You guys know that I am always upfront with you, so wanted to let you know that this post is sponsored by Maytag. I received compensation, but all thoughts are my own!
Is it seriously May already?! I cannot believe that our baby boy is due to arrive this month. I guess technically I could go into labor any day now really. Plus, Molly came 8 days early and my doctor keeps telling me that second babies tend to come even earlier. Needless to say, I’m in full on nesting mode at this point! We just finished the nursery, so now I’m in spring cleaning mode. I’m busy organizing all of the little guy’s stuff and getting all his clothes ready for his arrival! So, I thought I would share with you some last-minute things we’re doing to prepare for baby number two!
Washing Everything
Anyone who has had a baby before knows that absolutely EVERYTHING needs to be washed! I feel like we had all Molly’s stuff washed and put away three months before she was due. Things change the second time around! You’re much busier and time seems to pass so much more quickly. And, as many of you know, we just moved into a new house a few months ago. It didn’t come with a washer and dryer so we were going to the laundromat for a couple months there. OK OK, Kevin was going to the laundromat. Thankfully, I have an amazing husband and he went every time. But I was in charge of picking out the washer and dryer for the house. I did a lot of research because I wanted to make sure we were getting the best of the best and I ended up deciding on a Maytag front load washer and dryer. Here’s why…
We went with a front load washer instead of top load for multiple reasons. One thing I love about the washer we chose is it has a huge capacity for laundry loads. A new baby means lots of new laundry! It’s unbelievable how many outfits a baby can go through in one day! Plus, now that we have two kids and our own clothes, we know we’ll be washing a lot more at a time. I don’t know about you guys but since I breast-feed, I always wash my clothes with the baby’s clothes in gentle detergent. And since Molly and Kevin will obviously be very close to the baby as well, we will probably wash all our clothes at once with the baby clothes. So we just wanted to make sure we got something that could power through all of our clothes in one load. Our Maytag front load washer is also very efficient on water usage. We love that because one, we’re all about trying to use less water because not only is there a drought in California, but in general we try to use less to help our planet. And using less water means spending less money on our water bill. It’s crazy how high our water bill can get in this new house, so this was a must for us when I was looking for a washer!
I’m not gonna lie though, Kevin has done the majority of the laundry since we got together. I know, I know, how did I get so lucky? However, things have definitely been changing lately because of how busy our lives have gotten so I’m starting to take on more of the chores myself. And laundry is actually something that I’m really starting to enjoy doing! I was a little nervous about the front load washers because I thought I would have to bend down too low being as pregnant as I am. However, another reason we went with Maytag is because they had matching pedestals that you can get to go under your washer and dryer that lift them up higher so you don’t have to bend over as far (and they include drawers for additional storage)!
Oh and one more thing! you can add a bunch of laundry detergent to a compartment in the washing machine and it only uses as much as you need every time you do a load with their Optimal Dose Dispenser. So, you don’t have to guess how much detergent to use each time, which I just think is super cool.
And once we decided on the washer, getting a matching dryer was really just the obvious decision. I didn’t even do a ton of research on it before we got it. However, I will say that after we got it, I’m so loving it! It dries our clothes so fast it’s unreal! It has 7.4 cu. ft. capacity so it fits a ton of clothes and dries them so quickly. But I think my favorite feature on it is that it has a Steam Refresh Cycle. Basically, if you’re like me and forget you left clothes in the laundry and leave for the day, you can come back home and hit the steam refresh cycle and it will help remove odors and wrinkles out of your clothes without you having to rewash them. I can’t even tell you how many times I use this feature! It’s a lifesaver!
So as you can see, getting the Maytag washer and dryer was really a no-brainer for us. And I just wanted to share my review of it with all of you since some of you asked what we decided to get after I did an Instagram story about it a couple weeks ago. Oh and May is actually May is Maytag Month! So, they have a bunch of great deals going on from May 3 through June 6. Check out their site HERE to see all the promotions they have! If you have a Maytag washer and dryer, tell me about your experience in the comments below! Oh and I’ll definitely take any tips on keeping up with infant laundry once this baby arrives.
