Do you remember when I posted about our house growing, and how I got a lot of comments from people asking “wait, does this mean your family is growing?” and I said “noooooooo!”?

That was a lie. Sorry!

It was too early to announce then, but here it is: Baby Smied #2 is due to arrive at the end of August! We are relieved the secret is out – the first trimester is tough when you’re feeling nauseous, exhausted, in shock, and can’t tell anyone. Now that we’re through that, we’re excited to document the rest of the pregnancy. Isla is so, SO excited to be a big sister – and we can’t wait to meet this little one who will complete our family.

This was one of those planned, but also totally unplanned situations. We’d been talking about trying, and thinking it would take the better part of a year like it did with Isla. Well friends, apparently once you’ve been pregnant once, your uterus is basically like I KNOW THE WAY, and boom. Surprise!

How am I feeling?
As of right now, almost 4 months along, I’m just about back to normal. The first trimester sucks, but so far this one has been easier overall than my first pregnancy. With Isla, I was nauseous all day for about a month straight. I hated everyone, and food – it was miserable. Once my energy and appetite came back, I wanted ALL THE CARBS.

With this pregnancy, I was only really nauseous when I let myself get too hungry, or too full. I generally felt the worst in the timeframe after dinner until bed, which worked out great because it didn’t interfere with work. That really only lasted 3 weeks, and I was able to manage it pretty well with little snacks throughout the day instead of big meals.

Now that the nausea has passed, my energy levels are off the charts compared to pre-pregnancy, and I’m hungry ALL the time. The weirdest part? I crave red meat – I was concerned that this might be related to low iron levels, but testing showed they’re totally normal – this baby just wants greasy burgers and steaks. Every pregnancy is different!

With this being my second time around, my belly is already unmistakably out there – I haven’t been able to button my pants for a few weeks. With Isla, it wasn’t until about 16-17 weeks before I looked definitely pregnant rather than just a taco bell enthusiast. This time, it was about 13 weeks when there just wasn’t any hiding it anymore, although I’ve gained the same amount that I did by this time with Isla.

Are you finding out what you’re having?
We are doing the same as we did with our first pregnancy and leaving the gender a surprise until birth.

Does Isla know?
Yes! We waited until 12 weeks to tell her, because she loves to talk and we knew that she would tell everyone. She is really excited to be a big sister, but changes her mind every few days as to whether it’s a baby boy or girl. We’ll find out soon enough!

For those of you with 2+ kiddos – what were your favorite “big sister” books? I’m trying to find some for Isla, so she has a better understanding before the baby is born.

Now we’re really scrambling to figure out our renovation timeline – with this baby on the way, we need the extra room more than ever! Thanks for following along with us on this crazy journey – stay tuned!