From Here On

Now seems as good a time as any for a recap on the last couple months. I’m writing this at the birth center, where we will be welcoming our little girl, having my blood drawn four times over the course of 3 hours for a more conclusive glucose test. Luckily for me I get to pass this time in a more private lounge space on a comfortable couch surrounded by the sound of midwives clicking their sandals down the hallways.

This is what I’ve hoped for when deciding where we would give birth. A place that feels like home surrounded by encouraging women who’s job is to do nothing more than empower the mother I am becoming and create community amongst all us new parents. We’ve been educated here and had the opportunity to share our hopes and fears with others who are due around the same time that we are. It’s provided such comfort as we near the end of this pregnancy.

I’ll do my best to reminisce on the past couple months and share with you what we’ve been up to!

In March we took advantage of the second trimester energy boost and flew out to the Pacific Northwest to visit family. My nausea had finally subsided and we were excited for a little extra traveling around before baby arrives.

I got to see Multnomah falls for the first time which makes me feel like a true Poe. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get too close due to the aftermath of the forest fires, which truly was a sad sight to see the miles of charred trees in person.

My Brother in law Justin helped me achieve a life long bucket list goal of visiting Astoria Oregon! He drove us all the way out there from their home in Vancouver and it’s just as I pictured it. Plus we had some pretty great fish and chips out there on the coast.

We also made it out to Portland for the views, food trucks and Powell’s bookstore which was a dream. I picked up my very first autographed novel there and was giddy over it. Most importantly we spent some quality time with Justin, DeAnn and our wild nephew Asher which we don’t get to do often. We loved exploring the place they call home!

In April we drove up to Fredericksburg for a baby shower our families threw for us.

My sister Nem and I took lots of cute preggie photos together! Our nephew has since been born!

We’re 12 years apart, though people sometimes mistake us for twins! I love that we were able to share our pregnancies with eachother. These little cousins will only be a few months apart!

Just a couple weeks later our friends generously threw us a baby shower in Charlotte!

I mean come on, do friends get better than this?

Check out that donut cake Jamie picked up at Suarez bakery!

Last but certainly not least Brandon and I bought a house! It’s our second time as homeowners and first time as homeowners in Charlotte. We close on Monday May 21st the day before our 7 year anniversary. He’s not itchy, I’m not itchy. 7 years traveling, growing, moving, loving and creating new life together has made us incredibly grateful as a couple and we’re in it for the long haul.

We’re quickly approaching our due date and I feel like I’ll soon be ready to get this little girl out of me and into my arms. Brandon is desperate to hold her and we both can’t wait to see what she’ll look like.

These past few months I’ve had a lot of personal time to reflect on who I hope to become as a mother. In addition to being a mother I’m still a wife, a sister, a daughter and a friend. I’ve felt tugged in the direction of caring for those close to me, connecting with them face to face and keeping in touch with those who wish to do the same. Last year I took a break from social media and this spring I have done the same. Only this time I have very little desire to go back.

I’ve felt frustrated by the shallow friendships and the mass blasts on social media whenever someone wishes to make an announcement. I’m frustrated that I did it myself and I’m horrified by the time it stole from me feeling hurt while I sought after validation in others that is completely unnecessary. I want to share my news and receive my news personally with real honest friends. I actually thought to myself that I needed to go buy another dress for our shower in Charlotte because I couldn’t post a photo from each event in the same dress. Who made that rule? How ridiculous is that? I’m glad I didn’t buy another dress cause this one was just perfect. And you know what else? I borrowed this dress from Jamie! And I’ll wear it perfectly proudly to however many events I need to. I’m being honest because maybe you’ve felt the same. Or maybe you can totally handle it and aren’t refreshing for likes every hour. This hiatus has simply caused me to think about who I was posting for. In the past few months I have been able to connect personally with the people I have chosen to share my life with. Also, this article and video provided some perspective for me.

Writing and this blog is how I want to spend my time, documenting our lives for the purpose of our family. For those who wish to continue following along I’m truly honored. I’m always up for a coffee date. I’m always available to txt. And I will always be there for those who are important to me. That’s who I want to be. That’s how I want my daughter to see me. I want to be present in our household and in our daughter’s life, rather than worried about posting a new perfect photo of her. I hope everyone can respect that and if you want to keep in touch please absolutely do.

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