26 Weeks

+ Today I am 26 weeks, 4 days

+ Little Lady's the size of a PAPAYA

+ Have you seen "What to Expect When You're Expecting"? I am Elizabeth Banks. I have become such a textbook, cliche pregnant woman. I have to heave myself up off the couch, or out of bed, I'm constantly trying to put my feet up to get the swelling down, and I'm always so hot. It would be so much more hilarious if it... wasn't... haha! I'm trying to take it all lightly, and in reality, I don't mind too much. I still don't feel like there is that much to complain about (okay except maybe the swelling because these ugly feet are just the worst!), and I love love love feeling her move and seeing my bump grow!

+ Speaking of bump... I'm getting huge. hahaha! I know it's just me, and that I notice the changes in my body more than anybody else does, but gosh! I don't even recognize my body anymore, it seems so foreign! I'm definitely at that point where strangers just strike up conversation about my due date or what gender my baby is because... there's no questioning! This girl is pregnant!

+ I feel like we are getting SO close to feeling her from the outside and seeing movement! She is so active and the movements are getting stronger every day!

+ It's the end of June, and this is already the longest, hottest summer of my life! Not only is Utah dealing with a major heat wave right now (as in, 100º+ every day!), but my office is having issues with our air conditioning, so I spend 8 hours a day in an 80º office. And on top of all that, the insane anticipation of welcoming this baby girl! Can it just be October already?!

+ Still filling most of my time planning and preparing for our move. Devin and I want to get rid of as much of our stuff as we can! It will make moving so much easier to not take everything, plus, we've got a garage now, which our new place doesn't have - so storing things like camping and climbing gear and all of Devin's tools will be interesting, and also, our goal is to be in a house next! So we want to start slowly investing in furniture and things that we want in a home, not just stuff we kept from college or cheap newlywed furniture!

+ Like I've mentioned before, my sister who just had that sweet baby Josie, lives in Ogden, so I don't get to see them as much as I'd like! But I drove up for a day over the weekend, and being around a newborn is still so surreal! But I've also had a couple moments with Josie where I feel so unprepared! How am I gonna know what to do?! How am I gonna know how to fix things?! I don't know how to swaddle! Is she coughing or choking? I can't tell! And why is she crying?!?! It makes me excited and nervous all at the same time. I know a lot of women say that when it's your own, everything comes naturally and it's all instinct, but I don't want to just count on that!

+ Getting ready to register for our prenatal seminar, and a breastfeeding class, and I am honestly really excited for both! I feel like I still have so much to learn! I have so many books I want to read, too, but I just keep opening Amy Poehler's "Yes Please" instead - gah!

25 Weeks

+ Today I am 25 weeks, 6 days

+ Baby girl's the size of a RUTABAGA

+ Spent most of week 25 in Glacier National Park and it was amazing! I was worried about a trip like this while pregnant, and I was worried about swelling with all the driving and hiking and sun, but it went better than i could have imagined! I wouldn't necessarily recommend 11 hour drives to a 6 months pregnant woman, but I survived! The only times I got swollen were in the car, and they always went down after sleep. It wasn't too bad at all!

+ I have been feeling so good lately, sleeping so great and don't have anything to complain about except the heartburn! It's back, and it's worse than it was in the first trimester! I am going to start taking something for it other than tums and hope that that helps! Still, though, it's really not that bad!

+ Feeling pretty much huge, haha! Especially at night when I lay down in bed - she is definitely growing in there! I'll be surprised if she isn't at least 9 pounds! haha

+ Because I spent so much of week 25 hiking around a national park with this girl in my belly, it was hard to not think about her the whole time. Devin and I had a lot of fun weaving in and out of every single gift shop in the park, and finally found the perfect souvenir (or two) for baby girl. I love thoughtfully preparing for her with him. It is so fun to pick things out for her together, and talk about her at night as we go to bed. I am really soaking up all the sweetness that has been this second trimester.

