Introducing Evan {Birth Story}

I've been MIA, but with good reason. Becoming a mom is a definitely a task.

Our little boy was due on June 8th, but decided not to come then. With my husband and my doctor, we decided to be induced on Thursday, June 12th. I was scheduled to go in the night before for Cervidil to ripen the cervix and then labor would be induced the next morning with Pitocin. This was such a hard decision because I somewhat felt seflish for choosing my son's birth day instead of letting him come in his own time. I cried and prayed and was still a bit uneasy after we made the decision.

My parents went ahead and drove in from Louisiana and were here in time to accompany us to the hospital. I was so happy to have them here. They are amazing parents and the only thing better is that they get to be grandparents to my son.

The check-in process at the hospital was so smooth and everyone I was cared for by was amazing. We got settled in about 7:30 and started the Cervidil by 8:30. When I got to the hospital I was still only 1 cm dilated and about 50% effaced.

Me, my OB, and my night nurse.

Painful contractions started around 2 am and my water broke a little after 2:30 am. The nurse asked if I wanted something to take the edge off. I asked for the epidural. At 3 am, I was finally dilated enough to get the epidural and got that on board about 3:30 am. After about 30 minutes, my legs were heavy, but I could feel nothing. I hoped to get some sleep, but that didn't happen. In the morning, I was dilated to 6 cm and we began Pitocin to get stronger contractions. (Side Note: Every time they checked my cervix, they kept telling us that our baby had so much hair. My husband was so nervous that baby would come out and be a girl instead of a boy.) I was fully dilated when checked at 10 am. 'm not sure when I started pushing, but it took two contractions and a total of six pushes to meet my baby boy at 11:01 am.

Evan was born June 12, 2014 @ 11:01 am

6 pounds 4 ounces & 19 inches

The past six weeks have been tiring, invigorating, trying, interesting, stressful, blissful, a learning experience, a blessing. I am so in love with Evan and I have a whole new love for my hubby because of the way I see that he loves our son.

I appreciate your prayers, well wishes, and words of encouragement. I am so grateful for the community we have at home and online.

Hopefully I'll get back to blogging, but I'm not making any promises. Being a mommy consumes my day and I'm okay with that!

We're Full Term! {39 Week Bumpdate}

Tomorrow (well, actually, today) is the last day of school, and I've made it all the way to the end! God's timing is so perfect. It's 4:30 AM and I haven't been able to sleep since about 2:00...ugh! (#pregnancyproblems) I figured this would be a great time to share my final "bumpdate!"

Did you know that full term is now 39 - 41 weeks? I always thought it was 36 or 37 weeks, but the definition of full term changed about 2 years ago. Anywho....I'm glad to know that my little boy is full term!

Due Date: This Sunday, June 8th...like 3 days away. As of right now, baby is measuring right on time and has dropped, but still no dilation or effacement. Doctor thinks I'll be going past my due date.

Gender: Baby Howard is a boy! Read all about the gender reveal here. Baby Howard finally has a name too...you can read how we arrived at his name here.

Food Cravings/Aversions: I definitely crave sweets. One of my favorites is shaved ice from Bahama Bucks! Pineapple is my favorite flavor thus far. Thanks, Brittany, for introducing me to the best shaved ice ever! It's quite the oxymoron, but hubby and I often walk around a nearby park with our Bahama Bucks. I guess my pregnant belly would reveal that we're not trying to exercise with snow cones in hand!

Weight Gain: As of today, the number on the scale has increased a total of 27 pounds. Normally, weight gain is not something that I get happy about, but I am very pleased with this number!

Clothes: While I still wear some of my non-maternity clothes, I can't stand to wear anything restricting right now. I lean towards skirts, maxi dresses, and leggings. I haven't worn shoes in about three weeks. I'll spare you a picture of my swollen elephant feet/ankles.

Purchases: I feel like I've bought so much, there's too much to even try to name. I've had three baby showers, so friends and family have helped out a lot when it comes to preparing for our little one. Some of my favorite purchases are:

Dr. Seuss Prints by Sunshine Prints..I was motivated to emphasize reading somewhere in the nursery after I was gifted great books by my co-workers. I was so pleased with the prints that were customized to match Evan's nursery.

