5 Things I'll Do Differently with My Next Baby

Baby número dos....

My ovaries are exploding just thinking about it...I want another baby so incredibly badly...

but...

I'm finding myself at an impasse...I would LOVE another baby. Olivia would have a little playmate. Our family would be complete...but damn...if I have another child like Olivia Grace...Lord help me...

Olivia is AMAZING, don't get me wrong. She is smart and silly and loving...but she is also EXTREMELY strong willed. She is highly energetic, "inquisitive" as my family refers to it... One day I know I will be so thankful for her tenacity and fierce ways...but right now...as a toddler aka terrorist...not so much.

Hopefully I'll wake up one day, sooner rather than later, and get over myself and get pregnant as soon as possible... but for now.. I'll stick to making decisions I'm actually comfortable with...

Like what I'll do differently with baby number two..

When that time comes..

1. I Won't Buy Everything Under The Sun

It literally sickens me to think of all the crap I bought for Olivia that we either didn't need, or didn't even end up using. I probably could have gone on an amazing island vacation, or bought myself something fabulous with all the money we flushed down the toilet. When you really sit back and think about it, babies don't really require that much stuff. All they do is sleep, eat, and poop in the beginning. Buy a crib, some bottles, diapers, and wipes, and you're good to go. The rest can be easily reused and re-purposed from baby number one. To be honest, I'm way to extra to not buy anything new for the next baby, but, I will try to restrain myself the next time around...

2. I Won't Panic Over Everything

As I write this, I realize what a load of crap this is, but I'll still make an honest effort to not panic over every single little thing. With Olivia, if she looks at me funny I freak out. I guess that's just part of being a Mom... but I do feel like the second time around won't be as terrifying. I'll have a better idea of what to expect the next time. I'll have a better sense of what things are a big deal and what things aren't so much....Hopefully..

3. I Will Not Take Pregnancy As A Pass To Do Whatever The Hell I Want

THIS... This right here ^^...I learned some really tough lessons with my last pregnancy. If you've followed any of my earlier posts about my pregnancy, I was HORRIBLE to my body while I was pregnant. I over ate, didn't exercise, and I ate the WORST foods possible. I really neglected myself, simply for the fact that I could "do what I want" because I was pregnant. This, my friends, was a TERRIBLE mistake... I ended up gaining nearly 100 lbs, and gave birth to an almost 10 lb baby. Thank God the worst thing about it all was trying to lose the weight afterwards...My bad choices during my pregnancy could have really effected Olivia. I'm very lucky, and I've 100% learned my lesson. Next time around, I will treat my body like the sacred vessel that it is!

4. I will cherish more

I think I downplayed a lot with Olivia...I just put my head down and pushed through those long, sleepless days and nights. Looking back, I wish I wouldn't have done that. My baby is a toddler now.. she is gaining independence. She doesn't need me to feed her or rock her. I can't burp her, or lay her in her Boppy pillow. Those days are behind us, and I can't help but feel like I wasn't truly appreciative for those moments while I had them. I was always on my phone or watching TV... Next time, I'll make an effort to savor those fleeting moments. I'll pause more to soak it all in. I'll steal more quiet moments. I will absolutely cherish more, because I now know how sad it feels when it's gone.

5. I will utilize what I've learned

I have learned SO MUCH during my short time as a Mom... It blows my mind the knowledge that I now have, both from experience, and the advice of my loved ones. With my next baby, I will try to really utilize what I've learned this far. I'll make better decisions and think about things differently. Obviously, I'm still fairly clueless in the grand scheme of things, but I will try my absolute best to make more informed decisions based on my new knowledge.

So these are a few of the things I hope to do differently when the time comes for baby number two...

What are some things you would do differently with your next child?