 Hey everyone, it's Missy. Thank you for watching. For today's video, I wanted to do a six-month update on my second son. He is technically seven months old, but I'm a little bit behind. I did ask on Instagram for you guys to ask me some questions, so I'm just going to jump in and answer the questions that you guys want to know about specifically. So make sure to subscribe to my channel if you're new, click the notifications, all those good things, and let's get started. So in no particular order, I'm just going to answer these in the order they were asked. So the first question is, how are the siblings getting along? They get along really really well. Of course, there's a huge age gap between the two. My first son really didn't want a brother the whole time. I was pregnant, but once he came, he said to me, mom, it's like I have a friend that lives in my house now. So that's exactly what I was hoping for. I'm really really really hopeful that they become best friends as they grow up. So we'll see how that goes, but so far they get along really really well. The next question is baby essentials, and I would say some of the top baby essentials are sleepers that zip up. Don't get the ones with buns. They take way too long. Just get the zipper ones. Burr brags are really nice, and I like to use a stack of baby blankets on the bed, and then that way if they soak through their diaper or if they spit up, there's a lot of fluids with a new baby. You can just take those stack of blankets and wash them instead of having to take all of the bedding off of the bed. So I really like having those. I did buy three or four different styles of binkies. My first son wouldn't take a binky, but my second son, it really helped calm him down. I don't feed to sleep, so having a binky really helps putting him to sleep. And then definitely a stroller and some kind of baby carrier. Those are really nice for when they're fussy and you need to get stuff done. You have both of your arms available. The next question is how are you planning on introducing solids? So I've actually already started introducing solids, and I just do really soft squishy foods. I think the first food he had was sweet potato, and then we did banana. He's had applesauce. He really loves fruits. He goes crazy for oranges. So just anything that's soft and squishy, we just put him in a bumbo with a tray and then set the food on the tray, and then he can hold it and kind of feed it himself. So that's been really fun. Another question is how do you maintain your weight even after delivering a baby? So I didn't worry about my weight for the first six weeks. That is the recommended time to kind of let your body recover. And then after that point, I started to exercise. I did just little workout videos from YouTube, just in my living room, not very long. Maybe like 30 minutes. And then I do try to be conscious of what I'm eating. I do allow myself to eat things that I want, even if it's not very good for me. I just won't eat a lot of it, so moderation is a big key for me. So I got a lot of questions asking what the baby's name is, and we decided to name him Conrad. It's a name that I heard a long time ago, so I had it in the back of my mind as a possible baby name. And since we didn't really know anybody with that name, we both were keen on it. We like to have more unique names. Another question is, is raising a second baby the same or is the experience different with each child? So I would say this experience for me is definitely different than raising my first baby. With my first baby, I feel like I wasn't 100% ready to be a mom yet. And so when I had him, I was really anxious for him to become more independent and not need my help as much. So I felt like I was constantly rushing through all of the phases of him growing up. Whereas with this baby, part of me thinks this might be our last baby. And so I want time to slow down more, and I'm really trying to cherish each of the phases that he's going through as a baby. And it's helping me be more conscious of my older son and the phases that he's going through, even though he is older now. Another question is, what is the difference between baby one and baby two? So my first baby was extremely outgoing. He is very outgoing. He's the life of the party. He loves to be around people and to do fun things. And my second son is a very happy baby, but he is a lot more reserved. When you give him attention, he is a little bit more bashful about it. And he likes the attention, but at the same time, it's like he doesn't really know what to do with it. So it is fun to see the difference between the two, but they are definitely different. And it will be really fun to see how they change and grow as they get older. So another question is, any advice about naps for a month old catnapper here? So I would say the best thing for napping is you want to set the scene. So what I always do is I wait until I know that my son is ready to nap and I feed him ahead of time. So he is already fed. I do the baby wise method, which is sleep, eat, wake, sleep, eat, wake. So once I know he's tired, I just pick him up and I tell him I say it's time for your nap. It's time to go to bed. And then I change his diaper. I lay him in the crib. I give him his binky and I turn on rain sounds on the iPad. And then I just close the blinds, make sure the room is dark, not too hot, not too cold. And that's how we always do naps. I usually have to go in two or three times and put the binky back in his mouth. But by the third time he usually falls asleep. If he doesn't, then I will get him back out. And that just means he's not ready to take a nap yet. But we do the same routine for naps and for bedtime and it really helps. So far, he's been able to put himself to sleep by himself. I mean, binky aside, but I don't have to feed him to sleep, which is the main goal. Who helps you babysit at home? There are two girls in the neighborhood that my son really, really loves and they will babysit him if we do a date night or something like that. We haven't had anybody babysit the baby yet, except for my husband and myself, unless it's a family member and we're just going to be gone for a few minutes. But for the most part, that's who helps me babysit my oldest son. Is your baby trying to crawl or sit up? He does sit up. He doesn't crawl yet. But he can roll and scoot everywhere so he can get all around the living room. And he does tend to back himself into a corner a lot. So he'll just yell out and you just have to go and pull him back into the room out of the corner and then he can continue playing. So it is really fun. He's just recently started popping up on his hands and knees and then every now and then he'll plank. So he's getting to a point where he's going to start crawling soon but he's not quite there yet. It is really fun though to see the progress. Another question is what is the best experience you have as a mom? So one thing that he's recently started doing the baby is he'll grab my face and then he'll put his face really close to mine. Kind of like he's trying to give me a kiss but he doesn't really know how to do it yet. That's like really so cute. I love that's my favorite. Another thing is I'll walk in a room and I'll look over and he'll just be staring