Setting Up Baby Stuff
We did this before Molly was born so that Owen could get used to seeing all the baby stuff in the house before Molly arrived. That way his world didn’t completely change the day she got home from the hospital. So, we set up the bassinet in our bedroom, put out the nursing pillows on the couch in the living room, set up the rock and play in the living room that the baby would nap in and just in general took out all the things around the house that she would be using. We even took Owen on walks with an empty stroller to get him used to that.
Well, now we need to do that stuff all over again but this time it’s not only for Owen but it’s for Molly too! We just don’t want her to feel like the day the baby gets home, her entire world gets turned upside down. So once again, we’ve started setting up all the baby stuff around the house. It’s funny because she wants to get inside the bassinet to sleep and sit inside the infant car seat when we’re getting in the car. She thinks all her baby brother’s stuff is her stuff. We’re very carefully trying to tell her that all these new things are for her baby brother but we also don’t want her to feel like everything new coming into the house is just for him. So, we’ve also made sure to get her some new things too. We are actually in the process of designing her bedroom in our new house and we purposely planned it so it would coincide with the baby’s arrival so that she felt she was getting new things at the same time a bunch of new things were showing up for her little brother.
We also need to get her a gift from her baby brother. Have you guys heard of doing this? A bunch of people have told me, and I’ve read that it’s a good idea to get the older sibling a gift from the new baby to give them the day the baby is born. Any suggestions? Have you guys done this and was it a good idea? I want the gift to be something she really loves but also something kind of meaningful and sentimental since it’s marking such a big occasion in our lives. Give me all your suggestions!
Clearing my Calendar
I will be the first to admit that I took on way too much in April. Honestly, there were points that I got so stressed out that I would break down in tears and cry so hard that I honestly felt like I was hurting or stressing out the baby. I legitimately had a conversation with my OB/GYN asking her if I could possibly be hurting the baby because I was under so much stress. Thankfully, she told me that the baby is pretty well protected in there from any outside stressors and the only time my stress would really affect him is if I wasn’t sleeping or eating well because of my stress levels. Luckily, I sleep pretty well and have no trouble eating at all, so I think our little guy survived April with me relatively unscathed. However, I just didn’t like the person I was because I was so overwhelmed. Have you guys been there?
So for me, I promised not only myself, but Kevin as well, that I was really going to try to cut back on things. On everything really! Work commitments and social commitments. I just needed the chance to look at my calendar and not see one thing scheduled for the week. Well, except for my weekly prenatal appointment since at this point I’m going to the doctor every week until the baby arrives. As we all know, once this little guy gets here there’s going to be very little time for us to have to ourselves and it’s going to be chaos for a while. I’m not sure I’m prepared to have two kids under two for a hot minute but I guess it doesn’t matter if I feel prepared or not. It’s happening!
Well that’s all I’ve got. I still can’t believe that he’s going to be here so soon. Even though I’m trying to prepare I still just feel so totally unprepared! I feel way less prepared for the second baby then I did for our first baby. Is that normal? You’d think that I would feel like I have it down since I’ve done it before. And please share any tips that you guys have for preparing for baby number two in the comments below!
You can’t be more prepared, Ali! 🙂 Loving the photos and I wish you the best with the baby! ❤️
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thank you Charmaine!
Fantastic idea to set up baby items ahead of time so children/pets can get acclimated before the baby arrives. I’m a postpartum doula and will be suggesting this to my clients. I actually just returned to Boston from LA where I spent a week with my daughter and our first grandchild. One thing, Molly will look huge after you have your ncw little one…bittersweet.
Oh yay! Congrats on becoming a grandma! And I am so glad you are going to suggest this to your new parents! xoxo
Best of luck to you and baby boy soon your husband went to high school with my aunt how awesome is that
Oh wow! What is your aunts name? I’ll ask him he is knew her!
