This morning I was working on a little collage of “9 Months In vs. 9 Months out” of my husband and I with our baby girl. While I was looking at that picture of Hunter and I standing in our nursery, ready to go on our last date night as a family of 2, I reflected on what my feelings were that night. The next day we would go into the hospital to begin my induction, on our due date. I remember feeling so nervous, but also relieved that we would finally be having our baby and that I wouldn’t wonder if every little cramp was labor.
I remember being nervous, lying in bed, uncomfortable, wondering what the next 48 hours would bring. Thinking of what it would be like to bring our baby home and being a family. I was nervous, very nervous, about the induction and the hospital stay. I was nervous for the kind of world and country we would be bringing our daughter into. I was nervous for the kind of people she would eventually have to meet. It’s a crazy, beautiful, exciting world we live in, but still scary and messy. I can’t protect her forever, but at least when she’s still inside me I have a better chance. I remember being nervous for her going to school and her first boyfriend. I remember thinking of when she has her first fight with her best friend. I thought of her growing up and not wanting me to snuggle her anymore, or thinking her mom is annoying. I thought about her becoming a big sister someday. Wondering if I had everything ready and if I was prepared. I remember feeling nervous and scared and restless. But I also remember the excitedness. The jitters of excitement when I thought of bringing her home and showing her the adorable nursery we worked so hard on. I remember being excited about introducing her to our dog, Harley. I remember being excited to introduce her to all of the special people in her life. I was excited to think about all the trips we would take and the travels around the world together. I remember being confident in the work Hunter and I had done with our home to be ready for a baby. I was confident that Hunter would be an amazing father and would provide for us. I was confident that the hospital we were going to would be ready and we would have an easy birth and stay. I was confident in my doctor and that she would make the right decisions for us. I remember praying, rambling on and on to our God. Praying that I would be a good mom and make the right decisions for our family. Praying that one day, God would put the perfect boy in her life, like he did for me. Praying that she has friends like mine, who help her grow. I remember going to sleep thanking the Lord that I was healthy and that my pregnancy was healthy. I remember thanking God that I was able to go full-term and that my baby girl looked healthy. Through all the nervousness, I was thankful, happy, and excited. I went to sleep praising God for this ability to bring a baby into the world and for choosing me to bring this baby, our baby, into our home. I remember finding peace in our God that he would do what is right for us and our family. Feeling at peace that he has already written my life, Hunter’s life, and Thea’s. He has written the lives of any other future babies we may have. Our God is perfect, and he does not make mistakes. We will never be perfect, but I am thankful our God is forgiving. I am thankful our God is amazing and gives us these miracles of life. Today as Thea turns 9 months old, I am nothing but thankful. For Hunter, for our home, for our family and friends. Thankful God chose me to be Thea’s mama and that He chose Hunter to be her daddy. Thankful for the opportunities He gives us and the joy He provides. I sit here watching Thea bounce away in her bouncer, not a care in the world, healthy, and happy as can be. Giggling and babbling, saying “mama” and “dada”. And all I can do is smile.
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There are so many new and exciting things on the market for parents and babies, and I have definitely tried A LOT of them! But a few really stood out to me as, “I am so glad we have this!” and “If I didn’t have this, I would’ve struggled with ___!”. So, I wanted to share the Top 6 Items That Got Us Through the First 6 Months. (In no particular order!) I will also include links to find these items!
