Ashleigh Farrell, our pregnancy blogger from 2009, tells us about expecting baby #2

In 2009, we had Ashleigh Farrell, owner of Bella B Maternity, blog about her first pregnancy.  We saw her baby bump grow each week and heard about the up's and down's of being pregnant.  From morning sickness for months, to bedrest in the 3rd trimester.  She told it all.

Now she's expecting baby #2 and she's having a completely different experience. We connected with her just after the holidays to catch up.  Here's our Q&A:

1. How old is Holden now and what has it been like to be a new mom this past year?

He is 14 months old now, amazing how fast that time really flies. Being a mom has been the greatest experience of my life so far. It has taught me so much about life and myself. It has challenged my strength, my character, my patience, and my marriage and has changed everything for the better. It's truly the most gratifying thing I've ever done and has given me the greatest sense of accomplishment that I've had in my life so far. It is quite the feeling to be able to do something that you've always dreamed of doing... now I'm living my dream.

2. What's the 1 piece of advice you wish you had received that you didn't get while you were pregnant - that you'd like to pass along to MomToBeDepot readers?

I have 2, the ultimate advice I give to ANY new moms is to SLLOOOWW down and enjoy it because it will fly by faster than you can ever imagine. You will miss it if you blink and you can't ever get this time back.

Second, I would probably say that the best advice new moms need is to know that you are going to have to figure this whole thing out your own way. You can listen to a million different people's advice, trust me they're more than willing to offer it to you, but in the end you need to do what works for you and your family. Once you realize this you'll stop comparing yourself to everyone else, there's no gold standard for parenting really... you do the best that you know how and that may be different than someone else.

3. What's the biggest lesson learned so far about adjusting life with new baby?
The lesson that I've learned along the way is that I CAN do this. I think everyone is pretty apprehensive about becoming a parent, it's a daunting task! I was worried how I would handle it and adjust, how I would survive without sleep, how I would deal with crying because all of that is inevitable. I hit a turning point when I realized that everything with a baby is a phase. The early on newborn stuff is a phase, the sleepless nights are a phase, colic is a phase, teething is a phase. All you need to know is that these things are temporary and it makes surviving them much easier. You can put up with a much larger load of stress and demand when you realize that it won't last forever. Mastering parenthood is just one baby step at a time, eventually you turn around after a year and think WHOA how did I get through the hard stuff, but you do. And once you see that you made it through that stuff it makes looking to any future difficulties easier.

4. When is baby #2 expected to arrive? Do you know if it's a boy or girl?

Baby #2 should be debuting at the end of March, assuming that he listens to me and stays put in the womb for the full 40 weeks unlike his brother! And yes, it's another boy to add to our household :)

5. What's your biggest worry about having 2 children under 2 years of age?
The logistics of it all... again it's fear of the unknown. I know I can handle one baby, but another??? I feel kind of like I'm back at square one, but just as I figured out the first time, I WILL make it. I WILL be able to handle it. I'm nervous about being able to meet the needs of two people... how will I entertain and keep up with a toddler while handling a newborn's needs? How will I get both in and out of the car by myself, how will grocery store trips go, what happens when both decide to melt down at the same time??? All of those things will be a learning experience for sure! But I know that you just figure it out along the way, there's no way to prepare yourself and I'm ok with that I guess.

6. What's your favorite resource for acquiring baby gear? Do you shop online, use Craigs list, attend consignment sales, etc?

Well thankfully the new baby is also a boy so we don't have a lot to buy!! But when I was scouting last time I went everywhere! I bought a lot new since I knew that multiple kids would get use out of it all. I got some stuff on Ebay and checked Craigslist for garage sales with baby gear. I also occasionally hit up the consignment stores in the area. My favorite splurge place for baby gear is Etsy... I could spend hours looking through goodies on Etsy!

7. How is your business doing? Are you able to balance motherhood with being an entrepreneur?

Business is going well but it has been a bit of an adjustment! It has been very hard to run a business with a baby. My only thought is that it would be much easier if my kids were older, during the infant and toddler stage they are very highly demanding of your time and attention, they aren't very independent. Now I have to find time to answer business emails while reading Green Eggs and Ham. I have to wait until nap time or lock myself in the bathroom to make a phone call. I've learned to be more efficient in everything that I do because I have to split my time taking care of a toddler. Trips to the post office for shipments used to be easy, I'd just throw him in the infant carrier and get my orders out... now there's no way I would ever take him with me to do this, I'd be pulling my hair out in 5 minutes. And with number 2 arriving shortly I have no idea how I'm going to manage... the thought of daycare crosses my mind almost daily, I'll tell you that!

8. What is on your wish list for 2011?
I am wishing for a happy healthy FULL term baby! I'm hoping that the transition of going to a family of 4 goes smoothly and that our two boys love and enjoy each other. What else... I hope that all of my pregnancy weight falls right off again ;) and I hope that we will finally be in our NEW house enjoying our new baby.

Now you can keep up with her Baby #2 Pregnancy Blog Posts here:

17/18 weeks  -http://www.mommamaven.com/2011/01/pregnancy-weeks-17-18-onions-sweet.html

16 weeks - http://www.mom mamaven.com/2010/12/16-weeks-pregnant-finally-feelin-it.html

15 weeks - http://www.mommamaven.com/2010/12/15-weeks-pregnant-with-13-month-old.html

14 weeks - http://www.mommamaven.com/2010/12/14-weeks-pregnancy-2-me-my-lemon-dizzy.html

13 weeks - http://www.mommamaven.com/2010/11/13-weeks-pregnant-survey.html

Pregnancy 1 vs Pregnancy 2 -http://www.mommamaven.com/2010/10/pregnancy-1-vs-pregnancy-2.html

Gender Reveal/Pink & Blue Party - http://www.mommamaven.com/2010/12/pink-blue-baby-party-gender-reveal-pics.html

Our pregnancy #2 announcement - http://www.mommamaven.com/2010/10/we-have-announcement.html