So…It’s been a minute since I’ve blogged here. 
And, man! Does it feel good to be back. Okay, maybe I’m not really BACK back–But for the second I am here and it feels gooooooood.

Anyway.

I feel like any time I take a long blog break I have to explain myself and where I’ve been. Dumb, I know. But–Here we go!

Our life in bullet points since Poppy was born.

– Poppy is now almost two. I don’t want to talk about it. But, she is pure sunshine and always makes us laugh. We are really lucky she is in our lives, because we really need her personality always, but especially when things get crazy.

– Eloise is almost 7. Again…I don’t want to talk about it! She is wrapping up 1st grade, and is just such a peacemaker. She is a great big sister and a little smarty-pants, to boot. She is obsessed with anything Fox, and has probably a zillion fox toys. 

– Hazel is 5 and will start Kindergarten in the fall. She is SO ready to get out there and mingle. She is a liiiittle (a lot) boy crazy, and is always telling me about handsome boys. Mainly Zac Efron. She is really helpful with Poppy during the days Oh, and she is still completely obsessed with cats. No change there!

– Tyler and I opened and closed a LuLaRoe business. It was super fun while it lasted–We built an amazing team and had the BEST customers– But, we just couldn’t turn a blind eye to some of the things LuLaRoe founders and home office were doing. It took a little while to not feel super bitter about them– But, now I am just grateful that we had that experience so we know what NOT to do in the future 😉 

– I am pregnant with baby number four.
I know. 4 kids. I never thought it would happen, either. But I am 20 weeks along (18 in this pic) and it is a baby BOY. We are so excited, but also sort of panicked because–What do you even do with a baby boy after 3 girls? We can’t wait to see his cute little face in September.

I think that about sums up these past few years! Maybe I will be back before baby boy turns 2?

It’s 2:30 in the morning, and I can’t sleep. Of course! Poppy is peacefully sleeping in her Doc-A-Tot next to me while I’m wide awake. 
I’m sure I’ll regret staying up in the morning, but for now, I’m just feeling too overwhelmed with love for her. It’s really sappy and cliche, but I really feel like she filled a void in my life I didn’t even know was there. 

In fact, the quote by Lain Thomas that says”And then my soul saw you and it kind of went ‘Oh, there you are. I’ve been looking for you.'” perfectly sums up how I feel about her. She makes me so ridiculously happy.

Anyway, while I was up and the house was silent, I figured I should write out Poppy’s birth story. I really loved going back and reading Eloise and Hazel‘s stories, so I wanted to make this a priority.

Since this is a birth story, I’m sure I will talk about my vagina. So, if that creeps you out, catch the next post (probably in 5 years, with the kind of blogger I am these days).

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For some reason, Poppy’s pregnancy was really hard on me. My body hated it, and made it known by sending shooting pains to my vagina every time I stood up. And by throwing up all the time. Oh yeah, and by giving me pneumonia at 36 weeks pregnant. It was super disheartening, and I was really depressed a majority of my pregnancy. I really started doubting how I could care for 3 little girls — especially since pregnancy was so hard this time around. 

Once 37 weeks hit, I was ready (MORE than ready, actually) to be done! I had high hopes that I’d go early since I gave birth to Eloise at just shy of 39 weeks, and Hazel right at 38 weeks. But, it didn’t happen. Every appointment, I went in thinking my doctor would tell me I was dilated or SOMETHING so I could have that little hope to hold onto. Week after week, though, the answer was always the same. I had no changes to my cervix (I know that doesn’t mean much in terms of birth coming soon, but I needed to hear my body was making progress in order to make it through another week)… Every appointment I left more and more defeated.

Then, a few days before I turned 39 weeks pregnant, my doctor had me come in for one last check. I vented and asked him to just induce me… and when he checked my cervix, he told me I would be a good candidate. SO! We scheduled an induction for that Thursday (39 weeks exactly).

I left that appointment feeling so great.
I’ve never been a huge fan of elective inductions, but at that moment, I knew it was the right decision for us. 

That Wednesday night, we dropped our girls off with my sister and went on one last date. It was such a weird feeling knowing that the next time we’d see Eloise and Hazel, they’d have a baby sister.

When Thursday morning rolled around, Tyler and I quietly got ready to go. We grabbed McDonald’s breakfast before going into the hospital (at 6am), but I was too nervous to eat much. 

Once I was checked in at the hospital, the nurse decided to check me, and we were all surprised to find out that I was already dilated a 3 (a lot better than the fingertip I was at my doctor’s appointment 2 days prior!)…They started pitocin and I got my epideral around 8:00 and I texted my mom and sister that they could come over at any time.

