Our Last Days as a Family of 3

Most of the time, I can't even begin to fathom that we are about to add another member to our family. The other night, Derek & I were both exhausted from a long day. After we got Shelby to bed, we came downstairs, plopped ourselves on the couch, and started mindlessly watching something on the DVR. After a few minutes, Derek looked over at me and said: "Can you believe we're about to have another baby in the house?" And I just looked back at him and said "No, I really can't." For some reason, it still all feels surreal and like we still have a while before it's baby time. But that is definitely not the case. ;)  I try not to think about the fact that my due date is so close b/c my emotions will usually get the better of me...and my emotions are all over the place right now. We're over the moon excited to finally meet our second daughter and to see what she'll look like. Will she have red hair? Will she look like Shelby? We're excited to experience this sweet newborn stage without the nervousness & anxiety of being first-time parents. With Shelby, we were constantly worrying if we were doing things the "right" way and worrying if we would ever be able to just lay.her.down or if she would ever sleep through the night. This time around though? This time, we know all of those things will come in time. And we're looking forward to just relishing those newborn days a bit more than we could with Shelby. We're also thrilled to see Shelby take on the role of big sister!

But as excited as we are to welcome this sweet girl into our family, I'm also terrified. What does life with a two year old & a newborn look like? How will I handle two little ones? I'm also feeling a bit nostalgic and even a bit guilty. I have loved the past 2.5 years with life as a family of three, and while in my head I know it's only getting to better I can't help but be a bit sad that these are our last days as just the 3 of us. And I'm feeling guilty about losing my quality one-on-one time with Shelby. We spend so much time just the two of us. She's my little buddy. I love painting at home with her, going to storytime together, roaming the aisles of Target with her, the list goes on. Again, in my head, I know it's going to be even more fun for the 3 of us girls to do those things together...but I also know I'm going to miss these days of just me and my Shelby-girl.

On Friday I took Shelby to Bear Cub Club at Lynn Meadows, which is a little Mommy & Me program offered at our local children's museum. The kiddos get time for free-play, then there is singing & dancing, followed by a story & art project. Shelby loved it! As I sat there just watching her answer the teacher's questions and follow directions like a big girl, these emotions got the better of me. Where have the past 2.5 years gone? How is she old enough to be doing this stuff? She's had my undivided attention her entire life--will she resent me for not being able to give her 100% of my attention once the baby is here? Will she understand? Deep down, I know it's going to be a wonderful new season of life for our family. But change is never easy for me. ;) 

Shelby at Bear Cub Club at Lynn Meadows

Playing outside of the children's museum after Bear Cub Club was over....

"Climbing" the tree :)