baby book

One of my favorite things that I have done for my boys is their baby books. I know it's a running joke among most parents that they kept up with it for their first child and each subsequent kid got less and less when it came to the baby book. I'm a little proud that I have managed to keep up with Gideon and Nolan's, at least for the first year of their lives. And now I get to start on Lincoln's.

I'm so sentimental when it comes to physical things. I remember grabbing everything out of the hospital room before we took Gideon home because it all felt so special. Every bracelet we wore, his hat, blanket, bassinet name tag. I took it all. And I glued those suckers in his baby book. I love having it to look back on now.

I had this baby book on our registry for Lincoln and a sweet friend gifted it to us.  The fabric cover and beautifully done pages are incredible.  I love filling it out with stories of pregnancy and birth and I know I will be so grateful to have it in the future.

One of my favorite things in each of their baby books is their birth announcement. Gone are the days of announcing a baby in the newspaper, which is really sad for this Journalism major. But, we have such a fun alternative in printed birth announcements to mail out to family and friends. Tiny Prints has beautiful ones specific for gender or neutral. If you haven't figured out that I love paper goods then you haven't been reading my blog for very long. I love how sturdy these are and am glad I will have them forever tucked away in these books.

I've heard people say that they don't think their kids will care about the baby book when they are older, but I have always viewed the baby book as something for myself.  Yes, I think they will enjoy looking at them down the road, but in all honesty I think I will be the one who keeps them and pulls them out to ugly cry amidst the prom dates and college packing.  Do your future self a favor and write just a few things down that you don't want to forget about these stages.  Print a birth announcement to look back at and save the little treasures that you never want to lose.  It is so worth it.

Here are some things that make it easier:
+ I do monthly photos and keep them organized on Instagram with a hashtag.  Then around their first birthday I use a site like this to print them out and put into their book.  It makes it easier to do all at once.
+ Washi tape is your friend.  It makes it quick and easy {and un-messy} to put things into the book and brings another fun aspect to the pages.
+ Write little things down throughout the month or keep a running note in your phone of "firsts" like smiles, clapping, steps and the dates they happened so that you can go back later to fill in the baby book.  You probably have your phone more accessible.


*birth announcements were provided by TinyPrints

A birth story: Lincoln Asher

Lincoln Asher

April 10, 2017 | 3:24 pm

7 pounds 9 ounces | 20 inches

We knew from the beginning that our due date was going to be a hectic and crazy time for our family.  We originally said we could not have a baby around Easter, but God chuckled and we found out that sweet baby was coming while on our anniversary trip to New York City.

Early on we discussed planning an induction for early the week of Easter.  Most people probably think we are ridiculous, but I wanted to do it more than anything.  This was the first Easter for our church plant and I wanted Taylor to be there more than anything.  This is what he was called to do and Easter is the biggest opportunity of the year for new people to walk through those doors.  I didn't want him stressed about me going into labor.  I also was induced with both previous births so it wasn't new to me.  I felt calm knowing what to expect and my body has responded positively every time.

At 35 weeks, one of my awesome doctors let me go ahead and schedule.  So it was all set for Monday, April 10.  My favorite doctor (who also delivered Nolan) was on for that day and it was early enough in the week that we felt comfortable having him then.

Several times leading up, I thought I wouldn't make it to that day.  But every OB appointment brought disappointment as I was barely dilated and not progressing throughout the weeks.  My last appointment they said I was finally at 2 cm.

Monday, April 10.  They didn't need me to come to the hospital until 8 am.  I really loved that I got to see my big boys before heading in.  My parents were already in town so before we left the house we held hands and prayed over the day.  I held my Nolan's hand and then watched him clap excitedly as we all cheered, knowing he had zero clue what was happening.

Checking in to the hospital was smooth and quick.  I signed a few papers and they put me in a room to check my dilation (same as my last appointment) and to make a game plan.  Surprisingly, the unit had several other women laboring (I was the only one with Nolan) and it filled up completely throughout the day.