Since Hazel’s birth went so quickly, they decided to start setting up for the birth, just in case she decided to come quickly. It kind of freaked me out seeing everything ready to go like that, but it also made me really excited that I could potentially have my baby girl there soon.

When my family arrived, I was at a 5 and feeling super sick. I’ve never felt sick during labor, so it was weird for me…But, I also kind of loved that I got to throw up in one of those huge blue throw up bags. I’ve always wanted to do that. 

About 20 minutes later, I felt a ton of pressure but didn’t want to tell anyone because the nurse had just checked me and I thought it was impossible to go from a 5 to a 10 that quickly. But, finally, I decided to let my nurse know. She checked me again and told me I was complete! She rushed to call my OBGYN and everyone else needed for the birth.

Then, it was time to push. 
I quickly told my doctor to PLEEEASE not let me tear this time, and he told me he’d try his best. 

They had me push two little pushes (to get her down a bit more) during a contraction, and then my OBGYN did the rest of the work. It was the craziest thing I have ever experienced. He was massaging my stomach, and gently pushing her down. I didn’t have to do anything, I just sat there in awe as he massaged my baby out of me. It was such a peaceful thing to watch, and even thinking about it makes me cry. It was beautiful.

Once she was out, they measured her and weighed her. I remember being really annoyed because I wanted her handed to me the second she was out. But, instead I just stared at her across the room. She was so tiny and beautiful. She weighed 6 lbs 9 oz (7 oz bigger than her sisters), and had the most perfectly round head I have ever seen on a newborn.

When they finally handed her to me, I just couldn’t stop staring. She was so beautiful, and I could just feel her sweet little personality radiating out of her from the second I met her. 

We are so in love with our Poppy girl.
Her big sisters love her so much, and are actually really helpful, which is nice!

She is such a good baby and only cries when she is frustrated while trying to eat. And, even then it is just for a few seconds and then she calms right down when she finds the goods. 
I have no idea how we got so lucky, but I’m so happy she is ours. 

 

*All photography in this post is by Hayley Kaze Photography

I am so excited to introduce you to our tiniest little lady, Poppy June!

She was born on June 16, 2016, and is just the sweetest little girl ever. She never cries, and is so easy going. We’re so lucky to have her. She completes our family perfectly. 

I’m working on her birth story, but wanted to post a few cute pictures of her (taken by the lovely Whitney Bufton), because she is just way too perfect.

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #NurseryMusts #CollectiveBias

Hey everyone! Long time, no see — right? This pregnancy has been killing me! But, I think I’m finally on the up and up. Maybe. I hope. 

Anyway, as a lot of you know, we are starting from scratch with this baby! We were sure we were done having kids after we had Hazel 3 years ago, so we sold every single baby item that we owned. We have no baby items at all. Not even clothes. To say it has been an adventure to re-buy things would be an understatement! There have been so many new and awesome baby products made in the last few years, that it is hard not to get side-tracked when buying the essentials. It has been so overwhelming! Finally, I just had to make myself a check-list of things this baby had to have, and then just go from there. I’ve included a printable of that checklist at the end of this post!

For now, though– I wanted to tell you about a product that has changed my life these past few weeks. Okay, okay, maybe that is a little bit dramatic. But, guys! I watch my niece Zoe 3 times a week at my house, and the Playtex Diaper Genie Complete has been a life saver at wrangling her dirty diapers and keeping the smell away from my super pregnancy nose.
Really, after watching her for a day, I knew I needed something to help control all the diapers. With my girls, I just used a normal trash can, but there was no way my morning sickness would let me get away with that this time. I honestly can’t ever imagine even going back to using a normal trash can for diapers!

Here are a few fun facts about the Diaper Genie Complete:

• The  Diaper Genie Complete is the most advanced Diaper Genie system there is! You can’t find anything better.
• The Ultimate Odor Lock system features a 7-layer refill bag with double Air-Tite® CLAMP. I cannot even TELL you how much this feature has saved me from running to the bathroom to throwing up! I told you, this pregnancy has been hard! 😉 
• There’s a built-in carbon filter that helps to absorb and lock in strong diaper odors. Again, a life-saver for me this pregnancy!
• This is Diaper Genie’s easiest system yet. It has a foot pedal for one-handed diaper toss and it’s just the right height for an easy no bend diaper toss. Plus, changing the bag is so easy with the new front tilt bin.
• Diaper Genie Complete holds up to 270 dirty diapers. What! 

