The Birth of Brynn

July 28th was a typical Thursday I was just trying to get through my work day so I could get home and lay down. As the day progressed I started feeling worse and worse. My upper abdomen hurt in a way that it never had before and while at a department luncheon I noticed my ankles and feet had swollen drastically. I ended up leaving work a little bit early to beat some of the Atlanta traffic and Brian suggested we go swim to see if it would help me feel better. Unfortunately the pool didn't help so we grabbed some dinner and headed home to go to bed.

Around 1:30AM I hit my boiling point. I couldn't get comfortable and was completely restless with increasing pain. In tears, I woke up Brian and after going back and forth he decided we should go to the hospital to make sure everything was okay, I already had hospital bags packed for me and the baby so we grabbed those and left for the hospital. I was admitted to triage for my general exam and was expecting for them to tell me I was being a baby and that they would see me in four weeks, but I could tell right away by the expressions of the nurses and doctors that something was wrong.

Brian's nametag

There I was at 35 weeks and 5 days pregnant paralyzed in fear waiting to hear what was going on with me. I was poked and prodded for blood work, got an IV set, and my blood pressure was being taken every five minutes. Brian was doing his best to keep me calm, but I could tell he was scared too. My blood work finally came back  and two doctors walked into my room. you could have knocked me over with a feather when the doctor said I had developed severe preeclampsia and for my safety as well as the baby's we are going to induce me.

We had gone over so many birth scenarios but never thought of an emergency induction, I thought my only chance of induction was me going over my due date. I was immediately placed on magnesium and penicillin so that they could give me my first induction pill in a few hours once my blood pressure had stabilized...it was in the 190's right after they told me I was being induced.

At 9:45AM on Friday, July 29th I was given my first pill for induction. Brian made a quick trip back to our house to pack a bag for himself and to take our dogs to the boarder. We notified our parents and close friends of what was going on and I did my best to mentally prepare that this was actually happening. I was moved from triage to my room and man did we luck out. I got the corner room and it was huge! My mom quickly packed up and started the drive from West Virginia and my in-laws in Cleveland, OH booked their flight to get in late Friday evening. The silver lining of the weekend was presented shortly after I got settled into my room...it was Harry Potter weekend y'all!!! I know it seem silly but that was the best thing that could've happened. All the things I was terrified of I got to have done with the comfort of Harry Potter. I was watching Chamber of Secrets when they broke my water and Prisoner of Azkaban when I got my epidural. I was blessed with amazing nurses they entire time but my first night nurse, Alyssa, was the one there for all the truly scary things for me and she kept me calm with her fellow love for Harry Potter, all things Disney, and Parks and Rec.

My dilation was being checked every few hours and around 5:00PM on Saturday, July 30th the doctor when to check to see where I was, the last time she checked I was at 5cm, and her eyes got really big and she said they baby's head was down and ready...it was time to push.

Everyone cleared out of the room except for Brian and my nurse, Colette. Colette said that everyone else was getting things prepared and that I would be pushing until the baby crowned and then the doctors and other nurses would come in. I was scared but not stressed because they told me they wouldn't let me push for anything more than twenty minutes for mine and the baby's safety. Colette gave me my instructions and we waited for the next contraction to push. I made my first push and Colette smiled and said I did great and that I got the baby to crown on my first push and that she would go get the others. The doctors and nurses came in and in four pushes while watching The Half Blood Prince at 6:43PM our beautiful little girl Brynn Elizabeth made her grand entrance weighing 5 pounds, 4 ounces and 18.25 inches long.

Brian took this right when they laid her on me.

Our tiny, but mighty girl got to stay with us for about thirty minutes. My mom got to meet her before she was taken to the nursery where she had to stay for 24 hours since she was pre-term. We were in the hospital until Tuesday evening and the only thing Brynn had to be treated for was 24 hours of blue light therapy for jaundice.

Getting her blue light therapy.

My greatest loves

Around 7:00PM on August 2nd, we loaded up in our car and headed home with our little girl, completely terrified and blissfully excited. Even though her start was rough she has proven to be so resilient and strong and I surprised myself by conquering my biggest fear...yes childbirth WAS my biggest fear. Our first night home was wonderful and much smoother than I ever thought it would be...the following days were the hardest of my life but that's a story for another time.

