Top

Ever Happy Home

Blog

/ Baby/ Motherhood

What I’m Packing in My Hospital Bag

I can’t believe the time has come where I am already talking about my hospital bag! Baby is going to be here so soon and I am just so incredibly excited to meet him. I am currently at 36 weeks today, and my doctor advised me to have my hospital bag ready around this time, just in case baby decides to make an early appearance. Most of the items can be backed in advance, but other items, like daily toiletries, will need to be packed right before I head out the door. I have a toiletry bag ready for those items when the time comes, and will be referring back to this list just to make sure I have everything!

Since this is my first pregnancy, I had to do quite a bit of research on what items to pack. I compiled a list below using what I discovered online as well as advice from friends and family. I will be doing another post after baby arrives to let you know what we ended up using and if I would have changed or added anything to the list .

For Baby

  • Baby blanket
  • Set of pajamas
  • Swaddles
  • Onesies (size NB and 3 mo)
  • Going home outfit
  • Hats
  • Socks/ mittens
  • “Hello my name is ___” sign
  • Car seat installed and ready in car

For Mom

  • Nursing/ button front pajamas
  • Robe
  • 2 nursing bras
  • Loose pants
  • Slippers/ slip on shoes
  • Fuzzy/ grippy socks
  • Insurance info and pediatrician contact info
  • Boppy pillow
  • Toiletries (hairbrush, shampoo/ conditioner, toothbrush/ toothpaste, razor, deodorant, lip balm, hair ties, face wipes, face wash, lotion, blow-drier)
  • Makeup
  • Bath towel (I heard it is nice to bring your own from home)
  • Nipple cream
  • Nursing pads
  • Pillow/ blanket (also bringing pillow/ blanket for husband!)
  • Sweatshirt and joggers for going home

General

  • Snacks
  • Portable bluetooth speaker
  • Extra long phone charger

I hope this post is helpful for all those moms out there! If you think I missed anything please add it to the comments below!

xo, Rachel

/ Recipes

Mini Apple Pie Cookies

Ingredients

  • Two refrigerated pie crusts
  • Caramel
  • Apple pie filling
  • Cinnamon
  • Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F, line cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper, spray with non-stick spray.

Roll out one pie crust on a flat surface and pinch up the sides of the circle to create a border. Spread caramel in a thin coating on the pie crust (the pinched up sides help to keep the caramel from spilling over the sides). Spread the apple pie filling on top of the caramel. Cut the second pie crust into 1/3 inch strips and create a lattice top over the filling. Using a round 2-3 inch cookie cutter (or you can use a clean bottle or can top) cut out the cookies and place onto the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake for 20-30 minutes.



/ Baby/ Motherhood

Nursery Reveal

Setting up a nursery for my very first child has been such a surreal experience and something that I have only dreamed of doing until now. Becoming a mother for the first time, there are so many amazing and wonderful firsts and new experiences. Bonding with my baby through slowly piecing together a nursery has been helping me prepare for motherhood in a way I never expected. I spend so much time in the doorway just staring at this room, or sitting in the rocking chair, and it brings me to tears how happy and excited I am to spend time with my little one in this space so soon.

When we first found out that we were having a boy, I had little ideas for a theme. I am not one for going too crazy into an obvious or obnoxious theme, but tend to lean towards more of a subtle theme with a set color pallet. I searched Pinterest and some nursery inspo websites and finally fell in love with the ideas of a baby safari animal nursery! I think I went against the typical order of interior design, because the first thing I purchased were the baby safari animal prints for the wall from TheCrownPrints.com and designed the entire room around them, starting with the wallpaper and furniture.

We knew we wanted a simple grey crib that we could use for this baby and another baby in the future, along with some neutral dressers. I knew I wanted our nursery colors to be white, grey and blue with some natural wood accents so keeping the furniture simple and clean made the most sense. We found the crib at BuyBuyBaby and the dressers from IKEA, and were pleased with the quality of both!

