Hadley Elizabeth

I apologize in advance for the ramblings of this post. I am trying to process the 2nd worst day of my life.

We have 4 children.

Something that we always wanted. We wanted to have 4 kids. Little did we know that we would have 2 on earth and 2 in Heaven. A heavy burden I would never wish on anyone.

For those who do not know, we had a loss in July 2013 before getting pregnant with Raegan. I was about 6 weeks along. After that loss our RE said that the embryo was probably unhealthy because of Kyle's diagnosis (story here), which is why IVF was our next step for our family. Fast forward to 2016. We have our beautiful babies from IVF, Raegan (2) and Hudson (9 months).

Then about 6 weeks ago Kyle and I were shocked with a positive pregnancy test. A naturally conceived pregnancy. I am never late. EVER. I knew I was pregnant. I had been feeling off so I took a test on Monday, September 18. It was negative. I don't know why I took a test. I know our chances of naturally conceiving were low, but I just couldn't shake the feeling. Well by Wednesday I was still feeling off and when I took it this time it was positive.

I was shocked. I went in for blood work and got the results back the next day. The levels were low so my doctor said to prepare for a miscarriage. We continued doing more blood work and the numbers continued to grow much to his surprise so we started getting excited that this might actually happen.

Our first sono showed a gestational sac and I was measuring 2 weeks behind where they thought I was. They weren't worried since this was a naturally conceived pregnancy. Maybe I just ovulated late. So we drew blood again. Blood work came back fine so we waited 2 more weeks for the next sono.

At this sono the baby had grown but the heart rate was low. They had me wait one more week for another sono. Unfortunately at that sono, our sweet precious baby was gone. They could see that my body was starting to try and get rid of the baby. A D&C was scheduled. With this being my 2nd loss it is time to find out why. Our first loss happened naturally so they were unable to send the tissue (I hate calling it that, it's my baby) to pathology.

I need to know. I want to know. Why do I continue losing these precious babies when they are naturally conceived, but can carry my IVF babies perfectly fine?

I knew not to get excited. I knew not to plan for this baby. I knew not to think of names. I knew not to plan what room they would be in in our new house. I couldn't help it though. This isn't just a lost pregnancy.

It's the loss of a part of our family. It's a loss of Hudson and Raegan's little sister. Even in the 10 short weeks that she was a part of our lives she made a huge impact. We weren't planning on getting pregnant. We didn't plan to do another IVF transfer until late 2017, but now I can't imagine life without her.

When I woke up on Friday the day of our D&C my Timehop ever so sweetly reminded me that 3 years ago that day we were having our egg retrieval for Raegan's IVF cycle.

Oh the cruel ironic of infertility.

I had received a box of Milestone pregnancy and newborn cards to document our sweet baby's life while she grew in my belly. I was looking through them this morning and came across the "Welcome home little one". I thought I'd be using this card at the end of my pregnancy, not the beginning, but never the less, I find comfort in knowing that Jesus is the one who is saying,
"welcome home little one" to our sweet, Hadley Elizabeth.

We love you sweet girl. Give your big brother a hug for us and we will see you soon.

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Hudson {8 months}

Well Hudson turns 9 months tomorrow, so no better time to post his 8 month update right?

Stats

weight: 20 pounds

Sleep

He's still up 2-3 times a night. We are struggling with him peeing out of diaper. I've tried using overnights. I've tried sizing up in the overnights. Nothing works! If I don't change him at least once during the night he will wake up soaked. It's such a pain. I'm hoping we can find a solution soon! He's still nursing at night. I've accepted it. I know it's hard getting up in the middle of the night, but it won't last forever. He loves to nurse. I love to nurse him. If he could just throw me a bone and sleep past 6am then we'd be good!

Eat

He loves food. Bottom line. He will eat anything I give him, which shows in his 2 pound gain in 2 months. He's 6 pounds shy of Raegan. It makes me laugh what a chunker  he is. The upside to him eating everything is I can just tell Raegan "Bubba's going to eat your food". She's still struggling with eating a ton and that will normally get her to eat. So that's a nice incentive. He's still nursing throughout the day and at night too.