Leaving the hospital

Thank you to everyone for the love, prayers, and well wishes during my labor and delivery as well as the phenomenal team at Emory Midtown who kept me and Brynn safe from start to finish. It was a whirlwind experience but like every mother says completely worth it. There is nothing more special than seeing your baby for the first time and I wouldn't change any part of my birth experience because it happened exactly how it was supposed to.  

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Baby Shower in West Virginia

Two weekends ago we had our baby shower by our parents in my hometown of Hurricane, West Virginia. It was held at the dance studio I grew up in and was a great time. The food was catered by The Buffalo Diner and it was so delicious. I, of course, got to pick the menu and opted for pulled pork sliders, brisket sliders, potato salad, and baked beans plus some pasta salad made by my mom. If you like in the Putnam county area and haven't tried The Buffalo Diner please GO, I promise you won't regret it. Now on to some pictures of our day celebrating Baby Brynn...

The centerpieces were glass milk bottles filled with baby's breath, baby photos of Brian and I, and little white rocking horses.

My Pinterest dream cake come true made by Buffalo Diner Desserts, forever obsessed with it.

Stolen from my sister's snapchat

So many wonderful presents!

Man can my sister wrap a gift! Also stolen from her snapchat. 

Aunt Erika and Aunt Stacy

It was my in-laws 33rd wedding anniversary...

 So Brian and I put our "favorite" wedding picture of them on a cake lol

Brian and his parents managed to fit everything in the car to get back to Georgia. 

We got so many wonderful gifts. I especially loved the baby ballet slippers, the illustrated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, all the cute outfits from everyone, the Lilly Pulitzer baby blanket from my mom, the coolest baby monitor ever, endless bath supplies, blankets on blankets, custom made and monogrammed burp cloths, GIFT CARDS, and well pretty much everything! It was honestly like Christmas morning! 

Tomorrow we head down to Orlando for the weekend. My friends down there are throwing us a baby shower and it's going to be so much fun too! Thanks for stopping by!

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Two {trimesters} Down & One To Go

I have officially crossed over into the last trimester of my first pregnancy. Those first two trimesters were filled with nerves and fear but they absolutely flew by for us. I say "us" not to be annoying or pretentious but, to let everyone reading this to know that this pregnancy has been a team effort from the moment we saw those two little pink lines staring back at us. I can say with no reservation that I could not have gotten through this pregnancy without Brian. He goes out of his way every minute of the day to try to make sure I'm as comfortable and content as possible and never complains to me when I'm being a total monster. He has been to every single appointment and ultrasound with a big grin on his face, has read and researched all things pregnancy far more than I have, said that if I couldn't drink neither could he (with the exception of the glass of wine I forced him to have when we ate lunch in the Eiffel Tower), and has calmed every fear I've had about becoming a mother. The man deserves a medal for everything he's done and until I get around to that I just had to sing his praises here. With all that being said I wanted to have Brian answer the questions for the second trimester recap while you all get to enjoy our favorite shots from our maternity session in Paris at the Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum captured by the wildly talented Federico at iHeartParis Photography, who you should most definitely hire if you ever find yourself in the city of lights.

How has the second trimester differed from the first?

B: I think we both became more educated about the pregnancy and instead of being nervous about what was to come we began to embrace and anticipate the pregnancy milestones. Your energy level was much better during the second trimester but you became more needy.

What would you say have been my food cravings and aversions?

B: Cravings have been fruity peebles, magnum ice cream bars, and Arby's. Aversions have been onions, spicy food, duck (when I get it), and raspberry macaroons...which you found out the hard way in Paris.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how hard was it to agree on a name.

B: I would say a one for a first name and an eight for the middle name. It took us a while to agree on a middle name for her.

What is the favorite thing you've bought her so far?

B: The baby Bjorn because I'll get to carry her around in it and her dresser I got for her nursery.

How do you think I did traveling to Europe while pregnant?

