Awesomeness

Happy Monday! I have a few random thoughts running through my mind this morning, so I want to share them with y'all, of course!

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First of all, thank you for all of your sweet comments and feedback with Nancy's birth story -- especially concerning my tearfully joyous "I AM SO AWESOME!" reaction to laboring 8cm sans epidural. I loved hearing snippets of your birth stories too, and the conclusion I've made as a result is that we are all (freaking) awesome. Seriously! Every birth story is beautiful. Whether you got an epidural from the start, had a c-section, naturally labored, a combination of those, water birthed, home birthed...whatever. EVERY birth story is awesome because it's written by a good, loving God. Every human is made in the image of God (Gen 1:27), and we--all of us women--we carry these tiny humans for 9 months, fall in love with them in the womb, and birth them. What a gift! So yeah. Women are awesome. We rock. You rock. The end. :)

I got this precious devotional for new mamas from a sweet family friend (Hi, Patti!), and I decided that the perfect time to read a devotion a day was during my wee-hours-of-the-morning feeding. This was what I read on Saturday. How fitting. :) Amen? You are amazing!

You might've caught the news on Instagram, but if you didn't, we will be calling this house our home sooner than later! We are so excited and very obsessed. We love the curb appeal, the traditional ranch layout...aaaaaand that it needs a little bit of updating. Think so much mustard yellow paint in too many rooms, pink tile in one bathroom and royal blue tile in the other. Oh, and silver glitter all over the master bathroom walls. Like, legit glitter. I'm giddy with design ideas running through my head. How I've missed home and decor blog posts!!! All that to say...many more of those will be coming your way later this summer! HOORAY!
Hope your weekends were fabulous. We spent lots of time at Hope and Spyros' new house. Unpacking, frozen pizza, drinks, and kitchen dance party perfection. Also--I'm determined to get Hope back on the blog radar ASAP. Yes?! Yes.

