{made with love} happy birthday, chloe anne!

Chloe Anne was born Friday, October 21, 2011 at 11:33am.
{7lbs, 8.5oz, 19.5" long}

Giving birth via c-section wasn't my ideal situation, but it turned out to be a very wonderful experience & was, hands down, the best day of my life.

I suppose the biggest advantage of a planned c-section is how calm and peaceful the entire day is. My husband and I woke up around 5am Friday morning, and were able to take showers and get ready for Chloe's birthday. There was no big rush; I wasn't in labor, I wasn't having any pain, and I was able to take my time and really mentally prepare for the day.

{Ben & I in pre-op... Minutes before I was taken back for my section! Our last picture as a family of two :) }

My biggest fear was getting the spinal, and it ended up being a breeze. I was told the numbing medicine would feel like a bee sting, but I've never been stung so I really wasn't sure what to expect. I barely felt a thing, though, and to be completely honest my flu shot last week hurt ten times more. After that, I was completely relaxed. The worst "part", in my mind, was over.

Before I knew it, my husband was brought in the room. My anesthesiologist was giving us the play by play, and Ben & I were so excited when he said, "We're close! I see a bum!" Seconds later, my OB said, "Oh my god! Look at all that hair!" and then we heard the best sound in the entire world: Chloe Anne was screaming her tiny lungs out.

{welcome to the world, baby girl!!}





One of the OR nurses took Ben's camera when he was brought in the room, and was kind enough to take photos of Chloe minutes after she was born. The nurses gave Chloe to Ben, and he was able to hold her right beside me for the remainder of the surgery. Seeing her for the first time took my breath away. I couldn't stop smiling or staring at her.

Just as they were finishing the surgery, Ben was escorted to the PACU while Chloe was handed back to one of my OR nurses. As soon as they were finished with me and I was put on a gurney, my nurse handed Chloe to me & I got to hold her while I was wheeled into recovery at the PACU.

{in the PACU - our first family photo! I was extremely swollen from all the IV fluid's I'd been receiving for the last few hours!}

We spent the next two hours in the PACU before being transferred to my postpartum room. My parents and sister, and Ben's mom, were able to visit us in recovery to meet our daughter.

My nurses had me up and walking within 6 hours after surgery. The next morning, I was unhooked from the IV and was able to get up & walk on my own.

And now, on to the fun part: Lots of Chloe pictures!!

{three hours old}

{Chloe loves her boppy!}

{Chloe looks just like her daddy!}


{the cutest little lamb}


{back story: my 4 year old cousin, vinny, thinks that he is a super hero. he never leaves his house without his cape on! he came to visit us shortly after chloe was born, and brought her her very own cape!!! now they can be super hero's together!}


{Chloe meeting her Aunt Jes for the first time!}
I am so, so, SO happy that my sister was able to come home from DC for the weekend to meet her niece. Chloe & I love skyping with Aunt Jes :)


{me & my peanut on her birthday}


{teeny tiny baby feet}


{her hospital photo}

It's hard for us to imagine life without Chloe. The three of us are doing great, and are really enjoying our time at home together. Ben will be home with us for three weeks, and I couldn't ask for a better husband or father. I am so blessed that he is able to stay home with us for so long. My husband has been doing an incredible job with taking care of the house and helping me during my recovery. I'm 7 days postpartum and I feel really great -- not quite 100%, but on my way there!

Thank you, everyone, for all the sweet words & support. We are so blessed so have such a healthy and beautiful baby girl home with us. I couldn't be more in love!!

XOXO

{pretty little things} a whimsical picnic

{made with love} all things loved.

I'm kind of busy having a baby today, but... I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite things from pregnancy!

1. Be Maternity Ruched Tank: I picked this tank top up at Target early in my pregnancy, and LOVED it. It fit wonderfully throughout all three trimesters of my pregnancy. In the first (and part of the second) trimester, it worked beautifully at holding up my pre-pregnancy jeans when I got to that "these don't quite fit, but I'm not ready for maternity clothes" stage. The tank, paired with shorts or capris, hugged my belly & made me look cute and pregnant after I finally started showing. I plan on wearing this postpartum, too, and have it packed in my hospital bag!

2. Snoogle: I used a body pillow early on in my pregnancy, but by the time I hit week 18 my hips were aching & I wasn't getting a good nights sleep. Someone suggested a Snoogle to me, so I caved and bought it. It's a bit pricey, but let me tell you -- that was the best $60 I ever spent. The further I got into my pregnancy, the more of a hassle the Snoogle came to me. By the time I was 36 weeks pregnant, I felt "trapped" and it wound up on the floor more than it did in our bed. All in all, though, I LOVED the Snoogle for the few months that I did use it (so much, in fact, that it went on vacation with me!)