at me. And I really love that too. My mom would be like oh he's so in love with you. He can't stop looking at you. It's just so sweet. That's another thing that I just really really love. So another question is if you are breastfeeding how did you help with or prevent nipple pain? So one thing I did was I used a breast shield and I used one for a really long time with my oldest son and that really helped. With my second son he didn't like it at all. So I started out using one and then he would knock it off. And if I tried to put it back on he would get really fussy and upset. So I had to just forego and it was really hard. It is still kind of painful but that is very helpful if your baby will allow it. So I highly recommend getting one of those. So another question is sleeping pattern at night. What time did your baby go to sleep at night? We generally put him down anywhere between 8 and 10 and it's all based on just how tired he is. He used to go to bed at 8 and then he would wake up at midnight. So I started pushing him back until 9 and then he'll sleep even longer. He generally always wakes up either at 3 or 4 and then again at 7 or 8. Another question is are you having anymore? Do you want a girl? I answered this question in my assumptions video and somebody got really upset with me. I do think it would be really fun to have a girl. I don't know if I'm going to have anymore. My labor and deliveries are very difficult. I do them unmedicated at home. And so they are excruciatingly painful. So maybe in a few years after I've forgotten how terribly painful they are. Maybe I'll have another one but for now I'm okay with just having two. So another question is when did your baby roll from tummy to back? My six months baby girl doesn't roll yet. I can't remember exactly when he rolled over. I think he did it on accident one time because he has a super big head and I'm sure it's really heavy. But he rolls around all the time now. If your baby's not rolling over yet I wouldn't worry about it. If you are super concerned you can always lay them on their back and then roll them under their stomach. Just help them roll over and then they'll kind of get the motion of it and that will really help them kind of progress into that phase. Another question is what was your birth story? How did you find out you were pregnant? So I should write this down because I want to remember it but I haven't yet just because it was so traumatic that I don't want to remember it. But basically I went into labor at 3 a.m. I just started having contractions and I was just laying in the bed and then my water broke at 5 a.m. And so I was planning on having the baby at home so I texted the midwife and she was an hour away and so she said let me know track your contractions and let me know how far apart they are. And they were two minutes apart and they were extremely intense and she said I'm not going to make it to your house you're going to have the baby before I can get there. And I was like no I'm not going to have the baby until you get here. So she called another midwife who was closer to me who came over and she was with me for I don't know 30 minutes maybe and then by that time my midwife my main midwife came and once she got there it was like I waited. Once she got there I was like okay I'm ready to have the baby. So within 20 minutes I had the baby and it was the most excruciating pain I've ever been in my entire life. I thought my body was being ripped in half and once he came out I cried tears of joy. I was so glad that it was over. But I am really glad that I had him. I'm really glad that it's over. And I would say the whole process was about four and a half hours and it was a blessing that it was as short as it was because my first son I think it was like 14 hours. So I'm really glad that it was quick. It wasn't quick but it was a lot quicker. And then the other half was how did you find out you were pregnant? So I get pregnant really easily and so we just tried once or twice and then I missed a period and I knew I was pregnant. I never bothered taking a pregnancy test. I just kind of knew that it worked out and it did. So another question is what is the best gift for a baby shower? What would you like to have received but didn't? The best gift that we received was a gigantic box of baby wipes. The whole box was just full of packs of wipes. That was the most amazing gift because we didn't have to buy wipes for like the longest time I don't actually know. But that and diapers are a really great gift. Whatever you end up buying include a pack of diapers. Those are just so nice to get. So another question is how do you find time to look great while caring for kids? So I just make it a priority to always get ready every day or to get some semblance of ready every day. And I just kind of accommodate my kids when I'm getting ready. So I will put a mirror like on the floor, sit in front of the mirror, put my baby in my lap and let him play with a toy while I'm doing my makeup or I'll put him down for a nap and then I'll do my makeup. I just do it when it's convenient. And my older son is old enough to just occupy himself while I'm getting ready. So that's basically what I do is I just kind of plan it around my baby when it's easiest or my husband's home. Then I'll just say, hey, can you take the baby? I'm going to get ready really quick and he usually does. So that's kind of just how I do it every day. What's your favorite baby products you didn't have with your first baby? So two things that I have with the second baby that I didn't have with my first is a baby swing and a play mat. I ended up buying a play mat just because I wanted to have one. I couldn't, I didn't feel like I could afford one with my first baby. And the swing I borrowed from my friend, I didn't want to buy one just in case he didn't like it and never wanted to be in it. So I borrowed that and it came in so handy. He took naps in that. He was in it every single day. It was such a great thing to have. So those were two things that were definitely worthwhile having with the second that I didn't with my first. What are essential baby items to put on your registry slash get before the baby is born? So I think some other things that are really, really nice to have are definitely a pump. So great. Get a pump for sure. A lot of insurances will cover it actually. So you can get one for free, which is really nice. So with that I would say bottles and nipples. Those are really handy. The bumbo. I don't think I ever listed the bumbo, but like getting a bumbo, holy smokes. Those are really nice because they can be in the center of everybody without anybody having to hold them. So definitely get a bumbo. Get the little tray. Those are really fun for them to have. And I think that's it. I think I covered everything. Thank you so much for watching. I really hope you enjoyed this video. I know some of you don't really like it when I post other things besides hair tutorials. So for those of you who watch this video, I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed getting to know my baby a little bit more, maybe me a little bit more. I don't know. Make sure to subscribe and click the notifications and the thumbs up. It really helps me out. And I will see you next time.