B: You far exceeded my expectations and I was so proud of how you kept a good energy level the whole time. I like that you embraced being pregnant, I was worried you wouldn't want to show in pictures that you were pregnant but you very proud of your bump. You did a lot better with the high amount of walking than I thought you would and I felt like you still enjoyed yourself except for when you saw that champagne bar in Harrod's.

Where do you think we should take the baby on her first trip?

B: Back to where it all began for us, so obviously Disneyworld will be her first trip.

What has been your favorite memory during this trimester?

B: Without a doubt feeling her kick for the first time ever in London. It completely caught me off guard and melted my heart. *Note from Jordan: this "first kick for dad" was felt after we enjoyed afternoon tea at Kensington Palace...she's not going to be a princess at all right?!*

The second trimester has definitely been kind to me.  Now that I'm in my third and last trimester I'm wondering if I should've used some of that "nesting" energy in setting up a nursery instead of traveling but that ship has sailed. These past few months have been filled with memories I'll never forget like feeling her kick for the first time, my bump finally making a proper appearance, and finally settling on a name for our little girl. A part of me is really going to miss being pregnant with her. Feeling her move around to let me know that she's still there is so sweet and the excuse to be tired and moody at work with little judgement from coworkers will be sorely missed. I know when she gets here I will like that much more but still it's nice to have her all to myself for the time being. Here's to the last couple of months of pregnancy, trying to keep cool in the Georgia heat, fun baby showers (in West Virginia and Florida), and soaking up all the knowledge I can in our baby classes next month.

Thanks for stopping and here's the link to our registry that some of you have asked for... Click HERE for our Baby Registry. West Virginia people I'll see you next weekend and Florida friends I'll see you July 4th weekend!

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5 Tips to Make Your Pregnant Trip to Disney Great

Going on any trip while pregnant requires some special planning but, a trip to fast paced theme parks requires a lot of planning. I lived and worked at The Most Magical Place on Earth for nearly five years and thought I had done everything in the world there...until now. Going to Disney while pregnant is a completely different machine that what I'm used to. Here are a few things I found to be extra helpful when visiting Disney while pregnant.  

{one} Dress for Comfort

We went to Disney in April when I was rounding on 19 weeks pregnant and when we planned the trip I didn't think the weather would be too hot. I lived there for nearly five years and April was always warm but never miserable. Unfortunately it was 90 degrees without a cloud in the sky. I should've listened to my gut and brought my dri-fit capri pants to wear in the parts but I opted for my cute maternity khaki shorts...big mistake. Some women are fine in shorts but mine ended up being uncomfortable and ultimately ruined my day. Your shoes can make or break your day so this is the one time you can throw fashion to the wind and wear something that feels better than they look.  Listen to your gut and dress in what you know will be comfortable for you for those long hours in the parks.

{two} Don't Rush Meal Time

Let's be real, the food at Disney is one of the greatest reasons to visit when you're pregnant. A bonus is if you plan accordingly your meal time will be an opportunity to cool off and relax indoors. Taking your time during meals in the park will be your saving grace. Enjoy a meal somewhere that you've never visited of fear of too much time being taken up by the dining experience, if there ever was a time to do so it's now!

{three} Utilize Disney's Package Pick-up

If you're anything like me you want to pick up some adorable merchandise for your baby! The only downside is carrying and keeping track of it (oh hey pregnancy brain!) throughout the day. Disney offers a wonderful service called package pickup where you can opt to have your purchases sent to the front of the park to grab on your way out (allow at least 3 hours for it to get up there) or you can pick it up the next day at the main gift shop in your hotel. This came in very handy when my mom bought the baby her personalized "My First Christmas" ornament.

{four} Plan Your Activities Inside and Outside of the Parks

Using Fastpass+ is a wonderful way to plan out your day in the parks but don't let that be the only thing you take time to plan. It's difficult to have an open to close day in the parks while pregnant so plan things that help you still experience the parks. For example I made a late dinner reservation at 'Ohana at the Polynesian and because of our dining time we were able to watch Wishes, the Magic Kingdom fireworks, from the comfort of our table.The restaurant dims the lights and plays the music so you get to enjoy the show without the crowds. This goes for several restaurants at both Magic Kingdom and Epcot. Don't think that every waking minute needs to be spent in the parks...enjoy the pool, see what recreation offers your hotel has, and if you're lucky have some "me time" being pampered at one of the spas on property.

