2013: A Year in Review

To say that 2013 was a crazy year is a complete understatement.  So many wonderful and exciting things happened that I want to take a look back at everything.

January
January was a big month for us.  Brandon and I made the command decision to do IVF and it was one of the best decisions we have ever made.  It was a long emotional journey, but so incredibly worth it!

February
February 4th was my IVF cycle evaluation date.  Everything looked good so we were able to start medications for the crazy process.  Finally, on February 17th my follicles looked perfect and we triggered for egg retrieval on February 19th.  I had my procedure done at 9:15 the morning of the 19th and I will never forget all of the love and support I got that morning from the nursing team and the OR staff. I am so lucky to work with such incredible people.  Sunday, February 24th one perfect little day 5 embryo was transferred back.

March
Sunday, March 3rd was one of the best days of my entire life. I found a lost pregnancy test while cleaning the bathroom and found out that almost one year after miscarrying, Brandon and I were pregnant and two days later on March 5th we did blood work, three days early, and our cautious optimism turned into cheer happiness because the number was incredible and we were really really pregnant. Tuesday, March 19th we got to see little baby Wilkinson for the first time during an ultrasound and it was one of the greatest moments of my entire life.

April
April was another wonderful month.  I got to see one of my best friends from high school marry the man of her dreams.  I am still so happy for Beth and Aaron.  They are absolutely adorable together.

Beth & Aaron's First Dance :)

May
In May, Brandon and I set up the nursery.  It was quite early to do it, but the rest of the year was so crazy that we had to do it early or it wasn't going to happen!

June
In June, I hit 20 weeks and was halfway done with my pregnancy.  And more importantly, we found out that little baby Wilkinson was a GIRL!  I was a little upset at first, but this morning was I was holding Natalie I couldn't imagine her being anyone else.  Also in June, I threw Brandon a Huggies & Chuggies man baby shower :)

July
In July, Michelle and I went to Florida to visit our parents.  It was nice to get down there and enjoy the sun and spending time with my family.  We got to see a lot of people we hadn't seen in awhile which is always so nice.  I am so excited to take Natalie to Florida so that she can meet my parents' friends who, without even really knowing me, spoiled her rotten :)  July we also celebrated Natalie's viability week which is the pregnancy milestone where if, God forbid, Natalie had been born early the odds were in her favor for survival.

Michelle & I at the Golden Lion on A1A

August
We entered the third trimester!  We also celebrated the nuptials of Derek and Nicole and found out that their little bundle of joy is a BOY!

September
September was a huge month.  In September, we had my baby shower :) Natalie was spoiled rotten and I was surrounded by the most incredible support system a girl can have.  I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful women in my life.  Also in September, on the 21st, Brandon and I got to see two of our favorite people in the entire world tie the knot - Greg and Terra. That was one of the best weddings I have ever been to! We also had our maternity pictures taken the following weekend.

Greg & Terra's First Dance :)

October
Another big wedding month for us!  October 4th we attended the wedding of the century - the Nowlin wedding.  This was a day I never thought was going to happen and I think the now Mrs. Nowlin will agree :) I am so happy for Mayne and Laura, and of course, Jada as well :)  The following Friday, October 11th another wedding happened that we did not get to go to because of work obligations and I am so upset I missed this one: Shane and Brittany tied the knot.  I still stalk their wedding pictures because they are so adorable.

Mayne & Laura's First Dance (with Jada too)

Officially the Garners :) LOVE this picture

November
Easily the best month of the entire year :)  On November 2nd, Barbie and Ken got married in real life when Ronny and Meg said "I do".  Unfortunately, we missed the wedding because we didn't want to chance delivering Natalie early and in Philly :) That wasn't a problem because we welcomed our little miracle into the world on Wednesday, November 13th at 6:18pm. Four days later we took her to the fabulous, very talented Stacey Gillin to have her newborn pictures done.  I am so incredibly obsessed with Stacey's work.  Then to close out the fabulous month, I hosted Thanksgiving for my family and totally nailed it, again. 

real life Barbie & Ken say "I do" :)

Natalie Grace - 4 days new :)

Thanksgiving with my parents, Natalie's Bibsy & Duckie :)

DecemberWe celebrated Natalie's First Christmas :)  And we found out that in 2014, the world will be welcoming another fabulous baby into the world - congrats again to Ant and Chelsea!  Natalie cannot wait to meet her best friend, little baby Watson!

