Introducing B4, aka Mylo

Yesterday, 23 March 2012 @ 6:32pm Mylo William (aka B4) officially joined the BE Hive!!

Today Mini Man met his little brother for the first time... after the initial confusion subsided curiosity took over... I think our boys are going to be great mates :)

My heart sings to think of all that is to come for our little family... Looking forward to lots of adventures ahead as they grow & play together. Daddy BE is going to be in his element racing around with our energetic little boys :)

My 3 boys!

Curiosity takes over :)

Perfection!

Just hours after birth, exhausted from a speedy exit!

MayBE BayBE Today, Tomorrow, Next Week? Soon, Definitely Soon...!

Today B4 is 38 weeks plus 1 day...

I remember being at the same stage of my pregnancy with Mini Man.  I had myself convinced he would come early.  In preparation I had finished work 4 weeks before my due date.  After 2 weeks off work I was happily taking in some 'free' time after having set up the nursery and done most other bits & pieces one tries to achieve before the life altering arrival of your first born.  Then I waited... and I waited... and I waited and Mini Man stayed put!!  Eventually arriving 11 days after his ETA, having had to be induced.

Now that we're at the 38 weeks mark second time round I just don't know what to expect.  Everyone has a theory, apparently 2nd/subsequent babies come earlier.  Furthermore according to several people I've spoken to in the last week I'm either still carrying high or I'm now carrying low?  It should be noted that these 'experts' are either people I have not seen or met prior to that statement being made or people I've barely spent time with during my pregnancy and are not members of the medical profession specialising in anything to do with pregnancy or babies!  I do know this much, labor will start when baby is good and ready, or when B4 is over baked enough that the 'establishment' decide it's time to entice baby out...

I've been experiencing braxton hicks for the past week or so.  I am definitely experiencing them with greater intensity the past few days.  Each time I feel one, I wonder if the real thing is about to kick in.  I know when they aren't the 'real deal' my memory of my first labor is still there... but at the same time you still question, is this it, is it starting?

Up until a few days ago the braxton hicks were TERRIFYING me.... I was quite happy for B4 to stay snug in the womb.  I was feeling anxious about coping with the changing dynamic in the BE Hive.  I was feeling worried for Mini Man and how he is going to cope with the 'competition' for our attention and how we were going to manage that, making the transition as easy on him as we can.  I was feeling fears for how Mr BE and I would navigate our days with sleep deprivation (the memory of newborn days with Mini Man are vivid!) and the demands of not one but TWO little people who will be relying on us for their everything.  I was worried for Mr BE and how he'll cope after his paternity leave is up & he has to return to the office somehow manage to productively get through each day in a demanding job.  I was worried for myself on how I'll cope when he's not home to help all day!  And I was worried for how our relationship will be affected by even less time to give to each other.


Now?  Well now, I can't wait to meet this new little person we have made.  I know that we already love B4 unconditionally and that our hearts have room for both Mini Man and B4.  We are not the first couple to have a second child, it can be done, many have done this before us and survived.  But it is the first time we've had a second child, so it's both scary and exciting all at once.  I know my fears are natural and I know that we will be OK, we will do the very best we can for B4 and Mini Man.  They will both know they are loved and wanted.  My fears will drive me to the best I can.

I also know that Mr BE & I will do the very best we can for each other.  I know that, because it's what we always do.  Mr BE is my rock, as I've said before, without him I wouldn't be on this motherhood journey, I am on this journey because I chose to do it with him, you can read more about that here.  I know that each day I watch him with Mini Man and have him by my side and somehow I love him a little more than I did yesterday or maybe it is just that each day I am reminded that I love him and why.

So, come on out B4... we're ready*.  The BE Hive needs it's fourth.  Your clothes are washed & folded.  Your nappies are stocked.   Your room is ready.  Your bed is made.  Your brother is excited to meet you... although to be honest, he may not yet have fully grasped the reality of all this baby talk, but he will & he's going to love you SO MUCH.  Mummy & Daddy can't wait to see you, to hold your little hands, to touch your little feet, to stare at your little face and to get to know you.

And of course we can't wait for the answer: Are you Mini Man's little brother or are you his little sister?

*Although, it would be awesome if you could refrain from making your grand entrance in the wee hours of the night... since the BE Hive is so far from family, it's friends we will be relying on to look after your brother, AND it'd be super if we didn't have to A) call & wake them AND B) wake him and drop him to them confused & unsettled in the middle of the night.... ;)

On Father Son Relations...

Mini Man has the best Daddy in the whole wide world.

My {heart} lives here.

My son & his Daddy have an amazing bond.  From the first days in the hospital with Mini Man I have been in awe of of Daddy BE.  Watching him with our son while we where both overwhelmed with the emotions of welcoming our little guy into the world (and I was overloaded with the happy love hormones coursing through my veins) confirmed what I already knew, he was going to be the best Daddy in the Whole. Wide. World.