Project Life Album by Becky Higgins...I love scrapbooking, but rarely make the time to do it. I heard about Project Life and the simplicity of building a scrapbook without cutting and gluing and I was sold. As I complete some of the pages of Evan's baby book, I'll be sure to share. Here is a little video that explains the process:

Baby Prep: We've attended Breastfeeding, Infant CPR, Baby Care Basics, and Prepared Childbirth classes. Although, hubby didn't necessarily want to attend, he was a great partner and learned lots along with me.

I also finally packed a hospital bag.

And hubby installed the car seat!

Researching: I'm back on the cloth diaper kick. At my 28 week bumpdate, I explained that my reality is that both I and my husband are too lazy to take on the extra loads of laundry. Well, after not receiving many diapers at baby showers, I thought about the best use of our money when it comes to diapers and reusable just makes sense to me. I'll be doing more laundry anyway, so why not add in the diapers?! I plan to use disposable for the first 4 - 6 weeks while I'm operating out of exhaustion and learning to be a mom. I'll then prep and use 6 - 8 of the cloth diapers I've bought and see what I think and if we can handle it. (My current stash of cloth diapers is up to 28.) I figure if I find it to be too much for me, I can return the others.

In addition, I've been reading up on sleep training and breastfeeding.

Best Moments: It has been so much fun to celebrate with friends and family at baby showers. I am truly blessed to have such amazing people in my life!

Also, I have had the best quiet times with the Lord throughout this pregnancy. This is the most consistent I've ever been in spending time with Him and I am praying that this is only the start of our consistent sweet times together. The devotional I've been using that has aided in this consistency is Waiting in Wonder: Growing in Faith While You're Expecting by Catherine Claire Larson.

This book has been such a blessing as I've been going through my first pregnancy. The devotionals are so timely, linking baby's development to great prayer ideas and scripture. Not only do the devotionals focus on baby, but on mom, her faith, and important relationships like significant other, grandparents, and in-laws. This book has been instrumental in helping to prepare my heart and mind for the addition of our little boy. Now, I just need the author to write a devotional for new moms!

Looking Forward to: Meeting Baby Evan! I can't wait to see him, hold him, and love on him!

Hello, Third Trimester! {28 Week Bumpdate}

Today, I'm officially 28 weeks...two-thirds done with pregnancy. I can't believe that this means I only have 12 weeks left. Time is really flying.

Due Date: June 8th. As of right now, baby is measuring right on time.

Gender: Baby Howard is a boy! Read all about the gender reveal here. Baby Howard doesn't have a name yet. This has been quite a battle. Naming a child is a big task. Hopefully, we'll have decided on a name before he's born.

Food Cravings/Aversions: I think I crave sweets! I could eat dessert with every meal.

Weight Gain: As of today, the number on the scale has increased a total of 13 pounds. It's been fun to see the progress of this belly. It seems like some days it's way out there and other days, I can get dressed and not even look pregnant. Here are a few instagram bumpwatch pics from the second trimester.

Clothes: I am fully into the maternity clothes at this point. My go-to pieces are dresses with leggings and maternity jeans from Old Navy & Target. I can still fit some non-maternity clothes, but don't rely on them much.

Purchases: I finally decided on a crib skirt and sheet for the nursery and ordered a glider. I also did a little shopping this week while on Spring Break and couldn't resist getting this little gift for my baby boy and my baby daddy! It was my first baby clothing purchase!

I also went ahead and took advantage coupons for a free nursing cover, carseat canopy, and baby leggings. Oh, and I invested in a diaper dude bag for hubby, which I found at a consignment shop.

Baby Prep: We've registered for classes at our hospital. We're all signed up for Breastfeeding, Baby Care Basics, and Prepared Childbirth. I think we're also going to add Infant CPR to our list of courses.

Back at week 20, we bought the crib...now, it's been assembled. I was so excited when I walked in the house and saw my hubby putting it together.

This week was Spring Break, so my nesting set in a bit. I finally cleaned out the closet in the nursery to prepare it to house all of Baby Howard's things. I wish I had taken a before photo, but oh well. I'm super happy with this accomplishment.

Researching: I think I'm done researching cloth diapers. While I want to save the money, I have to be realistic. And my reality is that both I and my husband are too lazy to take on the extra loads of laundry. There...I said it! So, now I'm putting my effort into researching breastfeeding and baby sleep success.

