It’s such a relief that we finally announced our pregnancy. It was really hard for me to hide this time around. Not just because I started showing very early, but because the exhaustion and anxiety over this pregnancy has been rough on me, and it’s been hard not being able to open up about it with all of you. So, I actually kept a journal of sorts over the past couple months where I jotted down what I was feeling once a week or so. I’m gonna share that here on the blog soon. I just haven’t had a chance to go through and edit it yet. And I tend to rush to get things up on my blog that I haven’t properly edited. So I’m gonna try to be better about that.
One thing I’m anxious about in terms of bringing another baby into the house, is poor little Owen. It might sound silly to some of you, but his life has totally changed since we brought Molly home and sometimes I can’t help but feel bad for him because let’s face it, life is just a bit more hectic when a toddler is in the house! For example, on Sundays, I used to snuggle up on the couch and nap midday or binge watch TV. Well I would binge watch TV and he would just sleep cuddled up in my arms. And that just doesn’t happen anymore. It’s impossible to do that because I have to take care of Molly (trust me, I’d love to spend an entire Sunday with my poochie on the couch again). So this morning, a friend stopped by for an hour to watch Molly so we could take Owen on a nice walk and spoil him a little bit. We took him to the dog park too! I just know that when the second baby comes, Owen’s life will drastically change once more. And I want to try to get as much quality time in with him before I’m completely swamped with a toddler and infant.
Can some of you relate to this? I’m sure those of you with pets can. Feeling terribly for your pets once kiddos come into the picture? What do you do to make your pets feel special? I just don’t want Owen to think that he’s not still important to me! Because I love him dearly!
1.WRAP DRESS | 2. OVERSIZED SCARF | 3. PURSE | 4. BOOTS | 5. BRACELET
I also want to share my outfit details with you guys as well! The black wrap dress I’m wearing is so cute and ridiculously comfortable. I could basically sleep in it it’s so comfy. And it’s under $50 which is great! If you read the reviews on Nordstrom, you’ll see that everyone seems to love this dress. It’s just a great everyday go-to dress to throw on and look cute, but be comfy. I also love that you could totally dress it up with heels and a statement necklace, or it could be dressed down like I’m wearing it today. It’s just a really versatile dress! It’s non-maternity, I’m not quite in maternity clothes yet except for pants sometimes. And you guys might know from my 1st pregnancy, that I try to wear non-maternity clothes that work for pregnancy over maternity clothes so I can wear them after the pregnancy as well! It saves money! Oh and this would also be a GREAT breastfeeding friendly dress FYI!
My boots are from Sole Society. And they’re such a great bootie to own! I own quite a few pair of booties like this, and I could never figure out why some of them didn’t work with dresses. I would see all these other bloggers wear them with dresses and think they looked so cute, but on me I felt like my leg looked super short and stumpy. Recently I realized that the difference is the heel of the bootie! If you want to wear a bootie with a dress, or if you want your legs to look longer in jeans, you really need to get one with a higher heel. And the great thing about a bootie is that the chunky heel is still really comfortable even if you go with a higher heel! So that’s my fashion advice for the day, hopefully it will save you guys buying multiple pairs of boots like I did! The pair I’m wearing have a great heel that’s still comfy! They come in a few colors too.
My scarf is by Free People and I love it because it’s so oversized! I have it wrapped a little bit weird in these pictures so I feel like it doesn’t show just how cute it is! I also think the tan color is great too.
Anyways guys, I hope you have a great day! We just got home from our walk with Owen and after I’m done with this blog we’re going to clean up around the house, and then meet up with some friends for a late lunch/early dinner. And then of course when we come home, we’ll take Owen on another nice long walk! But with Molly this time!
1.WRAP DRESS | 2. OVERSIZED SCARF | 3. PURSE | 4. BOOTS | 5. BRACELET
You are such a wonderful person, Ali. Don’t worry, everything will be fine! You look fantastic by the way!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
You’re very sweet Charmaine 🙂
This is something that I’m actually really worried about with my pooch. She’s 11 and it’s always just been us up until I married a few years ago. She transitioned into that no problem. She absolutely loves my husband but, now that we are expecting our first baby, I worry how she’ll react. She is very used to being the center of attention. I am constantly cuddling and loving on her now!
She will love your little baby! (Owen adores Molly) It will just be hard to give her as much attention. So enjoy her as much as you can now!
Congratulations on baby number two! How exciting! Are you guys going to find out the gender?
We know it! But we aren’t keeping it a secret for a little while 🙂
Hi Ali!! Our poor little furry guy has definitely felt left out since our daughter was born. Just recently she started seeing us throwing the ball to him and now she picks up his ball and likes to play keep away from him and thinks it’s so funny. She is also trying to learn to throw the ball to him but throwing takes some time to learn. This interaction is so much fun to watch and helps us to make sure we are including everyone in our family as best as we can.
Love following you & your beautiful family! My husband & I have a 15 month old son & I am 16 weeks pregnant with a girl due in May as well! Congrats to your family on baby #2! Our dog Bo has not really adjusted well since welcoming our son so we try to show him as much love as possible though, like you said it is hard & will get harder with baby #2. He was our first baby though & we just have to continue to show him love as much as we can.
You think you feel bad for your dog 😥 wait until you have to split time with Molly!! I’m two weeks into two under two and my heart is breaking for my first kiddo 😢
Oh my! I can only imagine!!!!