+ Nailing down some milestones that I plan on using to count down to this lady's birthday! Glacier was the first big one! Now, I can't wait to pass The 4th of July, our annual camping trip to Grey's River (end of July), my 24th birthday (beginning of august), the birth of Sean & Chloe's boy (most likely middle/middle-end of august!), moving to our new place (end of august), and finally decorating the nursery! (the entire month of september). Before we know it, she will be here in our arms!

+ Finally started buying stuff for the nursery! It will be hard to stay patient and keep it all in boxes until we move! I won't get to do anything until September!

Pregnancy Must Have's

I think I've pretty much experienced every side of pregnancy so far - it's been good, it's been bad, it's been ugly, it's been painful, it's been awesome... so I feel like I've got a good handle on what things I will keep around for next time - my absolute musts! Sorry I didn't put any effort into getting pictures, but I did link to a ton of stuff! Check out my pregnancy must have's:

Prenatal Vitamin | I mentioned this a little before, but I was originally on the Nature Made Prenatal. I bought it a looooong time ago when we first started trying to get pregnant, and I wasn't very consistent with taking it. When I did get pregnant, I was much better at taking it daily, but it made me so sick! I finally switched to the Spring Valley Gummy Prenatal and life is so much better. I think the vitaFusion gummy prenatals look delicious too! I still take my Nature Made ones sometimes at night, when I don't feel like eating the sweet gummy ones, and as long as i take it right before bed, I don't have a problem with feeling sick! Since prenatal vitamins are pretty much mandatory during pregnancy and nursing, i think it's important to find one you like that works for you! There are lots of different brands, and I recommend buying in bulk if you can - you'll go through them quicker than you think!

Boppy Pregnancy Pillow | I don't know how I would survive without this pillow. It's completely worth the investment! It's so soft, but gives you tons of support. There are three parts and they all velcro together so you can pick and choose which parts you need on any given night. I don't especially like the pillow part for my head (I like my own pillows better) but I sleep with the long part that goes between my knees every night, and now that I've been dealing with a lot of really painful round ligament pain, the middle part, that goes under your stomach is a lifesaver! My sister has the boppy wedge pillow, that you just put under your stomach to support it while you sleep on your side, and as my bump gets bigger, I'm starting to see how useful that will get and I'll probably end up buying it!

Palmer's Tummy Butter | I didn't start using anything specific on my belly until I hit about 20 weeks. I moisturize my entire body every day, so I didn't feel like I needed it. I did use organic coconut oil for awhile, but it was kind of messy! My sister just had a baby and had been using Palmer's - along with everyone else in the world, and there's a reason it's the most popular one out there - it's so good! I love how it smells, and it goes on smooth. It's a really thick consistency and it doesn't absorb right away, but I've loved using it nightly, even though I know that there is nothing lotions and oils can do about stretch marks - they are genetic!

Water | Guzzle. All. The. Water. Not only are you supposed  to be drinking troughs of water each day, but I feel better when I know I've had enough to drink each day. It helps me avoid the headaches, and keeps me fuller longer, so I'm not as prone to getting nauseous! Water also helps with swelling!

Gum | During the first trimester, when I was always feeling nauseous, and food never sounded good, chewing on a piece of gum helped my stomach a ton! I know this seems like a dumb thing to include, but it saved me during long work days!

Dry Shampoo | Washing my hair? hahahaha. It just doesn't happen anymore. Especially in the morning. I am wayyyy too tired to get up any earlier than I have to, so washing my hair in the mornings is completely out of the question. I'll do my best to wash it every couple days at night before I go to bed, but even then, I'd rather be sleeping! I love the Dove dry shampoo - it smells amazing and it works great! But the Batiste Coconut one has been my go to! It works so well! My hair has started to adjust to being washed less, and it's producing less oil and grease which is nice! I've trained my hair to be as lazy as me! Wahoo!

