Time, please slow down!

{apparently this didn't publish when it was supposed to... so sorry that it's out of order! I wrote this 1.5 months ago!} 

I can't believe it's been 2 months since I wrote Anderson's birth story! Next week he'll be 3 months old?! How is this possible? 

Anderson is the easiest, most laid back baby I've ever met! He is so smiley & joyful. He doesn't take his eyes off of his brother, partially because anything could happen & also because he adores him. 

Raleigh has more than warmed up to Anderson. He really loves "his baby"! As soon as Raleigh wakes up... the first thing he does is locate Anderson. It makes my heart melt! 

Some things about Anderson:

-He now rolls over from tummy to back!

-He smiles a lot!!

-He'll giggle for his daddy!

-He enjoys baths!

-He went on his first boat ride with Grandee, Maw Maw, Mommy & Raleigh!

-He celebrated his first 4th of July with Papa & Gramma {while mommy & daddy had a date!!}

-He is kind of a lazy nurser so I've been pumping a lot more this go around! I used to hate pumping, but it's actually not that bad!

-He did NOT like those 2 month shots 

-He loves being passed around at church, it doesn't phase him one bit!

-He started sleeping through the night by 7 weeks?! 

-He is SUPER vocal! We've got a talker! 

-I can't imagine life without him! 💙

The cutest little calf for Cow Appreciation Day! {thanks, Anderson, for sharing your CFA with everyone! ha}

We love you Anderson!! Life is more fun with you in it!!

The Price Nest

Well- we have been moved into our home for about 2 months now & there's still plenty to be done!! I'm one of those people who like to start something and finish it... if that means working 15 hours straight... so be it! However, motherhood has really interrupted that method! There's no such thing as uninterrupted time anymore. So now I'm trying to figure out how to function differently! 

Yesterday we had a very productive Saturday, which was so encouraging!! Nathan and I worked on some projects & then my parents joined us for dinner and helped us rangle two little ones & lots of projects. Since I have good intentions on blogging a bit more I'll just show you what we worked on in our kitchen/play area/dining room! (I really should figure out a name for that area! Lol. Suggestions?!)

Anyway here it is, in it's unfinished but closer to finished glory! 

(Excuse the tiles on the island, those  are for our master shower!! Woohoo, more on that later!)

So! We finally hung up my favorite yellow curtains and I think it makes the room look more finished and inviting. Not to mention it provides us privacy. We hung them over the French doors which creep me out at night! Ha! The rug was originally in Raleigh's nursery back in West Palm, but I think it's perfect for this space! It's from Overstock. 

I fell in love with that print when I saw it at Hobby Lobby last year. Plus anything Lindsey Letters touches is perfect! The globe is too fun and I won it at our church auction for missions, it seems appropriate here. I hope my boys seek adventure and serve the Lord in it! In the middle is a fun find, I found it yesterday at a little thrift store and it actually works! It's a thermometer & a barometer! My hope for this corner is that the boys will play here while I prepare our meals! 

This is the view from behind my kitchen island. The doors still need to be painted but we'll get there... someday! Also, my favorite yellow curtains? Yeah- Target for like $4 a panel!? Goodness, I love Target... & a great deal!! 

For whatever reason I have the hardest time decorating the dining room! I think it's because I feel like family pictures are kind of weird in this space? I could be totally wrong, it's just something I've never felt super confident in. I do LOVE this mirror though. I bought it back when we lived in Raleigh, NC at a thrift store for..... $15 y'all. It's heavy & it's nearly 60 years old. I think its imperfections are perfect! My dad & husband hung it up like pros & it hasn't fallen yet! I kid, I kid. But really it hasn't fallen! That thing isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Our table was a garage sale find, $50. I plan to sand and re-stain it a bit darker but that's not happening tomorrow... or the next day! Now for one of my favorite craigslist finds!!! Those chairs. They're perfect and I've almost bought them so many times but I just couldn't justify dropping $200+ on something we didn't neeeeed but I really wanted. So when I saw these on craigslist I jumped!! 4 chairs for $110. You can't beat that! Plus they're the finish I wanted and everything! Our light fixture is technically for an island but I love it  over our table. It's Allen & Roth from Lowes. Soon we'll add another high hair in the mix because babies don't keep and Anderson is rapidly approaching 4 months!!! Oh, and let's not discuss how Raleigh will be TWO on Saturday & how he's going to preschool tomorrow. 😭 

