Our Family is Growing from Three to Four!

We’ve been sitting on a secret these past few months. But we’re thrilled to share some good news today – our family is growing from three to four! Our world is going to change forever this September and words can’t express how excited we are for this next chapter. Not going to lie, I never expected to share a baby announcement during a global pandemic, but alas here we are. Being able to share this special news with everyone recently has been such a joy and definitely lifted our spirits with everything going on in the world right now.

Everyone tells you that each and every pregnancy is so different from one another – and for this second one of ours that is 100% true. They say you start to show much sooner with your second and oh my goodness “they” did not lie about that one! I’m honestly surprised some of you haven’t messaged me, guessing our news already! Needless to say, it’s been hard to hide this belly and I’m glad I no longer have to do so!

I’m diving a bit deeper into this pregnancy, sharing how we knew we were ready for #2, how we found out this little one had decided to join us & how Annie feels about being a big sister. All that and more below!

How We Knew We Were Ready for Two

Patrick and I both knew we wanted a big family – definitely more than just one child. We both come for families of five – two boys and a girl in mine and two girls and a boy in his. I’m not saying we will or won’t have a third one day but we always knew we would love to have at least two.

I had assumed we would have children closer together than Annie and her new sibling’s three year age gap. (My brothers and I are each 18 months apart.) But waiting almost three years to start trying again felt best for our family. Annie was a sweet little baby, however, I would be lying if I said she was an easy-going baby! She had colic, reflux, despised the hours of 3-7 pm., and her birth was a little bit traumatic, to say the least. We managed just fine and things got easier every step of the way. But in those early days, we could not imagine doing it all over again anytime soon – especially when Annie took up so much of our attention.

Patrick and I also knew we wanted to move out of our Houston rental home and into a permanent home before planning any sort of addition. It seemed like the most sense to wait until we were settled in Memphis to entertain the idea of another little one joining our family. (Plus, having family close by is a GAME CHANGER when it comes to raising little ones!) In all honesty, we were having so much fun doing life with just Annie the older she got. There was a point I even thought, I could totally do the “only child thing.” It felt like she was all I ever needed.

But the more and more we would see her interact with her peers, or see friends of ours with multiple kiddos interact together, we knew in our hearts that Annie needed a sibling. Our relationships with our own siblings are so very special and I can’t imagine not giving her a life-long companion to experience childhood with and life in general.

We moved to Memphis in August and still didn’t feel 100% ready just yet. But Patrick and I were more comfortable with the reality of possibly having another baby than we ever were before. Suddenly our mindset went from, “We’d like Annie to have a sibling” to “We would love to have another child to nurture, grow and adore just as much as we do this one!” Our hearts were getting fuller, opening up the door for someone who hadn’t even been created yet!

How We Found Out About #2

We decided we were officially ready to start trying for number two in November and feel incredibly blessed to have gotten pregnant as quickly as January. Annie wasn’t a surprise but we weren’t trying when she graced us with her presence. We weren’t avoiding any baby Kerleys, let’s just say that. So this go-round, I was filled with so much anticipation and excitement at the end of each month. I was charting the days for the first time ever and I knew exactly when I was able to take the first pregnancy test.

I’m a very optimistic type of person, so the first month trying I was 100% convinced I was going to get pregnant. Which is silly! I think I took 4 tests that month – I was so sure of it! The next month, I told myself not to get my hopes up, for many people it could take up to a year or even more. We were so fortunate that Annie came so easily to us that I had to really shift my mindset that second month. But then again, when the app said I could take my first test that next month – I couldn’t contain my excitement, hopes & dreams so I dashed to the drugstore to pick up a test to take first thing the next morning – like the pregnancy planning blog posts say to do! 😉

The next morning, January 15th, Annie woke us up SUPER early. I was in complete zombie mode as I went through the morning motions, well before Patrick’s work alarm even went off. I decided to take the digital test right away even though I was not even awake and couldn’t fathom having a possible life-changing result. I let it sit on the counter while I made Annie’s breakfast. I reminded myself of all the fun things I was doing that month that I would get to enjoy to their fullest extent if I did not get pregnant. Basically, I psyched myself up for a negative just in case. (You’ll be able to have wine next weekend in Leavenworth with the girls! That sort of thing.)