Maternity Jeans | Maternity jeans will save your life. Everyone has told you this. Everyone has told you to buy them the second you think you might need them, and I'm adding my voice! YES. GET THEM ALL. They are so comfy, they are so supportive for your stretching, achy tummy, and they can still be cute. They can! Enter H&M. Cute maternity jeans (I have these ones), at an affordable price. All the H&Ms I've walked into have a pretty limited maternity section, so just shop online. Maternity jeans fit the exact same as your regular jeans, but instead of a zipper and button, they have a stretching yoga band (GET THE FULL PANEL AND NOTHING ELSE). The H&M ones have a panel made out of really thick material and by the end of the day, i'm done but I know Old Navy has thinner material for the panel that's a bit more comfortable!

Old Navy Maternity Leggings | All the maternity leggings. The Old Navy ones I bought are thicker, which I like, because I can wear them with a tunic, and not worry about anything, but I'm sure just about everywhere has great maternity leggings. I have full and low panels leggings from Old Navy, and I like them both, though I don't think I could do low panel jeans! Old Navy has great maternity shirts, too! They're actually cute! Same with Target. Of course. Shopping for maternity clothes is fun as I get bigger - I like to show off this bump!

Hair Tie Trick | Since I'm not huge yet, I've still got all my regular jeans in rotation, but since I sit at a desk, and am dealing with Round Ligament Pain, buttoning them is not happening. Use the simple hair tie trick! The little bit of room it gives you is exactly what you need. Just put the hair tie around the button, then stretch it through the button hold and back around to the button again!

Apps | I love my pregnancy apps. I love comparing all of them, and they all give you such useful information! I definitely recommend getting more than one, I have 4 and they all give me different info! I have: What to Expect, Baby Bump Pro, Baby Center & Pregnancy+ (which is my favorite!). I love the fruit size comparison, and I love seeing weekly ultrasound examples and mock ups of what my baby currently looks like. A lot of the apps have additional resources like community boards where other expecting moms can discuss things, baby name idea lists (where you can bookmark your favorites!) and timelines that spread out the entire process for you in a super readable format. Each of my apps gives me a little different information so it's nice to compile it all together. They have daily tips, weekly updates and videos, and info for husbands too!

Night Gowns | sleeping in anything with a waistband that hits across my stomach has become so uncomfortable so I've been loving soft night gowns! Target always has cute, comfy ones and they will fit you before, during and after the bump!

Vitamin B6 | helps with nausea. like, really helps. that's all.

Journal | Recording this pregnancy in a journal has been so important to me! I love posting on my blog about it, but I write way more detail in a private journal. It's been a good outlet to express my emotions as well as keep track of all the details and stats! I started my journal when I first started trying to get pregnant, and I still love looking back and reading older posts. I plan on continuing to journal once this girl gets here, because I feel like it's something we will both (her and I) treasure forever.

Eucalyptus Bubble Bath | I don't think I could make it through this pregnancy without regular baths! I love eucalyptus, it's so relaxing, helps with that pregnancy congestion and nausea. I also love the lavender one, because it's so relaxing!

24 Weeks

+ Today I'm 24 weeks, 5 days

+ Baby girl's the size of an EAR OF CORN

+ I realize that doing these posts every single week is probably annoying and repetitive... but here's the thing: I waited a really long time for my turn to be the one writing the "bumpdates", and it sucked to wait. So I'm milking it.

+ She got the hiccups this week! haha cutest thing ever. I loved it!

+ She's moving a lot, and they feel like such strong movements to me, but Devin still can't feel anything! I love feeling her move, and I'm starting to notice a routine. Hopefully the movements get stronger in the next few weeks so Devin can start feeling her too.

+ Had another appointment today and it was pretty uneventful. My doctor told me to plan for lots of swelling since I will be pregnant through the summer (yay!...), and we scheduled the glucose test for next month! We got to hear the heartbeat again, and that is the greatest sound in the world!

+ We're off to Glacier National Park later this week! I'm so excited for a vacation, especially in this amazing place, and with some of our best friends! We all feel like we're overdue for a vacation! This will be the last big trip we take before the baby comes, though I'm sure we'll go camping a bunch before then, too!

May Favorites

 

I haven't been buying a lot of new products recently, because all my money is going toward tiny dresses and socks and things, but I've still got quite an obsession, and I'll always find a way to talk about makeup!

1. Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara | I don't know why nobody is talking about this mascara, because it's amazing! Is it new? I think it's sort of new, I don't know. It's a true dupe for Benefit They're Real mascara! I love it so much. I'm so glad I found it because it's so much cheaper than Benefit. It gives you the long, skinny, fluffy looking lashes (I know everybody likes different looks, and this is just what I've always preferred). When the bottle is new, I tend to wipe off excess mascara quite a bit, so it doesn't get clumpy, but as you use it, you won't have to do that anymore. New favorite. Hands down.

2. St. Ives Pink Lemon & Mandarin Orange Scrub | I've loved the apricot scrub from St. Ives for years, it's such a good exfoliator, but I picked up this pink lemon one recently and it's changed my skin care game! They call it the "Even & Bright" formula and it's true! It's made a huge difference in evening my skin tone, and I feel way more glowy (don't mistake for oily - glowy is different. and better). And I've seen a difference in my skin, too! I've talked about this before, but my skin has been CRAZY this past year or so as I've gone off birth control, got pregnant, miscarried, and got pregnant again and not much seems to help me, but this face wash is making a difference! It does have an exfoliating texture, but it's so fine that I don't feel like I need to limit my uses to a few times a week - i feel comfortable using it every day! And it smells amazing. Skin care is a hard thing to recommend to people, because everybody's skin is so different, but if you're looking to try something new, or different, look into St. Ives - I feel like they've got something for everyone. I've been so impressed with this brand!

3. DIY Toner | I've been meaning to do an entire post on all the natural and DIY skin care I use, but it's just never happened. This toner is a miracle worker. It smells so, so terrible, but I notice a difference when I use it consistently! It's equal parts Raw Apple Cider Vinegar "With the Mother" (I use the Bragg's brand - it's the best) & Witch Hazel, then 4-6 drops of Lavender essential oil, and 4-6 drops of Melaleuca essential oil. All the best skin care remedies in one bottle. I use a cotton ball and apply it to my whole face, then moisturize once it's dry. The smell only lasts until it dries, I promise! haha it really does stink. But it's absolutely worth it. Nothing helps my skin as much as this toner does! Between the St. Ives Pink Lemon scrub, and this toner, my skin is looking better than it has in over a year!

4. Maybelline Rebel Bloom Lipsticks | This formula is so creamy and the pigment is perfect. Maybelline does lipstick right, but this line specifically is just perfect! I want them all. Seriously, I want every single shade. So far I have Hibiscus Pop. Blushing Bud and Peach Poppy and they are all gorgeous! I love that they keep coming out with these different lines.

5. Essie Nail Polish Shades | I've gotten a few new shades of nail polish recently and I've decided this: for the colors I know I will wear all the time and keep in regular rotation, my staples, if you will, it's worth it to splurge the $8.50 and buy Essie or Orly or OPI or another nicer brand, and the fun colors, i can buy cheaper brands. Makes sense, right? I have acquired three new essie polishes this past month or so, and I've already worn all three at least once, haha! "Blanc" - a bright white, which I especially love on my toes, "Meet Me at Sunset" - an orangey red shade similar to "Haute Red" by Orly, which I absolutely love & "Mod Squad", a super girly, perfect shade of pink that my sister gave me for mother's day. I've talked about Essie polish before - the formula can't really be beat! I think it's totally worth the splurge on your staple nail colors. I've grown my essie collection quite a bit over the last year, just because the formula is so great and long lasting! I love finding new shades to love.

23 Weeks

+ Today I'm 23 weeks, 5 days

+ Baby girl is as big as a SPAGHETTI SQUASH

+ We've started looking for a new place! We have been living in a 700 square foot, 1 bedroom town home for the last 3 years, and while it's been perfect for the two of us, there's just no way we can squeeze a baby into this house, too! I'm excited to have a new place, and I'm so anxious to start working on a nursery! We won't be moving until our lease is up at the end of August, but it's finally time to start looking!

+ feeling movement more and more, but with anterior placenta, Devin can't feel it from the outside yet! I can't wait for him to start feeling her move. Sometimes it's uncomfortable, but I love it!