There have been lots of changes in our home & lots of hard work. I'm thankful for it all! 

Anderson's Birth Story

I woke up at 4am on Friday May 1st. It was my latest due date. (April 26, 27, 28 or May 1st) Having passed all those other dates made it feel like I had been waiting forrrrrever. Waking up at 4am had become my new norm however, this time I was having contractions that kept me from falling back asleep! I decided to get up to shower AND shave my legs... today could be the day! Ha

I timed the contractions, they were 15-20 mins apart. Too far apart for anything exciting!

I had my 40 week appointment that morning at 9:30 & my dr checked me and I was dilated to 3cm & I think 90% effaced. He went ahead and swept my membranes... I immediately became crampy! 

I went about my day and worried that things would pick up too quickly... Nathan was taking his last exam for seminary! He didn't think he'd be done until 3pm! 

The contractions continued and started getting closer together around 1 or 2 pm so I called my mother in law and asked her where she was! (She had planned months ahead to leave SC on May 1st regardless of if I had delivered or if I hadn't! So she was on her way!!) We made plans to walk and go to the grocery store! Well when she walked in my house around 3pm I knew we probably weren't going to the store. I called L&D and asked how far apart my contractions should be before coming in... & they said 5-7 minutes! I was surprised because my contractions were about 6-8 minutes apart. Nathan walked in the door and I was relieved! I filled him in and we left Raleigh with Grandee Carol. (How perfect is God's timing?!) I hadn't eaten lunch... yes it was 4pm... so we went to Zaxby's! I ate through my contractions & people were probably concerned. 

We checked into L&D and by then my contractions had slowed down. They checked me and I was at 4.5 cm and they could feel Anderson's head! They told me we'd have to walk. Walking brought about many contractions, however they'd slow down too much once I'd stop. The checked me again... not enough progress so they sent us home. On the way home (less than 2 miles) I had 3 intense contractions. When I got inside our apartment I was in rough shape! Raleigh was concerned for me so I hid in my bedroom. I decided to take a hot lavender bath to help calm and relax me! It was fantastic until I had another strong contraction! I had to get out! I made it to the bed and my mom (mom, dad, Carol & my grandma Charlotte had all come over to wait for "the call") came in and helped me work through all the contractions. At this point I couldn't even tap the button on my app to count them. Mom started keeping track. After what felt like an eternity I asked her how far apart they were! 5 minutes... with contractions lasting 1.5-2 minutes long for about 45 minutes. Right about then I got tingly and decided we needed to go in right then!! Thankfully while I labored in my bedroom everyone got Raleigh ready for bed and I was able to sneak out without him even knowing it! 

Apparently once I got to the hospital I greeted the the ladies at the desk with one word, "epidural"! Ha

I got checked in and checked again, this time I was at 6cm and I was admitted! I didn't care, I just needed an epidural. By the time they got me into my room I was at 8cm. I was terrified I wouldn't get the epidural!! I needed relief. 

Thankfully I got it and as my husband says, "it was like Jesus came down and anointed the room"! I could move my legs and wiggle my toes but the excruciating pain had been dulled!

Labor slowed down and that was totally fine by me. Things were moving a little too quickly for me to process them anyway! My sister arrived, she had driven from New Orleans as soon as she got out of school! So at this point my room was filled with family & so was the waiting room. It was sweet to feel so supported and loved. 

