Well hi there! It's been a while. A little over a year to be exact! Unless you follow me on Instagram it probably seemed like I dropped off the face of the planet. No explanation, no blog updates, how rude of me!

So what have I been up to?

This past year has been a complete whirlwind filled with lots of amazing changes and a pretty awesome new addition to our little family. Actually, make that two new additions - a furry addition and a human addition :) Yep, that's right, I became a dog mom and mama to our precious little boy.

When I look back at the last blog post I published, I can't decide if it feels like a lifetime ago or just yesterday. In some ways it feels like a lifetime ago because my life has changed in so many ways. At this time last year, Scott and I were just doing our usual thing - going out for Friday night cocktails, meeting friends for college football Saturdays, and getting ready for the holiday season. We had been thinking about starting a family and decided to just see what happened. Fast forward to December 28th, 2016 when I took a positive pregnancy test...at work haha! We were both shocked and elated and knew our lives were about to change forever.

Side note: Scott was out of town when I found out I was pregnant so I kept the secret all to myself for TWO WHOLE DAYS until he came home so I could tell him in person. It was the hardest thing I've ever done!

Fast forward again to March and we decided to get a puppy! I know, we are crazy. I had been trying to convince Scott that we needed a dog for the past 6+ years. He had always been on the fence about it. He grew up with Mini Schnauzers and when we found a liter of the most adorable Mini Schnauzer puppies for sale, we couldn't say no. Four weeks later, we brought home our fur baby, Norman. People thought we were crazy for getting a puppy when we were expecting a baby a few months later, but hey...YOLO. And honestly, who could resist this furry face?!

Early on in my pregnancy we opted to do blood work to test for any chromosomal abnormalities (everything was normal, whew!), but with that test we also had the opportunity to find out the gender of our baby. We got the gender results when I was 13 weeks pregnant. Instead of opening the envelope right away, we decided to open it in a special (to us) place. Scott proposed to me in Paris, France in April 2012 in front of the Louvre on a chilly but absolutely beautiful night after a delicious dinner near the Seine River that runs through the city. We randomly found an absurd flight deal to Paris in May and thought it would be really special to open the gender result envelope during that trip in the spot where Scott proposed. Let me just say that the second most difficult thing I have ever done was pick up the gender result envelope from my doctors office and drive it home WITHOUT opening it. Scott has way more self control than me so he kept me strong during weak moments when I wanted to rip open the envelope. We made our Paris trip into a "babymoon" and had an absolute blast. Seriously, it was such a wonderful trip (even though I couldn't enjoy the fabulous French wine!). We have been to Paris a few times together already so it was a nice, chill trip where we were able to check out some different, non-touristy things that we haven't done before. We landed in Paris around 7am local time, cabbed to our AirBnB, changed, and walked over to the Louvre where we opened the envelope that we had kept stashed in our bedroom nightstand for the last 12 weeks. We found out that our little bundle of joy was a BOY!! Scott had a gut feeling all along and I was totally on the fence before finding out. We were both thrilled! We spent the rest of the trip discussing names (although we didn't end up deciding on one until after he was born), and fantasizing about what life would be like with a baby boy...our baby boy.

Our Paris trip was incredibly special and a great getaway for the two of us. A few days later I turned 30 (how did that even happen?!) and Scott planned a surprise party for me. I was completely shocked! Major kudos to him because I did not see it coming AT ALL.

Fast forward to late summer 2017 and I was very pregnant and very ready to meet this baby! Our little guy decided to make his appearance on Wednesday September 6th, 2017. To make a long story short, my water broke naturally at home (the night of a full moon!), I labored really well until I was at 8 centimeters, then I stalled there for 6 hours. I labored for 16 hours total before needing a C-section because our little one was stuck in my birth canal and didn't seem to be coming out anytime soon. At that point, I just wanted him here safely in my arms. At 4:33pm, Rhys was born and we heard his sweet little cry. I still tear up thinking about those first few minutes of his life. It was a surreal feeling that I'll never forget. He came into the world at 8 lbs 9 oz and 21 inches long. Our perfect boy.

Rhys turns 3 months old in a few days. Time flies! Life with a newborn has been delightful, exhausting, wonderful, sleepless (although that's getting much better), messy, and absolutely amazing. It's incredible how much we love him. I miss him when he naps and find myself looking at pictures of him all day long. His pouty bottom lip that he recently starting sticking out when he is tired makes me melt. His toothless smiles make me weak in the knees. I want to squeeze his cheeks and smell his fresh baby skin all day. I love to touch his little ears when he is nursing. I sing and talk to him all day and he coos back at me. I love that he wants to cuddle with me in my arms at night before bed. Basically I've become a total sap! I can't believe how much he has grown and changed already and it seems like everyday he is doing something new. I can't wait to watch him continue to grow...but not too fast! ;)

So what's next for this blog?

I feel inspired to be in this space again and am excited about some new things that I can't wait to share with you soon! I want to share more. More food, more health, more cookies, more life. Thanks for all your support and for sticking around here during my blogging hiatus. In the meantime, feel free to reach out and let me know what kind of stuff you would like to see . Do you want more recipes, health tips, baby updates? All of the above? None of the above? Let me know! I can't to hear from you.

xoxo,

Lauren

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