I’m happy to announce that my husband and I are expecting a second baby, and are excited to add to our family. I recently found out that I’m having another girl — and since the shock is almost worn off, I’m trying to get used to, and liking, the idea of having an all-girl home, all the time (I can’t say the same for my husband).
Everyone keeps asking me if I’ve told Olivia, which is funny to me because she just turned 2, but, yes, I have told her, although I’m not so sure how much she understands.
When I told her the news, I announced that mommy was having a baby and that she would be a big sister. She responded by continuing to play with her toys.
After weeks of not bringing it up again, I decided to make it a part of our daily lives, mostly because I feared she would continue to elbow me in the belly, but also for learning and training purposes. So, I remind her that mommy has a baby in the belly and that she needs to be gentle. Each day she says hello and checks in with the “baby” (my belly).
This baby is now becoming more real, not just to me, but to the whole family as well, and I’m hoping that by making the baby a part of our lives now, it will ease the transition for Olivia once her little sister is actually here.
I don’t know what kind of big sister Olivia will be, but I think she will have her moments.
She’s great at helping out and really feels like a big girl when she can pitch in, so I’m sure she’ll be a great help to me when I need her. But she also gets very clingy and jealous, and I can see her feeling left out when I have a newborn in my arms.
To be honest, my biggest fear is that after months of trying to wean her off her bottle she’ll relapse once she sees me bottle feeding her little sister. Or worst, what will happen to all of our great potty training? Will she suddenly want to be in diapers?
I have no doubt that Olivia will love her sister and that they’ll be close friends. But I’m definitely a little nervous about caring for two small children. I remember my first few months as a new mom and how clueless I felt about everything. I doubted myself a lot and spent a lot of time on Google.
Slowly, I started to trust my instincts and learned more about what Olivia needed. I would constantly tell her that we were a team. I have a good feeling that this second baby will be in good hands. This time around she’ll have an experienced mom and big sister cheering for her.
And my husband is being proactive too. Each night at dinner he suggests a new baby name.