Nancy's Birth Story

I suppose I should start by owning my birth plan. It went a little something like this: get an epidural. The end. (No, literally, that was it.) I had this little revelation about Genesis 2 (Original Intent) and 3 (The Fall) after birth, and it's what I'm feeling from here on out as I'm sure every one of my birth plans shall be the same. :)  You see, our labor pains were cast on us as a result of The Fall of man--sin  entering the world (Gen 3:16). So I am one hundred percent down with experiencing less excruciating childbirth as God originally intended it to be before sin entered the world. ;) ALL power and respect (and glory...for real) to you mamas who do it naturally. Y'all are amazing. And I love you for your strength. That's just not for me, so I'm owning it loud and proud since--you know--my #1 pet peeve of all is folks who don't own it. :) And please read the tone above filled with grace, love, and a smile.
Now that you know that behind-the-scenes of my birth plan heart, let's dive into the timeline of the best day of our lives: Nancy's Birth Day.THURSDAY, APRIL 23
I woke up, worked out, and headed to my 40 week appointment. Being 40w2d, I knew I wanted my membranes stripped to get things going. The doctor asked if I'd experienced any contractions to which I replied, "no?" I certainly hadn't felt any. Then he checked my progress and not too terribly much had changed: still 2 cm and about 90% effaced. I immediately said, "Wait, aren't you going to strip my membranes?!" to which he replied, "I just did." Aaaand then he explained to me that I must have a high pain tolerance because a) stripping membranes is a generally uncomfortable procedure and b) to be 2cm and 90%, I'd definitely had some contractions. Maybe I'm naive? Or maybe he's right about the pain tolerance? Maybe both. After my appointment, I headed home and mom and I walked. And walked. And walked. Anything to get those contractions going. We wound up walking about 6 miles. HA! I think I started having contractions on the walk? You'll see this theme of unclarity continue throughout the day. #cluelessFor dinner that evening we had Deejai, and I ordered my usual: Pad Prik level 5. (Always.) During our meal I kept having Mark and Hope feel my stomach while I asked, "Is this a contraction? Doesn't my stomach feel really hard?" They were convinced I was having contractions. I still don't know if they were real or Braxton Hicks. But either way, we decided to go on a nighttime stroll for about 30 minutes around 8:45 that evening.When we got home, what I guess were real contractions continued. They just weren't painful and about 30 minutes apart. Marky and I went to bed around 10:30, but I never fell asleep. My contractions continued and started getting close together...real enough for me to walk to my mom's room at 11pm and tell her that I wanted to take one last long shower. Also I wanted my mama to dry my hair. I really thought things were happening, and--spoiler alert!--they were. :) I crawled back into bed with Mark at midnight. He was dreaming away. And I never went back to sleep.FRIDAY, APRIL 24
I kept timing my contractions (there's an app for that) which were now about 10 minutes apart. I wound up dozing in between contractions, waking up at the beginning of each on  to press "start" and "stop" on my timer, and dozing again till the next one. They were obviously strong enough to wake me up each time. Around 2am I was bored and went downstairs to walk some more. I did the tiniest laps around my mom's house. Forever. I was entertained at 5am when the news finally came on. The contractions were definitely stronger and I 100% knew they were the real deal by this point. Some people say it feels like period cramps? I didn't really relate it to that. I had back labor, so my contractions always started and stayed mostly in my lower back. More than anything, it felt like immense downward pressure that you could feel coming on and going. They reminded me of a balloon inflating and deflating in a way -- just because you could feel the pressure arriving, getting really strong, and then "deflating" again.Anyway, I crawled back in bed with Mark around 5:30am and told myself I was going to wait till 6am to wake him up. That's just what I did. At 6am I asked Marky if he wanted to take a shower before we went to the hospital, that I'd been up all night, and all of that good exciting stuff. He was so happy; we were so excited! Marky took his shower and I called the doctor's office to let them know what was going on. My contractions were about 3 minutes apart at this point. The nurse said the hospital was ready for me. Yippee!My little brother was getting ready for school at this point (remember--we're living at my mom's while we're in between home owning in Wilmington and Charlotte), so I got to hug and kiss him goodbye and assure him that Nancy wouldn't be born till after he got out of school anyway. :) My mom poked fun at me in my fear that the hospital wouldn't admit me. You see, this was my biggest thing with labor...I thought the initial contractions were going to be a lot more painful than they were. Not being able to talk through the contractions? The moaning in pain? What? I didn't have any of that (...yet. Don't worry. It did happen.). I even felt like a bit of an idiot when they rolled me into the hospital in a wheelchair. Oops. I doubted myself and hoped they wouldn't say, "You're still 2cm. Come back later." My mom was like, "ELISE. You've been having contractions all night. And you're 3 days overdue. No one is going to send you home." Mama knows. She was right.At 7am we were in triage getting checked in! Yippee! Much to my relief, I was "3 pushing 4" cm and would definitely be admitted. Phew! I was pumped. We were giddy. We just spent a bit longer in triage because it was shift change. Marky and I took some selfies to send some "Surprise! Guess where we are?!" texts.

One of my favorite things about being in triage was Marky's tangible excitement. He's not a picture guy, and he immediately started taking pictures and even videos to document our day. While waiting through the shift change, we busied ourselves by googling things like "how to read contractions"...you know...on that little machine that shows your contractions. :) It was fun and lighthearted. I was jut hopeful to get to the room in time to watch Live with Kelly and Michael at 9...all the important things.We got to our room around 8am and met our nurse, Colleen. Whoever wheeled me from triage to the delivery room told me that I would love Colleen immediately. And that was extremely true. We connected from the start. She immediately told me that Dr. Brown, who would deliver baby Nancy, would immediately feel like a girlfriend to me too. Check and check. They were both my gfs from the moment we met. Two lovely, sweet ladies who were both huggers...my kinda people. I thank the Lord that they were both there this April 24, 2015! God is good. He handpicked these two for us for sure!

Mark added the last part, of course. What a nut! :)

Colleen gave us the low down on everything that was going to happen, and we decided that to walk around a bit before the epidural since I still didn't feel much pain. We did a lap or two around our floor, got Mark some coffee, and came back to the room in time for--duh--Kelly and Michael. Marky and I enjoyed a few hours of just the two of us before my mama and sister came after lunch.

