Farewell to a Fun Decade

Today I am wrapping up my twenties. A decade to remember.

In the past ten years, I would say I've covered a lot.

-Graduated College
-Established a Career
-Married my Main Man
-Birthed our First Born.

Pretty special.

It's funny to think I'm closing out this decade, completely opposite of how I started. I used to be the one spitting up after way too many shots at Georgia Bar and Bourbon Street...today I spent my last day in the twenties helping little Marion spit up her drink of choice. Oh how things have change!

I envisioned my 30th birthday drinking lots of champagne and dancing the night away with fun friends. After having our sweet girl, I'm perfectly content hanging with our new little family of three and sneaking away for a date night with John. Life is good. We are very fortunate.

Cheers to 30. May it be as fulfilling & fun as the twenties. Bring it, 30s!

SHE is here!!

After all the 'schedule' talk, our little breech baby decided to schedule her own birthday and surprised us all with an early arrival.

We are so in love with our precious baby girl...

 Marion Katherine Haynes

Friday, March 22nd at 1:34pm

8lbs even. 20 1/4 inches long.



I wouldn't trade that day for anything else in the world. I love that she decided to come on her own terms. It was perfect & special in every way.

She is her Dad in a Dress...with dark hair, small little face features, and a laid back disposition. We are thinking she has my ears? Or maybe toes? haha. She is that much of a daddy mini-me which of course makes him proud. And I think he's pretty good looking myself, so I think it's sweet that she is her dad made over.

She is two weeks old today. In a way, it seems like she has been in our lives forever yet then again it's crazy to believe two weeks have already come and gone.

We are getting the hang of this parent thing. It's been an amazing experience so far filled with lots of emotion, love, and oh yea- sleep deprivation....sleep is definitely a thing of the past. And we actually have a baby that likes to sleep a lot.

To say that we are in love is an understatement. I totally get it now. It's a love like no other and grows more and more everyday.

Randoms + Spring Wants

Today is my last day at work before maternity leave. This is so surreal. I've been working at my company for over 7 years and during that time never taken more than 10 days at a time, that 10 being a one time thing for our wedding.

Being that the babe is making it's scheduled debut on Monday, it has been nice finalizing things this week and preparing for the imminent departure. Even though it's only temporary (12 weeks), telling people 'bye' has been kind of sad & just weird. I know it sounds a bit crazy & I'm attributing it to the hormones (as I've done the past 39 weeks), but it really is kind of emotional. These are people you spend more hours with than your own family and they are wishing you the best, etc. I can't imagine how people feel when they retire. I guess when you quit it's a wanted exit & you can't get out of there fast enough!

While I'm looking forward to returning to work (much to my mom's despise), I know from talking to other people it's going to be really hard and my outlook on this silly job will more than likely change. But at this point, as I tell co workers and customer 'goodbye' I look forward to saying Hi again this June.

OK, enough sapp...wow that was a tangent. This post was about randoms & spring wants.

A few last pregnancy thoughts....

-At this stage of the game, & working with a best friend who is two weeks behind me, we should just put big posters on our forehead with our due dates. We cannot go anywhere without getting stopped. It's a constant reminder how BIG I am!

-I think my feet have officially grown. I've heard this throughout pregnancy and thought I exempted that side effect, but my boots are officially too small in the toes and I went to get my standard size in flats last week and I need to take them back & go up a size.

Now for my Spring wants. I cannot WAIT to buy skinny clothes again! Buying maternity clothes is so not fun and makes you cringe spending $ on something you know isn't flattering or attractive. I have literally rotated 3 or 4 outfits the past two weeks as nothing is really comfortable anymore.

This list is random, but most are catchy things that have caught my eye over the past few days.

$299

$88

$59

$176

$44

$176

$78

$69

So, I guess this is my signing off as a last post before being a P.A.R.E.N.T!!

I'm pampering myself tomorrow with a fresh hair cut and a leg massage from sole spa (a thoughtful 'baby mama' gift from a friend).

38 Week Check In!

Crazy to think these bump posts will be over next week. {Are you excited?}.