Play

He's crawling and standing! Granted he doesn't crawl much, but he will if he needs to get to mama or to take a toy from sister. Tonight Kyle and I witnessed our first fight over a toy. Raegan took his toy and he made the saddest little face and cried and cried. Normally he just finds another toy, but this time he put up a fuss. Sister better watch out. He's going to be bigger than her pretty darn soon!

Extras

He's all about mama lately. It makes for very tiring days. He's only happy if he's being held and that is hard. If I can get him playing happily I have to stay out of the room because as soon as I walk in the tears begin and he just wants to be held.

He also had his first sickness this month. His first ear infection. Him and Rae have been passing a cold back and forth for about 4-5 weeks. He's been miserable. He also was teething too. So he was just a mess, but he just wasn't getting better. I took him in a few weeks before Thanksgiving and she said it was just a cold and teething, but then 2 weeks later he still had it. Mama's intuition said to take him in again. Mama was right. Ear infection. Poor guy.

We also found these adorable milestone cards to help document all the fun and adorable things that he's doing these days because let's be honest, when they are little they are mastering new things every day! I love being able to celebrate those milestones and look back on these adorable pictures and moments that made us smile.

They also include free printables on their site too! You better believe we will be printing off the "my first Christmas card".

Alright, time for the photo dump. Can't believe how much this sweet boy has grown in 8 (almost 9) short months! Time flies. Way too fast.

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Winter Baby Clothes

Texas is finally cooling off and I for one am so stinking happy about it! No more sweating as soon as you walk outside. Layers are my favorite and I'm ready for it!

Along with starting to dress differently for myself comes dressing my kids differently too. Can't just throw a short sleeve onesie on and be good for the day anymore.

I started searching for what I could start dressing Hudson in that wouldn't take forever to put on, was cute, warm, and didn't break the bank.

Then I found Finn and Emma. See Hudson is just as excited!

Garment snaps are lead/nickel free and feature real coconut inserts. Their garments have a generous fit—allowing them to be worn for longer—and accommodate cloth as well as disposable diapers.

They carry boys and girls outfits that are made with buttery soft, G.O.T.S. certified organic cotton and non-toxic, eco-friendly dyes. As well as muslin blankets in bright beautiful colors, wooden play gyms and corresponding play mats.

Can't wait to add more to his wardrobe. They will be on rotation a lot!

Thank you to Finn and Emma for sponsoring this post.

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Powder Bath

Happy Thanksgiving friends!

We are about 5-6 weeks out from moving into our newly renovated home! I've been sparing with the pictures I've shared of the reno because I want it to be a huge surprise once it's all done and decorated, but I wanted to share our powder bath because I'm so stinking excited about it.

I found this picture on Pinterest and knew it was exactly what we needed for our house. So I began my hunt.

Wayfair is always my starting point for searching for house items. They have everything and at a great price. You can't beat that!

Here's what the powder bath looks like right now. It has so much potential and I love that I get to design it from the ground up. I get to do the same with our master bath, but that's for another post.

I literally found EVERY part of this bathroom at Wayfair and I can't wait to put it all together. Now we do plan to install wood shiplap, but I still linked some shiplap wallpaper you can put up if you don't want to spend the time to install real wood shiplap.