Most of the day was spent waiting. I decided to start pitocin before my epidural. I wanted to be able to walk around/use my legs for as long as possible. And the contractions still weren't really painful. Colleen and I schemed about the pitocin with the plan that it would speed things up so she could be there to deliver baby Nancy before the time her shift was over. (I told you we bonded from the start! I knew I wanted her there so badly to help welcome Nancy into the world!!) So yeah...I had the "bring it on" mentality.

Lots of waiting. Pitocin pumping through my system. I chilled on the birthing ball lots because it just felt better on my back. (Plus I didn't want to be lying in bed for a whole day.) Colleen kept us so abreast on the anesthesiologist's schedule. He had a c-section at 2pm, so I had to decide if I wanted him to come to me beforehand, knowing that his time there would last around 30 minutes.

I passed. My contractions were of course getting stronger and closer together with the pitocin, but I could still easily talk through them and wasn't grimacing in pain. Well, two o'clock hit (c-section time for the anesthesiologist), and I easily hit a point were I didn't want to look at anyone during my contractions anymore. I couldn't talk through them. I just wanted to look away from my family, close my eyes, and get through them. At that point, I told Colleen to send the anesthesiologist over after his c-section. This pain was I suppose what I expected the initial start of labor to feel like. :)

I was pumped to see the anesthesiologist when he arrived. The pain was there and it was real, but I could still manage it. It was my personally perfect time to get the epidural. He did his thing. I've never had a fear of needles (nor did I look at what exactly he was putting in my back), but the epidural was a piece of cake compared to contractions. I flinched once and that was about it. Then I waited for the medicine to work. And waited. And the 10 minute window passed. Nothing. My body went from 0-60 at this point. All of the sudden my pain went from manageable to...no words horrible. With that pitocin pumping through my system for several hours, the contractions were strong as anything and only about 1.5-2 minutes apart. Colleen called the anesthesiologist back in to check me. He would put ice on my face and then on my legs and waist asking if it was the same coldness at every point he touched. Yes, yes, yes, yes...and yes, yes, yes. I could feel everything.

This is the part where I gained insane, incomprehensible mad respect to all natural laborers. I was in more pain than I would ever wish upon anyone. Holy moly. I went from needing to look away from folks during my contractions to feeling like I was having the worst out of body experience and that I couldn't be myself. My face wasn't the right color, I had a bucket in front of me because I was on the verge of vomiting from the pain, my hands were shaking, I was groaning from the pain, and thorough each contraction, a single tear would come out of my left eye. I was squeezing the crap out of Mark's hand and thinking, "What if my body doesn't respond to epidurals? What are we gonna do?" Owning it: I didn't say it out loud but I definitely thought..."if this doesn't work the second time I want a c-section."

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Fuzziness begins for Elise...so, it's Hope here now to let y'all know what happened during the epidural madness. Y'all. Colleen told us that it would be about 10 minutes for the epidural, so mom and I went into the waiting room. And we waited. And waited. And let's be real, we started to get a bit freaked out. Mom and I debated back and forth for a good five minutes on who would go into the room to check on her. Obviously, I volunteered and wouldn't let up. So...in I walk into the L&D room. Elise had ice packs everywhere and a bucket in front of her face. I'm sure I looked like I had seen a ghost because I have never seen someone (especially my sister) in pain like that. Colleen just looked at me and said, "it didn't work" and I just said, "okay I'm going to tell everyone not to come in here" because I had NO idea what's going on. Epidurals don't work sometimes?! Wait..what?! Confused. Elise looked at me and said "NO!" in response to our family coming back in...and I walked out. My hands were trembling because I felt so helpless and let's be real...I've never had a baby and I was like OMG THIS IS REALLY GOING TO  HURT! Anyway, I walked ran back into the waiting room and told my Mom. Our sweet Mimi and Papaw had arrived to the hospital at this point and everyone was worried. Mom walked ran into Elise's room to see for herself what was going on. At this point, I sent text messages to Elise's best friends and our cousins asking them to please pray for Epidural #2 to work. 