Went to doc this morning for my 39 week and our little babe is still breech and comfortable. That's not to say this mama hasn't tried it all. In the last few weeks, I've tried

-Frozen peas on the stomach
-Flashlight & music down low
-Inverted Breech Tilt
-Handstands in the Pool. Yes you read that correctly. This one still makes me laugh! Even worse, I've been going to my gym pool. It is a sight to see a big pregnant girl in a swimsuit, much less doing handstands. Most of my pool-mates are triathletes all geared out in their swim caps and tight suits. I just show up in my XL tankini and make a big splash like shamu when I get in the water! In all honesty though, swimming has been relaxing and has felt quite good on my lower back. It is quite the arm workout too. I'm pulling out some old tricks from my swim team days.
-Webster Technique done by a chiropractor. This one was a stretch for me. I debated back and forth. Seemed a little extreme & unnecessary. But then I figured what the heck, if it works great and if not I can say I literally tried it all. This was my first chiropractor visit. Like most, I've always been skeptical about their approach. But, in the end it was a pleasant experience. She realigned my hips and did pressure points on certain ligaments. The goal is to realign the spine and lower parts where baby can ease it's way in head down.

So, that being said, obviously this little one is meant to be head up and we're sticking with our c-section plan on March 25th. The exciting thing is we get to meet this little one in 6 short days!!!

How far along? 38 weeks.

Baby Size: Size of a pumpkin & it feels that way! The doc thinks this baby is around 7lbs.

Total weight gain/loss: I’ve stopped asking but I would think 32-35.

Maternity clothes? Mostly maternity. Getting dressed for work is now a joke!

Stretch marks? Still a no.

Sleep: Shifting side to side and a few loo breaks, but still feeling rested.

Best moment this week:  Just getting so excited about the little planned arrival. Also, wrapping up things at work. Excited about the 12 weeks work breather even though I know I’ll be busy.

Miss Anything? Would love a fresh margarita with this gorgeous weather lately but also realizing that the end is in sight & I may even miss this big ole belly. 

Movement: Lots of rolling and a few kicks down low still letting me know head is up & feet are low!

Food cravings: Still sweets…crystal light, cereal, ice cream, chocolate. You name it!

Labor Symptoms: Still constant pelvic pressure and a little lower back pain.

Aversions/Anything making you queasy or sick:  No.

Misc:  I’ve had a few crying episodes lately…some for no reason at all. And most know I’m not a crier so this has been strange & a scary to John! We both know it’s just part of it though.

10 DAYS!

It's official. John & I are going to be parents in 10 days. Ahhhhh!

Our little flipper is still breeched so as of now we will have a scheduled C-section on Monday, March 25th at noon. Although highly unlikely, baby could still turn and if that ends up being the case we will just hang out until our original due date- which is Friday, March 29th. Also, there is always the possibility the little one could come early; in that case, we would just grab our bags, go to the hospital and have the c-section. It wouldn't be as 'casual' as just showing up for our noon 'appointment' but all would be fine.

Now that the breech baby news has settled in to us, it's pretty surreal/exciting/nerve-wracking to know the actual birthday and plan.

Here are some recent thoughts about our impending arrival...

-I'm such a planner so the thought of walking into the hospital on a certain day and time is appealing, yet also brings a little anxiety. Water breaking on the trading floor or feeling the urge to 'push' at home in the middle of the night of course brings much more anxiety, but the unknown rather than the known has an appealing factor as well. Naiveness has it's allure!

-Parking the car, walking into the hospital and feeling completely normal (I may even dress cute and you know I will put on my eye make-up!) cracks me up. I think I just envisioned a much faster, hurried process, so the thought of just showing up on a Monday to have a baby is so funny to me.  I'm well aware typing this I could be jinxing myself and we may be rushing to Piedmont at 3am.

-I've had a couple of surgeries in my life. Broken elbow at age 7 and broken nose at age 9, but having surgery at 30 kind of scares me. My biggest fear is feeling the surgery. I know it's a bit ridiculous, but that 60 minute special on anesthesia still freaks me out! 

-Part of me still feels like John & I are 20 years old, and in no way ready to be parents. I feel like I should be putting on my short shorts, vibrant high heels, and heavy dark eye make up and pregaming at The Paces. You girls know what I'm talking about! And then I remember I'll be 30 two weeks after the baby is born and John will be 32.

-Speaking of turning 30, never did I imagine I would be spending such a milestone birthday with a brand new baby and a whole different life. To be honest, I imagined hitting the clubs or vacationing somewhere tropical! Something tells me, an amazing trip or memorable night with friends won't compare to the gift that we are about to receive.

-Finn is in for it. She definitely knows something is up. We don't spoil our dog (who am I kidding, we totally dote her) but to her credit she is pretty independent and disciplined. Until last week, we came home to this...

Someone got into the trash! We have also caught her a time or two with a baby toy or rattle in her mouth, but when she sees one of us she drops it... so we know she knows better.

