Introducing Baby Brooks!

So, I'm just gonna cheat a bit and skip right over the labor portion of his birth story. We'll save that 15 hour glorious labor story  for another day. I'd rather not relive it quite yet (Dont be scared, Momma's to-be & future Moms, it's just a super long story that I'll save for when the time is right. It's not too horrendous, I promise!)

Instead, I present to you all, the happiest ending of all time-

Brooks Walker Gray

As you all can imagine, I am absolutely obsessed with this little guy!  Lets be honest though, with a face like that, how could you not be? Granted, I might be a tad biased :)  

However, I have learned a few things in my first few weeks as a Momma....

1) Homeboy goes through an INSANE amount of diapers in a day.  I thought people were exaggerating when they said you went through 10-12 diapers per day. Ummm, no.  That figure is SPOT.ON.  The amount of ummm matter this child produces is phenomenal.  

2) Inevitably, if I sit down to eat, he starts to cry.  The irony?  (Knock on wood) He is a super laid back baby so far.  I guess he wants me to lose my baby weight sooner rather than later, because he always interrupts my meals.

3) Golden Showers are part of the norm with little boys.  Along with daily or bi-daily baths.

**And that is the LAST time I will ever ever mention my child's bowel movements on this blog. You have my word. **

4) Breast milk stains certain fabrics.  I'd love to say that I'm cool with this because I am so happy my child is doing well with breast feeding, but ummm, I'm not. Boo. Hiss. And sorry for the TMI. 

5) Going on a solo trip to Target makes you feel like you're a child who has just gotten out of school for the summer.  I want to bust out a, "Let Freeeeeeddddoooommmm Riiiinnnngggggg" as soon as I back out of my driveway.

6) I want to show off my child to everyone & ANYONE who I come in contact with.  Ie: I may have mentioned that I just had a child to 3 different people today while I was at the mall.  And I was there for 20 mins.  

So, as a result of #6, I have made it a top priority to get out some birth announcements so EVERYONE can see this handsome little devil ASAP.  

When I was pregnant, I totally thought that I would just get some customized Birth Announcements printed up for him, and send out those bad boys immediately.

And then I had him, and had to get real with myself reaaaallllll quick.

My days now absolutely fly by, and my time is crazy limited and/or super scheduled.  

As a result, I figured I would have to settle for something not quite as cute or customized online, which totally bummed me out.

Then, as I was uploading his newborn pics to Shutterfly, I discovered Tiny Prints, and HOLY AMAZING. I AM OBSESSED.

They have every type of adorable Birth announcements, birthday invitations, & baptism stationary you could ever imagine, and you can totally customize it.

ummm, Check yes. 
I don't have to leave my house, can choose from a super cute design, and can upload all of his adorable newborn pics from my mac without having to leave my house?  Thank God Almighty.
 Tiny Prints is officially my savior.

Now my main issue lies in which one to pick, which I thought I would ask for yall's help in choosing which one we should pick.

SOOOOO..... here we go.

(FYI- I haven't put any of Brooks' pics in, so just imagine his presh lil face in these announcements)

OPTION #1- 

OPTION #2-

OPTION #3

OPTION #4

OPTION #5

Previously, I would have obsessed for hours over which one to choose from, but like, I said before, my "me" time has diminished at an exponential rate.  

So ALL of your all's thoughts regarding the birth announcement will be hugely beneficial to me!!!

Anyways, I think that about does it for me.  Let me know what yall think!  

And also, thank you so much for all of your sweet tweets, prayers before his delivery, and all around thoughtfulness during my pregnancy & after his arrival.

It has meant the absolute world to me.

Have a great Friday!

Maternity Leave = Productivity Level at an all time high

Like I mentioned in my last post, I am officially on maternity leave.....

What does that mean exactly, since I haven't given birth to this child yet?  

For most people, it would mean actually taking a break.  Like, sleeping in, catching up on various shows via netflix, taking a long afternoon nap, and leisurely hanging out with your husband at night.

 I'm not most people.

I can't sit still to save my life, so I have tried to make this maternity leave as productive as possible.

So far....

-I have cleaned out every closet in our house, which has resulted in an insane amount of trips to goodwill (legit, the people there know my name.  Still kind of undecided if this is a good thing or not? I'd love to say it looks like we're being generous, but lets be honest- that many trips kind of reiterates that we couldve been considered hoarders the past few years...)

-I cleaned every inch of woodwork in our home, including the kitchen cabinets.  Needless to say, Murphy Oil Soap & I have become best friends over the past few weeks.  I'm legit acting as though this child is going to give our house a white glove test & the outcome is gonna determine if he stays with us or not.  Totally plausible.

-Utilized our fabulous carpet cleaner to clean every inch of our carpet, whether it needed it or not.


-Have tried to naturally induce labor by walking/running 2-3 miles every day, eating spicy foods, doing weird yoga poses, & other unmentionable actions that I will spare you details on.  
**Main Takeaway--- NOTHING will work.  It is absolutely true- these children really do come when they are ready.  Beyond disappointing, right? Sigh, I know, especially when you're a crazy A-type personality like yours truly...**

Lies.  All of them.  Trust me, I've tried EVERYTHING.

-Completely cleaned out & reorganized our pantry.  Because doesn't everyone need to have their food categorized?  So. not. normal. 

-Have become a laundry fiend.  Hilarious, I know, seeing how laundry has always been my least favorite chore.  However, since I've been off work, I absolutely cannot stand to see any piles of laundry sitting around.  I think I've almost become OCD about it. 
**Side note: My husband might produce more laundry in a 3 day period that a 5 person family does in a week.  It is truly incredible.  How one person produces so much laundry is beyond me.  I'm starting to think he wears an outfit for an hour & then puts it in the dirty clothes.  On the bright side, he's totally prepared me to deal with a baby because I doubt our child will even produce this much laundry.**

Now, I would love to tell you this is that so-called "nesting" instinct that people talk about, but I actually just think I'm super bored.
Kevin obviously thinks that maternity leave (along with pregnancy, in general) is the best thing to ever happen to him & our home.  He even went so far as to tell me that he could start leaving me
"a list of tasks to complete every day," which would ultimately be help curb my boredom. 

Ha. What a sweetheart, right?

While I'm sure I'm going to regret not taking this time to relax, I think the organization & cleaning has actually been beyond therapeutic.  On the bright side, I am no longer having the crazy pregnancy dream that little man decides to pack a suitcase & leave because our house is not clean/big/organized enough for his liking, so that is a major win.

Wellll, that about does it for me.....With only a few days left before little man gets here, there is no telling what else I'll find to organize or clean before then :)

Hopefully the next time I post, I'll be introducing all of you all to Mr. Brooks!!!!
SOOOOO EXCITED- and as a warning, my blog might turn into a baby shrine for a bit because lord knows, if its anything how we are with our fur babies, I'll have a gazillion pictures ready & waiting to share with the world :)

Get ready!