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That pain, y'all. SHOOT. I can't remember the last time I cried from pain. And I was even trying not to cry and that little tear would just come at every contraction. Mark was such an encouragement and rock to me during this time. I couldn't have done it without him, and I promise you I could even see the pain in his eyes as he helped me through each contraction and comforted me when they were over. The anesthesiologist couldn't try epidural #2 again soon enough. I had Mark pray for us that #2 would take and we could go on with labor as I had envisioned it.

Praise Jesus, it took. (And thank you, Lord, for epidurals.) The 30-45 minute window from epidural 1 not working to epidural 2 working was not fun at all, and I surely didn't feel like myself. But when that epidural kicked in, boy, did I feel like a peach!!! A-mazing. Best thing ever. Colleen checked my progress (we hadn't checked it since triage!), aaaand I was 8cm. I burst into tears of happiness and couldn't help but exclaim, "I AM SO AWESOME!" No shame. I was pretty pumped and proud that I labored 8cm by myself. Basically the closest I've ever felt to superwoman. Yep.

The last 2 cm were filled with a peanut ball, my sister doing my makeup, being happy as a clam with no pain, Colleen making a "throne" for me with the hospital bed to get baby girl to drop a little farther (so I would have the urge to push), and a few family pictures before I kicked everyone out except my sweet hubby...

I felt so blessed to be surrounded by my family on this day. I looked around the room and teared up. Family is everything, and I felt so grateful to be in Charlotte. Thank you, Jesus!!!

Just us for the last time...!

With these party people in the delivery room!

Time to push! I did my first push at 7:30pm. It was just Mark, Colleen, and I initially. Colleen taught me how to push, we did one practice push, and she told me I was really good at it (holla!), so she went ahead and called in Dr. Brown. Dr. Brown came in and gave me the same compliment for that first push I did with her and that this baby would be here soon! Dr. Brown also I asked if I did yoga. Nnnoooope. But thanks Pure Barre Wilmington & HSM. I'm definitely gonna say that a strong core was everything in these minutes! Seriously...

About halfway through pushing, Dr. Brown told me that Nancy's heart rate was dropping and she needed to call the peds team in. She told me to push like I'd been pushing, she would give me an episiotomy and use the vacuum (which is not anything electric by the way--and much to my surprise--it's literally a suction cup and a lever), and we would get this baby out fast. If I couldn't hold my end of the deal up, we'd have to go to an emergency c-section. In my head I thought, "Oh HECK no. I didn't labor 8 cm on my own for a c-section!!!" So we got our girl out fast. In total, I pushed Nancy out in 23 minutes. She was born at 7:53pm. 

The complication was that her umbilical cord was pressed up beside her face as she was coming out, and the smooshed umbilical cord meant lack of oxygen meant heart rate dropping. Somehow, by the grace of God, I never felt scared or nervous when that happened. I just looked at Dr. Brown and said, "I trust you." I really did trust her. And low and behold, we got Nancy out safe and sound and in a jiffy. As the peds team evaluated Nancy and Dr. Brown stitched me up, I thanked her for delivering Nancy and shared with her that she made my biggest dream come true today. I told her all I've ever wanted in life was to be a mommy. We both cried. She kissed me on the cheek and immediately won sweetest doctor ever award in my heart.

Welcome to the world, Nancy Hope! | 7lbs 6oz of pure joy

You can see why the peds team thought she had red hair initially! The bleach blonde was a little red from the mess. ;)

Meeting my daughter. Looking into her eyes. Having her grab my cross in our first moments together and praying right then and there for her to know Jesus early on in her life...these are the most exquisite, love-filled moments of my life.

Nancy's first kiss...her Daddy. So proud (and wrapped around her tiny, long fingers) from the very start.

We decided to call and FaceTime with Mark's parents in England before everyone else came in. I am so glad we did!

I love these pictures and the joy you can see in our faces. Colleen snapped these of us before she went to call the rest of the family in.

Meeting Nancy

In awe

Our family of three 

With our angel of a nurse (and now friend!), Colleen. We love you!!!

We spent another couple of hours in the delivery room doting on the newest addition to our family. Did I mention that Colleen obviously stayed on for the next shift to deliver Nancy? She was with us till late in the evening...helping me walk after the epidural wore off, chauffeuring us to our new room,  and just simply being the best. :)

Marky volunteered to change the first dirty diaper. Go, Daddy, go!