My nurse, Natasha, checked me again. I was at 9.5 cm! Apparently my cervix had a "lip". The decided to break my water around 11:30pm. We figured this may speed thing up! At that point we didn't know if we'd have a May 1st or May 2nd baby!! 12am came and went... so did 1am... & still I was stuck at 9.5cm. Annoying! Thankfully Anderson was not in distress, however the amount of pressure I felt was ridiculous. My nurse offered to try and push back the lip of my cervix as I pushed to see if we could get Anderson through. It was already 2am and I had been up for 22 hours so I was ready to try just about anything!! She pushed... I pushed... & then she called for help and the doctor! Anderson was coming and I wasn't about to stop! She told me to wait as his head crowned & so I did... for what felt like forever. Basically- from the point she & I pushed to the moment Anderson was born it was all of 3 minutes and it felt like 3 years. The doctor rounded the corner and came into the room right as Natasha delivered my perfect 7lbs 13 ounce baby boy at 2:07 am! I got to experience the birth I wanted to experience with Raleigh, but due to meconium didn't get to. Natasha handed Anderson straight to me and he cried loudly until he snuggled right up on my chest. He was so beautiful and so cuddly. I had been concerned that I wouldn't love him as much as I love his brother, but my fears faded as I studied his little features and kissed his sweet face. Nathan cut the umbilical cord like a champ and everyone in the room commented on how much Anderson looked like his big brother! 

It's pretty amazing how your pain, exhaustion and hunger subsides when you meet that sweet baby you've carried for 9 months and labored so long for. The next hours are a blur, but I'm pretty sure I stared at my baby boy the majority of them! May 2, 2015 is now one of my favorite days. We love Anderson so very much!!! 

The Truth.

Dearest Anderson,

The truth is, at first I was scared. You were not "planned" by us.  Of course we wanted you, but to be honest, not quite as soon as you happened! It was the week of your brother's first birthday. It was the day we found out we had roughly 2 months to figure out "what was next"! Job? Housing? Where in the country we may live? Lots of things were changing & little did I know you were changing & growing inside of me! 

After an afternoon chat with your Auntie Whitney... she pointed out that I had complained of heartburn. (Something I only have while pregnant, thank God!!!). She asked if I could be pregnant! I said, "nahhhh! I really don't think so...." & then she convinced me to make sure. To my shock & immediate terror, I learned of your exsistance. I wasn't scared of YOU, I was scared of all the big changes headed our way. I'll admit, I was scared of how you'd change our sweet little family of 3. I was scared about how 1 more would change our financial situation. I was scared how our families would react to a "surprise" pregnancy. I was just scared. 

Well, we took the opportunity to share this exciting news with all of your family after your big brother's 1st birthday party! Everyone was SO thrilled!!! Shocked, but thrilled. 

As the days passed the stresses of our changing circumstances grew. Your Daddy went to work & Mommy applied for jobs all over the country for him. We heard nothing back. We apartment shopped, hoping we could stay where we were... but there was no way we could stay unless Daddy got a new job... which we tried too. No doors seemed to open & you grew & Mommy got sick (a lot, but it's ok!). We decided to step out in faith & move to Tallahassee for a potential job. We'd be close to Gramma & Papa, we could find affordable housing & hopefully he'd get the job. You grew perfectly which was such a blessing since so much was going on here on the outside!

We moved & big brother loves it here... we sure hope you do too! It's great living near Gramma & Papa... plus, we're 7 hours closer to Grandee Carol!! Daddy got a job & we love the church that we get to be a part of, everyone is really excited to meet you there! We bought a house, it's where you'll grow up! 

Our hearts are so full & our eyes tear up thinking about the last 9 months. You were not expected by us, but God was not surprised. He made you perfectly. He has knitted you together in my womb. Your presence pushed us to make some big decisions, ones we're forever grateful for. You are so loved, dear son. Please come out so we can all meet you! We're ready to be a family of 4. 

