JoaS

Hello! It's been a minute. Maggie has officially been with us for two months now and it is a new year, new decade, new life. My sleep deprived brain stays in a fog much of these days, but I've been knocking around a few ideas for my first postpartum blog post (try saying that three times fast). I hate birth stories. Or I did. They are a tad more palatable with a point of reference, but a strong stomach I have not. Needless to say, I won't be sharing that here. Or anywhere. If you ask for details I can give them, but I'll start gagging a little when I get to the part about the second (yes, second) epidural, so consider yourself forewarned. In short, it was twelve and a half hours full of many surprises and firsts, ending with the most beautiful baby girl I've ever seen and a room full of new besties. I will share what I wish I had taken to the hospital with me. It's not a huge list, and I won't be sharing one of those fun ...

With only about two weeks left before Maggie arrives, I thought I'd share some photos of the completely finished nursery! It took quite some time to launder and organize all the clothes and blankets. We were simply blown away by the generosity of our community, friends, and family. We are more than set with baby gear and little Margaret Elizabeth should not want for attention or love, that's for sure. Leftover shower decor makes for pretty cute nursery decor, if you ask me. The OG Margaret Elizabeth (my 93 year old great aunt) gifted Maggie this beautiful silver rattle with her name engraved on each end. I know it will be a cherished keepsake. Every child also needs a globe, in my opinion, to dream about and discover faraway places. This one happened to be Michael's as a child. My brother painstakingly hand cut each of the letters to make this beautiful pennant banner for our baby shower, and I promised we would keep it forever! It looks fantastic and...

Gratitude is a pretty powerful tool. Lately, the heat has made being pregnant increasingly more uncomfortable and, to be honest, the medical bills and little extra costs add up and eclipse most of our disposable income. It's been a pretty rough and hot July. A little pregnancy update: I'm well into the second trimester and was feeling so much better and so happy to have escaped the nausea of the first trimester, until a few weeks ago. The heat (or something) seemed to come out of nowhere and now I find it very difficult to catch my breath, often getting lightheaded and/or having dizzy spells. I've also been getting sick for the first time. First trimester nausea stuck with me pretty much all day and kept me on my toes, wondering and half expecting an episode. This nausea comes out of nowhere like a ton of bricks and strikes without warning. Hard. I was not prepared for this and it has made life a little more unpredictable. (That being said, it has in no way diminish...

I try to post once a month, consistently, more if I have something worth sharing. This is the first post for April because IT'S A BIG ONE! And I couldn't share before. But now I can, so here you go: On top of learning the meaning of "sanctuary" this year--untainted and reliable--I've also been made a literal sanctuary--a place of refuge or safety. 2019 is officially the year we become a family of four! Margaret Elizabeth Hardee is scheduled to arrive in November 2019, and for obvious reasons this has eclipsed the vast majority of my thoughts, energy, and time. I literally could not think of anything else to blog about because our little gummy bear has pretty much eclipsed our lives already but it was all pretty hush hush until now. The beginning was the most difficult, but things are sort of settling now. My food aversions are STRONG. And ever changing. It's very difficult on a tight grocery budget, but will be very worth it in the long run. I...