My sweet doctor came in and asked if I wanted her to go ahead and break my water.  I immediately said yes knowing that this was necessary for my body to progress as proven by my previous births.  She broke my water and gave me the option to wait and see if my body labored on its own or to start pitocin.  I opted for pitocin.  I was ready to meet my baby.  She asked if I was planning an epidural and I told her no.  I had done it once before and knew deep inside I could again.

We turned on HGTV which seems to be my laboring channel preference and watched some fun flip shows while we waited for the pitocin to be raised each half hour.  My mom said she didn't think I could be in labor because I was being too funny.  I was surprised at the amount of fluid (seemed way more this time) from my water breaking and kept joking that this baby was just going to float on out.

Around 11 am I told Taylor that the contractions were getting stronger and I really wanted him to go ahead and eat so he could be there when it got bad.  He ran across the street and picked up some McDonald's.  It smelled amazing while he and my mom ate so I asked the nurse if I could chew on some ice (just because I need something to do). She said I could even have a popsicle which ended up tasting incredible.  I felt some renewed energy as the contractions got stronger and stronger and opted to move to the the birthing ball to rock for a bit.

Soon after, my sister arrived.  I had invited her months ago to be there.  She had to miss both my other boys births and ended up being sick while our other sister gave birth in October.  I knew this was my last baby and wanted to give her the chance to be there.

I used the bathroom and then chose to get back in the bed due to ridiculous amounts of fluid everywhere and the monitor not being in a good place to pick up baby's heart rate.  Not long after, the contractions got very strong.  I was torn between calling for my doctor to check me.  I wanted to know, but also feared not being very progressed and getting hit with a sense of disappointment.  I mentally was stalling myself throughout the day, scared of the hurdles I knew I still had to jump to get this baby here.

We called for my doctor and she said I was at a 6.  That was encouraging as not much time had passed.  The pitocin was set at an 8 and we decided to leave it there as the contractions were horrendously painful and obviously working.  We turned the tv off and I asked Taylor to turn on the Hillsong worship album I had on my phone.

Things got truly emotional for me at this point.  Taylor sat on my bed and held my hand as the mountains climbed.  He reminded me to breathe and I closed my eyes listening to the words of the music while I huffed through each one.

"Holy is the Lord revealed before my eyes

And my burdened heart can scarcely take it in

As I behold your beauty with unworthy eyes

The only song my soul can find to sing

Is Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah my King"

These lyrics filled the room and tears filled my eyes as I felt the pain and knew the enormity of what I was experiencing.  We kept joking with my nurse all day that all of the ladies in the unit were going to end up delivering at the same time.  Not long after this, we heard the cries of a baby nearby and I lost it, letting the tears roll.

I alternated squeezing Taylor's hand, the bed rail, and chewing on ice.  As I started moaning through contractions and wanting more than anything to scream, Taylor fiercely reminded me not to let myself get there yet.  I asked them to push the call button and yelled into the speaker that I needed to be checked.

Dr. Norton came in and calmly checked. Telling me I was an 8 and progressing well.  She showed Taylor where to push on my back to relieve some pressure and it felt amazing.  I labored like that for a while.  As each contraction hit, longer and closer together, Taylor pushed on my back.  The nurse began rolling carts of supplies in my room and my mom and sister encouraged me saying that meant it was almost time to push.  "They don't bring that in unless you're close."






I got louder and again asked for my doctor.  She said I was definitely a 9 pretty much 10 and thinned all the way.  She asked if I would like to try and push or wait.  I asked her what she thought and she said she thought he would come.  The room filled with people as they got ready.  With the next contraction I began to push.  With each push I held my breath and gave it my all.  It hurt more than I remembered with my other boys.  Everyone rang encouragements on me as I screamed through my pushes.  I distinctly remember Taylor whispering prayers in my ear. "Lord, give her strength."

