Comfort in the Wait

We are down to just a couple weeks left for baby girl #2 arrival. I've found myself enjoying the routine we, as a family of three, have for just a little while longer. 

I told Paul the other night, my goal right now is to set myself up for a successful post-partum recovery. Right now I'm trying to "dot every i and cross every t" so that when baby comes and something unexpected happens (or most likely I just won't have time to do anything), at least the background noise of everyday life is taken care of. I've become laser focused on decluttering our house. I spend every morning on Amazon Prime trying to think of things I will need or stocking up on items like paper towels, batteries for the fire-alarms, diapers. You name it, I've probably considered it. Of course even the best laid plans go array - I have learned this time and time again - especially with Roswelle's unexpected c-section in Maine and my journey through IVF. BUT it makes me feel calm to make lists and cross things off these last few weeks, so that's what I do every day. 

I've witnessed enough friends have their second child to know things are about to change A LOT. And many of them have warned me so much about it, that I'm even a little nervous. But for now I'm remaining blissfully hopeful that the transition will go smoothly. Isn't that what everyone must tell themselves when adding yet another baby to their family? ;)

Finally, a few other things I'm enjoying while we wait...

Spending a lot of my time pouring into Roswelle, enjoying our special days, just the two of us. I tell her all day long how much I love her, planting the seeds of stability and confidence before the imminent change ahead of her arrives. Going to bed early with Paul, and still having the energy to have conversations with him. And finally, I will miss the quiet moments by myself - reading at night and having my coffee alone in the morning.

Five Year Anniversary

Paul and I have been married 5 years today!! Our wedding day was the stuff out of fairytales, as everyone's should be. He's my best friend, the person I want around the most and also drives me nuts, but that's what a best friend/husband is right? Our biggest challenge this past year has been learning to allow each other to grow individually, while maintaining a united relationship. We have both changed since we got married, and will continue to, but keep working on a strong foundation and always, always working on how we communicate. We are headed into another big life change, baby #2!, and I wouldn't want anyone else by my side for it.

We were married down South, on St. Simons Island, with our reception at Crane Cottage of the Jekyll Island Club & Hotel. The Spanish Moss, warm sunset, family style dinner, and party that went until the early hours of the next morning are details we don't take for granted. 

Tonight we are headed to a new-ish restaurant, Frenchie, to celebrate. I booked this spot solely on the interiors which came across my Instagram feed! However, we have been told by friends that the food is just as good as the decor. 

photo via @mstarrevdesign

photo via @mstarrevdesign

photo via @kiraamaa

Transitions in Toddlerville

***Thank y'all so much for all the love on Tuesday after we announced our news of baby on the way. It means so much to feel the love after sharing something we care so much about! 

Roswelle has been killing it in the toddler transition department, lately. She potty trained like a pro the first week of January and last week transitioned to her "big girl bed" without skipping a wink of sleep.  The last significant transition on the list is letting go of the beloved pacifier. She only has it while sleeping, but man does she covet that thing. I've received a lot of tips on how to convince her to let it go, but for now we are just going to take a breather on the transitions. 

One thing I have noticed is that with each positive development, other not-so-positive (but probably essential) developments, rear their heads. Almost simultaneously after moving to her toddler bed, she started saying "

but I don't want tooooooo

" or "

but I want it

!!!" in regards to anything and everything. This is all new and requires a lot of time-outs, unfortunately. There is always a ying to the yang I guess. Ahhh the joys of being THREE!

Anyways, back to the point of this post - Roswelle's new toddler bed! I saw this bed on another blog and immediately knew it was the one. I clicked on the source link and was shocked to be directed to Ikea!? While my mom was in town last week, we made the trek to Ikea - never go alone, y'all.

Since I know baby #2 is a girl, I'll be leaving the pink and lace curtains, as well as the chandeliers. Sources are at the end of the post. Have a great Thursday!

Bed

Pink Pom Quilt & Pillow

Curtains

Chandeliers are antique finds

Cubby Cube

A Joyful Announcement!

We have news to share, baby girl Lashway #2 is arriving in June! I've been wanting to write that sentence for so long and now that I have, I know that this baby has always been on her way, just in her own time. 

I wrote back in October about my IVF experience and

failed embryo transfer

. Right around that time we had a second transfer of a frozen embryo and this little baby continued to grow! We cut a cake (see picture below) this past Friday to reveal the gender, and it was so nice to be surrounded by my mom and Paul's family while face-timing each of my 3 brothers. I was so sure it was going to be a boy, as it's been a very different pregnancy from Roswelle, so much so that I wore blue! I'm so excited to continue this journey and I'm thankful for every moment, even the hard ones. 

A dream came true with this pregnancy, but I remember how that dream of a baby can be so hard to bear, as we tried month after month after month to get pregnant. 

I used to tell my acupuncturist how difficult it was for me to picture my second baby on my chest. I wanted to see it happening so badly but the

fear of it not happening

was standing in the way, blocking my view. I would to tell Paul that if God would just tell me

WHEN

I was going to have a baby I would feel so much better. 

But that's not how things work, and I had to rely on my faith that He loves me and IS listening. I realized that God wants to hear our frustrations just as much as our joy, and so do others. If you are in a season of waiting or feel that your prayers have gone unanswered, I encourage you to share your struggle. This was difficult for me at first, but I'm so glad I shared my experience with IVF, as I found tremendous hope in the outpouring support from friends, family, and even random strangers. And if you are on the receiving end of someone sharing, I encourage you to just listen and not skip to the "let's see how we can fix this" step. 

I've learned, through a fair share of difficult times, that as much as the pain hurts, the relief can be just as powerful (in a good way). I often look back on the 18 months of trying and find myself thinking "it wasn't that hard, Lauren." But instead of brushing it off, I continue to revisit the experience, remind myself of the details, and continue to share more. It would have been so easy for me to just announce this pregnancy and move on from IVF, but I don't want to forget. Success stories need the starting point and the journey. 

My hope is that you find this inspiring and not just another story of a woman who's pregnant while you wait. I have felt your worry and doubt, and I have shed many tears and I'm here to say joy will come.  For me, it came when I let go, and shared my story. 

Thanks for the love and support, and I'm sure i'll need more of it as we have no idea what we are getting into with TWO. No more sleeping in until 7:30 I'm sure!

Below are some pictures from the reveal this past weekend. You can watch the video of us cutting the cake on Paul's instagram: 

@paul_lash

. 

My mom bought this frame for me, a reminder of what a miracle this baby is! The first picture is of her embryo state when we transferred her, the second is of when we first heard her heartbeat, and the last is of our latest ultrasound at 18wks!

I asked the ultrasound tech to write the gender in an enclosed envelope for us to take with us. I took the envelope straight to the baker at Sweet Life Bakery in Dorchester. It was so fun to find out with everyone; boy or girl, we have a BABY on the way!!!!