+ still sleeping really soundly (and it's starting to make it harder for devin to sleep - i guess i'm hogging the bed, poor guy! haha)

+ spending more time with my brand new baby niece Josie Jo. being around her gets me so excited. i just stare at her in disbelief, knowing i'll have one of my own here so soon! it's crazy to look at Jos and study her little features and wonder what my little girl will look like.

+ not getting any closer at all to a name. but i'm not worried about it. we'll wait until we see her, and i'm sure it will be easier than i think it will.

+ devin is much more selective of the music he plays, because he knows she can hear now. some nights we lay in bed and he plays pearl jam, holding the speaker up against my bump hahaha! she'll be PJ's youngest fan! also, i'm positive she'll recognize The Office theme song, because it's been on constantly when we're at home.

+ eating basically everything in sight. i didn't think that would happen to me, and it's not like i get crazy-starving, but once i start eating, i just always eat way more than i would have expected to! when i eat a big greasy meal, like a burger and fries, though, i always feel so full and uncomfortable after. there's just not room in there for a baby and a giant meal from JCW's! haha

+ anxious for my appointment, and our babymoon next week!

Katie, Lately

 

he'll still cuddle with me, but lately it's been taking some force...

 

these cookies remind me so much of my childhood. mostly of my great grandma cobbley who made the best chocolate milkshakes and always served them with a variety of slightly stale cookies - the wafers were always my favorite!

 

crosby the adventuremobile! (who so, so desperately needs a good wash)

 

waited out the rain in cedar valley so we could shoot devin's new Ruger 10-22 that he got for his birthday! i'm glad shooting has become something we can do together, and his gun-nut-ness is rubbing off on me a bit! now he's got 2 rifles and 3 pistols haha! i think it's my turn... i'm still pretty partial to the M&P 15-22 (on the right) - it's just such a cool gun!

 

cedar valley after the rain. it was so pretty out there!

 

devin and i have been competing with ourselves a bit the last few weeks to try and keep the house spotless at all times - which includes making the bed! i love it. coop loves it too.

 

that photogenic face, haha

the hamblins got a puppy! meet grizz! he is a... yorkie/shih-tzu (i think?) and he and coop were fast friends. coop got a little annoyed by the end of the night (what an angsty teenager he is), but they still played awesome together. i loved having a little puppy around for the night! grizz is too cute and may just convert me to small dogs! he is so sweet and so cute. i can't wait to get a second dog!

Celebrating 4 Years

We celebrated our four year anniversary over memorial day weekend (pretty sure if i went back, i would have picked a different weekend to get married, but i think i was just too excited. which also explains why i picked a date just three days after my husband's birthday... talk about impatient!).

Devin and I often get in a broken record routine and get bored with our date nights and the things we do, and it's always tough coming up with good ideas, so when I finally thought of a few, I immediately started planning our anniversary and decided to surprise Devin! He wore me down, and I told him where we were going as we drove to each place, but I feel like I held out long enough that it was still a fun surprise! And he didn't see a single thing coming, which made me happy! Usually, he can guess my surprises really easily, so I was so proud he didn't know anything!

We slept in and took our time getting out of bed and ready for the day, and eventually made our way to Provo for lunch at our all time favorite restaurant, Communal. We've always gone for dinner, so having lunch there was new for us! We both got burgers, the Communal Burger for me and the Blue Bacon Burger with balsamic onions for Devin. Communal is a farm-to-table restaurant so all the ingredients they use are local and fresh - they make their own burger patties and they were absolutely delicious! We loved the fries, and Devin was crazy for his ginger ale. And the price was way better than we were expecting! (We don't have dinner here as often as we'd like because it's so expensive, but the lunch menu was more than reasonable, especially for the quality of food you're getting!) 

After lunch, we headed up the canyon to Heber. We were running ahead of schedule, so we made a stop at Bridal Veil Falls on the way - it was a pretty drizzly day, but it wasn't too cold and the rain just made everything so GREEN - it was so beautiful! 