My eyes were closed as I heard everyone yelling, "His head is out!! You're almost there."  But, the pain didn't stop and I didn't feel relief like I did with the other boys.  My mom heard the doctor say baby had a compound shoulder or arm (which I still really don't know what that means), but baby was half way out and just stuck there.  I felt so much pain and kept yelling things like "holy hell" and "get him out!"

According to my mom and Taylor, my doctor practically stuck her whole hand inside to help his shoulder out.  I felt every tiny bit of it.

At 3:24, after only 14 minutes of pushing (but what felt like an hour), Lincoln Asher was laid on my chest and I cried.  And cried.  And cried.  I was so relieved that I had done it and so happy that he was here.  He screamed for a few seconds and then was content on my chest.  I looked at Taylor and emphatically told him we were done having babies!  And then immediately asked if he was indeed a boy!  (We had been joking about it really being a girl since we had only one ultrasound and the tech said his legs were crossed).

I was so excited that he had a head full of dark hair.  I was hoping so and knew it was possible with how bad my indigestion had been.  My doctor delivered the placenta and then had to push vigorously on my uterus as not all of the membrane had come out.  It hurt terribly and then of course came a few stitches (she said it was a tiny tear, but would feel best with a stitch or two).

I told Taylor later that if Nolan's pushing had been like Lincoln's we probably would not have had another baby.  It was a very intense experience.

Lincoln was weighed and measured.  Seven pounds nine ounces.  Right in the range with my small babes.  My sister took photos (all day for us!) and I nursed him before my dad brought the big boys in.  Nolan was not sure about me being in the hospital bed and spent the hour they were there completely ignoring that Lincoln was even in the room.  A hard adjustment for sure. (Day two was better and he gave some kisses and tried to strangle hold him which in Nolan land is love).  Gideon wanted to hold him non-stop and kept trying to take him from anyone else who held him.

It's emotional for me that this phase of my life is now over.  We know that we are done biologically having any more kids.  While I didn't always enjoy pregnancy, I am grateful for the experiences I had and for the ability to carry so many babes inside (even those who I don't hold Earth-side) and to give birth to my three boys.

Lincoln Asher, you have made our family so happy and I wouldn't trade you for a million girls.

Robe: c/o Shop PinkBlush  This was amazing to have post-delivery and made me feel somewhat put together while being great to nurse in.

Boy number three

Well, it is boy number three for our family.  I still can't believe that A. we are halfway through this pregnancy and B. that it is a boy!

Everything about this pregnancy has been a surprise from the get-go.  We had started the conversation of when to start trying for a third and ultimately concluded that then was just not the best time.  And low and behold, our first morning on our solo trip to New York City in August, I took a test and two lines appeared.  Taylor said he should have known when I demanded jalapenos on my nachos at the Yankees game the night before.

God has definitely used our journey through pregnancy and becoming parents to constantly help me learn my downfall in trying to make my own plans on my own timing.  With both of our older boys that meant having to wait for them.  Months of prayers and loss and questioning.  This time God threw this little one at us at a time we declared wasn't right.  During our discussion of when to start trying, Taylor said we just couldn't have a baby around Easter since that will be such a busy time for him in our first year with the church plant.  After getting the positive test, I calculated my due date and it was later confirmed that our sweet boy number three is due on GOOD FRIDAY.  Hello, Easter weekend.

And to round out the surprises, I never in all my life thought I would be a mother to THREE boys.  My tribe of little men.  I don't even know where to start, but I know He has big plans in placing these three wild ones in our care.

We are so excited to meet this little one and to watch our boys grow up together.  There is nothing better than brothers.

dairy-free life

He loves his dairy-free smoothie

I've had a bunch of questions about surviving a year of dairy-free eating in order to continue nursing. This is the second time I have done this (although it was much shorter the first time) and I think I found a better rhythm and way of eating this time.  So I thought I would share for others who are experiencing the same issues which is extremely common in babies.