Oh, and since I hadn't eaten in over 24 hours, I requested two slices of pizza and a huge slice of this. Best day ever. ;) Nancy, you changed our lives forever on this day. We will never be the same; life will never be the same. I am so glad that God chose us to be your mommy and daddy.

She's Here

Nancy Hope

April 24, 2015 | 7:53 PM | 7 lbs 6 oz | 21 inches

Our world is forever changed. One week ago today was the happiest day of our lives. We welcomed our daughter into the world. These past days have easily been the most fulfilling of my life. I look forward to sharing more with y'all next week! More importantly, I wanted to write a quick post to thank you so dearly for sharing in our joy. We have been overwhelmed with love. The calls, texts, comments, emails, gifts...goodness gracious. (And thank you for bearing with me as I flood your Instagrams with pictures this new little life.) So from the bottom of my heart...thank you, thank you, thank you.

Images by Cameron Faye Photography (Nancy was about 15 hours old) :)
Headband c/o Willow Crowns

Pregnancy | 40 Weeks

How Far Along: 40 weeks! Due date was 4/21. I made it.

Size of Baby: A watermelon/pumpkin/FULL GROWN BABY!...anywhere from 6-9lbs and 19-22"

Gender: Our little girl, Nancy Hope Houston

Movement: Still moving just not as much. She's crowded in there. When she sticks that booty out on my right side for a long period of time, it hurts.

Weight Gain: Much to my surprise (and delight, honestly), I lost a pound this week bringing me in at +38. 

Sleep: Snoring less (woohoo!) with the washing away of much of the pollen. Hubby is very thankful. I am up all the time at night for the tinkle breaks though. Still have zero trouble falling back asleep. (But my mama will tell you, I've always been her child that loves sleep the most.)

We woke up like this one morning. Not unusual, but love when Tina uses the pillow like a human. And the paw on her dad...we could not handle her cuteness. And today (4/21 as I'm writing this), my due date, is her birthday! Happy 6th birthday to our tiny little tina pup!!!!!! 

Workouts: Hilliard Studio Method x 7. I wanted to go out with a bang. (So come on, Nancy!)

I also went on a 3.5 mile walk yesterday and a shorter walk after dinner the night before that. Trying to "walk the baby out." (It's not working.)

#Superstar #HSM #MamasToBe! From left to right: Grandmother-to-be Beth Davis who is Mama to @cheersyall_elise, due tomorrow, and @tlhackney, second time mama due in the next two weeks! These #PowerfulWomen are amazing! #love #family #fitfam #health #wellness #healthypregnancy #HilliardStudioMethod #HSMPowerfulPregnancy #core #cardio #pilates #prenatalworkout #barre #workout #workoutvideo #inspiration #healthybaby #SeeThatShake?!

A video posted by Hilliard Studio Method (@hilliardstudiomethod) on Apr 20, 2015 at 5:50pm PDT

HSM Instagram 
39w6d at HSM -- so thankful to be able to work out through my whole pregnancy. It seriously makes me feel sane. The endorphin release is real.

Maternity Clothes: Continued mixing and matching for spring. Trying to give my maternity clothes one last rendezvous though before I pack them away for a couple years! :)

Symptoms: Same things: The grunting when flipping from one side to the other at night. The urge to not want to pick up something off of the ground. Pressure on my pubic bone. And especially SO MANY bathroom breaks day and night. Oh, and I finally experienced my first Braxton Hicks. 

As of my last doctor's appointment on Friday, I was 1.5cm and 80-90% effaced.

Cravings/Aversions: No. I enjoyed an indulgent afternoon snack with my Mimi the other day though. We spent much of the day together just one-on-one. So special to soak up time with that precious woman!

Sunflour Baking Company - if you're in CLT, go here!

My blondie cupcake and dirty (1/2 dark choc 1/2 white choc syrup) half calf coffee were out of this world.

Also I had this for lunch and dinner yesterday.

