Roses are red, violets are blue,
I’ve got something to share with you!
We’ve got two boys, they are our whole world,
which it’s about to expand by one little girl.
A party of 5 is what we’ll soon be,
and this little family is filled with glee!
Guys, there’s a very clear reason I haven’t written a poem since the 6th grade. Thank you Rhymer.com for help with…whatever that was…but yes, we are having another baby. I still almost can’t believe it!
As I mentioned in my post announcing our pregnancy with Cameron, I am very sensitive to the feelings of the women and men who are praying to God and pleading with the universe to bless them with a precious little one. Please know that I see your desires and struggles and wish nothing more then to be by your side with a supportive squeeze and listening ear. You got this.
But yes, a baby girl. Sugar, spice and everything nice! I am full of feels. ALL the feels, hahaha! Shock, excitment, nervousness – did I mention shock? I’ll admit I’ve raised a proverbial eyebrow in the past when people claim to know the gender of their baby before an anatomy scan, or having the baby of course, but the eyebrow is forever lowered because I knew from day one this child was a girl. My pregnancy with both boys was identical but since the day I got a positive test, everything’s been different. Crazy nausea, headaches 24/7, insanely vivid dreams. If that wasn’t enough, the moment she popped up on the screen during our first ultrasound at 11 weeks (I’m 17 weeks right now – due in late July) all I could see in my mind was a giant red heart. A girl…I just knew it.
Fast forward several weeks later and I got a call from our doctor’s office with the results of some blood tests that would also tell us gender. “Um, how accurate are these tests?” I asked the nurse on the phone. “Hmmm, let me check,” she said while rifling through some papers. “Oh, here it is. 99.9% accurate.”
Ok then!!
Hey listen, I have two brothers, two little boys, and am the least girly girl on the planet to boot, so to be honest with you I had a minor panic attack when the news I’d felt in my bones since the beginning was confirmed on paper. Barbies, bows and nail polish are foreign territory, but I can handle it. (**Edited to add: of course being a girl doesn’t automatically mean these things – I was a tomboy!) Where my thoughts immediately went was mean girls. Peer pressure. Body image. BOYS!!!! Which is weird since I had a mostly normal and happy teenage existence. I just very quickly realized how big of a part I’ll play in raising a strong and independent, kind and responsible woman. No pressure! Luckily my sister-in-law wisely advised me to focus on the here and now – aka picking out an adorable, ruffly onesie for her to come home in.
Everyone asks how Ben is feeling about having a third, and a girl. Umm, Ben is probably the most excited! We both grew up with two siblings and have always felt like a full house was a fun house. Lincoln is so so pumped, and Cameron has no idea, poor thing. We’ll get him a doll in the next month or two so he can start practicing. He and little sis will be 21 months apart.
Ok, parents of 3+ and/or 2 under 2, talk to me about:
- Double strollers. Lightweight, jogging – let me have it.
- SUV car seat configurations (what we currently have.) I’m all for becoming a mad mom in a minivan but Ben is insisting we hold onto what’s left of our cool card for as long as possible.
- Literally everything else. Give me all your good stories and advice. I feel WAY less nervous about having this baby then I did Cameron for about 100 different reasons, but being a mother to three precious children under five is still somewhat terrifying.
Thank you for allowing me share our wonderful news with you – oh my gosh, it feels so good to not hold it in anymore! I think this may help connect the dots as to why I’ve felt a bit preoccupied lately too. I’m finally past the “I’m so tired all I want to do is stare at the wall” phase, but being pregnant with two little boys and a business is no joke. So that said, thank you also for your understanding if things get a little willy nilly here for awhile. I am grateful to have the best, most loyal and supportive readers in the world. <3
Congratulations, so happy for you and your growing family!!
Congratulations Kristin!
Congratulations!!! Such an exciting time 😃
Congrats!! I am a mom to 3 (boy 7yrs, girl 5yrs, & boy 2.5yrs) and I can say it is a wild ride! I’m sure you will figure out what works for your family in terms of strollers and gear, but we got a minivan to deal with all.the.stuff.all.the.kids and let me say – I’ll never go back! Automatic sliding side doors are clutch! It really enables the older two (or maybe just your oldest) to be more independent in all the in-and-out transitions that get so cumbersome with babies and toddlers. That’s always my biggest piece (and usually only piece) of advice to moms of 2+ – make the older ones as independent as possible. Haha! Good luck!
Huge congrats to you all! I am a mom of three – an almost 3.5 year old boy, and boy/girl twins who just turned one last week. For a while I had three under three, and when anyone asked me what it’s like having three kids, I couldn’t really share any advice because most people have two older kids and one newborn – not the opposite! But regardless of the ages and configuration (for lack of a better word), you said it best when you said a full house is a fun house! Stock up on coffee and wine and enjoy!!