Best Moment: I first felt Baby Howard kick while at the doctor's office for my 23-week appointment. Now, I'm finally feeling Baby Howard kick all the time! It is so nice to have that daily reassurance that everything is okay. I no longer have to wait four weeks until my next doctor's appointment to hear the heartbeat for that reassurance.

Looking Forward to: Since, I've only chosen a crib skirt and sheet for the nursery, I have to come up with all the accessories and decor. I'm looking forward to finding the right pieces to decorate and complete the nursery. Here's a peek at the main fabric I'm working with.

I also have a baby shower at the end of the month in my hometown. Can't wait to celebrate with all my Louisiana friends and family!

And hubby and I just took advantage of a living social deal and booked a trip for a small babymoon!

Only 12 weeks to go...let's do this!

We're having a... [Gender Reveal]

The anticipation is killing me now that we've decided to find out the gender of our little one. We had our ultrasound over a week ago and got our gender results in a sealed envelope. While I really wanted to tear it open right then, I decided to wait until we could get both of our family's together for the reveal....a whole 10 days later!

Mom cooked and we had a great dinner! A cake revealing the gender for dessert seemed like the obvious option but I decided to do something a little different! I would tell you how this all went down, but watching the video is so much better than reading about it! Enjoy!


It was so much fun to watch as some knew early and others (like me) took all nine circles.

My friend Angela had the honor/duty of knowing the gender and placing our order for these great gender announcement scratch-off cards from Katie of StationMerry! Since Angela already knew the gender, I was so glad she was available to catch this moment on video! And, she has placed the first pieces of clothing in Baby Howard's closet! Willie even brought out a shirt from his closet that matches!

I didn't have a preference, but I had convinced myself that we were having a girl. I think this happened because I knew how badly my mom wanted a granddaughter. I was afraid that I'd be disappointed if it was a boy, but those tears in the video are tears of joy! I'm stoked!

I've cried a few times since the reveal because now that we know, things feel even more real!

Now, we need to start thinking of some names for this baby boy!

And it's time to get started on a nursery! Eeek!!!

Stay tuned...

Half Way There! {20 Week Bumpdate}

Today, I'm officially 20 weeks...half way done with pregnancy. Wow! Time is flying!

Morning Sickness: I haven't been dealing with morning sickness, but week19 has been a week of sickness...cold at the beginning of the week and stomach flu, stomach bug, stomach virus at the end of the week...ugh. Thankfully, my husband has been a saint taking care of me and reaching out to friends.

Food Cravings/Aversions: Nothing in particular...just eating.

Weight Gain: As of today, the number on the scale has increased a total of 7 pounds. My doctor was glad to see some pounds adding on at this last appointment. I have to say that I'm pretty happy! I thought I would have blown up by now...I won't rejoice too much though...I know there's still plenty of time to pack on the pounds.

Clothes: Still just wearing my regular clothes. Some of my pants aren't fitting, but I still haven't invested in any maternity pants...just using the belly belt and belly bands.

Purchases: Hubby had me worried that by the time I was ready to purchase the crib, they would no longer be available, so we went ahead and bought the crib and dresser from Ikea. At this point, they're still boxed up...I can't wait to get them all set up!

Baby Prep: We have decided on a hospital where we'll deliver! And we've made deposits at two day care centers.

Researching: I'm still researching cloth diapering. I attended a Cloth Diapering 101 class at The Nappy Shoppe. I didn't learn much more than I had already researched online. I did enjoy getting to see and touch so many brands since they sell them in store. I also took the advice of the teacher to not buy a stash up front because you don't know what size baby you'll have and which diaper will fit your baby best.

I also got to do a little live-action research when my friend Angela asked me to watch sweet Ryann one day. As her mom says, she's such a great little snuggler!

This was my first time babysitting an infant, first time changing a diaper, first time feeding/burping a baby...a whole lot of firsts. And when Angela returned, I got to experience my first poopie diaper...and I don't know if I'm up for that and cloth diapers. It just seems so much easier to seal it up and throw it away with a disposable diaper.