Love, Mommy

Our 1960 Fixer Upper!

What? A blog post 2 days in a row? Shocking. I know. 

I figured I'd give the grand "before" tour because *hopefully* come June 1st this will all look totally different. Basically, every single room will be altered, so it's a whole big project! Let's begin! (That's not my car... I stole this picture from the listing agent!! Lol)

First you walk into the living room. Let me just start off by saying every single wall and ceiling of this house will be painted, no fear! These colors are going bye bye!! 

To the right is an archway, it will be squared off and returned to the way God intended it and prefer it! ;) Straight ahead is the hallway that leads to the 3 bedrooms and bathrooms. Not pictures and to the left is a long lovely window that looks out over our front yard! There's also a random useless closet that will be dry walled up and blown out to the other side where we'll extend bedroom 1's (Anderson's room) closet. There will be new floors throughout as well!

Next we go to the right and see a bizarre use of space. The kitchen... which they tried to open up? I'm not sure why it is this way... but it won't be for much longer! 

It's the tightest space ever. The layout itself we'll work with because it's most cost effective, but the walls must come down!! The cabinets will get a facelift, the countertops and backsplash will be replaced, hopefully we'll get new appliances (definitely a new oven), new recessed lighting, a pantry to the right (where that broom is) and my favorite... a large kitchen island! We'll get new floors and paint and flip flop the layout for our dinning room table & create a play area for the boys to the right of the pantry! 

We'll replace these French doors with ones that aren't rotting (and the ugly curtains that don't reach the floor!!). We'll also remove the gaudy molding & simplify to a cleaner more craftsmen style. The dining room table will be to the right of the doors and will have a fun statement lighting fixture over it! 

I don't have pictures of the "laundry room" currently... but believe me... that will take up a post of its own! Yikes!!!

Bedroom 1- (Anderson's Room)

There's a lot of work to be done in this small room! First we must repair the ceiling. It's rotten, but thankfully the roof is new and the ceiling had just not been repaired. Next to go is that ceiling fan! It's spray painted purple and has purple duct tape all over it... Why?! This room will be carpeted and all of the electrical will be brought up to code. Like I mentioned before, the closet will be expanded and all of the walls will get a fresh coat of paint!

Bedroom 2- (Raleigh's Room)

This room is in good shape! It just needs updated electrical, a ceiling fan, new closet doors, new paint and carpet. It's definitely the larger of the 2 bedrooms... it may eventually become "the boy's" room! 

Hallway Bathroom- (the original 1960's bathroom)

Oh yes. There will be more pictures of this to come!!! Blue tiles? Pink tub? Oh yeah- it's all going. We'll get a new toilet and tub! The ceiling needs to be repaired and we'll add a vent and light. New floors (ones that won't always look dirty!) & the lovely floral wallpaper is going away! It's basically getting gutted! Woohoo!

The Master- (Our Room!)

This room is huge! See where that wall comes out a little bit on the left there? That's where the original room ended. The previous owner knocked out the wall and expanded and made this a large master with a big walk in closet! Thank you!! This room will be carpeted (the floors aren't in the best shape and we're not sure how well they were installed!)

That's the view from the bathroom looking into the hallway. Now for our bathroom! It isn't the colors or materials I'd prefer or choose... however... it isn't the highest to change on my priority list. 

The glass shower door is coming down! I'm not sure if the previous owner was super short or was just really great a ducking.... 

All the grout will be professionally cleaned and repaired... & then we can host a party?! This thing is massive!!

We'll find mirrors I like and replace the lights... & call it a day! (For now!)

There's one more room... it needs A Lot of work... and paint... 

It's off of the "laundry room" and it looks like they let wild animals loose in it. It used to be the carport but they enclosed it and created a room of sorts. We aren't sure what we'll do with it... but once we've lived in the main area of the house I'm sure we'll have a better idea of what we "need". 