Natalie's First Christmas!

It really was a wonderful and at times overwhelming year.  Overall, 2013 was so full of blessings for our family.  We are so excited to see what 2014 will bring us!  We are looking forward to the addition of so many little babes: Derek and Nicole's son, Kris and Daianna's son, Matt and Jessica's son, Andrew and Rachel's daughter, Ant and Chelsea's little babe and then John and Jordan's little babe.  Natalie is really starting to have quite the little friend group :)  Not to mention the 2014 nuptials we have to look forward to: Jeremy and Becky, Kenny and Emily, and Dee and Brian.  And most importantly, Brandon will be finishing up his masters degree this spring.  Holy moly - 2014 is shaping up to be just as crazy as 2013 and I can't wait! 

From my family to yours, Happy New Year! May 2014 be filled with nothing but health, wealth and happiness for us all :)

Christmas with Nattie

So I have opted to condense all of Natalie's Christmas experiences into one blog post.  She had a lot of Christmas experiences this year because, well, it's her first Christmas and I am a lunatic.

Brandon and I took Natalie to meet Santa. Yes, at a month old she met Santa.  While we did get an adorable picture that cost a fortune (seriously - malls take advantage of parents, especially new parents, in a real cruel way), I know next year's picture (or probably the year after) will be the really good Santa picture.  You know, the picture where Santa is smiling and the small human looks like they are experiencing the most painful ordeal EVER. I LOVE those pictures. They are the best ones.  Anyway - we stood in line for an hour and a half and she met the big man.  He told her that she was welcomed to come visit him at the North Pole whenever she wanted.  

During that experience, I also learned that I am scared of Santa.  Not like really scared, but like a little bit.  I am terrified of people dressed up as mascots or characters in like the full creepy costumes and I thought I was ok with people who are dressed as Santa or other characters who aren't wearing masks/huge heads (you know, like the Disney princes and princesses) but turns out - even those people make me a little nervous. Ugh.

On Saturday (12/21) morning/afternoon, we celebrated Christmas with Brandon's family.  We told both sets of grandparents that we did not want them to get Natalie anything.  She will be 6 weeks old on Christmas day and really doesn't need anything and we really do not need more stuff to find a home for.  While my parents listened to some extent (they got her the 30th anniversary Cabbage Patch doll since it commemorates the year she was born and it stays in the box as a collectable which can be put in the closet therefore not creating a mess - yay!), I am pretty sure I could have relayed the same message to Hank with better results since it completely fell on deaf ears with my in-laws.  My mother-in-law, bless her heart, would buy Natalie the moon if she thought that is what Natalie really wanted.  Brandon and I completely anticipated this, so we did send them a small Christmas list of things Natalie could use eventually like teething rings, a toy box (monogrammed, of course), a bouncer and stacking rings thinking that Gary and Lori would get one or two of these items.  Between Brandon's parents and his brother, Natalie got everything on her Christmas list.  Good thing teethers are small and books can go on her bookshelf that her Uncle Evan built for her! 

Saturday evening, we celebrated Christmas with Natalie's Godfather, Greg, and his wife, Terra. (ps - that sentence is entirely too grown up/o-m-gee we're adults for it's own good.)  Greg and Terra came over to the house and we spent time together and enjoyed watching Home Alone together.  They got Natalie some of the cutest little sneakers I have ever seen, as well as some clothes to keep our little peanut fashionable and bibs to keep her clean.

