Right now.

I got goose bumps reading your post. My boys are 7 years apart as well. My youngest is Simon's age. It is strange going from this family of 3 for so long and then being a family of 4. I have to say though it is great having time to really cherish them like that. I'm ready for number 3 - is it the 7 year itch?
Best wishes to your whole family & thank you for sharing so many personal thoughts and details.

go to www.savingdinner.com and purchase a freezer menu, or go to www.30daygourmet.com and search the newsletter archives. put in a few freezer kits for meals after the baby comes.

a repeat c-section is so much easier the 2nd time around!!! & just enjoy every moment...i have 3 girls & they are SO different from boys! can't wait to see all your pink girlie layouts :)

Best wishes Ali. Wishing you a happy and healthy delivery. Don't worry,
the routine comes back to you and the only advice I would have is follow the routine of your baby and life will flow naturally.
Anthea

Hi Ali, So happy for you and your family I hope that everything goes well with the baby. Can't wait to see the first pictures of her.

dont stress...u dont forget
enjoy the moment, it doesnt really last long enough..:)

Hi Ali-
I have read your blogger for sometime, "ohhhh" and "ahhh" over your beautiful art you post on here, and have been touched so many times reading the love you have for your son. I have three children. But I remember all to well bringing that second baby home. I never thought I could love another person as much as I love #1- but a mother's heart is amazing. Not only will there be room- but life is that much more sweet. Enjoy your baby and all the joy a new life brings. Your son will look so HUGE compared to this tiny infant. It will be hard to go from one child to two- but in a few months it will get eaiser. And just like you said- ask for help! There are lots of Mom's out there that are happy to lend a hand- if needed. Good Luck!

My 1st was a boy & second a girl. Soon after we got home from the hospital my husband & I figured out that little girls don't wet their diapers in the front like little boys do. Good Luck and many sweet blessings upon you.

I just had my 2nd baby this monday--planned c-section. :) Stay ahead on the pain meds and tell the nurses to wake you up to take them! I had a little episode due to this :)
Go ahead and pack gas pills. Take them even if the nurses say you aren't allowed.

One thing I remember is calling my aunt to bring more burp cloths.
So much mess (so worth it).
Praying for you. Thanks for being such an inspiration.

I'm so glad your mom is with you!! I am a mother....and a very new grandmother....Eli is 10 weeks old. I didn't realize how important my closeness to my daughter was till she had a c-section and ask that I be with her after her dh went to the nursery with the baby. It wasn't planned that I go in(they didn't want to let me in at first, but she insisted)I was so glad she wasn't alone when they 'finished' her up. You are blessed!!!

I don't know about multiples, because I only have one. A little monster, but just one. I do think that the best advise I ever recieved was actually from my pediatrican. She is amazing. During our first visit, she said to us...
"Now there is going to be a ton of changes in your life. Nothing will ever be the same, but that's not a bad thing. It will just be different. Everyone will have an opinion. Everyone. Even me. But this is YOUR family. You just listen, and smile if you can. Then go home and do what works for you and your family. You know what you want and need more than anyone, including me. So follow your heart, and make choices with love, and everything else will fall in place. "
This advise was amazing, because although we were scared and worried, it has been the best advise and it has worked in every situation... so far.
Good luck Ali. I wish your family the best.

Ali,
I wish you a wonderful time with your mom, family, and the new bundle. Peace to you and yours.
Susan

I had a repeat C-section also, 23 months to the day after my first one. One HUGE hint....do the isometric stomach exercises after your surgery...they will GREATLY help your recovery and GREATLY reduce that "gas" event afterwards!!!! You will feel SO MUCH better if you do the isometrics! Seriously!

Oh, Ali! We don't even know each other and I am filled with excitement for you! My youngest is 6 and I am trying hard to remember those first days/weeks with her...one little thing - you mentioned holding Simon a little tighter these days... be prepared for how simply HUGE he will look the first time you see him after the baby arrives. Utterly GIGANTIC! It really shook me that my "baby" wasn't one anymore when I had the next. At the same time, it isn't a bad feeling, rather I welled up with pride that my baby was now my big boy. :) Hugs to all of you and best wishes! I can't wait to hear the news!