Gear wise: We traded our smaller SUV in for a van (two infant seats = not enough room) but you may be able to make it work. Test out some double strollers if you can. I much prefer a side-by-side – we love our Mountain Buggy Duet!
Congratulations again to you and your lovely family, Kristin!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! Wishing you all the best and lots of rest until July! 💕
Congratulations!! I don’t have any car recs because we’re in the same boat there, but I would 100% get a minivan if I could (we live in a rural area with questionable roads so need something beefier) but I LOVE my double BOB jogging stroller. Like, love it. It fits through regular doorways and is easy to maneuver with one hand! Baby Jogger doubles are also ah-amazing and if I didn’t need something heftier (the darn roads) I would have gone with a city select double.
Agreed – I love my double Bob! It’s sooooooo easy to push – it basically glides on its own.
We have two boys and were shocked when #3 was a girl. I was not a girly girl at all – hated wearing dresses. I can’t get my little girl to wear anything other than a dress or skirt!! But it’s so much fun! It’s so refreshing to have a girl at times. 😊 my husband resisted the mini van as well, but he loves it now. Don’t know how we’d live without it. Enjoy your time with the boys before your girl arrives.
Congrats! I’m oh so done at 2 kids (3 1/2 and 18 months) My advice is go for a double bob or baby jogger summit x3. You will probably end up carrying one kid half the time and being able to steer the stroller easily with one hand is a must. I have the double bob and the single summit x3. I might love the baby jogger a little more but they are both great
Congrats! So excited for you. I would say go with a Mini Van, we love ours, and if you can get one with captains chairs it makes it a little harder for them to fight in the back.
Congrats! I had three under 5–we had a side by side double stroller—which was great for avoiding back seat hair pulling, but stunk to maneuver through doors 😫. We also didn’t turn in our cool card and shoved all three car seats into the back of our Ford Focus. We took the car seats with us car shopping and put them in the back seats if the cars we were looking at and made our kids sit in them so we knew exactly what we were getting into! If you go with an SUV get ready for lots of kicking on the back of your seat while driving—maybe some new kind of seat massage?!?
Congratulations on your 3rd human! And a baby girl human at that!:)
Congratulations Kristin! My 3 girls are spaced like yours are…particularly my youngest 2 are 21 months apart! My oldest started preschool 2 full days a week like a week after the baby was born! My oldest was suuuuper helpful but my middle was still pretty young to do much more than cuddle or just act like a one year old! She was SO sweet but just not as helpful which was totally fine! I will say that with my oldest I was a little crazy about monitoring screen time, but you better believe that went out the window for our middle when the baby came home! Elmo and Dora saved a lot of our days 😂 I would encourage you to be flexible with how you get through the early days when all the baby does is eat! But, I bet it’s super helpful having your parents in town! I think you’ll be a natural mom to a daughter! The mean girl thing and body image stuff can feel overwhelming for sure, but you’re who she sees first and always! You lay the foundation for kindness and valuing the intangibles of life and character and not an obsessive focus on appearances! She’s going to be so well loved by you and Ben and the boys that I think a lot of the scary stuff takes care of itself because of the great examples and influences she has right around her 💕
Congratulations!! We are in the same boat with welcoming our third this June. We’ll have 3 kids ages 3 and under! I am the one resisting the minivan but I know it is the best for a family with small kiddos. We got a double stroller for flying this Christmas and it’s the delta side by side. It’s light weight and easy to fold up. I use it to walk the kids around the neighborhood too.
Congratulations! How exciting! We have a 2.5y/o girl and 5m/o boy. I had the same fears when we found out we were having our daughter. I was such a tomboy, how would I deal with a daughter who was a girly girl? But then a friend reminded me that I would be able to raise a strong independent confident daughter and that is the coolest thing in the world! I absolutely love watching my husband and our daughter’s relationship. They went to their first daddy/daughter dance last week and talk about all the feels! She is still talking about it a week later! I will say that being pregnant with a 18 month to 2 year old is rough. I was pretty certain my 2y/o was trying to kill me every day of the 3rd trimester, if not physically by making me wrestle her in to her car seat then mentally by dragging me in to her confusing 2 year old logic. In the moment, I was certain we would never make it out alive (clearly pregnancy makes me super dramatic) but we are doing good now! I bought a Tula Free to Grow for our little guy and wear him a lot. He loves it and I love it for comfort! It’s a lifesaver.
Congratulations on your baby girl! I was the only girl in our family, followed by three boys, and I remember feeling panicked and inadequate when we were blessed with one, then two girls. Fast forward 12 years, and those two girls have grown me day by day in wonderful ways! Blessings to you and your family!