Now of course, he's not perfect, no one is.  He stumbles sometimes, doesn't get all the stuff right.  Is hopeless at things like: packing appropriate lunch for an outing; remembering all the right things to pack into a bag for an outing; putting singlets on the right way round.. the really super important sort of stuff that generally ends up the expertise of Mummies.  But all of that aside: he is heavily involved in the daily routine and what Daddy brings to the table is so much more important than matching outfits!

Breakfast is Father Son time, while Mummy gets to sleep an extra 30mins, or sometimes more... I am spoilt!  Every morning Mini Man 'helps' Daddy reverse the car out before he heads to work.  All day I answer questions about 'where Daddy gone?' and am repeatedly confirming that yes, 'Daddy gone work'... and as the day draws to a close  I am constantly asked 'when Daddy home?'... it is incredibly cute and it makes my heart sing to know that he loves his Daddy so :)

When Mini Man hears the garage door open, his face lights up with delight, coupled with a squeal of 'DADDY' and a run at high speed to the front door where he waits (im)patiently until Mummy says it's ok to run to the carport (after Daddy has stopped the car).  Regardless of the time of day, Mini Man gets a period of uninterrupted time with Daddy from the minute that car door opens.  They will take the dog for a walk, have a ride on the scooter, take the trike out for a spin, have a swim in the pool or go and look for 'shishies' (aka, fishies) in the creek behind our house... Time permitting, there is often a combination of these.

Last weekend Daddy BE & Mini Man had an expedition to the local tackle shop to buy a fishing rod and several attempts over the weekend to land the big one went unsuccessful, much to Daddy BE's dismay.  They tried the beaches and had a go down at the small creek behind the house.  Tonight... SUCCESS... they caught their very first fish!  Daddy BE took Mini Man down to the creek for a Friday evening adventure as soon as he arrived home.  It was a joy to see the smile on Mini Man's face as they came home & hear the garbled story in toddler speak of the one that didn't get away.

Ok, so Mini Man is a little short on smiles here... but when telling the story there were definite smiles!
I think seeing his first live fish on a hook was a little confronting ;)

Mini Man gets so much from this time with Daddy, but I know too that Daddy BE revels in the simplicity of this time with his son after a hard slog at the office... and besides who doesn't feel great basking in the glow such adoration!

On Living A Dream... one you didn't know you dreamt

Most of the time I am in awe of where I am now.  I say "most" only because it would be dishonest to say everything is always perfect, but definitely most days are, and I guess every day has it's moments that can be put in that "perfect" category.

I was the girl who swore black & blue that she was never, NEVER, EVER having babies.  Seriously... you can ask my Mamma, she will concur that I swore it would never happen, it was not on my agenda, no way, YUCK... just not happening.  Mind you probably quite a good thing to be feeling this way at 15, no?!

By my mid 20's not only was I still swearing off babies, I was also the girl who swore she was never, NEVER, EVER getting married.  Seriously, you ask my Mamma, again she will concur!  Also my girlfriend's can also back this one up... A couple of unhappy relationships had landed me in a steadfast mindset that I didn't need nor want a man in my life.  It is my belief that although those unhappy relationships had ended as the result of negative things my exes had done, I needed to get over the fact that I had enabled them to treat me that way, I needed to get over myself, not them.

So began a period of self imposed 'singledom', a choice to give myself time to be me and to heal the wounds I'd allowed myself to be inflicted.  It was a good time, also a bad time, but an interesting chapter in my life.  Definitely a period of forging some fantastic friendships with solid gold girls who I will always hold dear (you know who you are girls).

Then somewhere along the way, as my late 20's were approaching, my mindset began to shift to a state of feeling that it might not be so bad to have a man in my life.  Nothing so serious as marriage of course, but a date or two, maybe a boyfriend, maybe that would be ok?  Not a necessity, not a NEED, but something that would be alright if it happened upon my path.

Sometime after that change of heart I found myself falling... into a whole new world.  One were I had a few dates, then a little while later person with whom said dates occurred became defined as my 'boyfriend'.  Within 12 months of that first date we were engaged, packing up our separate lives & heading from Brisbane to Alice Springs on an "adventure" together.  Less than 12 months after that there was a big fat wedding... where I wore the dress I never thought I'd wear... seriously, I tried that one on for a laugh thinking it would be a hoot to see myself all 'toilet roll dolly' style - next thing I new I HAD TO HAVE THAT DRESS!  It was a whirlwind, but there was no point in the whirling that I felt like I needed to get off the ride... it just felt right in a way I can't describe in words.

Fast forward a little over 3 years on from that day, I am a wife, and Mamma to one cheeky little Mini Man (22 months) and we are 6 weeks out from Mini Man becoming a big brother.

There have been so many fantastic experiences in the last 5 years and I know there a many more adventures to come.  I can't imagine my life any other way now.  I really have met my soul mate.

It's a dream come true.