My kiddos are 19 months apart (almost 2 and 4 months) and my older son adjusted SO well. I usually bring the baby too my toddler class and one day I had my mom watch him so I could get some 1:1 time with my older guy. My toddler cried the whole time looking for his baby bro. I live seeing them together and look forward to then being close buddies. There are hard times for sure but I honestly think the close age gap is so much better (we have a DTR who’s older and it was a much harder adjustment for her).
Congrats Ali!!
My baby is 7mo old, and trying to think about when to have #2 and this is my biggest fear ever.. I would love to have them close, but would hate splitting time with our little one!! How did you decide? Any more detailed thougts??
Hi
I have a dog that I love too & I think she (Lucy) understands that sometimes she has to ‘share’ my time. When her tails wagging….I know she’s 🐶happy & i always give her extra treats & attention when I can.
I really like your dress & purse, Ali.
Ps hi Kevin &
Congratulations to all the Grandparents. 😊
Yes, what Nicole said! Do as many special big girl adventures now with Molly because it’s going to get much harder to have alone time with her. It’s so wonderful to add siblings into their lives but part me will always mourn that alone time with kiddo #1. Congrats!
Congrats on baby #2!! I’m 17 weeks with my first, a baby girl! I’m so excited but I look at my 4 year old pup, Henry, everyday and tell him he’ll always be my first baby. Haha everyone tells me he’s gonna be so neglected when the baby comes and that makes me so sad! It’s awesome you make time with Owen to show him how loved he is, I’m definitely going to do the same!
Congrats again and I can’t wait to follow along your journey with this pregnancy!
🙂
Congrats on baby #2! So exciting! I just had my son 6 weeks ago and when it was time to go to the hospital I cried having to leave my dog. I also cried every night for about 3-4 days after we got home because I felt bad that he was not getting as much attention. I was a little hormonal 😉 he’s been amazing with my son though! Up until the day before I went into labor both my husband and I would take him on his two mile walk every night. Now it’s finding the time for one of us to still do that! I still feel bad for him but I know he is happy we are home with him.
It’s so hard! My furbaby is almost 4 and he was the center of attention fir the first year and a half of his life. Then we had our daughter who is now almost 2 1/2. It was a huge adjustment for him. Now we have a 6 month old son so he’s going through the adjustment again. I feel awful that I can’t give him more attention. Once the kids go to sleep I try to give him lots of cuddles and attention. Plus he sleeps in bed with my husband and I so I’m hoping that makes him feel special since the kids are in their rooms. 🙂 You guys are doing awesome.
Congratulations on baby number 2. You are a wonderful Mom and fur mom I am sure you will figure out about spending time with each of them, and your husband.
Ali, I think you are being too hard on yourself. Think about what Owen has gained. A sister and a BFF for life.
He is doing just fine. He might miss the snuggles every once in a while, but I bet he wouldn’t want it any other way. ❤️ You are a good momma. Balance is probably the hardest part about being a mom, but when you have a great partner it will all work out.
Hi Ali
My comment is more directly about the anxiety you are having. It’s a wonderful quality to want all of your family (pets included) to feel loved and happy. Thats what makes you such an admired woman. I am that way too. But over time I realized taking time for myself is very important and helps me to be more present when with the family. Exercise is the number one thing that helps me with the anxiety.
Everyone benefits when you feel better. All your loved ones want you happy and healthy too. My point is I think if you take regular time for yourself it will help with this and everything else will fall in to place. Something to think about.
Love you…. you are one of my favorite bachelorettes because you are a genuine person!
Ali so a little out of left field but please tell me you are doing your Black Friday and cyber Monday blogs? I pretty much did most of my shopping off of them last year. Hope you are feeling well and congrats on baby number 2!!!! Happy Thanksgiving!🦃🍁🍽
I totally understand where you’re coming from! I got two cats three years ago as a single girl. Then I met my now fiance who I’ve had a long distance relationship with for two years. And now I’m getting married, moving (with my cats) to a new town and planning to start a family. Just so much upheaval for my poor furbabies! I guess you just have to think of how much better off your spoilt pets are even in their new situations, than so many other less fortunate pets out there. I mean, Owen is still getting two walks a day!
Also just have to say how much I enjoy following your day-to-day life. XXX
I have a 3 month old daughter and my dog was my baby until she was born. I definitely feel awful at how I can’t give him much attention right now. Even though I’ve been home on maternity leave we have been paying for a dog walker to come so he is at least getting a good walk every day. It makes me feel a tiny bit better!
Hi Ali!
Congrats on baby #2! Have you ever thought about bringing another dog in the house as a companion for Owen? I realize that would be another adjustment for everyone but I 100% believe it helps for a dog to have their own furry best friend! My little boy and girl dog go so well together. It was the best decision ever because they have someone to play with that’s on their level all the time. Just a thought! Either way, I’m sure Owen understands and will love the new baby too.
All the best!
Ugh I totally related to this post!! We have a 13 month little girl and a 3.5 year old golden, our first baby! Our human baby had colic, and then I suffered from PPD, and it took me a few months to realize our poor fur baby also struggled with the transition. She’s demonstrated some anxiety since the baby was born, which I feel HORRIBLE about. We try to spend some 1:1 time with her as often as we can, but it’s so hard!