Oh yay! Your kids are spaced exactly like mine! Boy (4), Boy (21 months), Girl. Which are now 8,6,4. I won’t lie, our middle child is our wild man so that first year was a doozie! I bought a double stroller, never used it. Wild man wouldn’t ride, he was so independent. Buy a wrap, even if you never wore your babies before, this is a new day where you’ll need 2 hands. LOL It’s been so much fun though and it only gets better. Little sister adds such a fun dynamic to the mix. Our boys love that little girl something fierce! We still have an SUV. We have a third row where the big guy ended up. I put the infant seat behind the drivers seat because while could sit her down on the ground, I knew I’d need to have my hands free for wild man. It worked well. I would get her out and then go around to the other side to get the others out. Congratulations!
WHAT!!!!! Congratulations!!!
Congratulations to your family!! I’ve been following your blog for a long time now and can’t wait to follow along with this too!
Congratulations! May your pregnancy be smooth sailing.
AHHHHHH!!!!! so exciting!!!! congrats!!! :D cant believe a little girl will be making her appearance in the Porter family!! :D and I am 17wks tomorrow by the way!! due in late July as well <3 we find out boy or girl in 2 weeks and i am about to burst!!! (it's our first :D)
CONGRATTTTTSSSSS!!!! Feels like a blink ago you were announcing Lincoln❤❤. So happy for your family!!
OMGOSH!!!!! you’re having another baby! and it’s a girl to boot!!! she will be amazing because she has 2 incredible older brothers that will love, cherish and protect her with all their hearts! i know this because my nephew and niece are 2 years apart, they’re 16 & 14 and the BESTEST of friends even though they’re so opposite each other! but they’re LOYAL to each other! he loves her fierce!
Ahhhh! I’m probably way too excited about this news! SO happy for you and your family. I have a 2 yr old and a 9 mo old, and we are trying to be brave enough to go for #3, but man my youngest still doesn’t sleep. :) Love the Bob jogging stroller. The Clek car seats have been amazing and are narrow enough to fit three across. Congratulations!!
Aww!! Congratulations!! I’ve been following your blog for what seems like forever – before Lincoln was even born – and it has been so fun to watch your family grow. Super excited for you guys!
Congratulations!
We have three currently and are due with our 4th in April (cuz we crazy like that). I made the minivan jump when we had our 3rd and I don’t regret it. Getting a minivan was a harder reality check than turning 30 but the ease of pushing a button to open doors and get kids in and out has been worth it. Just FYI. We got a highlander for H when we got pregnant with this one since 4 kids couldn’t fit in his sedan. It works but our normal family car is the minivan.
My 2nd and 3rd kiddos didn’t sleep through the night for forever (sorry) BUT they were super chill and easy and portable otherwise so that helped for handling doing older kid activities and stuff.
We had a sit and stand stroller that also had a seat that could be put in to make it a double stroller. I didn’t love it but I didn’t hate it either and it worked. I do not have it any longer, but my youngest is 3.5 so I am just going to make him walk like a big boy when this babe comes. I’m sure there are better options than what I had! But I’m a working mom so we don’t do outings daily or anything so I didn’t use the stroller ALL the time.
Congratulations! My first two are girls, baby girls are so sweet. Enjoy!
Congratulations on your soon to be baby girl. Girls are so much fun
1 As for the mini-van, even my mini-van hating daughter caved and got a Honda Odyssey last year. And she only has 1 little boy.
Congratulations! I’m also expecting number 3 (in May) and have two other kiddos (4 and almost 2). We’re holding onto our cool card as long as possible too! An SUV with bucket seats in the second row is my best advice. My 4 year old will be able to climb into his seat in the third row and buckle himself in and even tighten the 5 point harness by himself. #momwin
Congratulations!!! So excited for you! We have two, our boy is oldest and our girl is youngest. She’s pretty girly, but her brother also influences her interests so she’ll build Legos and play Star Wars “battles” with him all the time — while wearing a tutu of course! ;) I’d say the biggest difference between the two is that she cared about what she wore A LOT earlier than my son (like, at 12 months). So enjoy picking out her clothes now! That won’t last for long. Congrats again!
Congratulations!!
This is such wonderful news!! Congratulations!!! I have a 2 year girl and I had the same thoughts/worries but we are such BFFs! Having a daughter is such an amazing experience :)
We currently have two little girls that are 21 months apart (the oldest is now two and the baby is 3 months!). We got lots of picture books from the library about having a new baby and being a big sister that we would read before bedtime in the months leading up to that baby being born. Not sure if Evelyn really understood what was happening still, but she has adjusted to being a big sister so well, so I like to think that it helped.