Missing Most: ?! I'm ready to meet this girl!!! I know I'll miss our first baby when I'm in the hospital. We celebrated her 6th birthday yesterday with a trip to the toy store (AKA Pets Mart). Mark and I are anticipating the dynamic of the Tina/Nancy relationship...

Tiny tina the birthday beana!

Nursery: Nonexistent :)

Hubby: Installed the car seat bases. Treated me to a gorgeous push present. And for the past few days has left the house for work telling me to try to go into labor. (Ha!) He talks to her and says, "Come on, Nancy! We're all ready to meet you!!!"  I am enjoying the many texts throughout the day asking if anything is happening. All of the family is excited and ready to meet our Nancy, but no one is as pumped and ready as her daddy. 

Best Part of the Week: Our (Maybe?) Last Weekend Pre-Nancy

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Can't Wait For: My doctor's appointment tomorrow. Meeting our baby girl. Cannot wait to kiss that face!!!! So soon. Come on, baby!

Our Announcement | Weeks 4-12  | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Weeks 19 and 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 24 and 25 | Week 26 | Week 27 | Week 28 | Week 29 | Week 30 | Week 31 | Week 32 | Week 33 | Nancy's Fancy Tea Party | Week 34 | Week 35 | Moved + Nested |  Week 36 | Week 37 | Week 38 | Week 39 | Week 40

(Maybe?) Our Last Weekend Pre-Nancy

Only the good Lord knows if this truly was our last weekend pre-Nancy or not. I very well could go 41+ weeks. Who knows! But just in case...we treated it as our last "just us" weekend. Regardless, I'm so glad we did because it sure was lovely!

FRIDAY

Marky got off work a little early, and I met him at Diamonds Direct to pick out a push present (and take advantage of their twice a year 20% off sale). Perfect timing, right?! The store was jam packed...straight up bumpin' before 5pm with catered food, drinks, decorations everywhere, and a 45 minute wait list. We wound up waiting over 45 minutes to be seen, but we just sat on the couch and happily chatted. Our patience paid off (literally) because we got an extra 5% off for it! Cheers to that!

I knew I wanted another band that looked completely different from my wedding band, as this one is for a different occasion. I wound up picking the same band Mark had chosen for me during his lunch break. I like that we both decided on the same thing without even meaning to do so -- that made it even more special. Also - diamonds are Nancy's birthstone, sooo... ;) Fancy Nancy indeed.

39 weeks 3 Days 

My sista snapped this family picture for us before we headed out on the town. I wore an old Susana Monaco dress of my mama's...Susana Monaco is great for pregnancy. Mark looked so handsome. Loved his outfit that he picked out by himself. Well done, hubby! Yow! :) Tina, per usual, looked quite pupalicous.

For dinner we headed to one of our most favorite Charlotte restaurants (that was also the venue of our rehearsal dinner!), Dressler's. We opted to sit outside and enjoy the band, crisp, cool air, and skyline view of our home. [CLT folks - There is an awesome Living Social deal going on there right now! Snag it!]

Jam band + Dressler's patio view

Home sweet home, Charlotte, North Carolina

The living social deal allowed us to order 2 apps, 1 shared salad, 2 entrees, and 1 dessert. We had every intention of eating all of the food, but we both made it home with to go boxes. There was just too much goodness. :) We ordered thai peanut calamari, crab dip, the "wedgie" salad, NY strip with fries, duck (random, but I went for it!) with the best mac & cheese I've ever tasted, and key lime pie. Man, oh man. 

Cheers to this hot Daddy-to-be!

SATURDAY

We didn't sleep most of that night. Mom's AC was out upstairs, and I was up almost every hour with a tiny puppy crying and scratching her ear (and prepping me for baby, I know). Our baby girl pup got her first ear infection. I took her to the vet as soon as it opened on Saturday morning. I was so thankful that this happened before Nancy's arrival so I could give our first baby all of the mama loving and snuggles she deserved. Apparently pups can grow into allergies? Amelia has never had them before, and now she has some medicine for hear ear and steroids. Bless her tinypup heart!

Sick puppy in the kitchen. Broke my heart!

 Sadpup snuggles with Daddy. She was pitiful. Our sweet first baby!