Breakfast:
The most important thing is to read labels on things you are buying.  So start there.  If it contains dairy it will say "contains: milk."  So check that first.  I ate a bunch of cereal (granola, Cheerios, etc) and put almond milk in it.  Oatmeal is another good option.  We ate scrambled or hard boiled eggs, fruit, and I would find muffin mixes or pancake mixes without dairy and make them with almond milk (they were really good with Vanilla almond milk). Also, I recently found that Silk makes a dairy-free yogurt and it is amazing (great to use in smoothies with almond milk!).  I found it at Publix where we do a majority of our shopping. I don't drink coffee, but I have seen Silk creamers too. And of course, bacon, sausage, etc.

Lunch:
I will be the first to admit that I can happily eat the same thing over and over and over again.  So, I'm sorry if you are a person who needs variety, but for lunch I often ate very similar things each day.  I made sandwiches (make sure bread is dairy-free) with Boar's head turkey (low sodium, so Nolan eats it now too and loves it!).  Skip the cheese on the sandwich, but add mayo (which is dairy-free, yay!), mustard, pickles, tomatoes, etc.  I usually had a side of fruit and then some sort of chip (kettle cooked potato chips are a good option, pretzels, chex mix;just make sure it isn't cheddar, almonds).  Peanut butter is also dairy-free so use it how you like.  Hummus is good with pita chips, salad with honey mustard (I put honey mustard on everything!!)

Dinner:
Here is where it gets tricky.  Especially when our whole family isn't dairy-free.  I would make dinner dairy-free and place cheese or butter on the table for Taylor to use if he wanted (on baked potatoes, bread, cheese for burgers, etc). So I'll just list a bunch of stuff we rotated through!
Meatloaf
Baked potatoes (I put honey mustard on mine, or used Smart Balance dairy-free butter)
Burgers with no cheese (most frozen fries are good to go, just check the labels)
Hot dogs
Pork chops
Bake or grill chicken (we marinate in Italian dressing usually and sometimes just put it over salad)
White wine chicken over pasta
Spaghetti with no cheese (make meatballs without cheese or bread crumbs)
Chili no cheese (we make a white chicken chili and a regular tomato based with ground beef)
Breakfast for dinner
Tacos (chicken or beef) no cheese
In the summer, we did beef kabobs with veggies on the grill
Shrimp or salmon would be another good option
Stir fry with rice
Pork BBQ

We always have a side of veggies (no butter, usually steamed)

I ate and used guacamole a ton.  It's a great substitute for things I normally liked sour cream on.  It was awesome in chili, on tacos, and just as a snack with chips.  Also salsa.  I wasn't big on using fake cheese, but really loved the Smart Balance dairy-free butter.  Taylor actually liked it better than regular butter and started eating it too.

Out to eat:
Most chain restaurants have nutrition menus that will tell you if something contains dairy.  Or you can ask.  At sit down restaurants I stuck to burgers with no cheese or steak/chicken and just asked that they made sure none of it was cooked in butter.  Also, salads without cheese.  We went to Chick-fil-A a lot and the fries and grilled nuggets are dairy-free.  I found a couple of local pizza places that do not use dairy in their crust so I would order a small with no cheese and whatever toppings I wanted.  It filled my desire for pizza and was fun to be able to order myself something for a family fun night.  Papa John's crust is also dairy-free.  Just be sure to specify that you do not want cheese on it.

Goodies:
I have a huge sweet tooth, so not having milk chocolate was hard.  But, I found some good substitutes.  A bunch of brownie mixes (and cake mixes) don't contain dairy.  Just check the box. Ghiradelli double chocolate brownie mix was my favorite!  A roll of sugar cookie dough is usually dairy-free too.  I found a dairy-free cheesecake at Publix (brand Daiya) that was surprisingly amazing.  Enjoy Life is a brand that makes a bunch of allergen-free foods.  I loved their chocolate chips!  And, to make your day, Girl Scout Thin Mints are dairy-free.