So what did Brandon and I get Natalie for her very first Christmas?  Something she wants (a monogrammed beach towel from Pottery Barn Kids - what? She will want it when we go to the beach and I wanted her to have a monogrammed towel because I am a monogram snob), something she needs (a monogrammed piggy bank from Pottery Barn Kids - ok, I am obsessed with monograms, this isn't something new), something to wear and something(s) to read.  I think for the first couple years of a child's life that's a good mantra for Christmas gifts: 1 want, 1 need, 1 wear, 1 read. Honestly, I will be buying her things all the time, the only thing that makes that different from Christmas is that I am not going to wrap things the rest of the year. 

First Month Favorites

In her first month(s) of life, I have found a few things that I am absolutely obsessed with. These things range from things that make my daughter cuter (I know, how is that even possible?), to things that I could not live without and things that Natalie seems to really love.

1. Cutebows4girls hair bows from Etsy.  I am in love with putting headbands on Natalie. I love simple little bows that give that extra little girly touch.  This Etsy shop has the cutest little headbands with detachable bows at a most budget friendly price.  What's not to love?!

2. Sleep sacks.  These things are amazing.  When we brought her home from the hospital, she loved to be swaddled.  Unfortunately, that lasted all of a week. Enter the sleep sack. She gets all the comfort of being swaddled, but her arms are free. She is always so content in her sleep sacks. The other day when I went to Babies R Us to see if they had more and they only 2 sleep sack designs in stock: gender neutral and boys.  I got both.  I am not above putting my daughter in a blue sleep sack.

3. The Rock n Play sleeper. I was told that this thing was going to be a lifesaver.  Everyone who said that was 6000% correct.  We were gifted a bassinet by a co-worker of mine who was moving her daughter into her crib.  Natalie has yet to sleep in it.  She wants nothing to do with it.  She loves her Rock n Play sleeper.  If she starts to fuss a little, I simply roll over and give it a little push and boom - she is gently rocking and drifting back to sleep. It's so easily portable too so I have been able to simply fold it up, throw it in the car and take it wherever I am spending my day (which is usually my sister's house).  I can easily move her from one room to the next without waking her - which has been nice in the morning when I want to take a shower.  I simply slide her into the bathroom and I can enjoy showering without constantly worrying about if she is ok because she is right there.

4. Bearington Baby pacifier clip.  This thing has been a lifesaver when we are out and about the the little peanut. She is in the stroller and starts fussing and we need the pacifier stat.  We don't struggle to find it because the pacifier is clipped onto this thing and the plush puppy head is so easy to find - so much easier to find than the pacifier itself (which she has usually managed to get under her). It's dark at night, she is a little fussy, I just feel around the Rock n Play sleeper for the puppy head and boom! Pacifier found and Nattie is quiet. This is easily one of the best gifts we have gotten.

5. The sprout baby app for iPhone.  This things is amazing.  The home page gives you daily helpful hints and tips about your baby and also a monthly overview of what to expect that month from your baby. You can track baby's milestones with pictures that can be exported into a .pdf file.  You can also track feedings (both breast feeding and bottles) and diaper changes (including types of diapers and the kind of poop baby is having). There is also a part of the app that tracks the baby's growth and doctor's appointments.  I absolutely love this thing.  You can also sync the app with another person's - so Brandon and I have the app synced so we always know when she was last fed and/or changed which helps since we split the night-shift with Natalie.

6. Gripe Water.  I had never heard of gripe water before Natalie was born.  Our newborn photographer told us about it so I picked some up at Walgreens. Natalie gets crazy hiccups and a little bit of gripe water helps get rid of them right away. It also helps with gas which our little tooty fruity gets quite a bit. It is rumored that it is also good for colic, but I have been very blessed with a happy baby so I can't speak to that.  And really, there is no real documented evidence of it's effectiveness, but it works for Nattie so that's good enough for me!  

