5 Things To Do with Your 1st Before Baby #2 Arrives

Photography by Lysha Cole Photography

Shop Shannon’s Look

Outfit Details:

On Shannon:

Field Jacket: Old Navy, c/o {Buy here; also comes in military green!} | Striped Maternity Top: Destination Maternity {Buy here; Similar non-maternity version here or here} | Distressed black maternity jeans: AG {Buy here; Similar non-maternity version here} | Tennis Shoes: Nike {Buy here; Also love these & these} | Cross-body bag: Michael Kors {Buy here; Slightly larger version here} | Watch: Daniel Wellington, c/o {Buy here} | Bar necklace: BaubleBar {Buy here} | Cuff bracelet: BaubleBar {Buy here} | Sunnies: Urban Outfitters {Buy here}

Shop Jack’s Look

On Jack:

Twill Anorak Jacket: Old Navy, c/o {Buy here; comes in 3 colors!} | Jersey Joggers: Old Navy, c/o {Buy here} | Striped Tee: Old Navy, c/o {Buy here; All Tees here} | Converse All-star High Tops: Nordstrom {buy here}

Soooo, you guys? Remember how I’ll be 36 weeks prego tomorrow? One. Month. To. Go. I’m definitely feeling all the feels about it. The most overwhelming emotion I’ve been having (besides general terror about how the transition will go from having to keep not only one but two little humans alive and happy) is that of… sentimentality? Nostalgia? Blubbering emotionalness? Are those the right words? Basically this intense feeling of needing to soak up every little moment I have left of it being just me and Jack. That is what I’ve feeling like whoa lately. Soon it won’t be just me and him any more, and while obviously we’re elated to welcome baby girl into the world, I want to make the most of the days and weeks I have left with just me and my little boyfriend.

So, to that point, I’ve put together a little list of things that I’m trying to do with him before baby #2 comes. Confession: I totally ripped off this post topic idea from good ol’ Pinterest. Sorry not sorry. Mostly I came across it on there and loved the topic but didn’t necessarily love the suggestions. SO, I decided to write my own!

Before I jump into my list, one of the things I had wanted to do with Jack is to have a little mommy and me photo shoot. Mission accomplished! Jack and I headed to Old Navy to pull together an outfit that matched (#twinning for the win!) and was comfy enough for playing in the park – one of my favorite things to do with him. Luckily, per usual, Old Navy had tons of adorable things in stock for both me and my little love, aaaaaand most of it was on sale. Speaking of which, you can get 30% off your order online right now with code SHOPNDROP. You’re welcome!

5 things I plan on doing with Jack during this last month of pregnancy: 

1. Knock off a few things from ‘the list’. Maybe the stimulus for this is that I’ve been a working mama (a.k.a. never feeling like I have enough time with my little babe), but I’ve kept a running list throughout Jack’s life of things I want to do with him. Stuff like visiting some of our super cool, local parks, or visiting the zoo again now that he’s a little older, or going to the play-place near us full of bouncy houses. I’m realizing that doing any of those things will just get trickier once baby girl is also in tow, so I’m going to try to knock at least a few of them off the list in the next month.

2. Read together. A lot. The time when Jack and I read together most is when he’s eating. I found out early on that his attention span was basically zero, so trying to get him to hold still and read with me was darn near impossible. My solution was to read to him during meal times because he was strapped into a high chair and couldn’t escape. He’s since developed more of an attention span and a genuine love for his books, and he’ll often bring them to me to read to him. I just want to make sure that over the next month I take advantage of that as often as humanly possible. It’s those tender 1:1 moments that I’m particularly wanting to fully embrace.

3. Soak in the cuddles, especially when I’m tempted to be rushed. Part of Jack’s bedtime routine is snuggling with mama in his blankets before I put him down in his crib. Admittedly, after long days, it can be tempting to want to rush that a bit and just get my little man to sleep. I’ve noticed though that it’s almost like he can tell when I’m not soaking it in. If I’m not fully present while we’re snuggling and I try to put him down, he will pop right back up and ask me to hold him again. However, even if the amount of time that we snuggle is exactly the same but I try to really be there and savor that moment with him instead of letting my mind wander, he’ll let me put him down and go right to sleep. Isn’t that crazy you guys? It’s honestly blown me away a little bit. Even at these tender little ages, our babies can sense when we’re present or not. I just try to keep reminding myself that this phase of life is so fleeting… there will always be more work to do, another show to watch, a meal to fix, whatever. But the moments where he’s little and wants mama to cuddle with him will be gone in a flash. I’ve already experienced that! How is my baby boy almost two years old? Point being: especially over the next month when it’s still just me and him, my goal is to really be present and to soak in the bedtime snuggles in all their beautiful glory.

3. Do their favorite thing. And do a lot of it. In our case, it’s playing at the park. This little bundle of energy loves to be outside, and he loves him a playground. Obviously I’m sure we’ll still find ourselves at the park plenty once baby girl comes, but again – it’s that ease factor and the individual attention that I want to take advantage of in the next month.

4. Splurge on something special for him. When I say splurge, I’m not talking anything crazy. Goodness knows I’m not trying to break the bank or turn my child into a spoiled rotten brat right before #2 rolls in. I have been thinking though about how money will be tighter once she gets here, and the liberty I’ll feel to buy Jack certain things will definitely change. So I’ve decided that if I really, really want to get him a pair of the new Freshly Picked lace up shoes (that are so adorable) or a little pair of Nike’s that are kind of stupidly priced for a child’s shoe, I’m just going to do it. Sorry husband. (Side note: Old Navy actually has tons of super cute kids shoes right now that aren’t stupidly priced! Pretty sure I cracked out on those over the weekend.).

5. Get him to be excited to be a big brother. We’ve obvi been trying to do this since I got pregnant, and especially since I started showing. We’ll point to my belly and tell him there’s a baby in there and talk about how he’s going to be a big brother. And he will point to my belly and say ‘baby’. But, I’m definitely not convinced that he has any idea what’s coming. And maybe nothing is going to change that, but I want to make even more of an effort over the next month to talk about it and try to explain the change that’s coming. I’ve even heard of mamas who will buy a little baby doll to try to ‘prep’ their big kid for the coming baby. Does that sound cray? Seems like it’s worth a try to me.

K sorry for the massive post, but lastly – what I am super interested in is hearing from mamas who have more than one child and have been there and done this. I want to know what your list was or what you wish you would have done with your ‘big kid’ before your next baby came along. Seriously – PLEASE share your wisdom! Help a sista out and leave your input in the comments section!

Thanks to Old Navy for sponsoring this post.