I was looking forward to trying Ben & Jerry's dairy free ice cream that just came out, but it hasn't made it to any stores near us yet!

I'm sure I am forgetting something!  I've heard a lot of people say they would never be able to give up dairy.  Having a sensitive or allergic baby is a huge motivator.  I soon realized the pain he was in and the fussiness that would ensue made the doughnuts and other things just not worth it.  Your stamina and willpower kick in and you just do it. The hardest part is social situations, but just plan ahead and pack your own food if you need to.  You can do it!!

Spring came, my love.

The week after our first miscarriage, I found myself reading Angie Smith's book, I Will Carry You.  Her story through carrying and losing her fourth daughter and how her faith played a role throughout.  I had actually read the book before without really knowing why I was, but I see that the Lord was just preparing me for what we would walk and that I would recall so much from this book to bring comfort.

I posted a photo on Instagram that week of this quote from one of the pages:

"However easy it may be to allow myself to wail over my loss, it is a far more satisfying thing to believe that all of this is a brief season.  The Lord I have placed my trust in tells me that I will see my child again, and while He stands beside me, He weeps.  He doesn't weep at the barren ground, nor does He mourn the browning branches.  He cries because I can't see what He can.  And in the fluttering of the breeze, with my heart pressed to His, I can hear Him whisper, Spring will come, my love."

For the months following that loss, I kept praying for my Spring to come. I kept begging for it.  Make it obvious, Lord.  Where is the Spring?  Then we found ourselves facing loss again and I forgot all about the coming Spring.

I think the strangest thing about loss, and the hardest to explain to others, is that I still hurt.  There are no replacement babies.  Sure, having a baby has taken away a lot of the ache and filled me with joy, but there was still loss.  I still hurt as I watch friends and family walk this same path.  As they feel the bleakness that comes with winter and crave the Spring.

I honestly hadn't given much thought to this quote since that time.  Just last week, as I sat holding my few day old baby boy, with our doors flung wide and the breeze rustling the trees, did I remember the Spring.  I couldn't see what He could.  In the midst of the craziness, Spring showed up.  Literally and figuratively.

And I heard Him whisper... Spring came, my love.

A birth story: Nolan Levi

Nolan Levi

March 3, 2015 | 6:41 pm

7 pounds 3 ounces | 20.5 inches

The end of this pregnancy felt so different from my first with Gideon.  I was feeling tons of contractions and knew that I was progressing more than I had with G.  I had high hopes of going into labor early and having a baby before my due date.  I had Nolan before his due date, but it happened a lot differently than I originally thought.

During one of my last appointments, my midwife scheduled a growth ultrasound because they said Nolan was measuring small.  During the ultrasound the tech said everything looked great and he was just small.  She told me to start wiping the gel off of my belly, but then told me to stop.  She had been calculating his percentages and said his size ended up being in the tenth percent which is when they start needing to check other things.  Long story short, when the doctor walked into the room, she explained that my body was having to work extra hard to pump blood through the cord to the baby and that they wanted to induce in my 39th week to insure that it didn't stop pumping altogether or begin pumping backwards.  So, within the next ten minutes, I was asked to choose a day to meet my baby.  March 3.  It felt right and my favorite doctor was on call, so it was set.

This was a week and a half out and I was still hoping that I would go into labor on my own before.  I was progressed to 3 centimeters and 80 percent effaced which looked great.  I stayed 3 cm and 80 percent effaced that entire time.  No progression from then until I was checked the morning of the induction.

We arrived at the hospital before the sun was up.  I was asked a million questions and got my IV inserted for the pitocin, after one blown vein.  Heart monitor for baby, contraction monitor, and blood pressure cuff.  All the horns and whistles.  I was the only woman there as it is a small, new hospital.  I was asked several times about pain management and asked to sign forms for anesthesia, but I kept telling them that I was hoping to do this naturally this time.  The nurses, techs and my doctor were all very supportive.

