Motherhood: The Second child

My second daughter.  What a blessing!   My miracle.  From the moment I held you, I knew my heart vould stretch wider than I thought possible.  Thank you for making me a mother all over again.  You will always have your own light.  You are enough, exactly as you are.  Exactly as you came to me.  If I had to live it all over again, I’d still choose you.  Every time, in every lifetime.   

Love, Mom, xx

We knew we wanted to have 2 children. We knew we wanted them close together, so they could have a strong bond. Like twins. We knew it would be harder to have 2 kids close together, but we we’re willing to do it. To have the family we wanted.  

In March of 2013, only a few weeks after our wedding, we found out I was pregnant with our second child. Lily was going to have a brother or a sister. We would be a family of 4 and a dog!  Our complete family.

It was already a little hectic with our first daughter. She was amazing and feisty all at once. She wanted to see and discover the world.

Pregnancy was the same... tiring, heavy on the acid reflux, a whirlwind of emotions and beautiful all at once. You kind of know what to expect at your second pregnancy. But don't fully expect fatigue to hit you harder than the first time.

The belly grew quicker this time. I looked pregnant almost instantly. The belly was beautiful and glowing. The baby was glowing. I was creating this beautiful baby inside me. I felt complete. It felt right.

The naps were necessary as well, especially with a toddler around during the pregnancy. I had to stop even more often to snooze, whilst driving.

I knew I had to be careful… even more careful this time, because I knew I could have another premature baby. So I took it easier... as much as I could. I had a business to run and money to bring in to feed ourselves.

June of 2013 is when we found out the sex of our baby. We didn’t care what sex it would be, as long as it was healthy. We had the sonogram and there she was… sitting on the camera showing herself in all her glory. A beautiful baby girl! We were thrilled and it felt right. A little girl for her big sister. 2 Sisters – 2 girls that would run around circles around us and bring joy and laughter into our lives.

34 weeks of pregnancy came along very quickly.  I had stopped work for at least 6 weeks prior. 

She was kicking, making my belly toss and turn. We were living it with her, as a family. Her big sister was only 17 months old and at 34 weeks and 3 days, she decided that we had no more hold on her and she was coming out to meet us. 

She wanted to see the world as quickly as her big sister. The end of September is when we finally met our beautiful Mia.

We stayed in the hospital for 10 days this time. 

She was beautiful, sensitive and an old soul. Full of love and tenderness.  This little being in need of protection and love. We became a family of 4. She made us complete. She was the missing piece to our puzzle. She made everything right and it became right forever after that. Nothing mattered more than our 2 beautiful girls. Loving them and protecting them was now a blessing.

She was my spitting image. 

Cherish all those little moments, because, as everyone says... Time does fly and you blink and it's all over. The baby becomes a toddler, the toddler becomes a child, the child into a teenager and so on. Those moments never come back. Even if it seems hard, in the moment, cherish the little sounds, movements, words, hugs and love those little beings have to offer.

Having children changes a persons life drastically.  Did you have children? 

What was your journey to motherhood?  Did you adopt?  

Did you decide not to have children?  

What is your journey as a women in this area of life?  Was it easy?  Or hard?  

How has this chapter affected you as a women?

No matter what the path you were taken on.  You are seen and valued.  All roads lead to the best version of you.  Value it, recognize it and celebrate it.