Annie was all set up with her breakfast and a new episode of Sofia the First. I walked past my handsome sleeping husband into the bathroom and picked up the digital test and was FLOORED to see a big fat YES on the screen. I was beside myself in disbelief! I crept into the bed with Patrick and started to wake him up and said, “Sit up, sit up!! You need to look at this!” He was 95% asleep and had no idea what I was even talking about but adjusted his eyes and soon saw the positive pregnancy test!! He looked at me with a shocked sleepy smile on his face and then we both heard Annie call us from the next room – unbeknownst to her the incredible news we just shared.

With this baby being our second, we didn’t feel as inclined to keep it such a big secret so our family and close friends found out very soon after we did. It was really nice this go-round to share those special early milestones with everyone. Plus, having a real reason as to why I was all of a sudden 100% anti-social was much easier than coming up with silly stories to get out of all of those wine nights and happy hours.

How Annie Feels About Being a Big Sister

Annie is THRILLED. We talk about her baby sibling all the time. I have to thank my sister-in-law for this because she is pregnant right now with Annie’s soon-to-be cousin. We spent Thanksgiving and Christmas telling Annie all about the baby in Aunt Caroline’s tummy and by the end of the holidays, it was all Annie could talk about. (She even went as far as putting her American Girl Bitty Baby under her dress a few times pretending she was a mommy-to-be too!)

When we found out we were pregnant, we couldn’t wait to share the news with Annie. But we wanted to make sure everything was going smoothly beforehand just in case. After seeing the heartbeat on the ultrasound at my first appointment in mid-February, we came home bursting at the seams with news and photos to share with her too.

Her immediate response? Something along the lines of … “Okay. I’m hungry, what’s for dinner?” Patrick and I looked at each other like, seriously is this your response?! haha! She had just turned three so it took a few more conversations / explaining everything to her for it to finally sink in and stick. Now that it has, Annie refers to her future sibling as “her baby” and this little one has become the subject of just about every other conversation!

First Trimester Recap

Now that I’m a little less than a week away from my second trimester, I’m feeling GREAT!! Two weeks ago, not so much. This pregnancy really is so different than Annie’s. I found out I was pregnant with #2 at only 3 and a half weeks. Incredibly early!! And honestly, nausea kicked right on in a few days later. I was popping pregnancy pops right and left these past few months. I felt I looked 10 weeks further along than I was thanks to my bloated belly – which in turn convinced me I was having twins!! I literally told everyone who would listen that I thought I was having twins. There’s just one Baby Kerley in there, thank goodness! But twins would have been a ride I would have gladly ridden. Maybe we’ll have twins for #3 & #4, Patrick, what do you think?! Ha, I know what he probably thinks! lol

But back to the first trimester, it was pretty … rough. There were days I’d drop Annie off at school and couldn’t even bring myself to go upstairs to my office, I. was. so. exhausted. My normal self lives for the quiet time in my office – thriving off completing my to-do list. Pregnant Alice just wanted my couch – and only my couch for a good six to eight weeks. (However, I somehow had an insane amount of energy out of nowhere when we were in Disney. Disney adrenaline is real, y’all!)

If the rest of this pregnancy continues as Annie’s did, I should be back to my old self by now. I’m certainly starting to feel it too. It couldn’t be better timing with everything going on in light of the Coronavirus. I’m so grateful to have my energy back again now I have Annie home from school with me for the foreseeable future. This mama is ready for all the crafts and backyard games!

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It really feels surreal to be sharing this news in the current climate of the world. I feel like there’s no better time than the present to share something so positive in light of everything going on. I also want to thank you all so much for being a part of my family’s journey. Y’all are the sweetest and most supportive group of people and I appreciate each and every one of you stopping by more than you know! My family is so thrilled to share this news and I’m excited to bring you along for this next chapter in our lives.

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