It will all come back to you quickly. Trust me. I was 43 when my last one was born. Tip: During the late night feedings, turn on Conan O'Brien. It replays at 3:00am. He just cracked me up, every night. Just sometimes, when I needed a little stress reducer. :-)

I was glad I had a second C-section which I was awake for. My sons were 6 years apart and I was glad I had the space between them.

Best way to recover from a C-Section (learned the second time around) buy a girdle. I know...I know...it sounds terrible but I swear it felt so much better with the pressure against the scar...like everything was being held in.

I wish you all the best.
I have had 4 c-sections and the best advice I received.....do not over do it.
I didn't listen well (vaccuming 3 days post partum :). Including Simon in as much as possible will help him with transition. Mmy other children were 4.5, 9 and 11 when my youngest was born and it was so important to me that be just as much a part in having the baby as myself and my spouse.
My 4.5 year old made a build-a-bear for the new baby, a welcome home brother sign and just felt so included that there was no time for sibling rivalry.
Can not wait to see her...and find out what that "A" name is!

Some things will come back to you and other things you will have to relearn. It's all part of the beautiful process. I had a boy 1st then a girl. I don't think I have to say take lots of pictures b/c I'm sure you will. Life will go even faster now with 2 so enjoy every nano second!

I'm so excited for you to get to experience life with a newborn all over again. It's as magical as it is exhausting and as wonderful as it is surreal. With two little boys of my own and having just gone through the newborn stage again, I can share with you some things that were helpful to me...
-Meals prepared by others!
-Paper plates (just to get through the first few days)
-Sticker books to keep my older child happy beside me while I nursed the baby
-Pre-packaged snacks and washed and ready to go fruit for my older child when dinner wasn't going to be on time
-Favorite movies on hand for everyone
-anything in the crockpot
-Coffee!!!
Looking back these things seem pretty obvious and simple, but they truly helped me get through the haze of the first few weeks. Enjoy every minute; it goes even faster the second time around!
Many blessings to you and your family!

I'm so excited for you to get to experience life with a newborn all over again. It's as magical as it is exhausting and as wonderful as it is surreal. With two little boys of my own and having just gone through the newborn stage again, I can share with you some things that were helpful to me...
-Meals prepared by others!
-Paper plates (just to get through the first few days)
-Sticker books to keep my older child happy beside me while I nursed the baby
-Pre-packaged snacks and washed and ready to go fruit for my older child when dinner wasn't going to be on time
-Favorite movies on hand for everyone
-anything in the crockpot
-Coffee!!!
Looking back these things seem pretty obvious and simple, but they truly helped me get through the haze of the first few weeks. Enjoy every minute; it goes even faster the second time around!
Many blessings to you and your family!

I would try to freeze some dinners. I had people tell me this and I ignored them...I thought how hard can it be to cook with a baby!!
I had a friend who delivered a homemade lasagna to us and we ate it for 3 days and cried when it was gone.
You will be great with the new baby.
Denise

I had three c-sections and it was right for me too. Women need to support other women about this and not make unnecessary comments or judgements. You know yourself best.
I had a much better recovery with my second section! Do the walking and standing when you're cleared. It really does help.
Tips? You are in a fog those first 6-8 weeks and you do forget how much work babies are but then you also have the joy in holding them, feeding them, and staring at them. How great it is to stare and marvel at a newborn!
Believe it or not, I didn;t mind hunkering down on the couch in the evenings, waking to feed and watching Late Night TV. I now miss Leno, Letterman and Conan! And Law & Order episodes! LOL!
I held my last baby a lot! More than my other two kids because I knew he was my last child. I often laid upright on the coach and I'd drift off while he slept snuggley in my arms. I wanted to relish his infancy which goes by so, so quickly! He is now three years old.
You'll do great. It'll all come back to you. You'll find the energy within you. Wishig you and your family the best!

You'll do great! The hardest thing about being a mom for the second time is the challenges facing your first child. No matter how hard you try things will be different. Make sure that you make time for your unique relationship with Simon. Dad gives her a bath while you and Simon play a game. Dad continues to read to Simon at bedtime. He will need his own personal time without her. Of course always let him know how special he is as her big brother.