New Year, New Baby

Above photo is Lyla at 8 months and the following are from this past Summer & Fall.





Hello and Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and wish you all the best this year.

2011 was a crazy, wonderful year for us. We traveled a lot - I was away for 4 months throughout last year so I wasn't able to devote much time to my blog (as many of you have noticed). We were in Venice, Ca for June, Maine in August, Florida, Minnesota, London, Chicago, Arizona throughout other times in the year. Traveling is fun of course, but can be very exhausting, especially with a 2.5 yr old. But I can't really complain because I know how fortunate we are to be able to get on a plane and head somewhere fun.

One amazing little tidbit that I haven't shared on the blog is that I'm pregnant and due in less than a month! It's always such a miracle to get pregnant and I feel very blessed. The last month has been busy getting ready for the baby and more importantly, making sure this shift is easy for Lyla, my 2.5 year old. Everyone says how important it is to make sure Lyla is happy during this time and when the baby arrives. I've been told not to open presents for the new baby in front of her and for close family and friends to buy Lyla a little gift instead of the baby. From friends and family alike, everyone says you'll realize how easy a healthy newborn is to take care of and how hard it is to take care of a toddler.

One big question I had for friends that have gone through this before is what if I have two crying kids at the same time? Who do I console first? Lyla. The toddler will remember and the newborn won't.

This pregnancy has been similar to my last but more extreme - more tired, more sick, but I think it's because I'm already a mom and don't really have much time to myself or rest to begin with. We don't know the sex of the baby - like last time, everyone thinks I'm having a boy. I go back and forth between boy and girl. We finally figured out a boy name that we both love and have had a girl name picked for a while so we're set on that front. I recently finished up all my design projects for a good while, so it's nice to not have to think about work (well sort of) and just focus on my kiddos.

I'm also experiencing a different type of emotion this time around. Last pregnancy I would get sad that it was no longer going to be just me and Patrick. But now, I feel guilty that Lyla's life is about to change more than she'll ever know. I feel sad that I won't be able to devote all of my time and energy towards her and that she'll have to share Patrick and me. I guess it's normal to feel this way. To Patrick's point, he almost feels guilty for the new baby that it'll never get total focus and devotion like Lyla had for almost 3 years.

And my biggest question of all is - Will I love this baby as much as I love Lyla? I can't imagine loving anyone more than I love Lyla but everyone says you do. Just like how you have no way of comprehending a love for a child pre having a child, I imagine it'll be a similar feeling. I just can't wait to experience that burst of love all over again.

One of the biggest differences in this pregnancy is preparing for labor is ALL about logistics with Lyla. To be honest, I haven't even thought about mentally and emotionally preparing for labor like I did last pregnancy, because it's all about logistics in making sure Lyla is ok and taken care of. We have about 4 different back up plans if I were to go into labor pre-family arriving. We can only prepare so much but it helps to know we have neighbors in our building that could help out, babysitters that'll be on call and friends who live in Brooklyn that are willing to head over to our apt. to help out.

It's all overwhelming, but like everything else, you just figure it out and do it.

photos:
Going through Lyla's personal blog just makes me so sad & amazed at how quickly time has gone. The top two photos are from less than 2 years ago and the rest are from this Summer and Fall. It's amazing how quickly time goes in two years in the life of a child.