Because every woman’s pregnancy is unique, our Being Pregnant series is a way to share a variety of maternity experiences on the blog.
I’m happy to finally share this pregnancy interview with long-time friend of the blog, Emily from A Denver Home Companion. I say “finally” because the process began back in November when Emily was 22 weeks pregnant. Now she’s 32 weeks along!
So why the delay? Well, Emily is also pregnant with her second baby, and she and I have been commiserating over email about how much more challenging our pregnancies have been this time around–physically and mentally. (That’s one of the reasons I like Emily: She’s not afraid to be honest about real life struggles like pregnancy brain.)
Thankfully, I finally got my act together on this post! Read on to learn about Emily’s pregnancy essentials, her criteria for picking a baby name, and how she’s preparing to become a mom of two.
Q. Did you always know you wanted to be a mother? If so, how many children did you imagine you’d have?
I suppose I always knew I wanted to be a mother. I had a really fun childhood and have good relationships with my mother and my grandmothers. I wanted to join that legacy with littles ones of my own.
I grew up as the youngest of two (I have an older brother) and that seemed to suit me just fine. My husband is the oldest of four, and we live near all of them. It definitely has taken the good part of the five years we’ve been married to get used the a large-family dynamic but now I absolutely love and appreciate it.
But still, for me –for the things I want to pursue in the near future, for the patience I see myself capable of, for the economy of it, for the impact of the footprint we want to leave with our home size and resources used– two, we imagine, will be the perfect number for us. I, of course, don’t know if I’ll change my mind down the road because raising children has been very fulfilling, but for now my husband and I are fairly set on two. We also don’t want to be outnumbered!
Q. When is your due date?
March 21, 2014.
Q. Do you know if you’re having a boy or girl? Do you have a gender preference?
We don’t know yet what we’re having.* We waited for birth to be surprised with our daughter, Ramona. But this time, knowing we’re set on two children, we’d like to know in advance to plan for family dynamics and what we can let go of (so many girls clothes!).
Additionally, my husband really desires to have a son. He’d rather find out before the birth so that he can process the result, rather than being surprised and maybe having to deal with some conflicting emotions at the birth. People seem to be shocked we’d mention this aloud but I think it makes perfect sense.
I know without a doubt that my husband will love and delight in our little one no matter what gender he or she is. But we all do have hopes and dreams and visions of what it looks like to be a parent and for him, that includes having a son. And if he isn’t going to have that, he’ll just appreciate the heads up so he can refocus his anticipation to being excited about having another daughter to add to the craziness (he is sure going to have his hands full with three strong, stubborn, independent women!).
Q. Do you have a name picked out? What do you consider when picking a name?
I have two rules when considering names for our little ones.
- It cannot be on the Social Security’s top 1000 list.
- It cannot be made up. You’ll have to follow along my blog to find out what the name is! We save sharing that for the birth day (but are pretty set already on a girl and boys name).
Q. How does this pregnancy compare to previous ones?
We have a little girl, Ramona, who turned two in July (born just days after Levi!). This pregnancy is similar in that I was nauseous and exhausted throughout the first trimester. Second trimester is nearly bliss: lots of energy, glowing skin, bump is obvious, but I’m not huge yet.
I’m curious to see what the third trimester is like this time around. My belly has popped way more and way faster than the first time around (normal, according to what everyone tells me). But I’ve also been told the baby eventually catches up to my body and it all evens out.
Q. What’s the best thing about being pregnant?
Pulling the pregnancy card when I don’t want to do something 😉 Feeling the little one kick inside. That never gets old and amazes me every time.
Q. What’s the worst thing about being pregnant?
Not being able to drink as much wine as I’d like to and not being able to do spine stretches on my tummy in yoga (those feel amazing).
Q. Have you had any specific or unusual cravings?
I eat lots of Chipotle. It satisfies what my body always seems to be craving. And, ashamedly, my body has also been telling me I need burger and fries. A lot.
Oh, and sweets. When not pregnant, I don’t really have a sweet tooth. When I’m pregnant, I never skip dessert.
Q. How do you dress the bump?
Leggings and comfy tops all the time! I had to transition to maternity leggings recently so I could have a more comfortable waist band but I wore my standard leggings for most of the first half (hey, if your top covers your butt then leggings count as pants!). I have some maternity jeans from Gap, but mostly I find maternity pants to lose their shape way too quickly so I stick with leggings.
Stretchy long tank tops and cardigans are my usual style so it’s been easy to continue wearing them into pregnancy. For maternity clothes I have found lots of luck with fast fashion brands that I usually avoid when not pregnant: Old Navy, H&M, Gap. They’ve got great basics at decent prices. And since I’m only going to be wearing them for a definite amount of time, I don’t want to spend too much money on the items.
Q. What are the essentials that have gotten you through the pregnancy so far?
Chipotle burritos. Red raspberry leaf pregnancy tea
Q. What are your biggest fears about becoming a mother to more than one child?
I have a lot of fun with my daughter, Ramona. We’re best buds and each others’ sidekicks. That dynamic will inevitably have to change some when there’s a new little one that needs my attention in a different way. I’m really working on soaking up this time with my oldest now, knowing I will have to mourn the loss of the “just the two of us” just a little bit when baby number two gets here. Ultimately, I know we’ll transition just fine, but it certainly won’t be the same and I’ll miss that.
*Emily has since found out the gender of baby #2! You can read her big announcement on A Denver Home Companion.
(top image via Instagram, additional photography by lashleyrhodes.com)
thanks for having me! those questions were fun. best of luck in your home stretch!
Same to you! xx