Yesterday (Wednesday), I thought (!) it might be baby time. I had contractions that started around 7:30 a.m. (about 90 minutes after my last run at Orangetheory), and they stayed consistent for about five hours. The were uncomfortable but I could definitely talk through them.
Thankfully I had an appointment that morning anyway, so they hooked me up to a monitor to check me out. Though the contractions were real, they weren’t increasing in intensity, and I wasn’t dilated enough to be checked into the hospital.
I was actually glad to go home though because I realized that I wasn’t quite ready. I had more around the house to do to prep for my mom to stay at our home with the girls during our hospital stay (she is yelling at me through the computer right now telling me to sit down and do nothing to prep for her, LOL), and in general I wasn’t quite ready mentally for all of it. I’ve never gone into labor early before, so this threw me for a loop.
It was a good reminder to really enjoy these last few “chill” days that are free of the physical pain that I know is coming. Wheeeeee. Meeting your baby is the coolest thing in the entire world (I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE MOMENT AHHHH), but ouch – it all just hurts for a few days/weeks. Mamas, YOU KNOW. There’s so much focus on the baby before labor, but what our bodies go through to get the baby out and then put itself back together in the days that follow makes Mom quite the medical patient (all the less glamorous things that are generally not talked about on social media surrounding the euphoric experience of having a baby). Obviously more than worth it, but still – the contractions the other day swiftly reminded me of what’s to come. 😉
But since Jillian is NOT here in our arms yet, I have time to crank out a “Slice of Life”. 🙂 The next time I write a post like this, her sweet face will be all over it. Except, wait – her face actually graces this one already (scroll to see!)
Slice of Life
One of my favorite things in the entire world is girlfriend time, and I’ve been trying to prioritize it a lot the last month or so in particular. There is just something about getting real comfy at a table with one or more girlfriends and laying life all out there for an hour or two or three. I’m often such a homebody and truly love to be with my family at home more than any other place in the world, but time away from the home to be with other women is so healthy emotionally. I always return home a better version of myself.

Another thing I can’t get enough of lately: lounging out back, preferably during breakfast or during the evening when the temps aren’t so steamy. We have a comfy little love seat that I keep a blanket on (the blanket pictured before being used to pitch a tent, LOL) that I love laying down on and relaxing. When it rains, I like to leave my phone in the house and go outside to lay down on the couch and enjoy the peacefulness of the rain. Jamie doesn’t enjoy the rain as much as I do, so this has become my own solo time I really look forward to. Bring on the rain; It refreshes me.
Hadley took a two-week morning art class recently, so Sadie and I had a bunch of mornings where we had an hour(ish) to run around Huntsville and find things to do. We fed the ducks, found a playground, ate at some new places, and went on some long walks in the shade.
My bestie Amberlee and her boys joined us one morning too!
We sure do love living here and exploring here. It feels like such a different place than where I grew up. Not only am I seeing it through a parent’s set of eyes, but I really do think this area has evolved into a pretty stellar place to live. We are very happy to call it home.
After months and months of emailing back and forth with our Disney travel agent Alicia, the bookings finally opened up for fall 2020 Disney cruises. We decided that this was what we wanted to do for our family vacation next year and invited all of our family members to join us.
My parents, my in-laws, my sister’s family, and her in-laws are all going! It’s going to be fun! Everyone will be able to vacation the way they want to but also be together too. Win/win for all! We wanted to book the day it opened because we heard that prices go up quickly and that getting rooms near each other would be very hard to do if we didn’t book within the first few days, but goodness gracious – getting everything booked was wild. Rooms were disappearing fast, prices were going up by the minute, and in general it was a wild experience because you don’t know the exact prices until the bookings actually open.
Whew. It was nuts, but Alicia is amazing. If you’re ready to plan a Disney trip, get with her! She’s free to work with and is just so great. She booked our trip in 2017 and will continue to be our Disney girl for as long as she’s in business. 🙂 ANAUMAN@THEMOUSEEXPERTS.COM
Nothing too special about this picture below except that I think it’s a pretty cute one of my mom and the girls eating popsicles on her front porch during a sun shower. It’s going to be cute seeing Jillian in this mix soon. <3
One of my sweet friends gifted us a 4d ultrasound, so we got to see Jillian’s face last week! We couldn’t stop cracking up about how squishy those cheeks are! I hope they’re just like this when she comes out. 🙂
I love watching the girls grow up around this kitchen island. From watching me cut up a pineapple to baking a cake from scratch, they love (!) to be involved in the kitchen.
Freshly mowed grass and an evening to hang out back. My solid Saturday night.
On Monday we had to make a Target run to grab a few things, so the girls grabbed their money from their piggy banks to pick out a toy. This is their routine when we go to Target, though I’m not sure how that even got started. All I know is that the Target toy aisle is their version of Heaven, and watching them carefully select what to spend their money on is pretty funny.
Jillian’s nursery is all done, and I’m excited to take ya through it soon!
It’s been a summer full of birthday parties, that’s for sure! They’ve worked out well because the girls have gotten to see their friends and I’ve been able to catch up with the moms. One of the cutest parties this summer was for Hadley’s friend Campbell. Her mom (my friend Erin) took these cutie pie girls out to see a movie and then walked to a pizza place to eat dinner and have cookie cake. They ended the party with $10 gift cards to spend in Justice. (All of this took place at the same outdoor shopping mall.) It was basically the best day of Hadley’s life. She had so much fun, and I thought it was a very, very cute way to celebrate a 6th birthday!
Let’s chat!
Have you ever thrown an “outside of the box” birthday party for your child, or have they attended one that was particularly fun?
Have you ever had real contractions that ended up stopping like mine? If so, when did you end up going into active labor?
What are your favorite ways to spend time with girlfriends?
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo