This PR Mommy

Keep it Simple, Baby

I’ve been really quiet lately on my blog, and even more quiet after I found out that I was expecting baby #2.

Don’t get me wrong, the hubby and I had been trying for several months to have a second child and when we heard the news that our miracle was here, we were ecstatic. We wanted to shout from the roof tops and I think I even did on FB. But I also paused from the bliss, thinking “geez, what do I do now?”

“What do you mean?” Well simply put, I’m a freelancer. While I have the freedom to work from home and take all of the time I want to work or not work, as a freelancer, you really don’t have a steady paycheck coming in and are at the behest of feeding the financial beast. That’s just reality. You don’t get the job security of FMLA or paid vacation. That’s just not the case for the freelancer.

Over the past few months, while in bliss — today I mark #28 weeks — I have had time to really take a look at my finances and upcoming projects working on getting things together. While scary at first, thankfully, we figured a way that we will be “ok” with our finances so that I can work at a minimum to keep things afloat but still have time to bond with my new baby.

During this time of reflection, I got input from different people to chime in. Surprisingly, the men in my life were the first to say that I can do it all and still work from home while balancing an infant. The women though advised that I should think of putting the brakes on hold for at least a few weeks. Well, I have decided to keep things simple and go for both (working at a minimum while handling baby). Of course, it will be hard at first but think I have a strong enough support system with clients and family to make this happen.

Here are a few things, I’ve learned on the way:

Keep things simple. – Enjoy life’s simple pleasures of staying at home and just laying low as long as it remains special. Excitement doesn’t just need to be built on planning that summer trip but enjoying time at home with family can be just as fruitful. For instance, instead of a huge trip to Hawaii, I took a small weekend trip with the hubby to celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary/baby moon. It was just long enough to relax and revitalize.

Keep your options open – A planner by heart, it’s okay to admit that all of the answers don’t always fit perfectly in place. At first things may seem grey and overwhelming but things always work out in the end. I plan to keep my options open by doing what I can handle, without having to give up one for the other.  Remember, that’s called a silver lining.

Accept things and people – I have received so many offers for help, from hosting a baby shower to help with finding work projects. It’s not easy to “pitch” for new business with a growing melon strapped to you.  Surprising, and this is content for a few more blogs, I have even accepted my MIL’s (mother-in-law’s) help to come back and live with us for a year. Yep, she is moving back this summer. This will be interesting to say the least but this is a great opportunity for my daughter to learn Spanish, get undying love from grandmother and peace of mind for help with my son, saving hundreds of dollars on extra daycare costs.

Pray everyday- I find when you pray and have faith in God, you worry less about the future. There’s always things that you may or may not have control over, so why focus on the future (it can always change) and just enjoy now, the present.  He will only give you what you can handle for today, and steer you the rest of the way for tomorrow. I am a strong believer in this.

Enjoy the process – From time to time, I do find myself asking “what do I do now”? Well, I have decided to enjoy time being pregnant. Plus, since I am working at a minimum, I will take this quality time and spend it with my daughter before my baby is born. This summer, I plan to do some more mommy and daughter ventures, more content coming up.  Plus, I look forward to having a newborn in my arms and watching my little girl bond with her new brother.

Since I have asked myself and others on how this should fare, what do you think? I would love to get your input.