This week's Babies First Year featured blogger is Jenny!
Hi, I’m Jenny from Let’s Talk Mommy, a parenting and lifestyle blog. I’m a wife to a handsome Brit, and a mommy to two adorable little ones, Buba who is almost 3 and Missy Moo is almost 1. I am originally from Seattle, USA but we are living in England now which makes for excellent blogging material along the way. Life is definitely different across the pond.1) Tell us a little about yourself before this baby came along? Did you already have children? What was your life like before this baby was born?Before I had Missy Moo, there was just the three of us, Daddy, Mommy and Buba. I have always wanted a large family so I knew in the near future there would be another. I also wanted my kids close in age together, so they could grow up, and be a team. Our lives were not much different before she was born because Buba was only 14 months old when I got pregnant so still a baby really, therefore we were still in baby mode in our house. I found it was easier going from one to two because I already had everything I needed.2)How was your experience with the pregnancy? Did you enjoy it? Any complications?When I first found out I was pregnant with Missy Moo I was sicker than ever, it wasn’t just morning sickness, it was all day sickness. Caring for a toddler on top of the sickness was a challenge, one I hope to never experience again. In the first 12 weeks I believe I had every alignment a pregnant lady can have, I wasn’t sleeping, everything hurt, headaches, veins, SPD, hot flashes, etc. Then at magical week 20, it was how I remembered it, blissful. I loved dressing my bump, and telling everyone it’s a girl. Feeling her kick for the first time was amazing even though I had felt it before, there is nothing like each child’s first kick. I really enjoyed the rest of my pregnancy.3)Tell us a little about the day your baby was born?I was watching a movie with Mr. P. waiting for my best friend, in the states to text me that she had given birth to her baby girl. She had been in labor all day, with the eight hour time difference it was pushing 11pm and I still hadn’t heard any news yet. I was getting worried, and didn’t want to go to sleep. By midnight I was tired, said a little prayer, and went to bed. I thought my phone will buzz and wake me up with the good news. My phone never buzzed. At 1 a.m., I jolted awake with an agonizing pain in my stomach. I knew right then and there, Missy Moo was on her way, three weeks early! I screamed for Mr. P. to call his mother to come watch Buba. Literally screaming, as I had my son in 45 minutes, I knew Missy Moo wasn’t far off. By 1:05 a.m. my contractions were 5 minutes a part, and I was screaming on the phone to my neighbor to come quick and sit in with Buba until Granny arrived. Luckily we live next door to Chorley hospital who will only take you in if you are 37+ weeks, I was exactly 37 weeks by only 1 hour. We arrived in seconds, and I was immediately pushing, by 1:38 a.m. we had our beautiful baby girl. Thirty-eight minutes from when I first woke up! My phone eventually buzzed the arrived of my best friend's little girl at 4:38 a.m. they are 3 hours to the very second a part. Two births in one, to two best friends since we were born. 4)Why did you choose the name you did for the baby and does it have any special meaning to you?Missy Moo is her nickname as we called her from the moment she was born, I don’t know why, it just happened. However, her real name is very special, her first name was after her great-great-grandmother and her middle name is after my mother. My family likes the tradition of the middle name being after the grandparents so we did this with both our kids. Also, on a less meaningful level one of my favorite actresses, shares Missy Moo's name, slightly coincidental, only slightly. wink wink5)What have been some of the most enjoyable moments of babies first year for you as a mother?I can’t tell you how fast it has gone. Having two little ones, makes the days blur together and the weeks fly by. I have tried really hard to capture each moment so I can reflect back on them later. My best memory is when Buba finally realized there was another person in the house and fell in love with her instantly. It took him about four months to even go near her. Not that he was scared or jealous, he just literally didn’t pay any attention to her at all and carried on with his days like nothing was different. I think it was when she started making cooing noises, it happened. He just walked over to her bassinet and smiled at her. “Hello, Missy Moo, cuddle?” From then on he hasn’t stopped cuddling, kissing, playing, pulling, loving on his baby sister. A sibling’s love is amazing to watch grow.6) What have been some of the most difficult/challenging experiences of babies first year for you?The hardest thing for me was not having the special alone time with her because I had two children it was always all of us. I never got the chance to focus solely on her like I did with my first. Taking in her smells, and her movements, her everything. It was hard not to let the days run away and stop to truly enjoy it all. Having two is so much fun, but very challenging, especially when Mommy is sick. I fell sick this year, quite badly and had to ask for help. It was the first time I have ever asked for help to take care of my own children. I didn’t take it lightly, those were my babies and I should be taking care of them. I was so sick I couldn’t physically stand at one point and hold Missy Moo when she was crying. It ripped my heart out that she was reaching out for me, and I couldn’t help her, she had to rely on Granny instead. That was the worse experience ever because I got so sick I had to stop breastfeeding her. I was devastated about it and she hated