3. Old Navy: I almost exclusively bought all my maternity clothes from Old Navy. You can't beat their pricing, and stacked with coupon codes & other offers, it would have been silly for me to buy anywhere else. We don't have any stores that sell their maternity collection nearby, so I had to rely on online shopping which was a total breeze. In fact, I almost preferred it.

4. Non-maternity Empire waist tops: Even at 39 weeks pregnant, I could still comfortably wear any of my pre-pregnancy tops as long as they were empire waist shirts. This really came in handy once the cooler weather set in, and I didn't want to spend money on maternity clothes for the whole three weeks of fall I'd have to get through before Chloe arrived.

5. B-Natal Pregnancy Pops: My OB gave me a sample of this pregnancy lollipop after I complained about extreme nausea. I was blessed with all-day-sickness for the first sixteen weeks of pregnancy. I admit that I was a bit skeptical of a lollipop relieving my nausea, but they WORKED! I went to my local pharmacy and asked the pharmacist to order these for me. They're over the counter, so you don't need a prescription. A few weeks later, I found out that Babies R Us also sold these pregnancy pops, so you might give them a try, too.

Since we had several weeks to plan for the birth of our daughter, I had plenty of time to think about what I wanted to pack for the hospital. After I found out I was having a c-section, I added a few more items (and took a few away!) to make sure that I'd be comfortable and prepared for my 3-4 day hospital stay.

In fact, I packed two bags: One for me, and one for Chloe.

My aunt had this bag made for Chloe, and I decided to use it to pack my belongings in. It's smaller than the diaper bag, and is perfect for a few days worth of clothes for the hospital!

In my bag, I packed:
1. Makeup: I might be giving birth, but that doesn't mean I can't look my best! Besides, there will be cameras around.
2. Yoga pants: Since I'll have a low c-section incision, I decided to pack a few pairs of loose fitting maternity yoga pants.
3. Nursing Tops & bra: One nursing top for each day & two nursing bras.
4. Long-sleeved, lightweight shirt: Because I might get cold.
5. Granny panties: Nuff said, yo.
6. Socks: Enough for 4 days.
7. Slippers: So I can walk in the hospital.
8. Flipflops: To take a shower in the hospital
9. My camera + camera cord: Duh.
10. Mousse: There is no way in hell I'll be blowdrying & straightening my hair during my hospital stay. This will at least allow me to look like a human!
11. Toiletries: Also, duh.

I also packed a pillow from home, and a fuzzy blanket. Anything to make you feel "at home", right??

In true Jen fashion, I packed enough for a 10-day cruise and not a 3-day hospital stay. The truth is, I probably won't touch half the things in my bag but I would rather be over-prepared than be really wishing I had something. I'll more than likely camp out in my hospital gown for all three days, but who knows.

In Chloe's diaper bag:

I bought a Coach diaper bag at the beginning of the summer, and I LOVE it. It's lightweight and I can fit so much in it. I'm a huge fan of big bags, so this is perfect for me.

1. A few outfits: Her going home outfit, of course, and a few more just so she doesn't have to wear a hospital onesie. I also packed a swaddler and a few hats + socks.
2. A blanket: To snuggle her, and to keep her warm on the drive home from the hospital.
3. Breast pads: Okay, these are for me..
4. Diaper Wipes: The hospital provides these, but I'm bringing my own.
5. Diapers


Think I packed enough??

{made with love} all things loved.

I'm kind of busy having a baby today, but... I thought I'd share with you a few of my favorite things from pregnancy!

1. Be Maternity Ruched Tank: I picked this tank top up at Target early in my pregnancy, and LOVED it. It fit wonderfully throughout all three trimesters of my pregnancy. In the first (and part of the second) trimester, it worked beautifully at holding up my pre-pregnancy jeans when I got to that "these don't quite fit, but I'm not ready for maternity clothes" stage. The tank, paired with shorts or capris, hugged my belly & made me look cute and pregnant after I finally started showing. I plan on wearing this postpartum, too, and have it packed in my hospital bag!

2. Snoogle: I used a body pillow early on in my pregnancy, but by the time I hit week 18 my hips were aching & I wasn't getting a good nights sleep. Someone suggested a Snoogle to me, so I caved and bought it. It's a bit pricey, but let me tell you -- that was the best $60 I ever spent. The further I got into my pregnancy, the more of a hassle the Snoogle came to me. By the time I was 36 weeks pregnant, I felt "trapped" and it wound up on the floor more than it did in our bed. All in all, though, I LOVED the Snoogle for the few months that I did use it (so much, in fact, that it went on vacation with me!)