After a few minutes, I decided I needed to get up and moving so Taylor and I walked the empty halls while dragging the IV pole behind.  Back and forth.  Back and forth.  Hoping that this was doing something.  My nurse would occasionally stop me and up the dosage of pitocin.  Each time I celebrated, which she said I was the only patient ever to do.  I was ready to meet this boy and knew the higher the dose the faster it would happen.  I also knew that I needed to have my water broken to progress even faster.  I hadn't progressed with Gideon until they broke mine then and I had a feeling it would be the same now.  Unfortunately, my doctor was stuck in the OR so there was no one to do this yet.

The morning and afternoon slowly began to go by.  The pitocin was at the highest dosage they could give me and my doctor was still stuck in the OR.  My nurse felt horrible as she couldn't give me a time frame.  I knew it wasn't anyone's fault, but I was so frustrated.  I was feeling contractions, but they were manageable and I knew they weren't doing much.  Finally around 2:45 in the afternoon, my doctor made it to my room.  I was right, ZERO progression from earlier.  She immediately broke my water and I was ready for the show.  Or so I thought.

Taylor had skipped lunch since he thought we would have had him much earlier in the day.  So, our moms left to go pick him up some food.  I was starving at this point, but assured Taylor I wanted him to eat in the room.  I needed him nearby.  The contractions were picking up and getting super intense.  I had HGTV on to distract my mind.  Each time a contraction hit, I closed my eyes and held onto the bed rails to concentrate.  Taylor hurried through his food and joined me on the bed to hold my hand.  He constantly reminded me to breathe as I often found myself holding my breath.  In through your nose, out through your mouth.  He was entirely too calm.

I was in tons of pain and asked my nurse if I could be checked.  I was praying to be complete, but had a feeling I wasn't.  With Gideon, I had no doubt when it was time to push.  I didn't feel that pressure yet.  My nurse checked me and said I was almost at a 7.  She asked if I wanted to stand in the shower or use a birth ball.  I opted for the birth ball because the thought of being wet did not sound appealing at this point.  I sat and swayed on the ball while laying my head on the bed.  Taylor sat behind me and kneaded my back because it hurt so bad.  He turned on some slower music which helped until a nursery nurse came in to ask me more questions that I was positive I had already answered.  Taylor answered for me while I gave the lady death stares.  Is that really necessary while I'm in the MIDDLE OF LABOR?

I was beginning to feel light headed so I decided to get back in the bed before falling on the floor.  This is when everything got beyond intense.  I couldn't stay quiet during contractions anymore and I am pretty sure I almost broke the bed from how hard I was pushing on the rails with each contraction.  HGTV went off and Taylor watched the mountains climb on the paper and continued to coach me through them.  Anytime he stepped a few inches away from me, I freaked.  I needed him right by me and he assured me he wasn't going anywhere.

I begged for my doctor to come check me and she rushed in to do so.  An 8.  In my mind I was freaking out.  Two more centimeters to go.  How in the heck was I going to make it two more centimeters?  For some reason it seemed like it would take forever so I began to second guess my decision to not have an epidural.  My doctor suggested I try a few more things before jumping to pain medication and asked if I could flip over the top of my bed.  I hung over the top while my doctor climbed on the bed and pressed on my back.  She asked me to rock with each contraction.  This was the most painful part of the entire day and in my mind I was breaking.  I groaned through it and after a few minutes told them I needed to pee.  I didn't make it off the bed though and apologized as Taylor helped me to the bathroom.  I could see that the bed was covered in blood.

I sat on the toilet and screamed through another contraction as Taylor held my face and told me to focus.  I looked him in the eyes and told him I HAD to have an epidural.  (He told me later, he knew they wouldn't give me one at this point).  I walked out of the bathroom as they were re-dressing the bed and begged my doctor for an epidural.  She calmly asked me to lay down and be checked and happily told me I was complete.  This was it.  I had made it.