There's so much to be done, but it's exciting and I trust our contractor! We hope to start renovations on April 27th so I'll make sure to follow this journey and document it! I cannot wait to start!! 

Worst "blogger" Ever!

I basically blog for me. To keep a diary of sorts about this chapter in our lives! I also do it to update friends and family... and sometimes to share fun things with strangers! Clearly, I've slacked off in a serious way. It's been about ohhhhh 10 months since I've written and I mean what could we have possibly crammed into 10 months?! HA! Well, let me fill in the blank space.

July 2014- We had an amazing vacation with my family and Nathan's mom in NC. It was such a blessing. We hung out, read, played cards, hiked, zip lined, junked and antiqued, saw elk, played in streams and ate! And... apparently we made a baby.

August 2014- We were preparing and planning a big celebration for our little man's first birthday on August 22! The week that Raleigh turned one (Tuesday 8/19) we found out two very important pieces of information. 1.) we had to move out of our apartment by Nov. 1st 2.) I was pregnant with a BIG surprise baby #2! Oh man. As we processed all of that we celebrated with all of our friends and family Raleigh's first birthday, it was perfect! We went ahead and took the opportunity to tell our families together that we were expecting. God's timing is perfect... even though my head was still spinning!!!

September 2014- This was a blur of resume sending, praying and trying to not stress about the future. Raleigh and I managed to visit Whitney! We took the opportunity to have pictures made with our boys! (Thanks Brett Seay!!)

October 2014- This was also a blur of resume sending, deciding to step out in faith and move to Tallahassee, FL to *hopefully* get a particular job, be near my parents and live in a place that was more affordable. (WPB is pretttty expensive!) We moved the last week of October and our wonderful friends Krystal & Leo (Tia and Tio) helped us along with my parents. I was exhausted and thankful I was in the second trimester of my pregnancy! We celebrated Halloween with our little elephant in Tallahassee.

November 2014- It was a great month... minus the whole not having a real income! We had so much family time. We got to know our new city (I introduced the boys since this is my hometown!). It was football season... we spent lots of time with Gramma & Papa... and Raleigh quickly adjusted to life here. Oh! My parent's gifted us a trip to Savannah, GA for our anniversary and watched Raleigh for us. It was our first time away from him and although hard, it was so needed and enjoyed! We still FaceTimed him every night!  

December 2014- We had a break through with the job search! Nathan had interviews and met with church committees. We were told that he had the job just as soon as the entire church voted him in! We also found out that we were expecting another baby BOY! Anderson Thomas Price. Anderson after Nathan's grandpa "Samuel Anderson Hambright" and Thomas after my grandpa "Thomas Clyde Owens". We were so excited that Raleigh would be getting a little brother!! After all, they'll be so close in age... hopefully they'll be best buds! We spent Christmas in South Carolina with Grandee Carol and Nathan's family, but had to come home a little sooner than intended due to more melanoma. Yes, I was diagnosed with a very early (Praise GOD) stage of melanoma. Yes, my second one... each time while pregnant. Hormones can do crazy things! It's also one of the few cancers that can actually cross the placenta! Scary stuff.

January 2015- Nathan started his new job! His first day on the job I had my melanoma cut out... so thankfully the church and staff are extremely understanding and he was able to help me at home a majority of his first week there! I found out they had gotten all of the cancer and that was a huge relief. Raleigh's personality really started to shine and he won the hearts of basically our entire new church congregation. He is such a joy!

February 2015- We celebrated Valentine's Day and my 28th (eek) birthday. Auntie Katherine came for a visit (she got a week off for Mardi Gras?! Only in NOLA!!) We started to consider looking at homes here... and at the end of the month we put in an offer!!