*this is my personal experience and opinion only* #1: The Doona Car Seat + Stroller This car seat + stroller combo is AMAZING! It is an infant car seat but has wheels that drop down to become a stroller. It is compact enough to travel easily and can be used without the base in ubers, taxis, and airplanes. This is great for every occasion; grab the seat out of the vehicle, drop the wheels down, and go! https://www.shopdoona.com/pages/doona-car-seat-stroller #2: Owlet Sock + Camera The Owlet sock is such a great peace of mind for new parents! I was always that person when babysitting that would constantly check to see if the baby was okay, even when I knew they were. This is great as it sends alerts to the main base and to your phone if baby’s heart bpm spikes or drops and if the oxygen levels drop. The camera also goes to your phone on the same screen at the vitals and has a two way talk and listen feature. https://owletcare.com/products/owlet-monitor-duo #3: Infantino Baby Carrier Thea lives in this carrier (if she isn’t in the car seat) when we are out and about. It’s super comfy and easy to put on and take off, plus it hugs baby just right. It’s also sleek enough to put on and wear a jacket over top when it gets chilly. It packs nicely and is machine washable! https://www.target.com/p/infantino-together-pull-on-knit-carrier/-/A-77523330#lnk=sametab #4: Best Diaper Bag Ever I didn’t start with this diaper bag and I wish I would have! We got this before our first road trip, and it has been amazing. It’s huge with just the right amount of space and inside pockets. The outside has a large zipper and when you undo it, a whole bassinet pops out! There are expanding poles to zip into the sides to keep it stable and a little arch to hang toys overhead. It comes with straps to wear it as a backpack or on your shoulder, and a protective, waterproof cinch bag. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07WMP1HVV?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2_dt_b_product_details #5: Velcro Swaddles My little girl loved to be swaddled to sleep so these were a total must-have! She slept through the night by 6 weeks old and I don’t think that would have been the case if she didn’t sleep in these. Once the baby can roll over, the swaddles are not safe so we switched to a Baby Merlin Magic Sleep Suit, which has also been great, so I will link that as well! https://www.target.com/p/swaddleme-original-swaddle-wrap-newborn-s-m-3pk/-/A-81316086?preselect=52731934#lnk=sametab https://www.amazon.com/Baby-Merlins-Magic-Sleepsuit-Microfleece/dp/B00WRM0HX4/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1M16WB6KKEB6N&dchild=1&keywords=magic+merlin+sleepsuit&qid=1619487285&s=baby-products&sprefix=mag%2Cbaby-products%2C240&sr=1-5 #6: Hatch Sound Machine + Light I was a little bit skeptical about this one at first but had watched kids who had it. I thought it was cool but didn’t understand the hype until I did some research and got one myself. This sound machine has so many options for sounds and the volume range is huge. It also is a light so you can dim and brighten it to your liking, plus there are all different colors. It is connected to your phone so you can turn the light up from there or change the sound. Also, I am planning to use this as a toddler bed training method, since you can set timers and light changes, you can have the light turn red at night with one sound and then green in the morning with a different sound to let the child know they can get out of bed. I haven’t had experience with this yet but that’s my thought process! Also, you can touch it to turn it on and off which is so helpful when you have your hands full with a sleeping baby. https://www.amazon.com/Hatch-Baby-Night-Light-Machine/dp/B06XMRCC94/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=hatch+machine&qid=1619487236&s=baby-products&sr=1-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyM0pHOElIWk1JNVlQJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMTc0MzQyMUdBNFVXRDhBTEMwRSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNDIwMTE0MVlSQUJaSjNTQU5YUyZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= Bonus Product for Breastfeeding Mamas: Medela Nipple Shield This was one of those things I thought were for women who wanted to use them, and it was just a choice or preference, so I didn’t have any when Thea was born. She was having a hard time latching and nothing was really working so the nurse gave us one to try out, and it worked perfectly, she took right to it! I went and bought probably 8-10 of them after that and just started leaving them around the house, in diaper bags, and purses so I had one when I needed it. I was worried it would be hard to wean her from it, but she did it all on her own when she was ready. This was an absolute lifesaver for our breastfeeding journey! It saved us from a lot of stress and frustration. If you are having similar issues, I highly, highly recommend these! https://www.amazon.com/Medela-Available-Different-Versions-Hospitals/dp/B077962FZH?pd_rd_w=NCKMo&pf_rd_p=c4085173-f058-4953-ae5c-65d9590cc2d0&pf_rd_r=3BPKHYQX8AP8QPK5X4C7&pd_rd_r=4cce7742-11bc-407c-98bd-d972f67fe92e&pd_rd_wg=jyfny&pd_rd_i=B077962FZH&psc=1&ref_=pd_bap_d_rp_71_t Today was a long day. A great day, but very long. I always love the way my days start. I typically put baby in bed with me when I wake up so she wakes up next to me, I love to see her excitement. We have a slow morning and get lunch ready. In the afternoon, the nap doesn’t seem to happen as easily as usual. Teething has been rough, and I hate that I can’t do more to help. We sneak in 15-30 minute naps, but not much longer than that. In between changing the laundry and dirty diapers, short feeds and quick naps, the afternoon drags on. I make supper plans with friends to do a quick catch up while bouncing a tired baby.
