My blog has been a little silent recently, but I have a really great 7-pound-11-ounce reason, you guys!  On the 4th of July our daughter Joie Flannery made her debut.  It took me a long time to write and have the nerve to publish Rowan’s birth story from 2+ years ago, but — as I said then and even know to be truer now -- reading birth stories while pregnant was really helpful for me personally. So sharing this topic is important to me. 

Birth is a CRAZY thing, y’all. It’s insane how it can even be possible and how *differently* it happens with each mother and each baby.  I expected things to go similarly (or at least partially the same) as Rowan’s birth, so I was really surprised with how unique it was. ​
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​And cue the DISCLAIMER: This is a natural birth story that went the way I was hoping… which is not how all births go.  I hope this journal is encouraging for anyone fearing birth or wanting a natural birth to know that sometimes it CAN go just as you plan and hope.  I also don’t like for people to call me a hero-mom for having a natural birth… All moms are heroes for undergoing the most life-altering experience that exists. Those who endure complications should get way more props than me.  I’m a proponent of being patient and trusting God with your birth — and then (when 100% necessary) welcoming the help from modern medicine when it’s needed. ​​

This past weekend, my sisters-in-law threw me a baby "sprinkle" that -- as I mentioned in my last baby sprinkle post -- is pretty hard for people to actually do when a new baby is involved.  It was probably more accurate to say we got drenched and showered with baby girl goodies. 

They reserved Studio Bham which is such a great spot to have a bridal or baby shower.  It's just the right intimate size while also being open and having all the set up items you need.  I'm always a big fan of how events turn out there. 

The "baby in bloom" theme was right up my alley and perfect for spring .. lots of flowers (wrist corsage by Gold Leaf Floral), greenery, potted succulents for game prizes + herb and flower seeds for favors. 

If you're wondering why my blog has been a little quiet the past month or two... I've got some pretty good excuses like morning sickness, sleepiness, and extreme irritability! Ha! We are finally about to start our home addition (after months and months), and it will literally come *just* in time for our other addition that's on the way -- due July 1, 2017.

That pea of an ultrasound is a few months old, so I'm really looking forward to our half-way ultrasound in a few weeks.  Right before Christmas, we got the call about healthy chromosomes + the baby's gender, so we had an exciting Christmas day surprising our families. 

Today I sit here baffled by the fact that I'm about to have a two year old. Around this time two years ago, I was having not just one but THREE amazing baby showers from the end of August to the beginning of September. Mainly that was due to having giant families... but still! Yesterday I stumbled across these gorgeous pictures taken by the endlessly talented Morgan Trinker -- photographer, expert home-remodeler, and (as you can see) President of Flawless Parties.

Today is National Donut Day... which made me think of this incredibly fun baby shower (or "baby sprinkle") that we had the privilege of throwing this spring.  One of the main reasons I love events is because each one is tailored specifically to the honored guest, and celebrating what makes that person unique is a really fun experience to me. 

One thing that the honored mama, Kelly, loves is donuts!  Now this was also supposed to be a baby "sprinkle" since it was for baby girl numero dos, until all the ladies got a little carried away with all the baby things... But besides that, we were going for a "sprinkle" which made the color palette of a sprinkled donut an easy choice.  Also, Kelly chose a gorgeous floral print from Little Unicorn for the nursery so we wanted to incorporate that, too!

Back when I wrote about my natural birth story, I also wanted to post about the process of packing for the hospital -- which for some reason seemed monumental as a first-time mom. I'm pretty sure it's just one bag and you aren't going to Africa!  I didn't get around to it, but all of my friends being pregnant and now visiting all of the new, little bundles at the hospital reminded me of it.

Around the 8th month of being pregsie, I realized that this hospital visit was really going down.  I really would've preferred a birthing center or a glamping-birth in a magical forest, but since some of that isn't available in Alabama and since I know that birth complications do happen and woodland animals are no real help, I opted for the unmedicated hospital birth plan. Having the bag planned out is one thing you have control over, I suppose, so thinking about this kind of trivial thing made me feel better as I stared the great unknown in the face!

So I hit pinterest... And what did I find? Hospital check-lists with a zillion and a half items! No lie, one list includes a power strip... A POWER STRIP!  I'm sorry, but unless you are married to Tom Haverford who needs to plug in his massage chair and the DJ Roomba charger, why would you need to bring that?

But yet all of the "oh, the hospitals have everything you need" comments meant NOTHING to me! So here is what I personally thought were the most essential TOP 10 hospital bag items.

 When you have the cutest and most talented friends in the world, planning a squeal-worthy baby shower is pretty much the easiest thing you've ever done.  And I say "pretty much" because let's be real, we are still talking about trying to plan a baby shower with a bunch of women, and is that EVER the easiest thing EVER? haha!  My amazing bff-sister-in-law (yes, that's a term) is expecting TWIN GIRLS in just a couple of months, so if you're wondering why all of the Nashville baby stores are out of baby shoes and tutus, this is why.  To celebrate the occasion, we planned a Sugar & Spice and Everything Twice shower with a peach and pumpkin theme, and it was so sweet.

When I was pregnant, one of the most helpful things for me to attempt to mentally prepare for a tiny human exiting my body was to watch birth documentaries (The Business of Being Born, The Science of Babies) and birth stories on YouTube.  I've been asked about my natural birth story and have recalled some details to friends, but posting a public account of all the gory details is not what I'm dying to do. 
Even right now I'm about to back out of posting this... ha! 
But alas, since reading these things really helped me, I'm going to try to tell my tale without hitting TMI code-red. Be forewarned that if you are not currently pregnant or thinking about being, you probably will not care about this post at all. 
Okay, disclaimers done!