Hello newest niece!

It's time to play catch up. Babies have been born, trips have been taken, and I haven't documented! First of all, my newest niece Harper June was born on Friday June 26th! I worked all day and after getting a text at 9am from my sister that her water broke, I was sure I was going to miss her arrival. When 7pm rolled around I gave report and hurried to the hospital in the next town where my sister was. Soon after we got there she was feeling lots of pressure through her epidural, sure enough, it was time to push!! 10 minutes later, she arrived!! A perfectly chubby 9lb 4oz, I fell in love and lost any ounce of patience I had left to meet my little girl. It's hard to believe I was 5 weeks away from my due date at that point. 

xoxo,

Mrs. Auntie Alyssa

Baby Shower

My baby shower was at the end of May, but my wonderful cousin who also happens to be a professional photographer {Kelly Lapp Photography} captured some moments from the day I just had to share. It was so fun to spend a day anticipating and celebrating our baby girl. Getting all the baby gear and adorable little clothes just made me that much more excited for her to arrive! I'm so thankful for the support system of friends and family who are surrounding us during this exciting stage of life!

my favorite childhood book

Mother and her pregnant daughters

sisters 31 weeks and 36 weeks pregnant in this picture

xoxo,

Mrs. Showered in love

Nursery in Progress

In the last week or two, we have gotten serious about working on the nursery. Which is a good thing considering I'm just about 34 weeks pregnant! I have had a vision of what I want the nursery to look like for most of my pregnancy, it's just finding all the pieces and doing all the work to make it come to life!! 

After our baby shower at the end of May, we were motivated to start finding homes for all of our gifts. That lead to a day of hanging bookshelves and curtains ( thank you IKEA) 

Then this week amazing Mom came over and helped me paint the birch tree wall for behind the crib. After searching high and low for the perfect wallpaper, I decided $300 was not worth it for an 8ft wall and I bought a stencil off of cuttingedgestencils.com for $60. It was daunting and tedious, but with my moms help and talent, the wall turned out perfect! 

Now we're on the hunt for an affordable but cute glider and waiting for our crib to be delivered before the nursery is complete! We're getting ready for you baby girl! 

xoxo,

Mrs. DIY 

The Big 20 week ultrasound & Gender Reveal

Last Thursday we got to see our little one together for the first time. At 7 weeks honestly besides a flickering heartbeat {which was enough to blow me away} there wasn't much to to see. The nerves were real leading up to our appointment, but the second we saw that perfect little profile on the screen, the ultrasound became a sacred time of getting to know our child just a tiny bit more. I awkwardly craned my neck to get the best possible view of the back and white images rolling across the screen. Glancing over at Weston every couple of minutes I could sense the awe in his eyes. We saw squirmy arms & legs, intricately perfect fingers and toes, spine and skull. What a miracle that just months ago this same creation was just beginning to grow?! 

As the anatomy scan came to a close the ultrasound tech said "I'm guessing you want to know the gender?" We both eagerly replied "Yes!" and instead of announcing the news she said "Well I haven't seen anything this whole time". Great. 

Over the next hour our magical experience turned tense and stressful as I was flipped side to side on the bed, sent to the bathroom, practically stood on my head to try to get this little one to cooperate. The baby was breech with thighs clenched and legs crossed making it difficult to get the view they needed. The ultrasound tech finally brought in a coworker to give it a try, and after another 10 minutes of tricks and position changes we all congregated in the small room with one picture on the screen. I had no idea what we were looking at.

"Do you know what that is?"

"No.." By this time I was sweaty and frustrated and just wanted them to tell us.

"Did you say anything to them yet?" a lovely conversation started between the techs as if we weren't in the room. "No, I haven't said anything yet, should I tell them?"

*Hello? Yes! Please tell us!* I was thinking.

"It's the three lines, it's a girl!"

"Are you sure? Can we tell people?  There's no way it can be a boy?" The whole process of getting to this point didn't necessarily make me feel confident about the gender reveal we had planned for our families the next night. 

"We're sure! Well that's all. You're done." And that was that. We had outstayed our welcome and their office hours. Weston and I walked out of the building dazed after an hour and a half in a little dark room, confused about what had just happened, and just downright grumpy. I hate to admit it, but that's the "keeping it real" truth. We were thrilled with the thought of a healthy baby girl, but our expectations of how we would come to that knowledge were nowhere near met. We left doubting how confident they were and second guessing if we could even have a gender reveal. 

The rest of the evening went something like this. Trying to laugh it off which quickly became tears on the way home. Getting home to look at the ultrasound pictures only to find they had given us a blank CD. Lots more tears. Deciding the party was off. Talking to my sister on the phone which gave me a ray of clarity and a few less tears. Calling the hospital to request another CD. Getting confirmation that the doctors agreed with the gender based on the photos. Relief. Deciding the party was happening after all. Happiness. Pinterest binge of all things baby girl. 

I blame the hormones. 