Ceramic Rectangular Vessel Bathroom Sink I love the simplicity of this sink. The rounded edges make it soft and the size is just perfect to sit on top of a vanity. Now the vanity I chose already has a sink, but if you had an old dresser, you could redo it and add a vessel sink.	Medina 8" x 8" Cement Tile in Black and White I fell in love with this tile long ago and I'm still in love with it now. It has just enough "busyness" to give the powder bath that "it" factor. It's simple and not too over the top. Perfection!	Toby 37" Single Bathroom Vanity Set with Integrated Sink The reclaimed wood is to die for! If you are looking for a farmhouse vanity this is the one! Easy to set a sink on top of and still have space below for some baskets to hold all your powder bath needs!
Purist Widespread Bathroom Sink Faucet Gold is definitely still in and this piece proves it! Don't shy away from mixing finishes. Bronze and gold look great together and it allows the powder bath to not be too heavy. The sleekness of this faucet is beautiful as well.	Kenitra Arch Wall Mirror I love the scalloped top of this mirror. It allows you bring in a fun shape, but not take away from the rest of the powder bath.	White Washed Boards Ship-lap 2' x 20.5" Wood Wallpaper Who doesn't love ship lap? Now you can have ship lap without the time! These amazing wallpaper planks are easy to install and brighten up any room. What a great DIY project!
Concord Double Handle Wall Mount Sink Faucet I love the exposed glass shades on these wall sconces. The Edison bulbs give it that old, rustic feel that everyone is looking for in their farmhouse decor and the bronze color goes along with the rustic wood of the vanity and mixes well with the gold faucet and mirror. Also, the price can't be beat!	4 ft Barn Wood Reclaimed Decorative Ladder Just take off the last few legs of this ladder, and voila! Place it over the toilet, and you have yourself some fun, different shelves for your powder bath. It allows you to use the space you have in a small powder bath. Have I mentioned Wayfair's prices?! Amazing! This better be in your cart when you're done reading this!	Storage Basket These baskets are perfect for the farmhouse powder bath. They come in multiple sizes and different colors! They could easily be used in a playroom too. They won't get dirty and are sturdy. That's a plus in this mama's of toddlers book.

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Black Friday 411

Ever since having kids having the chance to go out and Christmas shop has become... well... impossible. Online shopping has become my new best friend.

I know some people LOVE the hype of waiting in lines for Black Friday.

And I'm over here like "I'm good sitting here on my computer enjoying Black Friday and Cyber Monday from the comfort of my couch."

Know what I'm saying?

So here's my top 3 round up of the Black Friday sales that I will be partaking in. And the great thing is that most of them have already started. Time to get a jump start on shopping!

First up, Old Navy. It is my go to for buying clothes for pretty much the whole family for Christmas. Right now all pajamas are 50% off and the whole store is 40% off. I can't even imagine what the Black Friday sale will be when the prices are already so great!

 Next up is Nordstrom. I love hitting up their Black Friday Sale for jewelry. Especially Kendra Scott. During last year's sale I scored jewelry for $25-30. Such a good deal! Right now they have already started their sale with some items up to 40% off. Can't wait to see the rest of the deals.

And last up is Amazon. I bought most of my presents for my family here last year. From toys for Raegan to workout clothes for my dad. They had it all! And let's be real. Amazon's prices are always amazing, but the Black Friday deals are going to be sweet.

On top of scoring amazing deals I also learned about an amazing way to save even more money while online shopping.

Ebates. It's seriously the coolest thing since sliced bread.

You shop at your favorite online stores, earn cash back for your purchases, and receive a big fat check straight to your Paypal account.

In one year I've earned over $250 just by using Ebates. Honest!

You just go to ebates.com

Search the store you are looking for and it'll tell you the cash back they are offering at that time. Then click the store.

Once you are on that page, click "shop now" and you are set to go! You can even shop from your smart phone by using the app.

Now at the beginning I kept forgetting to use Ebates when I would shop online, but they have this nifty gadget you can add to your web browser to help remind you.

 So when I open up Old navy's website to go shopping this amazing little button pops up in the top right hand corner to help remind me to use Ebates. And if the website doesn't use Ebates it'll tell you that too.

And if you want to earn cash back while shopping in the stores, just link your cards and voila! Making cash back no matter how you shop.

Also right now as part of Ebates black friday sale (only through today), they are doing double cash back at pretty much all their stores so you can earn more money!

It's seriously the best ever. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Want to earn $10 back right away? Sign up here to get started!

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