Bedtime is getting closer as night time comes. Baby girl loves the night time and starts to come alive with her new found voice and wiggles. We play and sing and soak up all the happy-baby time. Before I know it, midnight rolls around and it really, really needs to be time for some much needed sleep, but that's easier said than done. 15, 20, 25, 30… 45 minutes go by and you’re starting to lose hope, but finally a quiet sleep falls over her face and relief washes over you and it’s finally time to relax. As you lie in bed looking at her sweet, peaceful face, you start to feel a longing for that same peace. All day, you’ve juggled being a mom, a wife, keeping a home, and being a student. You’re so tired. But you miss her, you miss her smile and snuggles and fight the urge to pull her into bed to cuddle. I’ve wanted this peace and quiet for hours but now that I have it, I miss her and the new sounds and babbles she’s learned just this week. I just stare, not wanting her to wake up, but feeling a little hole in my heart, missing her, even though she’s just feet away. I cherish our time together and I know she won’t be little long; I remind myself that every day. I love these quiet moments, but live for the laughs, snuggles, squeals and wiggles. I know tomorrow will be here soon, and we will do it all over again, but for now, I miss her. I look at pictures and watch videos of her on my phone as I wonder if I did everything right and if she had a good day. I think about all the things I could’ve done differently, and the different choices I could’ve made. I wonder what she will be when she’s older, and what she will choose to do with her life. I wonder what tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year will bring for us. I miss her already, for just the few moments she’s been asleep. As hard as today was, I can’t wait to do it all over again tomorrow. I am thankful for days with my baby and pray for many more hard days to come. I always felt that my purpose in this world was to be a mom. I have worked with numerous children and taken so many classes on child development that I thought pregnancy and adding a baby to the family would be a breeze. God had blessed us with our first baby girl and as the year anniversary of finding out we were pregnant is creeping up on me, I’ve been reflecting on this last year and how much my heart has grown.
When you get pregnant for the first time and think about anything and everything that could possibly happen. You think of all the things you need to get done and the people you need to call. You think of the things you need to start or stop doing, the foods you shouldn’t eat, the supplements you need to take. You call the doctor and make your first appointment; you read the books and join the support groups. You start to get nervous and take another test, or two, or six. It all starts to become real and you wonder how you’re supposed to do this and if you’ll be a good mom. You start to think about if you’re even ready to become parents. Your emotions go from excited to terrified and everything in between throughout your days and nights. You pray every night that your baby will be healthy and that you do everything right. It all becomes so real when you go to that first appointment and see that little blob on the ultrasound screen. That’s your baby. That’s our baby. Every appointment after that just makes you more and more excited and anxious. Then you finally hit that 20-week mark and find out that little thing growing inside you is a sweet baby girl. Now you can decorate and have the baby shower and buy all the cute outfits. It becomes more of a waiting game and you start counting down the weeks until you can check more things off your to-do list and your baby will finally be in your arms. As you near that 36, 37, 38, 39 weeks, you start to get nervous all over again. Here comes the hard part, the scary part, the expensive part. Every little pain makes your heart jump and your mind think, “is this it, is it time?” “is that normal?”