Time to whip out the trusty breast pump? {An Honest Feeding Story}

Being that I'm less than 3 months away from having a newborn again, I've been thinking a lot about my expectations as I enter a new season of being a Mom to TWO! The thing I think about the most (besides how I'm going to divide my time and love between two kiddos) is my expectations for feeding a newborn again. It's time to start cleaning bottles, replacing pump parts and gearing up for breastfeeding again. Dun dun duh.

With Aiden, my plan was always to breastfeed. I read books and articles, attended the class and never swayed from my plan. Aiden arrived and after an initial hospital consult with the lactation consultant, we were a go. He latched on well and I never looked back. I honestly loved almost everything about breastfeeding. Don't be mad Mamas out there, but I never had mastitis, never a blocked milk duct, never intense pain from being too full...if breastfeeding can ever be easy, I'd say I had it easy.

But that's not to say I didn't face any challenges. I went back to work after 3 and a half weeks because I had recently started a new job and I decided to continue breastfeeding. Aiden got pumped breastmilk while I was at work and then I fed him whenever I was home. Thankfully my work schedule and hours were flexible, but pumping is never fun or easy and as a Type A gal prone to worrying, I constantly worried about my milk supply. I tried the cookies and the teas, but I always felt like I was making just enough to get by. It became an all encompassing thought...Do I go out with my friends? If I do, Aiden will have to get a bottle, leaving only enough milk for two feedings instead of three the next day. Should we go on a date and leave after I feed him or before? Do I try pumping more at work? Do I wake up in the middle of the night to pump? These thoughts began taking over and that was hard, but I chose to continue breastfeeding and give myself grace. I came to terms with the possibility of having to give Aiden formula if need be. When Aiden was 10 months old, I researched and bought formula, which before coming a Mom, was not part of my plan.

16 months of breastfeeding later and that formula still sat in my cabinet unopened. While I never ended up having to use it, it made me more compassionate and less judgmental about how women choose to care for their newborns. Having that container of formula in my cabinet was a relief, not a thing causing me guilt. We always want the best for our kids, but our plans do not always remain in our control.

Of course with my second baby, my plan is the same, to breastfeed. While I would love to give him only breast milk and that is my goal, I'm also going to remember that it is OKAY if he needs formula or if breastfeeding doesn't go as planned this time. I'm bracing myself and telling myself that things this time around WILL be different. He will be a different baby than my first. He might not sleep through the night as quickly as Aiden did. He might have reflux or problems latching. I might be too stressed to pump with a toddler running around screaming for my attention. So here's what I do know...I will give my second child all the love I can and will do what I know is best for him and for our family. I know it will not look the same this time around and I'm choosing to be okay with that.

So Mamas of two or more...did your feeding story change when you went from one baby to two?

Helpful Resources/Links About Feeding a Newborn:
Kelly Mom
The Nursing Mother's Companion
Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding
Lactation Cookies to Boost Supply
When You Struggle to Breastfeed (Some encouragement)
The Honest Company

*Read other Honest Feeding Stories Here

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A is for...{Baby Boy Has A Name}

When choosing a name for our second kiddo, my husband let me know right away that he thought their name should start with an "A" like all of ours do or they would feel "left out." I couldn't argue with that so we quickly started scanning lists of "A" names. Shortly after we chose a girl name and I started pinning girl nursery ideas to my Pinterest Board.

For some reason we could not come up with a boy name that we loved both the sound of and the meaning behind. Honestly I think one reason it was so hard was because we whole heartedly believed we were having a girl. The day of my 20 week ultrasound rolled around and we were almost positive we'd be using our girl name. Well, we were way wrong.  But as soon as the doctor told us we were having a boy and I saw the ultrasound image with his little face, this name jumped out at me.

So our little boy's name is...

Alder Jacob.

Why Alder?

We just love the way it sounds. To us, it sounds strong and we love how it sounds paired with Aiden.

Alder and Aiden. Aiden and Alder. 

We love the meaning and symbolism of the name. Alder is a kind of tree. When I think of a tree, I think strong and deeply rooted. I picture a tiny seed growing into something strong and mighty. Drew and I also love the outdoors, it's where we bond as a family and is where we feel God's presence the most, so it just fits for us.

Alder is derived from a Dutch surname (Aldert) meaning "noble" and "strong." I'm already praying that our Alder has both of these qualities.

Jacob is a family name that we both love as well. So his initials will be AJR, just like his Daddy.

We can't wait to meet Alder in 3 short months and get to know his little personality.