We spent much of the day with our sick little pup. Marky and I installed the car seat bases in our cars, so we are ready to bring Nancy home from the hospital. (Crazy! That was a very "this is real" feeling moment.) I also managed to make a mani-pedi date with my mommy and sissy happen. I'm not one to splurge on my nails--I'm the gal who prefers to save the bucks and paint them myself--but I decided that this was a pretty darn special occasion. :) Us three Davis girls had a grand time together. I chose neon pink for Nancy's arrival.

SUNDAY

Since we made it to church on Saturday night, Sunday was perfectly lazy. I did manage to squeeze in a 9:30 workout at Hilliard because it's my favorite class -- bands & gams. I just love it. And then the rain led me to Starbucks afterwards...

Cheers to a rainy, rainy, rainy day of rest and relaxation! Just what the Sabbath is for!!

And now, we wait. Tomorrow is my due date, but homegirl has consistently measured about 4 days behind through my entire pregnancy. Maybe she'll come sometime this week. Maybe next weekend. Maybe on Hopey's bday! And, goodness knows, maybe I'll hit 41 weeks. Time will tell. Stay tuned! Until then...we're bursting at the seams knowing we get to meet our baby girl face to face SO STINKIN' SOON!!! Mark keeps saying, "Hurry up, Nancy. We're all ready to meet you!" There is wonderful joy ahead indeed...God is good. He is so, so good!

2 Years and 8 Months of Just Us

Elizabeth Scott Photography

The one who makes me laugh...

Isn't God's grace an amazing thing? Understatement of the world, I know. I've been thinking: in the days when I used to name the 5 "non-negotiables" that I would never settle on regarding a husband (yes, I did that), sense of humor was never one of them. Ever. I don't consider myself a funny person. And it's not that I don't like "funny" in others--it's just never been super important to me.  

But God. He blessed me with a bonus in my husband. God knew my every need and then blessed me with more. My Marky. The one who makes me laugh like no other. (Like you read about yesterday?) An undeserved gift. Grace.

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Oh goodness, y'all. Does this happen to a lot of first time mamas? In the past weeks, I've found myself not necessarily nostalgic but super reminiscent of the past few years with my husband since we've become man and wife. Our 2 years and 8 months of just us are coming to a close. My thoughts of our adventures in that time have been running wild. We have grown so much individually; more importantly, we've grown exponentially as a couple.

In a world where marriage is hard and all too finite, I know I'm extremely blessed in my marriage with Mark. I was telling him this in the car last night, actually: Our marriage absolutely isn't perfect. And there are always things we can and will need to work on. But you know what? It's strong. Our marriage is strong. I believe so much in us, the ways we love and serve each other, in the family we're creating, and in the legacy we'll leave through it. How precious a gift I have been given to do life everyday with someone like Mark.

I know, I know. I'll cut the sap. But it has been on high gear these past few weeks, and--per usual--I'm owning it. The best part of all my reflections? The fact that 2 years and 8 months as The Houstons is still our beginning.  Let the adventures continue. With Mark by my side, I look forward to all that the future holds--the good, the bad, and the ugly. Just as the Bible states, it is a divine mystery how two lives absolutely become one.

Okay LAST THING (for real). What better to do when reflecting on your marriage thus far than rewatch your wedding video!?! I watched this last night and was either BIG cheese smiling, laughing, or crying throughout the whole thing. To remember how much I loved him on this day...to process how much more I love him now...and to imagine how much more deeply and intricately I will love him as I watch him become the father of our children (so soon!). God is good, y'all.

Feature FilmIt's longer. So many of my favorite songs. And I was total mush listening to Mark, my sister, an our vows all over again.  

 Highlights FilmShort and sweet and the perfect little epitome of our day.  

Videos by Life Stage Films. Thank y'all for your beautiful talent that still makes me giddy!

You can read more about our wedding right here. :)

 

Pregnancy | Week 39

How Far Along: 39 weeks -- I have an inkling that I'll be writing one next week as well at 40 weeks. No Braxton Hicks, no contractions...just a satisfied Nancy that appears to want to stay put. :)

Size of Baby: Oh, ya know, just a WATERMELON!!!! 7-8 lbs and 19-21" long
 

Gender: Our little girl, Nancy Hope Houston

Movement: Did you SEE the video I put on Instagram? Phew! Yes. Movement. Lots. I love it, and I know I will miss it SO much SO soon.