One of my favorite things that we shopped for was the rocking chair. There’s something about a rocking chair that really makes everything feel so real to me! We found ours at a Pottery Barn Outlet and were able to purchase the floor model, which I highly recommend doing if you have an outlet store near you as it was less than half the price and in perfect condition. The rest of the nursery was pieced together over time through endless Target, Homegoods, HobbyLobby and online shopping runs.

I am looking forward to spending many *sleepless* nights in this room with my little one, and am so happy that it all finally came together. Its such a peaceful space and I hope he loves it as much as I do!

I linked as many items as I could that are pictured below!

Crown Prints Safari Images

IKEA Dresser

IKEA Chest

Blue Rug

/ Baby/ Motherhood

Our Pregnancy Journey

18 Weeks

You’re pregnant! … Two simple words that I never imagined would mean this much. Don’t get me wrong, I always dreamed of being a mother and to start a family and was so excited when Ryan and I decided to start “trying.” When I imagined starting a family it always seemed like it would be under my control, when I felt it was “perfect timing” for us and our lives, our careers, our social life. Ryan and I used to try to plan out when would be the right time to start, which ended up being a little over a year after we got married. We didn’t jump right in but instead eased into it, meaning we weren’t mapping out my ovulation from the get-go but started being less careful. A few months passed, and I started to get concerned…why wasn’t it working for us? It was the “perfect time” and Ryan and I were two healthy people with no family history of anything to be concerned about. We tried for a few more months and started to get really impatient and concerned. By that point I had completely cut out alcohol and caffeine, reduced my workout frequency and was eating healthier…but no luck.

Google tells you to wait a full year of trying to conceive before reaching out to a fertility specialist, but by 8 months of trying we knew something was wrong. We were tired of wasting money on ovulation kits, pregnancy tests, etc. and hated having to wait another full month every time we got a negative result (it seriously felt like forever and it consumed our lives).

We researched and found a fertility specialist that we were interested in and I called and made our first appointment. I cried after making that first call to be established as a new patient. I felt like my world was caving in and I felt alone. Why is this happening to me? Why was this happening to us? At that moment, none of our family or friends had ever talked about having issues getting pregnant. Then the guilt set in. I am to blame, and Ryan didn’t deserve this…I am defective.

After going through a ton of diagnostic testing, it was determined that I would need to undergo surgery on one of my fallopian tubes and then once healed, we would proceed to begin an IVF cycle.

Throughout the process I kept thinking of how much time was passing. Every pregnancy announcement that came across my social media feed was so painful.  Eventually my thoughts about getting pregnant shifted from “when” to “if”. Each phase of the IVF cycle was new and difficult for me to navigate. It was hard and even though I had an amazing support system within a few close family members, I felt like no one truly understood how I felt…physically and emotionally. But it was worth it to try, and I had to do this for myself and for Ryan. There was no giving up.

In going through this process, I started to realize how many other women were experiencing the exact same thing as myself. I was amazed at how many people I actually knew personally who were also navigating fertility issues that started to share with me once they knew I was going through IVF. I didn’t feel alone anymore, and it actually brought me closer to some friends because we were going through it together.

In May of 2019 we had our first transfer and about two weeks later we finally received the good news! It didn’t seem real and we knew that we were very lucky. … lucky? Its amazing how my mindset changed from feeling defective and “why me?” to lucky and blessed, but that’s exactly how I felt in that moment and still to this day. I thank God for the little miracle growing inside me every day because I know just how lucky we are, and I do not for one second take it for granted knowing there are so many others out there still hoping.

Looking back, I am THANKFUL to have gone through this. Going through this process has taught me so much about myself, how resilient and strong I am, how amazing my body is. It has also shown me how much I would do for my family and how much I truly want and love this baby. It has brought me so much closer with my husband by going through this together. He has been by my side at every single appointment, helped me with every single decision, hugged me while I cried, and loved me fully.

When I first told my mom that I was going through IVF I told her that I felt like the “perfect time” to start our family was passing me by. She told me that eventually when it does happen for us, that I will look back and I will realize that it was perfect timing. Looking at our life at this very moment, I realize that everything truly happened at the right time.