Last week, the packers arrived at our house in Clarksville. They packed up all our belongings into boxes. The only things left were the items we had set aside in a bathroom marked "Do Not Pack." We slept in our house for the last time, and the next morning we loaded up the car. After a quick breakfast, Raylee and I walked through her first house for the last time. I prayed over each room. I thanked God for the memories there and prayed for the people who would soon move in and make it their home. Raylee and I loaded into the car, said goodbye to Travis, and pulled out for the last time. We Continue Reading
Sunshine First Birthday Party
Wow, I can't believe I have a 1-year-old! Like I said in this post, her first birthday party was more for me than her. I did survive 9 months straight without sleeping through the night and kept all three of us alive, so a celebration was in order. We decided to do a sunshine first birthday theme because Raylee is "our little sunshine." Look at the name of my blog, how could I not use this theme? We had around 25 people come to celebrate with us, and it was a blast! I was afraid Raylee might be shy or fussy with so many people filling our house, but she was actually happy and smiley. I Continue Reading
Raylee’s First Birthday — Baby Update
My little spunky chick just turned one! Can you believe it? I am so glad that each month I remembered to take a photo and include all the milestones she hit. Gosh, they change so much so fast! If you want to see photos from her first six months of life -- check out this post. I used blankets that we received from people for each photo. Thank you to everyone who gave us a beautiful blanket, especially to those of you who made one! On the evening she turned seven months, Raylee started crawling! She had already been scooting like crazy and getting into a crawling position, but she finally Continue Reading
Recovery Items for a Vaginal Tear
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
First Trimester Essentials
I'm officially past the first trimester and all its nausea. It felt like it went pretty slow, until of course I actually got through it and then it was like, "Wow, I'm really here!" By the end of that first trimester, I was just ready for a really long nap. My first trimester wasn't terrible, but it wasn't wonderful either. There was nausea and fatigue and a lot of worry and fear. There was a ton of bloating and just feeling sick most of the time. But I got through it, mainly from the help of some very important essentials. And that's what I want to share with you today. There are a ton of Continue Reading
When We Lost Our Baby … Twice
This post tells the story of my first pregnancy, as well as the first loss my husband and I have ever experienced together. I wrote this post as therapy for myself and to help others who have never experienced this type of loss to have a better understanding. I've also found that I find comfort in reading the stories of other women who have faced this awful nightmare, so perhaps this will remind someone else experiencing a miscarriage that they are not alone. Travis and I decided we wanted to start a family in September of 2014. We began trying to get pregnant in October 2014. When Continue Reading
Tips for a Non-DITY PCS
If you are an avid reader of this blog, then you know we recently experienced our first non-DITY PCS. We were in Georgia, but had the Army move Travis' things to Korea and my things to Indiana. I was so nervous about how it would all go, but thankfully it went smoothly. We learned a lot in our first PCS, and I wanted to share those things with anyone else who may have just gotten orders. Today, I'm sharing tips for a non-DITY PCS over at Jo, My Gosh. Head over to her blog to see my PCS advice, and be sure to read some of her other posts as well. She has some great tips and resources for Continue Reading
First Anniversary Gift Ideas
It's coming! Our first wedding anniversary is June 8. I can't believe it's been a whole year, but then it also feels like it's been even longer. Has anyone ever felt like that? The first anniversary gift can be fun, silly, romantic, or sentimental. It can be an item or an experience. But coming up with a gift can be difficult! Perhaps you need some ideas? I knew exactly what I wanted to get Travis for our first anniversary. I can't wait to give it to him! Traditionally the first anniversary gift should be made of paper. So here are some paper ideas that range in price to fit all kinds Continue Reading