#Lifetracker

So I tried to blog weekly during my pregnancy about how huge I was getting and what was going on and how and what Natalie was doing while in utero and now I am going to make an attempt to do that with Natalie's life. We're going from #pregnancytracker to #lifetracker.  We'll see how it goes.  I figured I started my pregnancy blogging at 10 weeks, so I can start my Natalie's life blogging at 5 (and a half) weeks.  I will obviously still blog about myself because well it's my blog and I am shallow enough to think people really do want to know what is going on with me and life as a wife.

I am, not so secretly, obsessed with my child. Everything she does is the greatest thing ever and possibly the cutest thing to ever happen, ever. Her smile is adorable. Her fingers are adorable. Her toes are adorable. Her poop is adorable because it's her poop. I mean seriously, how did that happen?  How did I go from being the girl who took pictures of her adorable bottle of wine to the girl who takes pictures of her adorable child (sometimes while drinking that oh so adorable bottle of wine)? I am constantly taking pictures of her. I want to make sure I have a picture of her at every stage of her life. I am like "BRAAANDOOON - GET MY PHONE - SHE IS ABOUT TO SNEEZE!" I have become that mom.  Woof.  I try to keep it somewhat under-wraps.  I make people think I am not that mom by keeping it off of facebook, but whoever follows me on instagram knows how terribly that mom I am.

So right now, she doesn't really do much, but she is starting to do more.  She smiles and coos and we have daily staring contests which, for the record, I usually win. She loves her big ole Hank puppy dog and he is so sweet with her.  She and Gemma tolerate each other.  We'll see what happens there.  We have tummy time every day and sometimes she loves it and sometimes it sounds like I am letting Hank snack on her as opposed to having her simply lay on her stomach. She loves bath time and it's quickly becoming one of my favorite activities with her.  She is such a sweet girl and we really are blessed to have such a wonderful little girl. I can only imagine that having such a good baby will mean that we will seriously struggle with the teen years... woof.

One Month :)

I cannot believe that Natalie has been here for over a month and this is the first that I am really getting to blog about the little peanut.  I have been so overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support that Brandon and I have received.  Between the hospital visitors and the friends and family who have come to visit her since she has been born, it's been so wonderful.  She really is one very loved little girl.  

Seriously though, beyond the mushy gushy, it has been such a crazy month.  From her birth to the first night in the hospital, then those first nights home, it really has been an adventure.

one day new :)

Natalie's first car ride... in Daddy's truck, of course

After two days in the hospital, we were finally given the green light to bring Natalie home and what a fiasco that was!  We had car seat issues so when we pulled away from the hospital, my little pumpkin wasn't even buckled in.  Parents of the year right here!  Thankfully the hospital has a quiet neighborhood across the street so we pulled down a side street and got Natalie all buckled in and cozy.  That was only the beginning of the madness.  When we got home, Hank and Gemma were very curious about their new friend.  

Snuggles with my three babies :)

Natalie's first bath :)

The first few nights were a struggle, but we pretty quickly learned her patterns and came up with a solid plan of attack.  Brandon has been absolutely incredible. Shocker, right?  He has been so supportive of my need for me time and he really is a wonderful father. I absolutely melt when the two of them fall asleep together or when he plays guitar for a fussy Natalie and she quiets right down to listen to him play.  

Seriously - tell me this is not the cutest thing ever :)

Her first month of life has been quite a busy one!  We celebrated her first Thanksgiving and she had her first black Friday shopping experience.  She has made several trips into SGFC with me to meet her Shady Grove family.  She even made a couple appearances at Ivymount to meet her daddy's co-workers.  And my favorite thing, is that she has gotten to spend quite a bit of time with her cousin, Timmy.  Michelle has kin guardianship of my nephew which has allowed both Natalie and me to spend time with him.  He is such a sweet little boy and he really loves his little Nattie.

Black Friday shopping :)

my mama and daddy with the little pumpkin :)

these two are my entire world - this completely makes me melt

me, Natalie (3 weeks) and Timmy :)

She is such a wonderful baby and she really has stolen so many people's hearts.  I am so excited to see what the next month with Nattie brings.