Ice Cream Sundae Gender Reveal Party

To reveal Baby #2's gender we had our families over for an Ice Cream Sundae party.
Here's a look at a few party details...

I used a piece of black butcher paper as a table runner and wrote on it using chalkboard markers and then had all the ice cream toppings out on the table. For the hot toppings, I used this Pinterest trick to melt the chocolate and caramel and keep them warm in my crock pot. It worked wonderfully!

We had all our family members make their Sundaes and top them with the color sprinkles that matched the gender they thought Baby #2 was going to be. Let's just say everyone at the party (minus my brother) topped their Sundaes with PINK sprinkles!

After everyone had gotten their ice cream, Drew, Aiden and I got ours and then it was time for the reveal. We got out a sprinkle container that I had already put the correct color of sprinkles in. Everyone watched as we dumped out BLUE sprinkles on top of our Sundaes. Surprise! Aiden is getting a BROTHER in January.

It was such a sweet day (in every sense of the word) and we can't wait for Aiden to be a brother!

Party Supply details:
Big Brother Shirt: The Blue Envelope
Rockin' the Bump Shirt: Declan + Crew
Pom Pom Banner: Tutorial found here
Polka dot Hanging Pom Poms: Hobby Lobby
Polka dot Table Cloth: Target
Napkins: Target
Scotch Glitter tape: Target
Chalkboard (Courtesy of my talented Sister in law)
Topping containers with chalkboard labels: Michael's dollar bin, Similar item found here
Galvanized bucket: gifted, Similar item found here)
Galvanized utensil holder: gifted, Similar item found here

Pregnancy Files 2: {The Bump Week 16}

Best Moment this week: Feeling baby move around for the first time! It's always such a slightly weird and yet truly amazing feeling. It doesn't get old.

Food cravings: Cheese and crackers, oranges, Chipotle (same as with Aiden!)

Movement: YES! I didn't feel any movements with Aiden until 20 weeks so these next few weeks are a bonus for me!

Symptoms: Tired due to my pregnancy insomnia, always hungry, terrible pregnancy brain and some lower back pain. But I'm very excited about my upcoming maternity massage (paid for by wellness dollars from work). Yay! I didn't have one during my pregnancy with Aiden, but this time around I plan to get a few on the company dime. Haha.

Nursery: Wait, we have to do the nursery thing again? Haha. We are working on decluttering and organizing items in our current craft room/office before we can do any real work. But I do have some nursery ideas pinned (they are all for a girl though. Hmmm.)

Letter for Baby:
Dear Little Sweetheart,
I am so excited for you to join our family. I can't believe in a few months we will be a family of four. With all the excitement surrounding you, my biggest fear is that you will not feel as loved as your brother did because you have to share me right from the start. I'm already behind on your nursery and on these posts (even this one I started two weeks ago and am just posting), which isn't a big deal, but it makes me feel a little guilty. I do think of you so often, but your brother keeps me busy and I don't get to spend as much time dreaming of our time together as I did with him. But baby, I promise to give you all the love I have to give. You are already such a special gift to us and we want you to know that from the start. My prayer for you this week is that you feel loved even now as you grow inside me. I pray my love for you radiates through to you and washes over your little body like a tidal wave.

Love,
Your Mama

 "This is the life" tank top found here.

See my 16 week post with Aiden here.

First Trimester Rewind {The return of the bump}

Oh the first trimester. So much excitement and so many symptoms. When I was pregnant with Aiden, I honestly felt great in my first trimester. I was tired, but I was hardly nauseous at all and I slept really well right up to the very end (with a little help from my pregnancy pillow.) Don't hate me for that, because I've pretty much made up for it with this pregnancy. Nausea, insomnia, weight gain, oh my.  But I can't even be mad about it because every symptom means there's a baby that is growing inside of me and that fills me with so much joy.

So my first trimester included lots of eating (the only thing that made me feel less nauseous), taking naps with Aiden and reading in bed at 3AM when I couldn't sleep. There were doctors visits, our first ultrasound and the return of my bump, which has decided to pop out way earlier than last time. I personally am super excited about this (my pants are not so excited though so I got rid of them. Haha.) Here's my first trimester in pictures....

"So you're saying I am going to have to share you?!"

And of course a few weekly bump pictures! 

I have already come to terms with the fact that this time around I will not do a bump picture each week. I'm sure you're all super disappointed. Ha.

So all you Mamas out there with multiple kiddos, what are some must haves for Baby #2?

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