My husband & I moved back to Tulsa last August and the past year has been quite eventful. We were suppose to move into our new home in August, however due to builder delays, we didn’t end up closing on our house until mid-December. Building was a bit more stressful than we initially anticipated but we love our home and couldn’t be more grateful to be homeowners! It’s been nice to be closer to my family and all of the local amenities I grew up around. Additionally, I’m thrilled with how close in proximity our house is to some of my go-to spots; we are literally a stone’s throw away from Whole Foods, local coffee shops, boutiques, yoga studios, etc. In Florida, we had to drive 15-20 minutes to get to a grocery store, so now we certainly feel spoiled.
In even more exciting news, I am nearly 9 months pregnant! We are expecting a little boy at the end of October. Those close to me joke that I “planned” my due date around Halloween because they know how much I love the holiday. It really is funny that it conveniently worked out that way, haha! My birthday is September 27th and my husbands’ is November 3rd, so this little guy may very well be born between those two dates.
It’s still surreal that we are expecting our son. I feel blessed that we were able to get pregnant without difficulty. I know many couples who struggle with conceiving and maintaining healthy pregnancies; I thank God every single day for the health of my baby.
The first half of my pregnancy was a little rough. I struggled with heavy morning sickness and severe smell aversions. I was bed-ridden for the first 17 weeks or so. Thankfully, everything has subsided; I’ve been able to eat and live “normally,” as well as regain the weight I lost in the first four months. Prior to getting pregnant, I never thought I would have issues gaining weight or struggle with constant sickness. I would do it all over again for my baby, but I’m elated that part has ended.
About six weeks ago, my Midwife informed me that baby was transverse (sideways) in the womb; not the words you want to hear as you’re getting closer to the final weeks of pregnancy. I was referred to Dr. Lacey at Free Spirit Chiropractic & my life has completely changed since I began receiving treatments. I’ve always been a huge advocate for alternative & holistic therapies, but for whatever reason I had never had an adjustment until recently. I cannot speak highly enough of FSC; knowledgeable, well-trained doctors, kombucha on-tap, oils diffusing, and a cozy, happy environment—be still my millennial, hippie heart. After receiving the results of my initial body scan (100% safe for pregnant mamas), Dr. Lacey explained my treatment plan in-detail and gave me my first adjustment. I’m not sure if it was pure coincidence or if my initial treatment was exceptionally effective, but an hour after the first adjustment, baby moved into “head down” position! Magical! Since then, I’ve been going 3x/week to promote alignment and overall wellness, and will continue to get adjustments after I deliver baby boy. I. Am. Hooked.
Now that I’m back to my somewhat-normal self, my goal is to be a magical pregnancy unicorn (think: Giselle Bundchen). Kidding…kind of but not really. I’ve been really enjoying prenatal yoga as it calms me and helps with the hip pain I’ve been experiencing. I’ve been doing Katy Appleton’s videos on the Tonic YouTube channel (her voice is so soothing!). I recently tried a class Tulsa Prenatal Yoga; I had put it off because I’m such an introvert, but I truly enjoyed it & plan to attend a few more times before giving birth. I generally go to the gym 2x/week for basic weightlifting and do home workouts on alternating days; maintaining my endurance is important to me. I’m actually looking forward to my postpartum fitness journey! I know I won’t want to be at the gym during those precious first few months, so I’m looking into using Melissa Wood videos (look her up on insta–she’s a total mama babe who teaches yoga & pilates) in conjunction with some cardio & weights at home. My ultimate goal is to be a strong, healthy example for my son.
Regarding style, mine has been non-existent. My jeans actually fit in the legs but don’t zip, so I haven’t worn them in months. I didn’t want to invest in a lot of “maternity” clothing, but I did purchase a few staples to have on-hand (one bra, one pair of jeans, a few nursing tanks & a couple of dresses). I’ve basically been living in my Lululemon Align leggings (best on the planet!); they’re buttery soft & expand to fit the growing bump. I’ve been wearing them my entire pregnancy and they are 100% worth the price; I’ll definitely be purchasing more for postpartum. Over the summer, I wore a lot of dresses but for this last month of pregnancy I’ll definitely be sticking with leggings paired with cozy sweaters and booties. I’m beyond excited to get back into my skinny jeans and can’t wait to meet my sweet baby!
Planning his nursery has certainly been fun. We don’t have a theme, per se, but as you might imagine it’s going to be a modern space with whimsical touches. I’ve decided to incorporate some blue-green hues into his sweet little room. Lately, I’ve been inspired to jump back into my artwork so I’ll be creating a painting to go above his crib, which I think is special.
I think I’ve done a good job at keeping excessive baby purchases in-check. Nowadays, we have every gadget at our finger-tips and while I’ve certainly bought and registered for a few fun/helpful items, I’ve tried to be intentional about what we need versus what we want. I think you have to filter out what’s best for you and your family, and go from there. All of that being said, I’ve ordered way too many clothes and shoes for this baby, haha! I think it’s a right of passage for first time parents. I’m sure our second baby will wear hand-me-downs, but this baby will be decked out in the cutest outfits….all of which will inevitably have spit-up on them at some point. Zara and Spearmint Baby have been my faves thus far, as they have tons of stylish options that go beyond trucks and dinosaurs. 🙂
In June, my husband and I were fortunate enough to take an incredible “baby-moon” to Europe for 10 days. We visited Lucerne, Switzerland, the Swiss Alps, the Alsace region of France, and Vienna, Austria. At 21 weeks pregnant, the trip was exhausting, but we had a phenomenal time and were amazed by the beauty of each place. The Alps were especially stunning!
We are extremely excited, yet anxious, about the arrival of this baby. Anytime I feel intimidated or overwhelmed, I think to myself, “women have babies in caves, jungles, etc. without resources, and they persevere and become stronger than ever.” If they can birth and raise babies, I can, too.
On that note, I will finish this post by saying, again, how grateful we are to be thriving in Tulsa with a new chapter beginning very soon. God is so, so good. Cheers to new adventures!
*Photo by Chloe Reed Photography
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