. Eventually, the big day comes. You pack the vehicle, take the dog to your parents’ house, and head to the hospital. You know it won’t be a fast process and you’re in for many hours of excitement and uncertainty. You finally get to the point where your doctor comes and says, “we’re having a baby”. You see your husbands face light up as he watches your beautiful girl come into the world. The nurses put her on your chest and time just stops for a little bit. You think of the past nine months and how it all comes down to this sweet purple, squishy baby cuddling into you. You think of how everything is different now and you aren’t just a couple anymore, but a family. You feel a love that you have never felt before, a whole new feeling. The world outside of you, your husband, and your new baby is silent and distant for a few sweet moments. You take in all the information the nurses give you, ignore the pain and the changes you are going through, and learn all you can on how to do the new things that come with a brand-new baby. When the time comes to go home, your stomach flutters with excitement of the new life that awaits you outside those hospital doors. It’s the longest walk out to your vehicle and load up with the most precious gift from the Lord, to take a nervous, exciting drive home. You walk into your house and see it in a whole new light, you see the late nights up walking the halls, the cuddles on the couch, trying new foods at the table, and taking first steps. Here is the beginning of your new and better life. So. Dear first baby, Thank you. Thank you for showing me what my purpose is. Thank you for showing me this new type of love. Thank you for making the love between your dad and I even stronger. Thank you for being ours. I hope I am the very best mama I can be. I hope we will be best friends, like my mom and me. I hope you have your dad’s work ethic. I hope you grow up strong-willed and kind. I hope you trust in the Lord and know He is the way, the truth, and the life. I can’t wait to see you run around the house chasing the dog. I can’t wait to see you ride ponies at grandma and grandpas, where I once did. I can’t wait to see you buzz around on four-wheelers at the ranch, like your dad once did. I can’t wait to watch you grow and learn. But I am not ready for that yet. Right now, I will take every minute possible snuggling you, holding you, and bonding with you. I will get up with you in the night, I will rock with you and bounce around the house with you, I will change all your blowouts and give you the baths you hate so much. I will soak up every moment I can with you. I will tell you how much I love you every chance I get. Thank you, sweet baby girl, for making me who I am and who I was meant to be. I love you more than you could ever imagine, and always will. Ahh! This is so exciting, my FIRST blog post!
I wanted to start out by telling you all about me. I am from Broken Bow, Nebraska and this will be my forever home. I was raised out in the middle of nowhere along a river with my little brother and our countless animals and pets. I grew up in the dirt but loved pink and glitter, too! My brother and I did 4-H and shot archery together, we would go to shoots on the weekends as a family and made tons of great memories. In high school, I did FFA with my best friends, Charmayne and Hannah, where I learned more valuable information than any class you could take in school. I was a cheerleader, mat maid, played clarinet in band, was on student council and I was class president. I worked at a local boutique and on the maintenance crew for the school during the summer. But my favorite part of high school was getting together with my future husband, Hunter! I needed to get a jersey to wear for homecoming and my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Jordyn, asked Hunter if I could wear his. The rest is history! Hunter and I started dating when I was a sophomore and he, a senior. We had such a cliché high school love story: he played sports and I was a cheerleader; we spent all our time together and walked each other to class with hearts in our eyes! The next year, Hunter moved to Lincoln to go to college and I had to stay behind, but he came back almost every weekend to visit. We were constantly making new memories with each other and our families. We would go to a lot of concerts and covered many, many miles travelling to new states and countries. I finally graduated high school and joined Hunter in Lincoln, where I studied education and worked in a daycare/preschool. We made new friends and more memories in our two more years there. In the fall of 2017, we went to Washington DC to visit Hunter’s Aunt and Uncle who had just had their first baby. We went to the Great Falls, where Hunter asked me to marry him! Obviously, I said yes. My family and friends loved him, I loved his family, and I loved him more than I could even describe. (Still do!) Hunter graduated college the next spring and we moved home into his great grandparents’ house, that we had renovated with the help of our family. We got our sweet first baby, Citori, in June. She was a spunky half husky, half german shepard that kept us on our toes. That October, we got married! We had such a beautiful wedding with gorgeous fall weather, surrounded by loved ones. **I plan to do a whole blog post just on wedding stuff!