Her name is Heather Herrin
I think it’s a great idea for the baby to get Molly a gift. The family I’m a nanny for has 3 and she got gifts for the older siblings both times she had a new baby. When she had their second she ordered their oldest a really pretty gold “Big Sister” necklace and wrote a really nice card. Even though she was too young to appreciate it in the moment, the momma wanted her to have something she would keep and appreciate for years to come. She also got a stuffed animal and a book so that she’d have something to appreciate now. She did the same concept the second time around, some things for the girls to have and love now, but a really pretty necklace for them to keep forever. I thought it was so sweet – especially since, like Molly, the little two are so close in age that London was too young to understand gifts from her brother regardless of what it was!
So exciting! Can’t wait to hear news!! 🙂
Awww thats such a sweet gift. I just got his gift to Molly but I’m goignt o wait to share it until after she gets it 🙂 But I think she will understand it
s from him. She remembers everything that people give her. Her Mimi (grandma) gave her an small elmo 5 months ago and she STILL says “mimi” when she plays with that particular elmo.
I’m preparing for my first baby, a boy – we are going in tomorrow (as it’s a scheduled c-section) and I have definitely had too much time to wash and prepare everything. I’m not sure you can ever prepare though! We’ve tried setting out all the baby things but the problem is our cats think it’s all for THEM so we had to pull back a little, haha. They got way too excited. We also made sure to get a washer and dryer for our apartment, I can’t imagine trying to get to our building’s little room with laundry AND a newborn!
Your washer and dryer look amazing and I love the thought of that steam feature, sounds so helpful! I mean, not that I ever forget the laundry in there… haha!
I am so excited following your family’s journey and you keeping your pregnancy so real has been comforting to read! I’ve been super sick my entire pregnancy from hyperemesis gravidarum (extreme morning sickness all throughout pregnancy) and so often we only get to hear the positive/easy experiences, especially on social media. So thank you for showing the full spectrum of it, it’s not always easy.
Good luck with everything! <3
The Refresh Cycle with Steam is the BEST! I obsessed! ANd I feel you on your cats thinking it was their stuff. Molly thinks it HER stuff!
And I’m so sorry to hear you’ve been so sick. I really can’t imagine what that must be like.
That washer/dryer is just dreamy! I am dyyyyying for your house tour! My tastes are super similar to yours and I also have 2 kids and a dog and I don’t care how much I have to clean… I love white!
They truly are DREAMY! Make life so much easier! And house tour coming after the baby is born!!!
Happy May 1st
Your honesty & ‘down to earth’ personality is refreshing. (I understand how it feels to be stressed)
Your laundry set is similar to mine & i use the ‘steam refresh’ feature often! it’s great.
Maybe Molly’s soon to be Brother can give her a sweet little fluffy kitten as a gift.
meow 🙂
Take care of Ali
p.s. I like your white top
Thank you Dixie! I try to be positive on here but also real! Thank you for reading!
How happy to know that this is your month!
Happy May to Ali!
Oh, what we do to ourselves being stressed!
We all have to take a step back eyes closed, taking a deep breath whispering to ourselves everything is going to be ok! And it will! 🙂
Keep Ali safe!
Praying always for a Ali!👼🏼
Keep in good spirits! 🤗💙
😘 kisses to Jolly Molly!
di
*oops! Praying always for Ali! 🤱🏼👼🏼
Thank you Diana! I am due May 30th so I guess I could go into June. But I REALLY think he is coming early. I feel it.
When my baby brother was born, my parents got me a jewelry box from my brother (one of those little box ones with the ballerina that spins and plays music!) 27 years later, it’s still in my apartment and one of my favorite things I own 🙂
I have one too. That is so special.
Gosh I love this. And Molly loves clothes and jewelry. I JUST ordered something online, but I might have to get this!
My girls are now 27 and 28 years old . I still have the baby doll we gave to chandler in the hospital when she came to meet her baby sister . She loved that doll !
Awwwww I love that! So great that you guys kept it all these years!
You are doing everything right by setting up everything early to get Molly and Owen used to the new baby. And I got my son gifts from my little one when he was born too!!!
