Baby #2 FAQ's

Ta da!  I told you I'd come back to catching you all up on my newest waist expansion project.  You were starting to doubt me, weren't you?  I know that many times the second (third, etc) child gets less documentation than the first- which, to be clear, is sheerly due to lack of time not lack of interest- but nonetheless, I want to try to avoid that.

It's important to me that our newest miracle know she is EVERY bit as loved, cherished and anticipated as her sister was.  I also want her to have the benefit of looking back and being able to have her own life time capsule the way that I've tried to do for Emery.  Also, I'm a Libra so I believe strongly in equality.  (Unless we are talking about who gets the bigger half of something we're splitting- then that principle is debatable.)  So, I've made a personal commitment to create all the same posts I did the first time around this second time.  I hope you all hold me to it!  Without further ado, here we go!

It turns out that when you announce a pregnancy, people have a lot of questions.  To try to kill many birds with one stone, I'll all IT on you and post some of the most common questions I've received (or that I know you're thinking) along with my highly scientific answers. (If you're the type who likes to do comparisons, here's the same post for Miss Em.)

Q:  When are you due?
A:  November 17th.  This happens to be my Mom's birthday, so I know this little one is special.

Q:  When did you find out?!
A:  I found out the evening of March 4th.

Q:  How did you tell Ryan?
A:  I would like to have an awesome story for this, unfortunately I think I fulfilled my life time quota for surprises and secrets keeping it from him the first time around.  I told him immediately.

Q:  So... like a few weeks ago I asked you when you were going to have another... you looked at me like I was crazy.  Then you said sipped your Starbucks and said, "I already have two and the pain of sleepless-ness is so fresh."  Was this on purpose?  
A:  Baby Martin the second has always been planned, it's just that this time around the arrival date was scheduled by higher forces than Ryan & I.  As you'll read below, I have zero doubt in my mind that my life is going exactly the way that it's meant to and I couldn't be more appreciative or thankful.

Q:  You like your adult beverages.  How have you been hiding it?
Well, allow me to count the ways.  Three days after finding out I had to go to a work HH with a bunch of important people.  I probably looked like a college student the first time I used a fake ID.  I was nervous and basically sweating wondering when someone would ask me why I was babysitting my beer.  I snuck a Michelob Ultra into the bathroom and poured it down the toilet.  Pouring some out for my littlest homie.  (This this situation is exactly how this phrase was coined?)  A few days after that I went to Top Golf with some friends and ordered a vodka cranberry.  Then I chased our waitress down in private and told her to make it a cranberry sprite.  She probably thought she had just kept me from falling off the wagon.  Basically, if ever you're trying to hide a pregnancy, let me know.  I'm becoming quite the expert.

Q:  Are you going to find out the gender?
A:  Spoiler alert- we did.  On June 9th.  Post on that to come.  :c)

Q:  Do you have names?
A:  This precious nugget does not have a name yet.  As Ryan words it, we have a leader in the club house but we still try out a few different ones just to be sure we are sold on it.  As with before, we don't plan to publicly share it until she makes her world debut.  So much time, love, patience and compromise goes into naming children that I just don't think it's fair to anyone to put it out into the universe for commentary.  Keep that in mind when people do decide to share their decision with you- be sweet.  After all, someone once probably spent hours pouring over the interwebs trying to decide what YOUR name would be, and I bet at this stage you couldn't imagine it being anything different.

Q:  What are you going to do if the baby inherits Ryan's smart mouth?
A:  This time around I am not sure if I'm more worried about her inheriting her father's smart mouth or her sister's strong will.  Probably the latter.   Regardless... ear muffs and stiff cocktails are in my future, I think.  (For the record, I wouldn't have it any other way.)

Q:  What did you have to give up that you miss the most?
A:  This time around I've been indulging in decaf coffee which helps me not to miss that so much.  Surprisingly, this time around I miss alcohol.  I think it's because I hadn't been having much due to the fact I was nursing Emery through November.  Basically I've been sober since June 2012.  It's been a long journey on this wagon!

Q:  Have you had any weird cravings?
A:  Yes.  Like last time, not overwhelmingly weird.  Just persistent and intense.  One day in the middle of a meeting, I NEEDED biscuits.  Like really needed them.  I've also craved fried pickles, which is very stereotypical-sounding.  At the beginning, also like last time, nothing sounded good to me involving meat.  I wanted to live off of pasta.

Q:  What are you most nervous about?
A:  As with before, first and foremost I am nervous about her being healthy.  I'm sure that goes without saying though.  Aside from that, I am most nervous about whether I will be a good enough Mama for TWO little love bugs.  Is there enough of me to go around?  Will we be able to make both of them feel how loved they are?  Will we parent them the right way to help them both reach their potential?  I also have to admit I'm a tad nervous that she will be a Daddy's girl also.  Will anyone love the Mama?!

Q:  What do you call the baby?
A:  I'm sure you've gathered via any social media following of me you may dabble in that we call her Bucket.  This term was coined, unknowingly, by her big sister.  For Easter we got Emery a baby to start introducing the idea.  For the first few weeks she only let the baby live in a bucket she got for Easter.  If you got baby out, Emery would take her from you and return her to the bucket.  Thus a name was born.  Hopefully we have more than a bucket for this little lovey to lay her head by November.

Q:  Is this why you suddenly dropped off the face of the earth and didn't want to do anything fun I planned?
A:  Yes.  Like with Emery, I felt pretty awful for the first trimester.  Luckily I'm now feeling better for the most part.  I'm just more tired for this stage of pregnancy than I remember with Emery.

Q:  What can you already tell about this child?
A:  I can already tell that this child was meant to be a part of our family.  As I have expressed previously, I have an odd sentimentality regarding dates and numbers.  Ryan and I (okay, mainly me- Ryan rolls his eyes at these odd numerical connections I make) have jokingly referred to 11 as our "spirit number."  We got married in 2011 and I was pregnant with Emery 11 months later.  This sweet angel started inhabiting my belly 11 months after we had Emery and is due in November, the 11th month of the year.  Emery may have covered the 7:09 (the time she was born) of our anniversary and her sister is covering the 11.

I think the above encompasses the bulk of the questions I have fielded this time around.  Again, above all, we are just incredibly humbled by how lucky we are.  We appreciate all of your kind words, sweet thoughts and heartfelt prayers.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Stay tuned for the how did you tell _____ post.