** We took a gorgeous honeymoon in Costa Rica. Highly recommend visiting there if you can! We plan to visit again as soon as we can! Hunter works for his family business where he is fourth generation and works with his dad and grandpa every day. I worked at the hotel his family owned, managing the front desk. I was still in school and had changed my major a few too many times and had decided to quit working full time and get focused on school. I was not in a good head space as we had lost our sweet pup, Citori, to a heart condition and had a really hard time keeping up with everything. Hunter was super supportive and agreed that I could just work the boutique a couple days a week and work on school work the rest of the time. Well, God had other plans! We had just got a new puppy, Harley our golden retriever, and I had gotten used to staying at home. I got a Facebook message from a super sweet lady who was looking for a nanny for her (almost) one-year old son. I went and met the family and instantly fell in love with them! I took the job and kept it until I had our baby just a couple months ago! I absolutely loved my time there and can honestly say it was my favorite job until I became a mommy! In January of 2019, we started looking at homes in town to be a little closer to Hunter’s office and to avoid the ever-worsening country roads. We fell into a house that was being built and didn’t have a buyer. It was absolutely perfect for us and were able to get in on time to make it ours! We closed on it in March, just 2 weeks after finding out WE WERE PREGNANT! Talk about timing. We had decided to start trying for a baby in December but wanted to take a break until we were settled into the new house. But, again, God had different plans! On Hunter’s side of the family, there’s only boys, everyone has boys, so I thought that we were also going to have a boy. I was ridiculously sick all the time and so thought maybe I was having a girl, but I had heard it both ways. In June, we went into our 20-week appointment and there was our sweet little baby up on the ultra sound screen! I had done my research and saw it before the doctor even showed us, oh my goodness, I think it’s a girl. Then my doctor says okay, it’s a girl! I looked over at Hunter and could just see his life flash before his eyes. He just said, “I’m going to need to go buy a shotgun and be ready to protect her” and “how am I supposed to discipline a little girl, I’m totally screwed” (haha). We went to Target and bought a little floral onesie and some supplies for a gender reveal we were hosting for our families that evening. Our parents and siblings came over and we showed them an ultrasound of her head and gave them one last chance to bet on their guess, we then popped hand cannons with pink dust and put a pretty pink cloud into the air! It finally felt so real; I had a little baby girl growing inside me! Fast-forward to August and the grandmas hosted a beautiful pink baby shower with farm animal decorations everywhere. Hunter and I decorated the nursery with farm animals, bible verses, and a lot of pink. Now we wait. At my 39-week appointment, ready to pop, my doctor informed me she would be gone the next week and that if I wanted to have her deliver my baby, then I might want to be induced. I was so ready to meet our little girl and she was definitely out of room, so we scheduled an induction on our due date, November 8th. We went into the hospital the evening of November 8th, and our sweet baby girl came in to the world at 10:15 PM on November 9th, after 22 hours of labor. Thea Hazel Thomas was the most perfect addition to our family. She was born at 6 pounds, 5 ounces and 19.25 inches long. Hunter and I have been so incredibly blessed with our home and beautiful baby. I am so thankful that I am able to stay home with my girl and that Hunter provides for us. I am so excited to start this new adventure with my blog and I can’t wait to see what the future hold for me and my little family! |
welcomeHi! I am SO glad you are here! Having a blog has always been an idea in the back of my head but I never knew what I would even write about. I have always believed that I was put on this Earth to be a mom, and now that I am, I know what I can write about! I feel that I have so much to say and share and if I can help or inspire just one other person, I will be so happy! Archives
August 2021
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