Your makeup has been awesome on your Insta stories!!! Can you tell me what you use to make your skin so flawless and to make it last??
Thanks,
Patricia
If you saw this mornings insta story that it was makeup done by my makeup artist and friend Emma. I had a shoot this morning so she did it. She is so talented!!!
Would love to pick Emma’s brain for advice!
My 2nd one is 1.5 years now and it’s so fun how close they are. You are so right to slow down take advantage of this alone time with Molly and kevin for sure. Looking back the last 2 to 3 weeks I had alone with my oldest was seriously the best!
I am so with you. I clear my calendar after May 12th. And it’s all family time after that!
We did the gift idea. It worked out really well. We had the baby get his big Brother a Big Brother shirt to wear to the hospital that day as well as a bag of activities to do while he waited for baby to arrive at the hospital. Big Brother got baby a toy he picked out all on his own, a cute blanket to come home with, as well as a shirt with a onesie. The shirt said…Did we just become Best Friends and the baby’s onesie said YES!! We took sibling photos in them and it was precious. Just a thought.
Oh my gosh! That gift is UH-MAZING!
Thought of a name for you! Greyson!? Sorry so random, just heard the name and totally thought of you! 😊
That is a very cute name. My friend named her son that 🙂
Oh Ali, I just love reading your blogs! This one made me cry! I just love how sweet, honest and genuine you are! I hope May is a better month in regards to your stress levels. I can’t wait to hear the big news when your little guy arrives! Keep your head up, he’s almost here! 💙💙💙💙💙💙
Awwww thank you for being so sweet Patience. Really. It means so much to me!
☺️
I had a crazy April too, whew! Glad we all made it through. 🙂 It looks like you are as prepared as you can be. Best wishes for the healthy and happy birth of your baby boy. So exciting and overwhelming at the same time! Glad you are getting some rest and clearing your calendar. Its important that you take care of yourself and family. Thanks for sharing your life with us!
This morning has already been SO busy so I need to do a better job of slowing down. But I TOTALLY cleared it from May 13th on…
One year ago this time I was in full nesting mode, washing and cleaning and then washing and cleaning again, instead of resting and charging my batteries for when baby came! Ha! Our baby boy came on May 18 and the past year has been such a whirlwind!! 🙂
Love your washing machine and dryer, I remember how many loads we were washing the first couple of months, thankfully it was summertime and we live in Italy so everything would dry super fast!
I think it’s pretty smart to set up everything in advance to get Molly used to it. I’ve also heard about the present thing, I would definitely do the same if I had a second baby!
Enjoy these last few days with your family getting easy for new baby 💙
That way we got the Maytag Front Load Washer & Dryer Set. The features are soooo good and I know how much laundry we will be doing the first few months of his life!
Sounds like your little guy is about to turn one. So happy birthday to him!!!!
I’m due next month and am working on getting all things ready for baby girl (after 2 boys!) So I’m definitely loving this post! ♡♡ good luck with baby boy. Boys are so fun!
Nice! Happy this was helpful for you! And congrats!!!! You are almost there too mama!
Well that girl LOVES to read so the obvious choice seems to be a book…or books from the new brother!! 🙂
Love following all of you….and thanks for keeping it real 🙂
I think her Grandma got her some books and she has hundreds!!! But I agree, she would love a book!
Always a good idea to get a gift from baby to his big sister…. & big sister to baby! It’s been almost 38 years since I had to do that but it worked out well. I had 2 boys and they are the loves of my life. Now I have my first grandchild, a boy too! Just love being a mom and a grandma!
Awww congrats Grammie! I know how much joy being a grandma has brought my mother and kevin’s mothers. So I am sure you are overjoyed!
I feel so blessed. Also, you really made my day when I saw your instastory post w/ link for the alphabet case. I ordered it right away! Thanks Ali!