Weight Gain: 39lbs in 39 weeks. Owning it. I've done it as healthily as I know how, so I'm just letting it be!

Sleep: Bless my sweet hubby. This morning he told me encouragingly, "You only woke me up 3x last night!" Eeek. The snoring, y'all. Never have I ever snored pre-pregnancy. But with CLT pollen + a watermelon baby on my organs, it's out of control. So hubby waking me up 3x a night minimally plus at least 3x a night bathroom breaks...which means a lot of broken up sleep. Good practice. And despite all that, I still am sleeping like a baby. Falling back asleep is no problem. Aaaand I might be finding myself taking a power nap in the afternoon hours. People keep saying to me, "Sleep! Because you never will again!" I'm like...okay! Twist my arm! Sign me up for that afternoon 30 min nap!

Workouts: Hilliard Studio Method x 6. Boom. 

Maternity Clothes: Same...still mixing and matching with flowy spring things! Favorite thing I wore this week? This dress of my mom's...before she gets it altered and I won't be able to wear it anymore without lookin' like a fool...#tallestdaughterprobs.

Speaking of #tallestdaughterprobs, I wore an old "dress" of my sister's as a shirt for our maternity shoot paired with the Hue jeggings I wrote about last week!

Maternity Pics

Symptoms: Still the need to have my feet up. Just feels so much better. The snoring. The grunting when flipping from one side to the other at night. The urge to not want to pick up something off of the ground. Pressure on my pubic bone. And tinkling Lord knows how many times a day/night.

Also I am still 1cm but now 60% effaced. The doc checks for progress again at my appointment on Friday!

Cravings/Aversions: Nope. Into my rhythm/routine here at mom's of lemon water + a banana before working out every morning. Then my green smoothie and a protein bar afterwards. My favorite lunch (as you might've read about on Friday's post!) is this:

Steve Sandwich (add cukes this time) from Laurel Market. 

Down it with a local Lenny Boy?! HEEEAAAVVEEENNNN.

Missing Most: Still going on walks. It's just not fun/worth it with all the downward pressure from baby and a softening and widening pubic bone (cute, right?! ;)). But I suppose with the current pollen and cankerworm downpours here in Charlotte (if you know CLT, you know these troubles...), it's actually a good time to miss out. Hello, silver lining.

Nursery: Is this precisely:

Our little family in Hope's room at mom's house. :)

I snapped this pic because we were hoping Tina was practicing watching over the baby.

Hubby: Has been making me laugh so much this week that there was a close call of me not making it to the bathroom. He bought a selfie stick for himself off of Amazon Prime. Why? He says it's for the delivery room...that he'll stay up by my head, and the selfie stick can capture everything else. He kills me. Oh, and the moment that almost caused an accident involved his selfie stick recreation of this vine video. (Also - great song. I love a good Mariah throwback.)

Practicing his selfie stick skillz...

Dress from Forever 21

Best Part of the Week: See hilarious hubby moments above. And, in general, the insane amount of family time is just a part of life now. We are so, so fortunate to be back here.

I also really enjoyed and appreciated meeting Nancy's pediatrician this week. Nancy will go to the same practice that my brother, sister, and I all grew up attending. It was a full circle moment when I walked in. My family has been going there for so long that one of the nurses recognized me and remembered exactly who I was! How cool and amazing is that?! (I was super impressed.) Feels so, so good to be back in my hometown.

Can't Wait For: Going on walks with Nancy in her stroller. Watching Mark and Nancy meet and interact.

Our Announcement | Weeks 4-12  | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Weeks 19 and 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 24 and 25 | Week 26 | Week 27 | Week 28 | Week 29 | Week 30 | Week 31 | Week 32 | Week 33 | Nancy's Fancy Tea Party | Week 34 | Week 35 | Moved + Nested |  Week 36 | Week 37 | Week 38 | Week 39