3. Old Navy: I almost exclusively bought all my maternity clothes from Old Navy. You can't beat their pricing, and stacked with coupon codes & other offers, it would have been silly for me to buy anywhere else. We don't have any stores that sell their maternity collection nearby, so I had to rely on online shopping which was a total breeze. In fact, I almost preferred it.

4. Non-maternity Empire waist tops: Even at 39 weeks pregnant, I could still comfortably wear any of my pre-pregnancy tops as long as they were empire waist shirts. This really came in handy once the cooler weather set in, and I didn't want to spend money on maternity clothes for the whole three weeks of fall I'd be pregnant in.

5. B-Natal Pregnancy Pops: My OB gave me a sample of this pregnancy lollipop after I complained about extreme nausea. I was blessed with all-day-sickness for the first sixteen weeks of pregnancy. I admit that I was a bit skeptical of a lollipop

{font friday} mishka

The first time I saw the this font, I thought of Mischa Barton, simply because of the name (Mischa, Mishka, see the resemblance at a quick glance?!).

I've got to tell you: Mishka has a major hold on my heart. The glyphs! 90 of them!! I love the ribbons and the swirls. This is definitely on my must-have list.

To be fair, I've never seen a font made by Fenotype that didn't make me swoon.

For more gorgeous typeface, be sure to visit my friends at Lauren Elise Crafted, Hank & Hunt, Little Bit Heart, Super Swoon, Brancoprata, Allison Owen Designs, Go Against the Grain, Super Swoon, Palm Papers, Honey Bee Invites, Design Editor, and Aerialist Press.

{made with love} coming to term(s)

Here I am at 34.5 weeks along. I felt huge, and seriously didn't think I could get any bigger. Now I'm 38 weeks along, and too embarrassed to show you my most recent photo. Let's just say that yesterday, someone at the grocery store said, "Oh honey, you better get what you need & get going... we're not equipped to deliver babies!" When I told her I still had two weeks left, her eyes got bigger and said, "Twins? Or just a big baby?" FAIL.

{34.5 weeks}

{37weeks, 5 days}

Now that I'm full term, baby bean can make her debut whenever she damn well pleases. I've been having contractions for the last week or so, but nothing to get excited over. They are either too far apart (7-10 minutes) or stop after 45 minutes or so. Today, my doctor told me that if they get to be 5 minutes apart for one hour, she wants me to call in.

At 29 weeks, we found out that Miss Bean was breech. It wasn't a big deal until I went for my 34 week appointment & she was still breech. Ultrasound confirmed this, and my doctor brought up the "C" word: C-section.

Totally not in my birth plan, but then again, I don't have much choice. We aren't candidates for an external version (and didn't want one, anyway), so a c-section was scheduled for 5 days before my due date, on October 21.

Fun Fact: When the idea of a c-section first came about, I read that doctors usually scheduled them between 38 and 39 weeks of pregnancy. We tossed around dates, just for fun, and one of them was October 21. My brothers birthday is August 21, and we thought it would be a great nod toward Uncle Stephen. None of the other dates held any significance to us, so we stuck with 10/21 just for fun. When I was told that I was having a c-section, my OB said that a nurse would call me later that afternoon to schedule the appointment & told me to pick any date after October 19th. They were supposed to call me at my office, but called my cell by accident instead (which I'd left at home that day, and specifically asked them to call me at my office!), and the nurse left a message saying that it had been scheduled for 10/21 (day we wanted) with my favorite OB (the OB I wanted to do my surgery!). I'm taking this as a good sign.

Today, my doctor guesstimated that Chloe weighed around 6.5lb and said she'd be surprised if she was more than 8lbs at birth. Of course, it's just a guess, and we'll know for sure by next Friday. I'm surprised she guessed such a low weight -- my aching back and bulging belly disagree with her 6lb theory :)

We are SO ready for this little girl to get here! I'm still putting the finishing touches on her nursery, but I'm hoping to have everything done & take photos to share with you all by the end of the week.

In other news? I FINALLY quit my day-job. I'm officially a full-time designer & by the end of next week I'll be a full-time mommy too!

{tuesday shoesday} glittery pink bows.

{pretty little things} a sweet & salty treat!

{image via pinterest}

I'm usually not a fan of candy corn, but these treats look beyond delish!!
For the full recipe and how-to, visit Cakeinfo!