Once we got to Heber, we drove to the train depot for the Heber Valley Railroad! Devin was so surprised when I told him we were going on a train ride and he kept asking how I thought to even do this! We took the Deer Creek Express, which is a 90 minute round trip ride that takes you around Deer Creek Reservoir - it was stunning! I tried to get photos through the window, and they are terrible quality, but you can still see how beautiful everything was! I'm glad we went on a wet day, because of all that bright green! The ride itself was a little cheesy and kid oriented and the entertainment got a little old, but it was relaxing and scenic and we had a blast!

Before heading into Park City, we stopped at Dairy Keen (the train place!) for some shakes. It was so fitting! I loved coming to this place as a kid and I'll always have an affinity for their fries and fry sauce. And I still love the train that runs around the entire restaurant!

In Park City, we weaved through the colorful houses around main street and browsed a few shops to work up our appetite - I couldn't pass up the chance to eat at El Chubasco for dinner! It's our favorite Mexican Restaurant! I wouldn't say the food exceeds any other place by too much, but the salsa bar alone is why it's our favorite. Their salsa chipotle and pico de gallo are UNREAL.

By now it was getting pretty late, so we headed back home to check on cooper, change into pajamas, and then headed back out to West Valley to go to the Redwood Drive-In! Neither of us had been to a drive-in movie in probably at least 15 years, so it was so fun to load our jeep with practically all the blankets and pillows in our house! We packed a bunch of snacks and settled in to watch Pitch Perfect 2. The movie was so funny and the theater wasn't crowded at all (it was a Tuesday night!). We had so much fun.

In the past, we've always gone out of town for our anniversary and Devin's birthday, but we've both been so busy, that sticking around made more sense. Having a 4 day weekend sure made it seem like a vacation though! By Wednesday, we were both ready to be back at work, but it was such a perfect weekend. I can't believe it's been 4 years! I have loved every single second.

 

my burger at communal - i loved how fresh everything tasted!

 

look at all that green at bridal veil! the whole canyon looked like this - it was gorgeous.

 

the train station was so cute! this was the first time i had ever been on a train (i don't feel like trax or frontrunner really count)

 

even the tickets were adorable

 

waiting to board the train

 

the conductor yelled "ALL ABOARD!!!" and we were off! it was awesome.

 

the views were unbelievable - i'd never been around this side of deer creek before - it was a whole new view! too bad the train windows were filthy!

 

dessert before dinner. it's our anniversary, we'll do what we want to!

 

i feel like i take a picture like this every single time we eat at El Chubasco, but it's just literally what dreams are made of. their chips are SO good, and they've got THE BEST pico de gallo i've ever had. they also have this salsa chipotle - which is the nacho cheese looking stuff it's so hard to describe, and i've never seen anything like it anywhere else but it. is. incredible. 

so the Redwood Drive-In is a little run down, but we had a great view and were actually pretty comfy in the jeep! it was perfect weather and Pitch Perfect 2 was hilarious! we loved it. such a good ending to our day.

Katie, Lately

i'm not exaggerating when i say this is what i wake up to every morning. it's maybe a little bit annoying but mostly sweet haha



do you remember training table? it's still around! and it's delicious. we live pretty close to the riverton location and we actually go quite a bit! i love the westerner burger, they have amazing sweet potato fries, and their special fry sauce is so good!



running errands on a rainy saturday with this guy



and then napping on the couch after said errands.



this picture doesn't show it super well, but coop was sleeping by me on the couch and reached over with that little paw and pulled me over to him and laid his head on me. i just can't. he is the greatest thing. don't know what i'd ever do without this sweet dog.



i still work super close to swig, but is it even worth it now that they raised their prices?! it's so expensive now! (the answer is obviously yes. as ridiculous as it is.)



friday night macaron baking - the raspberry ones always turn out the prettiest and i have no idea why.



drowning every food i possibly can in strawberries (there's french toast under there somewhere!)


the happiest park dog



waiting for dad to come home - he recognizes our cars as they come up the road! he's so smart.

22 Weeks

i didn't take a single photo of my bump this week, but Josie girl is more exciting than my belly anyway!