Hi Ali! I don’t think you can ever feel prepared for any baby. And this time you know what to expect with a newborn, so the thought of having a newborn and a toddler makes you feel even more unprepared because it can feel very overwhelming! If that makes sense? 🙂 The baby is the EASY part the second time around! It is caring for a toddler and a baby that is the hard part, but you’ll figure it out (just like you did with one baby) and you make it work. As for a gift- when my second was born, we got my 2 year old a toy camera (that he still plays with today as a 4 year old), a “Big Bro” t-shirt, and a personalized “big brother” book from I See Me! books (https://www.iseeme.com/en-us/personalized-gifts-for-siblings/super-incredible-big-brother-medal-and-personalized-childrens-book.html). If you haven’t heard of their books check them out! Each kid also has one that teaches how to spell their name.. and I’ve gifted them to friends quite a bit. We also had Big Bro give a gift to Little Bro… which was a personalized blanket and a matching “little bro” onesie. He got to help his baby brother open his gift and he loved that! Since Molly loves books so much I would totally look into getting some sort of big sister book and I love personalized books so that is my vote!
Thank you for all of this thoughtful advice! And I totally get what you are saying about the infant being the easy part, but the infant and toddler at the same time being the hard part! Wish me luck!!!
Today is my due date (and no baby in sight). We made a hospital backpack for our daughter, who is 2, with lots of little fun activities to keep her occupied while she waits for her baby sister. She loves to wear my necklaces at home, so we decided her baby sister would get her a personalized, big sister necklace from Etsy. Congratulations on your new little guy and sharing your pregnancy journey with us!
Aaahhhhh due date day!!!!! I never made it to my due date with Molly. So I don’t know what it is like to hit your DDD! But I bet you are sooooo ready to meet your little one. Good luck love!
We got our daughter a gift from her “baby brother.” For her it was a new doll, and a set that included a baby carrier, stroller, crib, etc. Seeing how Molly treats her baby, though, prob not the right toy for her 🤣🤣 Unless it’s all Elmo themed!!
Ha ha ha! Your comment made me laugh! I am guessing you saw my video I posted yesterday 😉
We have a week difference, I’m 35 weeks and also having a boy.I just started organizing everything and it’s my first. I would love if you would do a blog with you favorite things for the new baby. Good luck on everything! And same as you we don’t have a name yet:)
We are almost at the finish line!!! And I will do a post like that for sure after he is born and I get to try out the new baby items we have.
We’ve done the gift idea for our kids. We take them to Build a Bear to make a bear for the new baby. It’s so fun! We just had a little girl last month and her brothers loved making an animal for her. Then when we were done daddy took the boys too another store, and mommy quickly made the animals they were eyeing up for themselves. They were so excited and surprised when they brought their gift for baby to the hospital and their sister had the exact bears they wanted too! They kept asking how baby made it. 😂
I’m also due this month, but with my first! I’m just 2 weeks ahead of you, but dr says she could come any day now. We’ve been “prepared” for weeks now but there’s always something else to take care of. I’m convinced there’s no such thing as being “totally prepared.” I’ve had a difficult pregnancy (high-risk and bedrest for 7 months) but now that it’s due date month, I can relax a bit and really enjoy this special time. I’m glad you’re cutting back & doing the same! I love watching your fam grow & appreciate all your candid recos and posts. Sending positive thoughts for a safe & swift delivery! ♡
Ill definitely be checking back to see comments and ideas about what gift the baby brother should give to Molly! Im a week ahead of you, due with my son, and have a 2.5 year old daughter as well, so I’ve loved following along with you and your journey! Ours are similar! I’m carrying a very large baby too! And I’m actually getting an ultrasound tomorrow morning to check for excess amniotic fluid…your post about that put me at ease so I’m hoping for the best!