{five} Celebrate this New Chapter

Disney is all about celebrating everyday things and making them magical. The celebration buttons (birthday, anniversary, first visit, etc.) are easy conversation starters for cast members as well as fellow guests. I was lucky enough to find and amazing Etsy shop, CrowleyCastle, that makes adorable custom Disney buttons (seen in the photo above) that you won't find in the parks. We got them to use in our gender reveal and were stopped countless times by people telling us how much they loved them, wishing congratulations to us, and asking where to get them.

One of the greatest things about Disney theme parks is that they hold true to Walt's original vision of everyone, no matter your age or physical restrictions, can have fun together. I suggest planning things out and utilizing the My Disney Experience to scope out what rides are safe for expectant mothers. I didn't feel like this was a half done trip just because I was pregnant and if you plan your trip right you won't either. So girl go to Disney and treat yo' self to all the Dole Whips and Mickey pretzels your little heart desires and have fun on the world famous Peoplemover. 

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Halfway there...

I have officially reached the halfway point of my first pregnancy and I can't believe it! So many things have happened in the past 20 weeks and I can not wait to see what the next 20 weeks hold. When I announced our pregnancy I did a little post about how things were going so I figured it'd be nice to do another one so I can look back and remember how I was feeling.

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Cravings

My appetite is finally back and food aversions are lessening by the day. My only consistent craving I've had is cereal and no, not the healthy kinds...straight up Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Fruity Pebbles for days! When my mom was pregnant with me she craved Fruity Pebbles all the time too. Besides that it's been really random things like having Brian recreated a brunch BLT from a great place in Orlando, spaghetti (which I usually am not a fan of), Zoe's Kitchen, and then Mexican and pizza...but I can't really blame that on the baby because I eat those all time pregnant or not.

Energy

When people say the first and second trimester are like night and day they aren't kidding. The first trimester can only be compared to a three month long hangover. The second trimester has been soooo much better. I don't feel 100% like myself but I feel leaps and bounds better than I did. The second trimester is the best time to travel so we've decided to make the most of it with a trip to Disney a couple weeks ago, another trip to Orlando this weekend for a friend's baby shower, and off to London and Paris next week, and my friend Molly's wedding in St. Pete in May!

Missing

Hot dogs, beer, and pork. I told Brian that as soon as I deliver the baby someone better be hightailing it down to The Varsity, only a few blocks from our hospital, to get me a hot dog. When I was in Orlando the other weekend we went to lunch with my friends Brandon and Katie. Brandon got a beer and I had to smell it because I miss it! I live in BBQ heaven and every time we go to a BBQ place and I have to order chicken my heart breaks a little.

Finding Out the Gender

We found out the gender very early on, the end of February to be exact, because we did Harmony Genetic Testing. Our insurance covered nearly all of the fees so we decided to do the test since I don't know the family medical history of my paternal side. I figured it was an investment for not only myself but, my sister when the time comes for her. One of the benefits of the testing is finding out the gender as well! I got the call from the doctor's office around 10:30am and managed to keep myself from telling Brian right away. I went and got a huge stork balloon that said "It's a Girl" and walked into the house with it to surprise Brian. We then facetimed our parents to ask them if they knew what type of weird bird we had in our front yard only to reveal the balloon.

Doctor's Appointments

My very first appointment was terrible, like I probably have a note on my record kind of terrible. I was so nervous and scared to death. The doctor we had wasn't the most nurturing so that didn't help, I ended up crying through most of it. Fortunately all of our appointments since then have been wonderful! The staff has been great, especially the blood lab girls who know me as "the girl afraid of blood work with two tattoos." Our next appointment is tomorrow and we can't wait to see our little girl again. According to Brian's app, she is now the size of a small cantaloupe.

Nursery

We decided to not do a strict theme in the nursery, instead we're finding coordinating pieces. The walls are a light grey and the furniture is white. Since we don't have the blessing of being close to friends and family we want to make sure to have photos of everyone throughout her room in hopes that she will learn their faces. I love the idea of having prints of children's book cover framed and on the walls of her room. Maybe we will find some cute nursery items in London and Paris!