-All in all and most importantly, I really can't believe this day is almost here. We get to meet our little baby in a mere few days and our life will forever change. We are so grateful for the gift to become parents and I can't wait to meet this little one that's been camping out (& currently cramping my rib cage) for the past ~10 months!

37 Week Preggos check in!

How far along? 37 weeks.

Baby Size: 6-7 lbs and 20-21 inches long.  

Total weight gain/loss: Still going up! 

Maternity clothes? Mostly maternity. Getting dressed for work is becoming extremely difficult.

Stretch marks? No, hoping I make it to the finish line sans stretch.

Sleep: Not so much. Still feeling rested but lots of adjusting throughout the night.

Best moment this week:  Finishing up nursery. We splurged on a painting for over the crib (early 30^th birthday present to me!) & we love it.

Miss Anything? Walking without a waddle and easily bending over.  

Movement: Not so much kicking anymore, but lots of swishing

Food cravings: Oh the same...

                                        

The guy at BR told me I looked like I needed a double scoop so it was on the house. Not sure if I should take that as a compliment or insult; regardless, I ate every last bite!

Labor Symptoms: A little bit of pelvic pain earlier this week & occasional Braxton hicks.

Aversions/Anything making you queasy or sick:  No.

Misc:  We found out at our 37 week that Baby H is now breeched. It is rare for baby to flip this late in the game. Guess we have a little hell raiser or diva in our future! This came as a bit of surprise given that he/she was head down at our 36 week appointment. We opted out of the version procedure. Didn’t think the risks associated with the procedure were worth it and it’s a painful procedure with less than 50% success rate, lower for first time mom’s. We figured this baby is flipping for a reason, so what’s meant to be will be. I’ve spent the last week doing the ‘home remedies’ to flip baby back head down… frozen peas on top of the stomach near the head (supposedly babies don’t like cold-ours didn’t mind it), music near pelvic region (baby unfazed), lying on top of pillows to invert hips and give baby room to flip again (baby not interested) and lastly doing handstands in the pool (yes, I went to our  gym pool 37+ weeks pregnant in a bathing suit!). All this being said, we will have a scheduled C-section sometime around our due date. We will know the date at our 38 week appointment. While this isn’t how we planned our delivery to be, of course in the end we just want a healthy baby. And now that I’ve come to terms with a c-section (other than I am not looking forward to the recovery), a planned delivery without the laboring process, sounds appealing to me!

Guest Bathroom Progress

I know I'm the queen of showing you house tid bits and then never showing the end results. Case in point with the guest bathroom, as well as the master. We moved into our master addition Halloween weekend and I've yet to show final pics. I promise I'll get to it!

As for the guest bathroom, it is almost complete. The workers have long gone and finished their part, I've just yet to complete my part.

Remember we started with this...

Then it looked like this...

And now it looks like this...

The floor tile is amazing. I am in love! It is more white in person and it's an eye catcher. Smart move to splurge on marble. In my opinion, it makes the bathroom.

For now you just see the basic builder mirror that came with the house. Also, we stuck with the current lighting to avoid electrician costs. If it weren't up the bank account it would have been ideal to add sconces flanking a mirror, but in the end I think it was worth it to save the electrician money & splurge on the marble.

As you can see there is still more to do. We need a piece of art above the towel bar (it looks a little odd right now by itself on that big wall), we need to hang the picture frames above the toilet (& add something in them), get a new shower curtain, and get a new mirror.

Big fail by me on the mirror. I had big hopes for this beauty. Loved the look and the price was right, but it was way too small. I was wayyy off on size even though I swear I measured! Once again scale gets me. That is why you pay decorators for their expertise. So we're still in the market for a 32" mirror and I'm holding out for something unique...or good price point. I'll know it, when I see it.

Another little touch I love is the vanity knobs. In the below picture you can see how the vanity came 'as is'. Basic silver, boring knobs. 

I traded out the knobs for these antique brass vintage ones and the look is so much better.

Overall I'm happy with the $199 vanity for a guest bathroom. The price is beyond cheap, it's a good size, and let's the floor be the star of the show.

So that's where we stand as of now. The tile gets me every time I walk past this bathroom! Much better improvement from the dated yellow & brown. Hopefully, we'll wrap it up soon before our mother & mother in law's move in post baby :) 

36 weeks. One month countdown!

Today marks 36 weeks and 3 days. 25 days to go! We are getting really excited and cannot believe it is almost here. It is time to get focused... get the hospital bag packed and get everything ready at home. Once again, are you ever ready? Of course we still don't have a few baby essentials, but we plan on making a few baby store runs this week. (Doesn't that sound fun?!!)

How far along? 36 weeks.