the bottle. Together, we got through it eventually but it was the most difficult time I have ever had as a parent.7) How would you describe your babies personality and how she/he has grown this year?I knew from the moment she came rushing into my life, and first smiled at me, she was going to be a chilled out baby. She has been the easiest, most relaxed baby I have ever known. When she was really little she loved to lie on her playmat for hours looking up at everything. She is an observer, she loves people watching, like her Momma. Then as she got older and hit six/seven months old she stayed chilled out until she wanted something and she got fire in her! Her dramatic lip pout was perfected in a matter of weeks. It’s amazing how much they become their own person so quickly.8)What has been your proudest Mummy moment with this baby so far?She sleeps! I brag about it all the time. Lol Since the day she was born I have had her on a sleeping schedule and she has cooperated every step of the way. At 8 weeks she was sleeping 7pm – 7 am with a dream feed at 10pm and going right back to bed. When I had to cut out her 10pm feed at 5 months she didn’t even blink. Her daytime naps have always been at the same time and only once has she altered this because of illness. She is my little robot baby, which makes everything else so much easier. I am so proud.9)Was this your first baby? Middle child? Youngest child? If its your first child, has motherhood been a surprise to you or have you been exactly the mother you imagined yourself to be? Please give details. If this is not your first child, how has the first year with this child compared to your other children...have you found it less stressful?Missy Moo is my second child, but only by 22 months. So I was still very much a first time Mommy when I had her. I still had a lot of things to figure out and learn. I found it both easier and harder than I imagined, at the same time. Easier, because I was just doing everything the same but twice, kinda like having twins. Change this baby’s diaper, change that baby’s diaper. Naptimes were the same so it was just more work but not harder work. Harder, because when something went wrong with both you only have so many arms for two babies crying. I found it really stressful if I wasn’t feeling well and they were grumpy and not well too. One can only have so much patience while sick.I hope that I am the mother I imagined myself as being. I think I am on some days, and other days I could do better. I am not perfect by far, as long as I am half the mother, my own mother is, I will be doing ok.10) How will you be marking the occasion of babies first birthday?I envision cupcakes, butterflies, and lots of pink. I am obsessed with cupcakes and this time I want to make them myself to match whatever crazy theme I pull out of my creative cap. I love butterflies, I know how cliche but it's true. I want lots of pink but not your normal baby pink, I want fuscia, the darker, brighter the better. Missy Moo’s first birthday, will be celebrated in style just as her brother did. I like to keep things fair between the two, so she will no doubt get a big party, with lots of friends to come ring in her 1st Birthday! At the end of the day, all that matters is that she is with family and friends on her special day!11) What are your hopes for babies future?Wow, this list could go on forever. I hope that she sees the world. I hope she never is a bully or gets bullied. I hope she is strong willed but compassionate. I hope she is close to both Mr. P and I, knowing she can come to us for anything. I hope if she can’t come to us she will rely on her brother, and that they will remain close forever. I hope no one ever harms her. I hope she loves school as much as I did. I hope that whatever she dreams of becoming one day, she will become. Most importantly I hope she always has hopes and never stops dreaming! Everyone should have hopes and dreams!12) Do you hope to have any more children? If so, how big an age gap would you like to leave before the next one? I would love to have more children but logically I live too far away from home-home to afford flights for more than two. Maybe someday, if I win the lottery or flight prices come down. ;) I would love a big family but I know deep down this is my last baby and so her turning one is so much bigger than just a birthday. It's the last time I will have a baby of my own. Every milestone she passes has been hard knowing that's it. I think between 18-36 months age gap is perfect! It was actually a static that came out; this was the golden age for age gap, meaning the kids would get alone better. Here's to hoping they are right? Who are they anyway? haha13) If you could sum up this year in 3 words, what would they be?Only three, oh the pressure! –love –exhaustion -excitement14)If you could go back in time to 1 year ago, what advice would you give to yourself to help you through this year?Don’t sweat the small stuff they will be just fine. I love a good routine and with my first I used to freak out if, even for a day, I couldn’t follow it. Now I realize it’s ok. She can always get back to her routine tomorrow! It would have saved me a lot of anxiety and worry but I don’t think I would have listened to myself, I would have had to learn the hard way! It's one of those things first moms have to figure out on their own as I am sure someone told me such but it didn't sink in until now. Thank you so much Jenny for taking part, if you guys enjoyed Jenny's post - I'm sure she'd love it if you gave her blog a follow! You can visit her at www.letstalkmommy.com or check her out on Facebook HERE or Twitter HEREIf you enjoy my blog, please consider following me on Bloglovin' Have you checked out my Super Sparkler Advertiser First Two, Then Blue?