Also, a quick recommendation that we have used with our new baby are these little baby booties that are so soft and warm and actually stay on her little feet! And, they are made in MN (and are 70% off right now)!
Congratulations! So exciting! I have two girls, each a month younger than your boys (no 3rd baby for us :)). I’m not a girly girl either, but I always get a good laugh at my girls with bows jumping in puddles or digging in the mud. :) And I might be a bit biased but I think girls are so fun and she will have two wonderful, loving big brothers. Good luck with your pregnancy and rest up as much as you can! :)
YASSSS. So Excited for your family! July babies are the best! I ask everyone w/little girls how to do baby girl hair bc I am the WORST and have no experience. I went on a major pink kick at first (1st girl in a SEA of boys, boy cousins, boy friends, first girl granddaughter on either side by a mile) but we’re slowly transitioning to a more balanced color palate. Of course, the hubs is smitten w/her and she saves her biggest grins for him when he walks in the room. THE BEST. Hope the rest goes smoothly for you! Congrats!
CONGRATULATIONS to everyone in the Porter house!!!!! how exciting and wonderful!!!! Can’t wait to see and hear more. I’ll be praying for you!
My husband and I are ttc right now and I can’t help but look at all these baby things…… check out http://www.maxandmoose.com/ and wunderkinco.com and http://www.etsy.com/shop/fancyfreefinery :)
CONGRATULATIONS! Beyond excited for you all!!!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
Kristin,
So happy to hear your news! Thanks for sharing!
God bless,
Annette
imannette.net
Congratulations!!!! Can’t wait to see your boys take care of their little sister!
Hey there, I have been reading your blog for years and have never commented before BUT after reading this one I JUST HAD TO. I am the LEAST girly girl on the planet, was so nervous about having a girl (well a baby of any kind ) and now she is 5 and adorable and sweet and just fine with the fact that I am HORRIBLE at hair and nail polish, I mean how is it supposed to stay on the itty bitty nail and not on the skin? Congratulations!!!!
I had 2 boys and then a girl. My oldest was 3.5 when the baby was born. The middle was 21 months (exactly the same as your last two). So I had 3 that were under 4. I wouldn’t change a thing! Yes, it’s a little harried sometimes, but mostly it’s just FUN (with a side of anxiety). I can’t help with the suggestions on gear since mine are now 22, 20, and 18, but I can tell you, now that they are “grown”, that it’s a great life! Congratulations – ENJOY!
Aw. Girls are a bundle of feels, but they also are so spicy, lovely and fun. We have three girls, so I live in girl-land all the time. My friends with two boys and then a girl have found that little sis is beloved and tough. No matter what the gender combo, three healthy little people is a blessing, and there are many who would love to be in your shoes (as you mentioned).
Strollers – I liked having a sit and stand with three close in age. I had a double jogger, but I rarely used it after #3 appeared on the scene. That first summer going to swimming lessons, library and the park the sit and stand saved my sanity. If you can handle the weight, I put all three of them on there. Baby in the carseat clipped on front, #2 seated and #1 standing. Getting through parking lots became much easier. I think I may have even used that method two summers.
Oh my goodness. So exciting! Congratulations! I wish you a healthy and enjoyable rest of your pregnancy.
By the way, you can easily do 3 kids in a newer SUV. Our Honda Pilot accommodates as do most of the mid sized SUVs. Resist the minivan!
Congratulations, again! 💕
I had my first baby girl in 2002. We found out we were pregnant again in 2005 and were blessed with twin boys in April 2006, but their 1st year was not without complications healthwise. One of them had to spend 2 months in the NICU and then had ongoing specialist visits for the next 6 months – this magnifies new twin tiredness exponentially. Imagine our surprise when we found out I was pregnant again with a baby due in April 2007. I actually had to have a conversation with my ob about scheduling my c-section around my twin’s first birthday! We had 4 kids 4 and under. I know baby stuff has changed a ton but I recommend a sit stand stroller – we had one by joovy. They make one for 2 babies and 1 older kid. It will seem like you are never going to stop changing diapers but you will survive and when they get older you will love having multiple pre-teens/ teenagers (not being sarcastic – they are tons of fun).
Congratulations to you and your family! You are my favorite blogger and I look forward to your new addition. 😊
Congrats! So happy for you and your family and can’t wait to follow along via your blog :-)
Congratulations!!!! So happy for your family!
This is the BEST NEWS on a Friday!! How fun for you all!! You will love having a girl-and she will love having brothers to teach her all the boy stuff. My daughter can be girly when she wants but also loves sports and all the outdoor stuff. Congrats!!
Congratulations!!! How exciting!