Transition to Motherhood

I'll be honest...in the beginning I had a very rough time accepting that I would be a mother in a few months. I was afraid of being left behind and forgotten by my friends but, after talking things through I've realized the important people in my life who truly love me will never do that.  My fear has been replaced with excitement...well mostly because labor is not fun to think about. I think I was so scared because it happened so fast. I've heard stories of how couples will try for years with no luck but I guess we are very lucky so I focused on that instead. This baby happened exactly when it was supposed to and I had to get over the constant comments of "well that was quick" and the judgmental "we you even trying?" The fact that so many other ladies I know are pregnant too, and due within weeks of me, has been a lifesaver. Having friends to talk about this crazy journey with is amazing and knowing that I have other first time moms to talk with once the baby is born is so comforting. I feel like my friend Natalie and I will be calling each other ever day asking "did your's do this" and "is it time for Food & Wine yet?"

This was in the hotel lobby at Disney, Brian had to get a "bump" pic for his app lol

We are so excited to meet our little girl and can't wait to see what she looks like. I find often that girls look like their dads but I've got some pretty strong genes (I mean look at my sister and cousins!) so who knows what she will look like. Everything we plan moving forward we include this little girl in and once she's here it's going to be crazy. We know that this parenting thing is going to be messy and nothing like what we expected but, Brian and I are more than ready to take on the challenge.

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Our Last Visit to Disney Without a Stroller

This past weekend we visited my old stomping grounds of Walt Disney World. We knew that this was going to be the start of very different Disney trips for us but, we wanted to go to the place we fell in love one last time before the baby arrives.

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Friday morning we made it on our 6:00am flight by the skin of our teeth because the Atlanta airport thinks it cool to have two metal detectors operating for the entire north terminal. After we ran like Macaulay Culkin to our gate we used our one hour flight to prepare for our day in the parks. We utilized Disney's Magical Express to our resort, where we quickly checked in and left our bags with bell services before hopping on a bus to the parks.

Our day started at Magic Kingdom where I had made a reservation for lunch at Be Our Guest. I have dined there but neither Brian nor my mom had so it was exciting for me to see them experience it. If you haven't been there I highly suggest it. Lunch is consider "fast casual" so you get the quick service price range with the table service experience. Brian and my mom were so surprised when our food was brought to us on real plates. I opted for the "order ahead" service and placed everyone's order a week in advance so all we had to do was pay and find our table. I loved that option and even if we decided when we got there we wanted different items we could have switched. Here are some photos I took at lunch...it's very dark in the restaurant so my apologies for the dim photos.

The Grand Ballroom Dining Area

If you look through the windows you'll see snow falling. 

The center of the Library area we dined in. 

My wonderful carved turkey sandwich.

My birthday cupcake topped with "grey stuff."

Once we finished with lunch we walked around the park scooping out places for our gender reveal pictures, that you can see HERE, while enjoying a couple rides in between. Most importantly though we got our favorite Disney treat...Dole Whips!!!

Around 3:00 I got the text that our room was ready and since the 90 degree heat had worn us down we decided to go back to the hotel for showers and naps. Once we got to the hotel I hit a wall, I was so exhausted and wanted nothing more than to stay in bed but, didn't want to ruin the day for Brian and my mom. We had originally planned to go to Epcot and walk around World Showcase to sample some of the goodies for Flower and Garden but, the thought of dealing with festivals crowds sober made me want to crawl under a rock. We decided to head to Hollywood Studios instead. I was ready to give another park a shot with my iced chai from Starbucks in hand but, that was very short lived. We only went on the Great Movie Ride before I began to feel very bad. We ended up going back to the hotel for the rest of the night. I was so disappointed in myself. I guess the former tour guide in me thought that if I could walk around for hours in dress shoes and head to toe polyester one day in the park pregnant would be a breeze. We settled in for the evening and after dinner Brian and I swam for a little bit and were able to watch the fireworks in the pool. 

The next morning Brian and I woke up and went to the dining hall in our hotel for breakfast. Our food was wonderful. All breakfast food has been good to me my entire pregnancy so I was very happy to get to breakfast. Brian got a pop-tart sandwich (eggs, cheese, and bacon between two pop-tarts) and I got a waffle platter. 