Ali, you look so darling in these pics! I’m so sorry to learn April was such a crazy whirlwind for you! Will your mother or Kevin’s parents be able to come stay with you for a week or so to help out? I can’t remember of you have a part time nanny, but if not, can a sitter you love or friends come take Molly for fun play dates to a park or to get an ice cream or take Molly and Own for walks or even just come play with her at your house? I just remember, so long ago now, striving to keep the older toddler happy and feeling special. You have a wonderful husband, an adorable daughter and pup and lots of friends who love you! You’ll find your new normal!❤️🍼❤️🐾👍
I’m actually due on Friday with my second (a boy!), and we got our daughter the book “You were the first” as a gift from her brother to her, along with the book “I’m a big sister” and a little teddy bear that says Big Sister. But omg get ready for some tears if you get the first book I mentioned!!! It’s so sweet. We didn’t want to get her anything too crazy big, just a few small things. I also am putting a few Hershey Kisses in the bag and telling her they are kisses from her baby brother. My daughter is 2 and 1/2, and still pretty excited about having a baby brother, but we’ll see once he’s here on Friday! Good luck with everything!
When our baby boy was born he got his big sister an anatomically correct baby boy doll with a couple of outfits that matched her real brothers along with an adorable toddler sized diaper bag made on Etsy! That way while I was taking care of her brother she could take care of her boy baby too.
My daughter was about Molly’s age when my son was born. I got her a whole gift bag full of little toys and things to keep her busy when I was nursing or needed her to be okay for a few minutes without me. The one thing she LOVED and still looks at almost 4 years later is this Big Sister photo album from amazon. I took newborn pictures with my phone when the baby was still in the hospital and then printed them at Walgreens and also added some pictures of our pets, family, etc. she loved it so much! here is the link: Big Sister 7″ Photo Album https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VJ3BA6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_Vam6Ab25MHRD2
I just had a baby boy in March and we didn’t know the gender when he was born. I only had a girl name ready! After 11 days of debating and indecisiveness, we decided on Kenton Calvin. You’ll find the right name!!
Molly is so so adorable first off. But I’m curious. What does your pasta sauce consist of? It looks pretty plain. Lol
Allie! You’re the best.
I loved your blog about Molly’s sleep training. It was one of the first steps of me realizing I had to do the same thing with my daughter. IT WAS HORRIBLE! So sad to hear her cry.
When Molly was younger (maybe 10, 11, 12 months), did she wake early, wake in the night, have a had time going down for naps? What did you do then? Did you make her cry for intervals, or how did you handle it?
I’m really struggling. I hate hearing my baby cry. I know it’a good for her in the long run, but we are now on a month and a half time span AFTER sleep training, and there are still a handful of nights where she cries.
Just looking forward to hearing what you do. ❤️❤️
Thanks for the post. I’m 19 weeks pregnant with my second and I’ll also have two under two, so I love seeing your posts! Good luck and can’t wait for more advice on how to deal with it all!
Hi Ali,
Where is the little abc book /puzzle from that Milly was playing with yesterday in your insta story??? It was so cute! Thanks so much!
Hi Ali!
I just found out I’m pregnant with my second. My daughter just turned one. As much as I wanted a second I’m feeling very emotional about not being able to give all my attention to my daughter. I know it’s silly but I’m not going to be able to give her all my love! Did you feel this way? If so how have you coped with that feeling? By the way, love you and the blog!
Anne
You’re probably as prepared as you can be, but probably don’t feel like it. Relax and enjoy this time of SLEEP before he gets here 😉
By the way, I NEED the refresh button!!!!!
I am so excited for you and cant wait to meet baby boy. I love the sibling gift idea. Pinterest has cute ideas under big sister gift. Do you have a go home outfit for him yet? Can you share pics.
Wishing you a smooth delivery with your sweet baby boy in the coming weeks! Curious of you have a double stroller? If so, do you love it? I’m in the market for one and with all the brands, I’m not sure what direction to go!
Ali – the animal print onesie you’re holding up to wash is adorable! Will you share more of the baby boy clothes and brands that you’ve stocked up on so far?
Our daughter was 18 months when little brother came along. We got her a build-a-bear from her brother. She came to the hospital to see me, daddy, and baby and we had her present wrapped and said it was from her baby. She loved it. To this day it’s her favorite stuffed animal(we take it everywhere) and she insisted on getting brother one too!
Good luck in your final days of pregnancy!!
Hi Allie! I’ve always wondered… Is your entire family (Kevin, Molly + you) vegetarian? Or do you include meats in Molly’s diet? Would be interesting to know how you became vegetarian. 🙂
I have the same washer and dryer and use the delay wash which is so helpful in being more productive. Ha! I set it around 9pm the night before, to start a wash at 6:30am. So by the time I wake up and finish breakfast, the wash is done and I load it into the dryer. Bam!!! One load is done by 7:15am!
We have an energy efficient bravos Maytag washer and dryer and unfortunately I hate them and we’ve actually been looking at new ones. They don’t clean our clothes well and the smaller amount of water is actually one of the issues and also we can’t pre soak stuff and whit bibs and baby stuff I like to pre soak with oxy clean. The lady at Home Depot also told us you can’t soak with a front loader so we are going with a top loading non energy efficent Maytag with an agitator in the middle so hopefully that works better for us. The dryer also does a horrible job at sensing if clothes are dry, they are ALWAYS still wet. I’m also preparing for baby 2 my first is 21 months and I’m 5 days behind you! I feel prepared as far as baby gear but so much more fearful about labor and birth this time and managing two at once (keeping toddler quiet while new baby sleeps).. but we did the same thing and put all the baby stuff out this weekend and it’s working out well!
I bought my daughter a gift from her brother as well and had her open it when she came to hospital to see him for the first time. Kept it simple and ordered little dishes from Tupperware and she loved it.
hi ali love all those pictures and your sweetheart molly wish you luck
Ali,
I love reading your blogs, they are so relatable! Especially since I’m almost 35 weeks pregnant! Right behind you, I am also expecting a boy! Are you able to post the info on the hospital slippers and pajamas you decided to get? I’m having a hard time deciding what to take with me.
I really like the name Max. Max Manno sounds good to me. And I like it matches the M with Molly. Others that are really cool are Miles (Myles) or Major. Can’t wait to see what you name him!
Love watching all your videos wishing you the best of luck
Ali,
I had my son two weeks after you had Molly and am now mom of a nearly three month old girl as well. There is NOTHING like the #2Under2 life- I promise it’s amazing!!! Good luck to you guys!
I love reading your blog and I am hoping you will be able to help me. I have twins that just turned 9 months and I wanted some food ideas. What we’re you feeding Molly at this age and how often?
Hey Ali! We have a Molly too… who is 16 months & are expecting baby 2 at the beginning of July. We are on the green team over here, but find boys’s names tough. We love the name Kai, Jude & Quin though, but won’t use them because of family/friends who have them claimed:) Also, Molly’s middle name is Rowan which might have been her first name if she came out a boy! Best of luck to you, Kevin & Molly💙
What car seat and stroller are you going with this time around? Will you do a blog post about your hospital bag and all the baby gear you are using? I love watching your family grow! Thank you for being such a positive role modle to women!
My daughter was 21 mos when her brother arrived. We took her to buildabear and she designed her own bear …and the sweetest thing was, we were naming her brother “Grayson”…she could only say “Gracie” when talking about him, so that is what she named her bear! She is now 7, and still won’t sleep without Gracie. We love remembering why she got her bear all those years ago, and she loves hearing the special story too!
I’m due on the 30th with a baby boy, and I also have a 2 year old little girl! We’re moving 2 weeks before the little guy is due, so I totally understand the stress aspect! Leo is going to “give” Liv a Cuddle and Kind doll and I may even have one for her to give him when he comes home from the hospital. They are adorable and I think easy to put in the hospital tub/bassinet thing for when Liv comes to visit for the first time! Good luck mama and enjoy your baby month!
I’m due with number 2 this May also!! I definitely agree on the being less prepared! 😳 We are doing a gift to big brother from baby. Only it’s not so much sentimental. We plan on getting him a bike from baby. That way we will definitely still be getting outside as much as possible with both. That way no one goes stir crazy!