March 2015- UGH. That month was filled with house stuff! Our offer was excepted!! YAY! That meant we had to get everything together and send it to our lender. However, we opted for a specific loan which incorporates renovation cost into your monthly mortgage. This meant I had limited time (like 15 days) to meet with a ton of contractors and make a plan of everything I wanted done to the house specifically. I mean real specifications. Then I had to pick a contractor, have my list of renovations, get all of the house stuff done (appraisal, inspections, loan junk and what felt like a million other things) all while being very pregnant and chasing a toddler. I am not sad that March is over! We did manage to squeeze in a maternity shoot with Sarah Gray Photography. Best part of March!! I love every single picture!!!

April 2015- We made it. We celebrated Easter with our new church family and Nathan's mom came down for a visit! We closed on our house on April 9th and we plan to start renovations April 27th! Basically every room in the house is getting something done! I'm now 37 weeks pregnant with Anderson... and hoping he'll come before his brother did! (Induced at 40 weeks due to lack of movement!) It has been a whirlwind journey... but God has guided our every step and I love looking back and seeing Him walking with us even in the times of uncertainty.

We could not have planned any of this any better than He as orchestrated it. We feel blessed!!! Now we await more exciting things! Coming up? New baby! Renovations on our new house! Nathan graduates from seminary with his masters degree! Nathan leaves me (AH! Pray for me!! lol) and heads to Honduras for a mission trip! Life is exciting my friends. I'll try to keep y'all updated... especially since life moves fast and I want to remember all of the details of this chapter.

To keep up on our life on a daily basis... check out my Instagram

Ten Months!

DOUBLE DIGITS. Oh my goodness!? And in a blink of an eye we've hit the 10 month mark!

The last month has been a whirlwind of learning and growing! He's gained a tooth, more balance, more voice, even more personality (if you can believe it!) and more motor skills.
Raleigh is the friendliest baby I've ever met. Just the other day in Chipotle he tapped a lady in front of us and she turned around. He immediately stuck his arms out to be held by her... yes a complete stranger! Of course she was smitten. Eventually I let her hold him and he just grinned and flirted. This is not an exceptional event either. He does this just about everywhere we go! I think we'll have to have some serious "stranger danger" talks in the future, but right now it's absolutely precious.

What's New:

• Raleigh still eats like a grown man! Seriously, he may just be the Very Hungry Caterpillar!
• He is walking. There, I said it. I've been in denial. He will take 6-7 steps consecutively before he sits down! I can't believe it. Also, let the record show Raleigh's first steps were at 9.5 months and they were to his Tio Leo! 
• He officially has 7 teeth! I think he's already working on his one year molars too! He loves gnawing on everything with his back gums.
• He loves swimming! He went into the ocean for the first time this month and he LOVED it. 
• Raleigh went to his first basketball game. He was a big fan of everything about the game except the buzzer. He eventually got use to it. He cheered and clapped and of course made new friends!
• Mommy got a baby play yard... so she still has her sanity! Raleigh is into anything and everything. He's very courageous and curious. A dangerous combination! Pray for me! ;)
• He loves blowing his lips together, sucking in air making a high pitch squeal and he's started to do this silly under bite grin. It's too cute!
• He loves strumming the guitar and playing with his fishing pole!
• He stands up unassisted for a long time now. He can even bend over and grab stuff while standing. His balance is pretty impressive!
• He now annoys Eli sometimes! He's just so interested in what Eli is doing and wants to be a part of it... but he has no sense of personal space or boundaries. It makes for a pretty interesting exchange!
• He is a little dare devil. The higher you throw the better. The rougher you wrestle the more fun!
• His laugh and grin are probably my favorite things about him.
• His hair is getting much lighter!? Like heading towards blonde!! Maybe it's the summer sun!?
• I think he's taken after his daddy's skin! Thank goodness. He's already got a better tan than me!
• OH- Raleigh loved his Papa John's (Papa Antoooonio) spaghetti... we loved watching him eat it!!! 

When I see this... I see Nathan!! Wow.

 

*10 month shoot pictures to come!*

It's been an amazing 10 months! I cannot believe you're almost one baby boy. Blows. My. Mind!