and can't wait for her to get here. Life will be so different, but in the best way possible. I also can't wait to watch Noah grow into his new role as a big brother.
We have lots of clothes from friends and family and will be reusing many of Noah's clothes as well. I did end up buying some girl's clothes just because I felt like it, but at this point I think we have more than we'll need. Not a bad problem to have. I'm just proud of myself that I did a pretty good job organizing everything according to sizes. Newborn diapers have been added to my Amazon Subscribe & Save and just arrived yesterday (I can't get over how tiny they are!).
She has a dresser and changing table in our guestroom/my closet room - nothing special but all she'll need for the first few months. I also just picked up a glider/rocker yesterday I was gifted through a Facebook Buy Nothing group. I was planning to just clean the fabric but decided to upgrade it with new cushions instead. That's my big project for the weekend.
So what's left to do?
The crib, which will be in our bedroom at first, still needs to be assembled; I had taken it apart when I moved Noah to his big boy bed. And then I still need to finish a blanket I've been working on for a few months (When did I think I would find time for knitting?). And I still haven't packed a hospital bag for me or for Noah, but this probably has to do with the fact that we had three huge bags last time and didn't really use anything (we were at the hospital for about 45 minutes before Noah was born). I'm not expecting things to be much different this time around. Other than that, we'll just wait for her to arrive and see how things go.
I'm super excited and can't wait for her to get here. Life will be so different, but in the best way possible. I also can't wait to watch Noah grow into his new role as a big brother.
At the beginning of this pregnancy it felt like it was going to last forever and I was not looking forward to it (the intense morning sickness did not help!). I just didn't want to be pregnant, feel tired, have trouble concentrating at work, rearrange schedules, etc. Things were going so well for us and for a moment it felt like this was a curve ball being thrown at us (a curve ball I did absolutely nothing to prevent from coming my way, to be fair). Yes, I wanted another baby, but I did not like the idea of being pregnant again even though I'd had an easy pregnancy with Noah and really can't complain about this one either. Anyway, now that it's almost over, I'm happy it wasn't as bad as I had imagined, but I'm still super excited for it to be over soon and for the newborn stage to begin. I can't wait to see how we all respond to this big change and how I'll handle everything as a second time mom.
Hopefully I'll find some time to blog every once in a while and keep everyone updated on how life is going, but if you don't hear from me for a while, you know why.
Can't wait to meet the new baby and watch your little family learn and grow.
ReplyDeleteYou're all an inspiration to me. Showing that it is possible to have a traditional functional family unit in a non-functional world.
Love & miss you guys,
-Vito
I love that you call us a traditional functional family unit :) We'd love to see you when the new baby is here. I hope you know you're always welcome up at our house!
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