Category: Motherhood

What I’m Buying for Baby #2

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Now that I’m a mom, I have a much better sense of what I really need for a new baby and what I can do without (you can see my list of must-haves for the first six months here). With Jackson, we accumulated a ton of stuff, so what I need to buy this time around is fortunately very minimal. This is especially true since we decided that we want the baby to share a room with Jackson after she’s no longer sleeping in ours, so we have no need to buy any new nursery furniture. I went all out with a high-end crib and dresser/changing table combo the first time and although I love the set and it has served us well, I’m very glad we can save this time around by just sticking with what we have. Our plan is to keep the baby with us in our room for at least the first six months, possibly closer to a year like we did with Jackson, and at that point, we will have transitioned Jackson out of the crib and into his regular bed, which is already set up. So the baby will just take over his crib when we move her into the kids’ room. Sharing a room may not work out well, who knows, but that’s our hope. We will see how it goes!

Continue reading “What I’m Buying for Baby #2” →

Pregnancy Update: 31 Weeks

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I know I say this every time I write about something pregnancy-related but I can’t believe how quickly this pregnancy is going by. Seriously. I’m 31 weeks right now and that means I have only a little over two months to go. I’m not sure if I’m ready! Anyway, here’s what’s been going on since my 25 week update….

Continue reading “Pregnancy Update: 31 Weeks” →

Jackson’s Birth Story

Published on by Gina1 Comment

I am officially 29 weeks and 3 days pregnant today. That means in a mere 11 weeks (give or take) I will be welcoming another little one into the world. I don’t think I’ve fully grasped this yet! With my due date fast approaching, I’ve been thinking a lot about my upcoming delivery, and reminiscing about Jackson’s. I never documented my experience with him, but I wanted to recap it now in case it helps anyone else who may be anxious about giving birth. Continue reading “Jackson’s Birth Story” →

The Best Maternity Leggings

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The Best Maternity Leggings

I’m 27 weeks pregnant as of yesterday and I’ve officially reached that stage where things are starting to rub together that never did before. I am not one of those women who is “all belly” in pregnancy. In fact, my belly is pretty small as far as preggo bellies go. It’s everything else that’s expanding! Especially my butt. That was the case with Jackson too, so I guess it’s just how my body operates. Because of this, I find leggings to be the most comfortable thing to wear throughout the second and third trimesters. I know many other mamas-to-be are big leggings fans too. But as I’ve learned, all leggings are not created equal. After some trial and error I’ve found a few kinds that I love, and I’ve basically been wearing them on repeat every week for the past couple of months. I figured I’d share my faves for anyone else looking for good maternity leggings. Continue reading “The Best Maternity Leggings” →

Pregnancy Update: 25 Weeks

Published on by Gina3 Comments

24 Weeks

It’s been a while since I posted about my pregnancy and it’s going by in a flash, so I figured I’d share an update today. As of today, I am exactly 25 weeks along (the picture above is from a week ago). In a few more weeks I’ll be starting my third trimester, and in just 15 more weeks, we’ll be welcoming a new addition to our family! It’s truly hard for me to comprehend. This pregnancy has gone by so much faster than the first and I think it’s largely because I already have a little one this time around to focus so much of my attention on. With a rambunctious toddler, I almost forget sometimes that I’m even pregnant! What a difference from the first time around, where I was obsessing about every little thing (if you missed my post about pregnancy anxiety, you can read that here)!

So…what’s been going on lately? Here’s a quick rundown of my pregnancy over the past month. Continue reading “Pregnancy Update: 25 Weeks” →

How to Manage Pregnancy Anxiety

Published on by Gina2 Comments

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Being pregnant is one of the most exciting, joyful, and magical experiences you can have in life. It’s difficult to even put into words, really. Building a life and feeling it develop and grow inside you is truly amazing. But let’s be real. Pregnancy can also be incredibly anxiety provoking, especially in the uncertain early weeks, and even more so if you’ve dealt with a pregnancy loss before. Plus, if you’re dealing with negative physical symptoms on top of anxiety, those first weeks and months can be particularly challenging. Continue reading “How to Manage Pregnancy Anxiety” →

Non-Maternity Clothes That Are Cute AND Bump-Friendly

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When you’re pregnant, there are certain articles of clothing that you just can’t avoid buying in maternity styles (hello pants). For both of my pregnancies, I started wearing maternity jeans before the end of the first trimester because the waistbands of my normal skinnies got too uncomfortable. But as much as possible, I try to buy regular clothing that works with my growing bump because I hate dropping money on things I’ll only wear for a matter of months. Fortunately, there are lots of regular clothes these days that work for most, if not all of pregnancy. With tunics and flowy styles being so in, it’s a great time to be pregnant! For this post I rounded up a number of tops (and a pair of jeggings) that are cute, bump-friendly, and affordable. Since I live in Connecticut and it’s currently winter, I’m focusing on colder weather options, but many of these items can be worn well into spring.  Continue reading “Non-Maternity Clothes That Are Cute AND Bump-Friendly” →

One of Those Days

Published on by Gina1 Comment

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Hello and happy Friday! I hope you have some fun weekend plans in store. Weather permitting, we’re going to a party on Saturday with a group of friends I’ve known forever and I’m really looking forward to it.

But backing up for a second, I want to talk about Wednesday. This past Wednesday I took Jackson for his first swim lesson at our local YMCA. (Quick sidebar, I’m no longer at my former job, which is why I was able to do this during the week. It’s kind of a long story and one for another post!) We have him in daycare twice a week and I wanted to find at least one activity to take him to on the days it’s just the two of us. I figured swim lessons would be great because he generally loves the water and enjoys being around other kids. This week was the first class, and I fully expected it to go well. I imagined Jackson having a ball and not wanting the class to end. Man, I could not have been more wrong! I’m not exaggerating when I say it was a complete and total disaster. Continue reading “One of Those Days” →

My Sleep Training Experience

Published on by Gina2 Comments

There are different schools of thought when it comes to sleep training (whether or not to do it, the best approach to take, the optimal time to start, etc.) and few topics seem to spark the kind of debate that sleep training triggers. Before I had Jackson, I didn’t know how I’d feel about it, honestly. And I didn’t have to think much about it until Jackson was almost six months old, because from about two to five and a half months, he was a great overnight sleeper (although daytime was a different story). For a while I thought I’d hit the jackpot with an amazing night sleeper and would never have to deal with the dreaded sleep training conundrum. But alas, that turned out to be major wishful thinking. Continue reading “My Sleep Training Experience” →

Baby Registry Must-Haves

Published on by Gina1 Comment

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Several of my friends are pregnant with their first babies right now and are going through the process of creating a baby registry. Having had my little one last year, I know all too well how overwhelming this can be. With the plethora of products out there beckoning first-time parents, it’s hard to separate the must-buys from the gimmicks. I was as clueless as they come when creating my own registry and had no idea where to start. After surviving eight months with an infant though, I now have a pretty good idea of what to stock and what to skip. All babies are different of course, so some of the things Jackson loved may not suit other little ones, but generally speaking, I don’t think you can go wrong with the list of basics below. If you’re a soon-to-be mom looking for registry tips, I hope this helps! Continue reading “Baby Registry Must-Haves” →