+ Today I am 22 Weeks, 5 days

+ Baby girl is the size of an EGGPLANT

+ So here's the thing with feeling a baby move: since this is my first, I really don't know what it is that I'm expecting to feel when she moves, so I'm not sure what counts as her, and what can be credited to everything else happening in my stomach. When we have had ultrasounds, the technician will push against my stomach and poke around to get her to move and we watch her wiggle on the screen, so I know that it's effective, but when I am laying on my couch at home and poking at my belly and feel movement, I can never be too sure if it's her! Anybody could probably feel things start to move around in their stomachs after they poke at them, right?! haha It's just hard to know what's her and what's me, but I've been feeling some different movements this last week and I'm just going to start counting it! haha

+ I got a cold this week! Bleh. It really is worse when you're pregnant.

+ pretty sure my belly button is gonna pop out soon! i've always had an innie but this last week or so it's started to look like it's going to be an outie.

+ sleeping like a rock lately

+ my older sister had her baby girl! it was so surreal to think about how that will be me in just a few months! being around a brand new baby made me so excited!

+ baby girl definitely knew her cousin was coming, because that whole night my sister was in labor and delivering her baby, mine was kicking like crazy! haha i think she just wanted to be a part of the party!

+ the combination of being almost 6 months pregnant, getting no sleep all weekend, and spending most of that time on my feet resulted in some serious swelling! haha i hate it! ugh. it went down pretty quickly it never got too bad, but I do not like that pregnant symptom, haha!

Josie Jo Morris

I don't even know where to begin! This weekend was such a whirlwind, and I haven't slept hardly at all, but I've got the most beautiful new niece to show for it, and all is well!

On Sunday morning at 4:10am, Josie Jo Morris was born to my older sister, Kelli and her husband, Sean. She is the most content and alert baby I've ever met, and she is the most perfect addition to our crazy family! She weighs 7 lbs, 7 oz, is 19 inches long and has dark hair like her dad, which didn't surprised anyone! She's absolutely beautiful.

Kelli asked me to take photos of the delivery and it was one of the most unique experiences I've ever had. I was nervous and anxious and excited, but ultimately overwhelmed with love and amazed! I feel more prepared for my own delivery now (in just a few short months!), and seeing those first moments of Josie's life, and watching my sister and her husband see their daughter for the first time was so sweet. There was so much love in that room, and I was so glad I got to witness it and be there to support my sister. Women are real life superheroes, and babies truly are everyday miracles!

It's surreal to watch my sister become a mom. My sister who I shared a bedroom with growing up, spent countless hours playing barbies with, who I stole makeup from, and listened to Spice Girls with, and fought with and laughed with and cried with. And now she's a mom, and watching her transition into motherhood so gracefully and beautifully has been so special to me! I've always looked up to and admired Kelli, and knowing I'm right behind her in this new role and have her to continue to look up to makes me feel so much more calm and ready for motherhood. I am so excited to be a mom alongside both my sisters! Come October, we will all be moms to girls! (Which truly, I think ,must be karma. A taste of our own medicine!)

Seeing Josie and holding her and watching her has made me so beyond excited to finally meet my own baby girl. I feel more prepared and excited than ever before, and I couldn't help but think about how Josie was probably with my baby girl right before she came here! They're probably great friends already, and I'm so excited for them to meet and grow up together!

Josie girl, you are already more loved than you'll ever know and you've got the entire Johnson family wrapped around those long skinny fingers. I love your little squeaks and coos, and I hope you don't mind if I keep practicing my swaddle wrapping skills on you. You're the perfect baby girl for my sister, and I'm so glad you made it here safe and sound. I couldn't have thought of a better way to celebrate the due date of my first baby than to welcome you to this world! We are going to have so much fun!

*Not even going to try and narrow these down - she is too perfect for words!*

 

20 minutes old

 

first time i finally got to hold her, 2 hours old!

  

haha i can't get over this one. i love her wrinkly fingers!

 

the hair! there's more in the back - but it's dark and thick and pretty long!