Setting up the Diaper Genie Complete was a breeze! All I had to do was click a few pieces together and add the bags, and waaahla. A sleek (and slim!) diaper pail. I am excited to add this to my little gal’s nursery. For now, though, it’s in my living room and I love that it isn’t an eye sore.

I know, I know! You want to run out and buy The Diaper Genie Complete right now, don’t you? Luckily, Target makes it simple because they’re your one stop shop for baby supplies! Plus, they are the #1 spot for your baby registry.

I found the Diaper Genie Complete right on the diaper isle, next to the wipes.

While you’re in the baby section, though, be sure to grab some Playtex Nurser with Drop-in Liners, too! It has been an adventure trying to get my niece Zoe to eat while her mama is away at work, but these bottles have changed eating time for the better! She now loves to eat and doesn’t hold out on me until her mom returns anymore. I couldn’t recommend these bottles enough! Playtex baby items really do make for better beginnings. 

Click the image below to download my baby registry checklist. I left two blank spots so you can add a few items of your own.

What registry items can you not live without? Is the Playtex Diaper Genie Complete on your list?

 

Oh man, you guys. The social media love over this pregnancy is really getting to me. How lucky am I to have a community of women I’ve never met, be so supportive of me and my family!?  I am so grateful for each and every one of you, who has been here through the ups and the downs of our crazy life. I could kiss you!

But anyway–Now that I am 15 weeks along in my pregnancy with baby #3, I thought I should write a little bit about how it’s going, so I can look back at this post and remember every little emotion. It’s crazy to me that, even after two other successful pregnancies, it can be just as exciting. But it is! 
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I found out in early October that I was pregnant. I was really really excited, but also really really scared. After 5 miscarriages (4 before the girls, one before this baby), my view on pregnancy is a bit tainted.
I was scared out of my mind, and it didn’t help that the next day we were leaving on a road trip to California to see Tyler’s family. I was sure that the same thing would happen as last time, I’d miscarry on vacation.

Luckily, that didn’t happen. Though, with every twinge and cramp, I was sure it was the end. Finally, I just had to tell myself “Erika! You are pregnant RIGHT NOW at this moment, and that is all that matters”…And that kind of helped keep all those crazy emotions and fears on the back burner, until the next cramp, anyway!

Right around 7 weeks, I had my first ultrasound. 
Seeing that little blob on the screen (with a heartbeat!) made me SO happy. I just couldn’t contain my excitement.

I told myself I wouldn’t feel “safe” though, until we hit 9 weeks, since I had had a miscarriage at 8 weeks in the past.

8 weeks came and went, and soon we were at out 11 week appointment and we got to see our baby on the ultrasound again. It was just as amazing as the first time. A little baby there on the screen, with a strong heartbeat!

At this point, we felt pretty safe, but still wanted to wait a bit to announce to my family. My sister had just had a baby in November, and I didn’t want to steal any thunder. Irrational? Probably. But, waiting and knowing it was just Tyler and my secret made things really special for some reason.

I was grateful when we finally decided to announce, though, because I have been sicker than a dog this go around. I was throwing up multiple times a day, and just generally being extra lazy. It was nice to let my secret out so maybe people wouldn’t think I was TOO bad of a mom out in public in my pajamas…Or let my kids watch tv all day long. 

We are SO happy this baby is looking healthy so far, and the girls can’t wait to be big sisters!

Here’s a little cheesy questionnaire, just so I can remember EVERYTHING! Who knows, this may just be out last little baby, so I’ve gotta go all out!

Pregnancy Questionnaire:

How far along? 15 weeks
Total weight gain/loss? This question sucks. But, I honestly don’t know because I banned my scale!
Maternity clothes? Nope.
Stretch marks? No new ones yet!
Sleep? Not the best. I always have to pee, and it’s hard to stay comfortable (already! ah!)
Best moment this week? We found out if the baby is a girl or a boy! I’ll share here soon!
Miss Anything? Not feeling sick. This nausea is killing me, man!
Movement? Not yet! I am hoping I start feeling some in the next week or so.
Food cravings? No… Mainly food aversions to EVERYTHING.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Everything…Except toast. I can usually handle toast.
Have you started to show yet? Sometimes I think so, but other times I’m wondering how much of that is wishful thinking and left over fluff.
Gender? Can’t say yet!
Labor Signs? Nope, thank goodness
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time? Moody, moody, moody. Sorry family.
Looking forward to? Feeling the baby move!