As you may know if you read my daughter's birth story, after delivering her I found out that I had a fourth-degree vaginal tear that went all the way through my rectum. I know, sounds pretty, right? Pretty gruesome and painful -- that's for sure! Thanks to my epidural, I didn't feel the tear happen at all. Thank the Lord Almighty! But the recovery from such a vaginal tear is not fun. I was given a two-month recovery time, which feels like forever! I was given plenty of pain medication in the hospital, and they sent me home with quite a bit too. That has been very helpful, but pain medicine Continue Reading
Archives for April 2017
What I Didn’t Use from my Hospital Bag
During the birth of our daughter, my husband and I spent two nights and two and half days in the hospital. I read all sorts of packing lists for what to take in your hospital bag. I created a list of everything I could think of, and we packed it all. I am the type of person who would rather be more prepared than needed. If it helped me feel less stressed, then fill the car to the brim! And that's what we did. Now, looking back, I can share with you which things I brought that weren't needed in my hospital bag, as well as which things I'm most thankful we had with us. What I Didn't Use Continue Reading
Raylee’s Birth Story
My due date came and went with no baby. I was scheduled to be induced four days after my due date if she didn't come on her own. Of course, she didn't! This is the birth story of our precious little Raylee Lynn. Being Induced On Wednesday, March 22, we went to the labor and delivery unit of the hospital on the Army base. I liked knowing when I was going in because I was able to shower, shave, and make sure everything was packed. It was really exciting knowing that our baby girl would probably be in our arms by the end of the day. At 9 a.m., after finding out I was almost 3 Continue Reading
Introducing Raylee Lynn
On Wednesday, March 22, at 9:33 p.m., we became a family of three. Travis and I introduced Raylee Lynn into the world. Raylee weighed 8 pounds and measured 20.5 inches long. She is perfectly healthy. Raylee is now three weeks old. She is gaining weight and already seems so much bigger than when she was born. Travis and I are absolutely in love. Motherhood is overwhelming. I had no idea how hard those first couple weeks would be. Trying to recover physically, trying to figure out breastfeeding, and trying to take care of a brand new person who completely relies on you -- it's a lot to Continue Reading
Purple and Grey Nursery
When we found out we were having a girl at our baseball-themed gender reveal party, I knew exactly how I wanted to decorate the nursery. I've never been a pink kind of girl. Purple has always been my favorite color, so I wanted to do a purple and grey nursery. I wanted to use all different shades of purple with lots of different patterns. Simple. Cute. Girly. We started by taking out all the furniture in my home office and painting the walls grey. It turns out grey is a hard color to find. The first coat looked blue and Travis repainted the whole thing until it finally looked grey. Then we Continue Reading
Honey Mustard Chicken
My mother-in-law made something like this awhile back, and I loved it. Ever since, I've been on a honey mustard kick! Travis and I started making this honey mustard chicken dish together, and we love it! Plus, it's really easy to make so that's always a pro. Here's what you'll need: Chicken breasts Dijon mustard Honey Lemon juice Mayo Soy sauce How to Make Honey Mustard Chicken We start by pounding out the chicken. Be sure it's room temperature and has been patted down with a paper towel. Get your cast iron skillet hot. Season your chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both Continue Reading
Launch Day: New Miscarriage eBook
I'm so excited to announce today is launch day for my miscarriage eBook! I can't believe my book is finally ready to be released to you! Beginning today, you can order my eBook Miscarriage & Mourning: Encouragement after Pregnancy Loss. To celebrate, we also have a giveaway at the end of this post and a special coupon code just for my readers! All About the Miscarriage eBook Women all over the world are suffering from pregnancy loss, many of which do so silently. Because miscarriage is not a popular topic and is almost taboo, most women experiencing such a loss don’t know of others who Continue Reading