Looking back now I feel selfish and silly for getting so emotional over unmet expectations, when the bottom line was we had a perfectly healthy baby girl that we got the chance to see.

The next night we had family over, my very talented friend made us the cutest cake that we used to reveal the gender. It was the perfect way to celebrate and dwell on the blessing that is about to enter our lives. But I guess that's the beauty of life. Ups and downs and a series of expectations that are either met or not, and learning over and over again that expectations are a dangerous thing that can put a damper on perfectly precious moments. I have a tendency of falling into that rut. Then there's my husband who is a go-with-the-flow trooper. Through it all, he is so supportive and encouraging. Sure enough I come to the realization over and over again that the way things happen are beautiful in their own way and better than any "should have beens".

We are so thankful. We can't wait to meet you baby girl! 

xoxo,

Mrs. Thankful 

{20 weeks}

Halfway. How did we get here so fast? This was a big week of milestones and I'm feeling little kicks and flutters more often and obvious. Every day I feel like I have a new sense of what is happening in my body and every day I feel a stronger connection to the little human in there. It was a struggle for me at first, and I found myself feeling guilty for "forgetting" I was pregnant at times, but that is why pregnancy lasts 9 months my friends. These things take time. Speaking of things taking time we finally had our 20 week ultrasound today. Baby was healthy and active but very stubborn when it came to revealing its gender. After an hour and a half appointment we finally left with a verdict. Tomorrow is our gender reveal so my lips are sealed until then! 

Yes I celebrated accordingly. Ben and Jerrys half baked for my half baked babe. 

xoxo,

Mrs. Mama in the making 

DIY: Essential Oil {anti-stretch mark} Belly Butter

Ever since I took the leap of ordering a Young Living starter kit last June, I've been loving the journey of learning and using essential oils in my day to day life. Most recently, I've been researching how they can be used during pregnancy. I'm lucky to have knowledgable friends who have taught me the ropes of this new realm of healthy living. Today I made a little homemade belly butter to help prevent stretch marks during my pregnancy. I know genetics and gradual weight gain are the two main factors that determine if they show up or not, but there are most definitely benefits to keeping my skin healthy, nourished and hydrated! Even if it helps minimize or fade the ones genetics may give me I'll be happy! 

Recipie 

1/2 cup organic coconut oil 

1 cup base lotion {I used shea butter with vitamin E in it}

7 drops grapefruit essential oil 

5 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops frankincense essential oil

I melted the coconut oil in a glass bowl added the essential oils **I just made up the ratio of drops based on what I wanted for the scent. All three of these essential oils are known for their skin healing and rejuvenating benefits** then whipped in the base lotion. As it cools the coconut oil will solidify. I reused an old candle jar to hold my finished product !

Disclaimer: always use glass when handling of storing essential (especially citrus ones) since they are so powerful they will break down plastic. 

xoxo,

Mrs. Beginner Oiler 

Valentine's Day & 16 week bumpdate

After this weekend, I can't help but be filled with lots of love for life right now. This weekend was so "normal" and that's what I loved most about it. I know culturally, there is so much commercializations around Valentine's Day and pressure from all sides for extravagant expressions of love. Don't get me wrong, I love flowers and hearts and chocolate but the bottom line is: I just want to feel thought of and loved, as well as show that I think of and love Weston. He did a great job of that, like he does throughout the year.

Earlier in the week I got a surprise delivery of roses and chocolate, and was told that reservations were made for us for dinner Saturday night. I worked Wednesday through Friday so I was thankful when Saturday rolled around. We spent the morning sleeping in, Weston made a delicious breakfast, we watched some CMT music videos (a favorite morning activity of ours  when were home together on weekends) then tackled our to-do list. Yes, we spent a majority of Valentine's day dusting, cleaning, organizing, vacuuming, filing bills and getting a head start on taxes. Just working together and being productive made for the best day. Then Weston made Mac&cheese with hot dogs slices in it for lunch (a recent & frequent  craving of mine) and we did some nursery and home improvement brainstorming and shopping. We got dressed up and went out for a nice dinner and were home by 7pm to watch the NBA all-star events. Not a glamorous Valentine's Day, yet definitely  one of my favorites yet.

Baby also decided to pop a little just for the occasion! I still feel more bloated than bumpin most days, but I'm thankful for a healthy babe and healthy body. I have been feeling great and noticing increasing energy every week. I invested in and started wearing an amazing pair of maternity jeans from H&M. Despite the crazy vivid dreams I  still love my sleep and am debating the investment in a "pregnancy pillow" more and more every night since I'm a belly sleeper by nature and now confined to my sides. I will say that for that reason our memory foam mattress topper was probably one of the best investments I've ever made. I've still been craving anything salty, red meat, strawberries and oranges, and any kind of cooked veggie. I can't believe next month we'll have our big anatomy ultrasound  find out if this little one is a boy or girl! We both have boy gut feelings and all of my friends and family have said the same.Time will tell!

xoxo,
Mrs. Feeling Loved