We lounged, because it was raining a lot of the day, met up with my friends Katie and Brandon, and lounged some more. That night I had made a reservation for dinner at my favorite Disney restaurant, 'Ohana. My friends Josh, Leanna, and Natalie (she's pregnant too) joined us for a meal we all had been texting about for a week. While we were waiting for our table we exchanged gifts. I had gotten Natalie some outfits for her baby girl. Natalie got our baby an adorable golf outfit and the Boppy pillow and case from our registry and Leanna got us an adorable Ralph Lauren outfit for the baby. We were seated right before Magic Kingdom's fireworks started so we were able to enjoy them, music and all, without the crowds. We went through two servings of pot stickers and didn't even blink.  

We were some of the last guests in the restaurant because we got so caught up in our gossip and Real Housewives convos. Luckily I get to see them next weekend too because I'm going back to Orlando for Natalie's baby shower! 

Our last day, Sunday, was spent at the pool with our friend Katie before getting lunch and catching our shuttle back to the airport at 3:30. The weekend was very busy but very fun. I think it's safe to say going to Disney while pregnant is not the easiest thing but it is possible. Later I'll share some tips from what I learned to hopefully help some other mommas out in the future. Thanks for reading!

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In case you haven't heard...

In case you don't follow me on social media I have to tell you why my friends and family are freaking out like this...

...is because of this...

That's right y'all. Brian and I are expecting our first child this August. We made the announcement on social media last Sunday (February 7th) on Brian's birthday. A bunch of people have been asking a tons of questions about everything so I figured a little rundown on here would help answer a lot of those burning questions.

When did you find out you were pregnant?

The day after Christmas. We were still in Cleveland for the holiday and we found out right before going to Brian's 10 year high school reunion. One of his best friend's (and groomsmen) guessed that I was even though we hadn't said anything solely based on the fact that I didn't order a Bud Light as soon as we walked in.

How far along are you and what's your due date?

Currently 12 weeks and August 29th, the day before my mom's birthday.

How have you been feeling?

I'll be honest and let you know that I have feel like complete sh*t! I hear that's typical for the first trimester. I've been extremely tired and feel nauseous all day long. When friends (that have never been pregnant) ask to me describe the best explanation I have is that I've felt like I've been hungover for two solid months. I'm just now creeping into my second trimester and am already feeling better so I'm pretty pumped about that!

Have you had any weird cravings?

Not really, which surprised me. I've had a ton of food aversions so when I find something that settles well with me I stick to it. Fruit has been the thing that has gotten me through, lots of watermelon, cantaloupe, and strawberries. Cold cereal has been a good "meal" for me too. Some of my favorite foods have made me ill merely by the smell of them.

I feel like EVERYONE you know is pregnant! Did you know about them?

I have to agree! If you have several mutual friends with me on Facebook you'd think we all made a pregnancy pact or something. The following friends of mine are also due in August...Lauren, Jessie, and Sarah who are all friends form home and my friend Natalie (as well as another friend who hasn't made it public yet) from Disney. The only  one I knew about what my friend Sarah's she told me a week before they made it public knowledge. It's so great to know that there are other people who know exactly what you're going through.  

Do you want to find out the gender and do you have a preference?

Hell yes! We'd drive ourselves crazy if we tried to wait until the birth to find out and gender neutral have been pretty much non-existent everywhere we've looked. My preference is a girl but I'm not going to be heartbroken if it's a boy though. Hopefully we will be able to find out what we're having before our trip to Disney in April so we can do a cute gender reveal there!

Are you still going to go on the honeymoon you had planned? 

Yes we are! We've talked with my doctors and they said I'm all set to go. I will be in my second trimester then so it's the best time to travel during pregnancy because you aren't as tired or sickly as you are in the first and third trimesters. We're going to London and Paris at the end of April. The only thing I'm upset about is not being able to ride Space Mountain at Disneyland Paris because it goes upside down. Oh well! I guess we'll have to make a trip back so I can ride all the attractions at DLP and chug champagne in the streets of Paris.

Have a great week and check out the link up with Biana.

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