Getting Ready for Baby #2

I am 32 weeks today and happily in my second week of maternity leave.  This little one has given me a bit more challenging pregnancy than Reece did...but it may just be that he is making this one way more exhausting.  Nausea, heartburn, intense sciatic pain...we've got it all.  My midwife excused me from work really early which has been such a treat.  I've gotten to enjoy the stay-at-home mom of one child gig before diving into having two.  Plus I now have time to go to prenatal yoga, which has been helping a bit with my hip pain and making me feel a bit more ready for labor.  We have a lot less to prepare this time, since we have most of the gear, but definitely don't have much space...fitting newborn gear plus toddler gear into our little apartment is a challenge we still need to tackle.

19 Week Ultrasound

A thumb-sucker?

Reece is very excited to become a big brother!  Before we knew to expect a girl, "Baby Rocko" was the name.  Now that we know that Reece is getting a little sister, "Baby Nell" is a big topic of conversation.  The plan is to name her Nell Caroline Porter (but with my back-up boy name ready to go, just in case!).  With every one of my Providence mom friends pregnant or having recently had baby #2, both Reece and Mom are getting lots of exposure to the toddler/newborn combination.  We're feeling ready!  Reece knows where you can touch babies (on their toes!) and where you can't (head and eyes).  He knows that we should rock babies when they cry and that they only drink milk.  Mostly he knows that he's a big boy and babies can't do anything.  We're hoping this pride translates into a jealousy-free first few months.

Below is a video of Reece practicing his big brother duties with the baby doll we bought him.  He calls her Baby Nell, but will explain to you that she is pretend and the real Baby Nell is in mommy's belly.

Disclaimer: This post is way overdue and hopefully its lateness won't be an opportunity for my someday teenage daughter to be annoyed at me and doubt our complete joy and excitement as we wait for her arrival. I'm sorry!