Adding Baby #2 to the Family

With a 2 year old and one on the way, I have so many thoughts going through my head. Since Oakley’s been born and I’ve followed mom blogs and other moms on Instagram, it seems a lot of them have one common fear, how will I be able to love my next child as much as my first? Of course, that fear quickly dissipates the moment they lay eyes on their second child and realize that theirs plenty of room in their hearts. But for me, that isn’t a fear of mine.

My heart already feels like it’s overflowing between being Oakley’s mom and watching Andrew step into his role as dad. I know that I will love this baby just as much as Oakley and that hasn’t been a fear of mine this pregnancy. My fear (more like worries) is how Oakley will adjust. I know she will adjust just like every other sibling and the fact that she LOVES her baby dolls will help, but I still worry. The past two years it’s been just the three of us and I know it will be an adjustment for her regardless of the wonderful big sister she’s going to make. I think part of my fear stems from worry that the baby will get all of the attention and while newborns require a lot, I still want to make sure she’s getting plenty of attention too.

A couple of ways I dream about doing that is by including her in helping take care of him. She’s very independent and loves the phrase, “I do all by myself.” She also loves her baby dolls and pretends to feed them, change them, and lay them down for a nap so I hope she enjoys her real life baby doll in a week or so ? I picture her wanting to help get him a blanket, feed him a bottle, or give him a bath. She is a little helper whether you’re doing the laundry, making dinner, or cleaning up. She wants to be involved and in on the action. I hope that never changes as she gets older, especially when it comes to cleaning lol.

Eventually, I’d like to make sure that Andrew and I spend quality time with both of them alone. I’d love to take Oakley on a mommy daughter date once the baby is a little older and I’m sure Andrew will enjoy that too. As much as I think it’s important to spend time together as a family, I think it’s also important to spend some quality time together individually.

Oakley just recently started playing by herself. What good timing, right? However, she still wants me to play horses, dolls, or in her kitchen with her. I figure even if I’m holding him, I can still play with her and use phrases like, “your baby brother and I are going to come play with you.”

Lastly, I think she’ll really enjoy showing him around the farm and introducing him to her different animals. When people come over, she either wants to show them her animals or her room and I look forward to the day we come home from the hospital and she wants to show him around.

This is my first time becoming a mom of two (obviously) so there’s no telling how all of this will pan out but these are my plans as of now. I’ll check back in a couple of weeks and share how Oakley’s adjusting and what I’ve found to help her adjust. If you have experience as a mom of two or more, I’d love to hear how your kids adjusted and what you did to help?