December 1, 2020
Here we go again, y’all! Baby Sampson number two is on HER way. Yes, we are having another girl. I’m sharing when I knew I wanted another baby, and how I surprised Milton!
Portrait by Patricia Coskey Photography.
At Caroline’s first birthday I was not ready to even think about a second baby. I was all in on her. She was growing and developing so quickly at the time (and still is, honestly) that I wanted to be able to give her my undivided attention. Once she hit about 16 months, that feeling changed. She was walking like a pro and discovering her independence. I suddenly found myself missing the newborn stage. At that point, I stopped taking the pill and started tracking my cycle again.
Shop The Post
Caroline: Dress | Stockings | Shoes | Bow
Caitlin: Similar Dress | Bracelets | Similar Earrings
Tracking App & Ovulation Kit
Now, I’m going to be very honest and straight forward about my thoughts and feelings during this process. Trying to conceive (TTC) and pregnancy is different for everyone, and I hope my perspective can provide some positive insight for someone in a similar situation. With Caroline I used the Ovia app to track my cycle. I still had it on my phone so it was easy to start using again. I remember becoming obsessed with tracking when TTC with Caroline. This time I was not going to let that happen again. I went into the settings of the app and selected very few things to actually track (period, intercourse, medications, activity, and a few others). Last time I was tracking my basal body temperature every morning and over analyzing it.
I also purchased an ovulation kit, which I did not do last time. Pros: it comes with 20 pregnancy tests, which meant I didn’t have to go to the store to buy them every month. Cons: it comes with 20 pregnancy tests, so I would take them even when it wasn’t necessary. I did find myself becoming a little pre-occupied by testing for ovulation. Luckily, I realized this and quit using them after two months.
Outside of the ovulation kit, I could tell when I was ovulating. After having one baby you really get in tune with your body. That being said, I found out verrry early that I was pregnant.
Finding Out
I don’t remember any specific symptom that tipped me off, but I knew QUICK this time around. I took a test days before my missed period and it had the faintest pink line. I continued to take a test for the next few days and the line slowly got darker. This time I kept it to myself for a few days. Of course, I was thrilled to tell Milton and my parents, but I was totally at ease getting to experience a few days of pregnancy all by myself. I had also ordered an outfit online for Caroline that said “big sister” and wanted to wait for it to come in to surprise Milton.
Top and Bottoms | Bow | Shoes | Socks
It was Caroline’s first day of daycare. Milton and I dropped her off together that morning and ran a few errands together. I complained about having a huge headache and he said, “Could you be pregnant? Or is it too early to tell?” I tried to play it cool and said, “Oh, its way too early.” Caroline’s outfit came in that afternoon. I threw it in the car and told Milton I was going to run by the store before picking her up from daycare. After daycare I changed her into her “big sister” outfit in the parking lot. When we got home Milton helped me get her out of her carseat and didn’t even notice her shirt (face palm).
Later that day we told Milton parent’s by having them read Caroline’s shirt. I wanted to wait and tell my parents in person, but I ended up FaceTiming them that same day.
