As I promised!! My favorite memory of 2017 && I also promise this is a fun little read, it’s not like a long serious birth story! 🤗

My pregnancy was planned but we just weren’t expecting it to happen that quickly!! So when I found out I was pregnant, 20 mins before my husband was getting off work, I was WAY too eager to tell him that I didn’t come up with anything cleaver to surprise him with! I’m horrible with surprises so there’s NO way I could’ve kept it from him for a whole night to get something together the next day!!

We told my parents by bringing them Starbucks with Grandma and Grandpa written on them! We are big Starbucks fans!!! We took my in laws their favorite beer with a note saying drink these for me until I can join you again!

Here was our announcement to the world:

2 week’s after we found out I was pregnant we were in the process of moving! My best friends were absolutely amazing coming over to help us since I couldn’t lift anything heavy! But that first night in our new home I started getting extremely sharp pains in my side! I couldn’t even get out of bed. We expected the worst!

Long story short, we went to the emergency room and I had to have emergency surgery to have my appendix removed. At 10 weeks pregnant we weren’t sure the baby would make it. They kept me in the hospital for a week to keep an eye on both of us. From there on out I was considered high risk the rest of the pregnancy!

On the plus side, that meant I got ultra sounds every single week!! It was so fun watching her grow! I definitely got spoiled and I know it’s going to kill me on the next baby not getting so many sonograms!!

Finally home and moved in! My husband was incredible going back and forth between the hospital and getting everything else moved over and semi set up for my return! I was on strict bed rest for 3 weeks and then light bed rest for another 3 weeks! I lost a bunch of weight from all of that so that’s all baby pudge there!!

I went as a scarecrow for Halloween! Don’t eat pumpkin seeds 🎃 18 Weeks!

I cannot wait to share our gender reveal post with y’all!! It was so fun! It was at our annual Friendsgiving party and we had a Waddle It Be theme!!

It’s so crazy that this was a year ago from now!! I felt like right at Christmas she just popped out and grew from there!!

Here I was at 25 weeks pregnant!! We were enjoying as many date nights as we could! Going baby free places like the movies!!

Beginning of the 3rd trimester!!! We just started getting Penelope’s Nursery together!!

30 weeks pregnant!! This was right after one of my baby showers!

32 weeks! I started seeing the dr twice a week around this time because of the high risk! I had to get an ultra sound and check up one day and then use those monitors to measure her heart rate, movements and my contractions. With her growing at the same time as me trying to heal, my scar internally kept getting stretched and my goodness it hurt!!

33 weeks measuring 31!! After my last baby shower!! Time to get everything finished and ready!!

Finally 9 months preggo!! All I wanted to do was sleep at this point!!!

I made a little snack grab bag for all of my nurses and drs that would be helping us deliver Miss Penelope Grace!!

36 weeks && we got my maternity photos done by my sister in law!! I will share more of these later!!

38 weeks and the dr said she wanted to induce me at the end of the week to avoid any complications with Penelope! We started having issues with my blood pressure and blood sugar!

I was an event coordinator for an arena center and my last day there, 39 weeks pregnant, I helped load in the circus! They offered for me to come feed the elephants lunch before the show! If you don’t know, I’m OBSESSED with elephants! She came up to me and went to touch my belly and stopped suddenly, her trainer said she could sense I was pregnant and wanted to be careful of my belly! 😱

My husband and I’s 1st Anniversary was the 25th and I was going in on the 26th to be induced so we went to a fancy dinner to celebrate it all!!

39 weeks and our last baby bump photo!!

I was induced at 6pm on the 26th, I delivered Penelope at 11: 53pm on the 27th! 30 hours of labor 2.5 hours of pushing, back labor, contractions off the charts at 2cm, epidural around 3cm because of how horrible the pain was, waist down completely numbed shortly after because contractions got worse! I really hope I don’t have to get induced next time!! After not eating since 1pm on the 26th, I was STARVING, and with it being 2am everyone had left and everywhere was closed. A nurse found me some saltine crackers and a water… EHHHH!!!!! I told everyone that they couldn’t see the baby the next morning unless they brought me food!! lol Buuuttt it was all worth it and here is my favorite memory:

Penelope Grace was born!!

Our wedding theme was Best Day Ever, so it only seemed fitting that P was our New Best Day Ever!!

Dad’s reaction: “Look at what you did!!!”

My reaction: “She’s so cute…but sooo gross!!!” 🤦🏽‍♀️ I wasn’t expecting them to just plop her down on me immediately!! Haha

I can’t believe how little she was and how quickly she’s grown!! We are loving every moment of it though!!! Definitely my favorite moment of 2017!!!