G and I are thrilled to finally share this news… we’re expecting baby #2!
To say that 2020 has been a whirlwind is an understatement. And while there is so much craziness going on between the political climate and the pandemic, this little surprise has brought us so much joy amongst the sadness going on in the world. We’re due late October, making me 31 weeks along.
We announced our pregnancy with Jude when I was around 16 weeks – much earlier than this pregnancy. But being pregnant during a pandemic (we found out right before COVID hit) is an entirely different ballgame. It has brought another level of anxiety that I never knew I could experience and keeping this pregnancy to just ourselves and close family and friends felt “safer” for me. (I do have an upcoming blog post about being pregnant during COVID and how this has affected my anxiety). It also felt really special and has allowed us to cherish this process even more. But we’re also ready to share the rest of the pregnancy with everyone and I didn’t want to pull a full Kylie Jenner.
Baby 2 definitely caught us by surprise. (I know that this can be triggering for those who struggle with fertility and want to be sensitive to that, so adding a little warning). Back in February, I was feeling very tired and was only slightly late for my period, but being back on birth control, I thought there was no way I could be pregnant. Still, I had one test hanging around the house so I just took it. You can imagine my shock when I saw it was positive! At my first appointment, my doctor set my due date on October 23rd, which is one day before our five year wedding anniversary. This little soul was just meant to be a part of our family!
We are also not finding out the gender! I am extremely anxious about delivering a baby during a pandemic and know that the process will be slightly different this time around. Not knowing the gender and learning when we deliver is bringing a little more excitement to a scary situation. I know everyone says this, but we really do not have a preference. I always loved the idea of having two of the same genders growing up so close, and watching Jude with a baby brother would be a dream. But a girl would be SO fun – I’d buy all of the little baby dresses!
Physically, this pregnancy has been a lot rougher than the first. I had really bad morning sickness in the beginning and now that I’m in my third trimester, I’m starting to get pretty uncomfortable. With Jude I had to receive iron transfusions because of my anemia, which I’m so thankful I don’t have to this time around. Still, my iron levels sit low so I’m constantly tired – I could sleep all day and still be exhausted at night. You’d think chasing around a toddler would make this worse, but most days I’m thankful I don’t have the ability to just sit and sleep all day. I don’t think that would be great for my mental health, especially during a pandemic, and I feel a lot better when I get up and move. I’m still VERY thankful my parents have come into town from Florida and are here with us until after this baby comes, so I do get to have more moments of rest and Real Housewives on the couch!
I’m so glad we had the chance to get these photos taken as a family (thanks Dad!). We headed to Wilmette beach on a beautiful day around 4PM to snap these, and they feel so special to me. I love that they’re some of the last photos we will take as a family of three but also some of the first photos we took as a family of four! Jude had so much fun playing in the sand and running around.
Pandemic anxiety and uncomfortableness aside, we are SO, SO thankful that this baby is healthy and growing well. A lot of events this year have put what’s important into perspective for us, and at the top of that list is the health of our children. We can not wait to see Jude with his baby sibling, and while two under two is going to be madness, we can’t wait to watch them grow up together so close in age.
Parenthood has been the scariest yet most rewarding journey we’ve ever taken, and I feel so lucky that G and I get to go through this together with another baby. I really don’t love being pregnant, so it makes me all the more ready to meet our baby and for Jude and him/her be together. We’re so ready for this next adventure to begin!
x Jill