Best Moment: This past week, we got our second ultrasound done! It was so much fun to see how much Baby Howard has changed from the little gummy bear to a little human. Unfortunately, I don't have any sonogram pictures to post right now. We asked the sonographer to put our gender results in a sealed envelope. Well, he put all of them in the envelope. So, I'll share those once we've opened the envelope...which we plan to do next weekend with our parents.

Looking Forward to: Now that we've decided to find out the gender of Baby Howard, I can't wait for next weekend when we reveal our baby's gender!

I'm also looking forward to feeling Baby Howard move!

Sayonara, First Trimester! {14 Week Bumpdate}

Today, I'm officially 14 weeks and in my second trimester of pregnancy. I feel like it's been the longest three months ever. Part of that though has to be the fact that we were holding on the this big secret that we so desperately wanted to share. It was so fun to finally announce our pregnancy last week. You can read about that here. It's hard to believe that three months (13 weeks)...33% of my pregnancy is behind me. (The way they count pregnancy is so weird.)

Morning Sickness: I scored big in this area. I thought I'd totally escaped it, but not quite. I had my first bout with it this last week of the first trimester. Gingerale and Saltines got me through those few days. I am thankful that most of my first trimester, I only experienced fatigue.

Food Cravings/Aversions: I can't say that I crave anything in particular or have any food aversions. But, when I say I need to eat, I need to eat...like right then. So, I've been keeping plenty of snacks on hand.

Weight Gain: At this point, I've gained 0.4 pounds from the day I found out I was pregnant at 4 weeks. Woot! Woot! During the first trimester, I lost weight up until about week 8, then the numbers on the scale started going back up. You'd think with my husband being a photographer that I'd have a picture each week to see my progression, but nope. It's crazy how difficult it is to get him to snap a picture of me. And then there's me who wants to put on make-up and do my hair if we're taking a picture and that doesn't happen often. So between our schedules and the prep, it hasn't happened. I haven't even been taking selfies so that I can at least have some type of record on my phone.

Clothes: As of right now, I'm still wearing my clothes. Nothing maternity has made it onto my body. There are a few pairs of jeans that are tight, but they were already tight before. I'm looking forward to purchasing a belly belt (that my girl, Angela, told me about) so that I can stretch the life of my pants. I also purchased two of these belly bands to hide the open zippers when it comes time.

Purchases: I couldn't let Black Friday/Cyber Monday go by without making some purchases...online, of course. I bought maternity clothes from Old Navy, Target, Asos, and H&M. I figured there was no better day to take advantage and buy things I knew I'd eventually need. All of the items I bought were at least 40% off...some more! My favorite pieces that I bought are this Liz Lange denim top from Target and a great lace top from H&M. I wanted to buy baby gear, but I have no idea what I want yet. I also splurged and bought this Skip Hop diaper bag at 40% off through Amazon.

Baby Prep: The biggest thing we've done to prepare for baby is pray and pinch pennies. While I thought we'd have all this savings for buying baby stuff, turns out most of it will be going towards bills to actually have the baby. I learned that at my most recent OB appointment when I was given an estimate of my financial responsibility.

In addition, we've set up tours at two of the three hospitals where we can deliver and we've started contacting day care centers.

Researching: I spent most of my Thanksgiving break researching cloth diapering. When I tell people this, most responses are shock and awe. I haven't made a decision yet, but I am seriously considering it because of how much money it can save us. I'm looking forward to going to a cloth diapering class at The Nappy Shoppe in a couple of weeks. It's a local store that has many of the popular choices in store for you to see and touch. Luckily, I also have a few friends who are CDing their children and they have been a huge help as I navigate through making my decision.

Best Moment: At my 10-week appointment, we got to hear baby's heartbeat. It was exciting and the confirmation I needed at that moment. I'd been a little worried, because I wasn't experiencing most of the symptoms of pregnancy that I'd heard from others. It was nice to know that our little one is doing well.

    Baby Howard's Heartbeat by kdhoward
Looking Forward to: I can't wait for my 19-week appointment in January. I've had one sonogram so far and that was at my very first appointment (6 weeks). While it was neat, it didn't look much like a baby.

I'm looking forward to getting a new picture that looks a bit more human. This is also the appointment where we find out the gender. I'm not sure yet if we're going to find out. Willie still wants to know, and I'd be okay not knowing. I'm starting to consider his feelings and may give in (but don't tell him that)!