Congrats on baby #2. Precious baby boy will be here soon. Love your outlook on life and ensuring older sis has a part of all this. You have a beautiful family!! All the best and can’t wait to see pics.
Hugs from Becca B.
Ariz.
Excited for you as you get ready for your baby boy. My daughter’s birthday is May and it’s a perfect month. My kids are all in their 20’s so maybe we were old school on the gift giving. We did not get a gift from the baby to the older siblings. Everyone who came to visit always brought something fun for the proud siblings. We did have older siblings buy for their new sister and then the girls picked something out for my son. Both were teddy bears and both ended up being their favorites as they grew up. They brought them to the hospital the first time they met. It was simple and easy and what they chose to give. I’m all about simple and easy. I will admit that I went to the store 4 times with my oldest. She kept wanting to buy something for herself not the baby. We left the store each time and then she finally understood she would not be alone ~ there really was a sibling coming. She just wasn’t ready. When she was ready she chose quickly and perfectly. It was all wrapped and ready to give and she was one proud sister.
molly is so darn cute. I work at a daycare with children molly age and we have a girl mia who molly reminds me of. you will do great with birth and with having two kids. it seems like kevin is a great help too so the 3 of you will be in good hands. can’t wait to see house tour
Great advice! I just had my second in January and I have a almost 3 year old at home and boy oh boy so your hands get full. Really enjoy this time as a family of 3 as your life will change tremendously with the second..in a good way. Also can you do a post about how you got your daughter Molly to love veggies? My oldest hates it but my second is about to start solids so I want to do it the right way! Thx
I also had two under two, and then 6 years later, I had baby #3. They are grown and have their own families now and I have 12 grandkids and 1 great grandson. I didn’t feel prepared either but then it happened and honestly, I didn’t feel like there was that much difference between caring for one baby or two. You’ve already got all the stuff around, the house is already baby proofed, you are in ‘baby care’ mode and you’re already running on very little sleep and no time to yourself. Don’t let anyone scare you about how hard it is, because really you will find it much easier than you expect. I loved having my first two close. Baby #3? A bit more of an adjustment with the big age difference and being used to older kids who do a lot on their own, but equally fun and she was my easiest baby by far.
I’ll have two under 2 come this August! I’m also nervous and feel less prepared this time. Probably because I don’t have the free time to think about what I need to do this time around. Also with my first I wanted to have everything prepared and in its place but as my life has gotten more chaotic with a toddler I’ve just embraced it more and am not as concerned with having everything set up. I like the idea of setting the baby stuff out ahead of time and getting my daughtet a gift to help prepare her. Thanks for sharing your second pregnancy journey!
I ‘got’ my older brother a plastic plate and cup and forks to use for dinner. Apparently he loved it for years! something simple he could use everyday.
I’m pretty late to the comment game here, so not sure you’ll see this, but I have the same due date as you and 17mo at home so am totally in the same boat. We’re really trying to explain to our little one that he’s got a sister on the way, but he’s just barely at the age where he’s starting to get it. I’ve wondered a lot about what to do for him since he’s too young to really understand that a baby is coming home soon. I love the idea of a gift and am soaking up ideas here from your comment feed. My dear friend, and lactation consultant, also suggested making a basket of goodies that only comes out while you nurse so that nursing isn’t a time that Molly is feeling like she can’t have your attention. I thought that was a great idea! Now…to figure out what to put in that basket…
I’d recommend board books with flaps the older baby can lift or textures he can rub and touch. I normally was nursing my infant with the 16 month old on my lap at the same time and she loved those kind of books! My oldest was never far away while I was nursing but I loved that I could cuddle them both at the same time.
I love my front loading washer and dryer too! They hold so much and you don’t feel like you’re wasting water. When I was super pregnant, I Parked an old rotating desk chair in front of mine so I could transfer laundry without bending or twisting. Ummm…my daughter is two, and I still haven’t moved the chair! It’s a lifesaver. And, when my daughter wants to help, I sit her in the chair and spin her in circles. Super fun!!!