My mom grabbed one leg and Taylor's mom grabbed the other.  Taylor stayed near my head to encourage me.  I was dreading this part, as I had pushed for three hours with Gideon.  It was part of the reason I chose to do it naturally.  I wanted to be able to better feel what I was doing in order to push.

I pushed three times with each contraction.  After two pushes, my doctor said he was blonde and I couldn't believe it.  A few more pushes, but I could feel with each one what I was doing and that it was helping.  Both our moms had tears as they kept encouraging.  I whispered to Taylor to pray that this was my last push.  One more big push and my doctor calmly looked at me and told me I needed to stop pushing for a second.  I had no clue why especially with how much pain I was in, but I stopped.  No one told me until much later, but the cord was around Nolan's neck.  My mom said later that she was really worried because he was so blue.  Taylor said our doctor was so amazing at holding it away from his neck and getting him unwrapped.  (The doctor who delivered him was phenomenal and I would not have made it through the day without her!  She is the reason I chose that day).

After 21 minutes of pushing, with one more big push they laid him on my chest.  That same relief I felt after having Gideon flooded me again and I was overwhelmed with emotions.  I cried and cried and kept saying, You're here.  You're here.  I think with everything we went through with loss and getting pregnant, I couldn't believe he was finally here in my arms.  Nolan let out the biggest cry right away, as if to let us know he was there.

I snuggled him for a while before they took him to get measurements.  We celebrated when they announced he was seven pounds, three ounces.  Bigger than they had estimated he would be.  Already proving them wrong!  I delivered the placenta and was sown up which was a much better experience this time around.

Our moms left the room to meet my dad and Gideon in the waiting room.  My dad had pulled into the parking lot with G at the exact moment that my mom sent him a text to tell him that Nolan was here.  Talk about perfect timing.  I nursed Nolan and Taylor left to get Gideon.  We wanted a few minutes just us as a family of four.

Gideon came in and was instantly interested in everything.  He wanted to know about the baby bassinet and all different things in the room.  Then he saw Nolan in my arms.  We asked if he wanted to touch him, thinking he would just touch his head quick to start warming up, but he leaned in and kissed his brother's head and my heart exploded.  We had a gift for Gideon "from Nolan" and he was so excited about it. He also had a gift for Nolan.  Taylor got G situated on the couch and helped him hold Nolan.  Nothing in the world like seeing that.

It was a completely crazy experience and so different than the one I had with Gideon.  I'm glad and I know that I will never forget the details of either one.  So worth it to have my rainbow baby safely in my arms.

And that's a wrap.

the bump in progress...

15 weeks

20 weeks

25 weeks

30 weeks

35 weeks

40 weeks

Nursery

I love putting a room together.  I wouldn't say I'm super great at it, but I'm always happy with how it turns out.  It's fun to find things and figure out where they should go.  A nursery is no exception and I had so much fun putting together this little room for Nolan.

This is where I am so glad I am having another boy.  I wanted to bring our love for the mountains to our home in the low country.  We used the same furniture we had with Gideon and then added in accessories to make it Nolan's room.  The room is on the smaller side, so I wanted to keep it simple.  The opposite wall from the crib is his closet with tons of space, but not much to see so I left it out.

The only thing I would say is missing is a small table for next to the glider.  I never had one with Gideon and it was a pain while nursing not to have a space to set things.  I'm hoping to thrift one or would love, love, love to make a tree stump table (I have Taylor on a mission to find a good stump for sanding/lacquer).

Sources for things will be below.  If I don't know where it's from, I left it out.

metal "N" // hobby lobby

mountain print // etsy

wooden "N" // anthropologie

wooden tree mobile // etsy

small paper mache deer head (painted by me) // hobby lobby

changing pad cover // ivie baby shop

throw pillow // target