Baby Size: About 6 lbs! and 20.5 inches long.   Total weight gain/loss: I’ve definitely topped the 30 mark.  

Maternity clothes? Mostly maternity. Getting dressed for work is becoming painfully difficult.

Stretch marks? Nada.

Sleep: Getting good sleep just lots of shifting sides & bathroom breaks.

Best moment this week:  Going to a fun dinner with friends on Friday night. Trying to pack in the nights out on the town before we are on house lock down! Also, my MIL and her sisters threw a nice little luncheon for Baby H this past weekend. Lastly, more work on the nursery. John set up the lamb swing & bouncer so its officially looking like baby land at our house!

Miss Anything? Oh ya know, bending over, walking normal, tying shoes. The normal. It is so hard to bend over and pick things up around the house.

Movement: Everyday around 2pm and at night before bed. Definitely a decrease in movement since baby H is chubbing up, so it’s nice to hear a healthy heartbeat at the doc.

Food cravings: Lemonade, strawberries, blueberries…and angel food cake with whip cream. You know I’m going to add a sweet in there!

Labor Symptoms: I think I am feeling occasional Braxton hicks or slight cramping.

Aversions/Anything making you queasy or sick:  No.

Misc:  Cannot believe we are so close!  

Target Threshold Spring Collection

Have you seen the Threshold collection at Target? If not, you're missing out. For the look and the price, it's chic & cheap.

The buzz is out for the new collection to hit stores March 17th. Mark your calendar!

Pieces currently in store that I am loving...

$11.99-$16.99

$25.99

35 weeks...32 days to go!

I cannot get over that as of today we are 32 days from the big due date. Where has the time gone? In a way I feel like I've been pregnant forever (as much as I talk about it on this blog!) but in all actuality it has flown by. We are getting really excited & also a bit anxious, which is to be expected.

We are making progress in the nursery...slowly but surely. My brother saw it the other night and said 'This is it?!'. So while it may look a little bare to most, this mama does have a vision. It's just a matter of getting it all done. We have the main things in place...we would be fine if this babe makes his/her debut early...it's now just time to get things on the wall and all the toys set up.

With that said, we completed 35 weeks on Friday. Here is my little recap.

How far along? 35 weeks.

Baby Size: More than 5 lbs; between 18 and 20 inches in length.  The size of a small roasting chicken! (Yes, baby center really referenced that) 

Total weight gain/loss: 29 weeks! The girl scout cookies & valentines candy are really catching up to me J 

Maternity clothes? Still a mixture, mainly maternity.

Stretch marks? Nope, Palmer’s every day.

Sleep: Experiencing sleep insomnia the past few nights with lots of rotating back and forth, but still feeling rested for the most part.

Best moment this week:  Hearing the healthy heartbeat and having a good doc appointment. Also, we are making more progress on the nursery.

Miss Anything? The ease of getting up & bending over. It is nearly impossible to put on shoes and bend down to pick up things. 

Movement: Hiccups almost every day & lots of swishing!

Food cravings: Candy: Peanut M&M’s and twizzlers!! Also, diet sodas. So bad.

Labor Symptoms: Lots of pressure on bladder and lower back pain but nothing of note. I don’t think I’ve felt Braxton Hicks yet but I do feel the occasional stomach tightening.

Aversions/Anything making you queasy or sick:  No.

Misc: Nothing of note, just getting really excited!

My Baby Shower

This is a little overdue but my best friends hosted the most amazing baby shower for me a few weekends ago. It was beyond perfect & special in so many ways. They really went above and beyond to make a preggos girl feel special and we got so many incredible gifts and baby essentials for baby H. We are so grateful!

Baby Bee was themed throughout the shower and was so cute. Tina did an incredible job on all the fun decor.

A childhood favorite book all the guest signed.

A picture tree of John & I throughout the early years.

Gorgeous food display

Even monogrammed cups for Baby H! Spoiled or what?!

Kristen's famous homemade cookies

My future sister in law & my sis {everyone knows my mother refuses to take pics!}

Sweet handmade blanket from my MIL for baby H if its a ...BOY

And another one if its a... GIRL

]

All the hosts!

All the goods!

Tina made a very special book with cards for each of the guest to fill in the blank. Questions like when you grow up I hope you... I hope you get your mama's....

It's funny how similar answers were from friend to friend. Baby H is going to be well aware of how wild & crazy his/her parents are!

It was such a special day I will remember forever. My sister and aunt both jumped planes to spoil baby H and all of our family and close friends were able to attend. My friends seriously did so much to make it so memorable!

Y'all are the best!