A Labor Of Love
last year today i officially started having what felt at the time like menstrual cramps, but were indeed contractions. my due date was September 18th, so i was a couple days over but i was pretty convinced that this baby wasn't coming out 
so i went about my day as i normally would.
half way through the day though, the "cramps" were feeling more intense & coming every 5 to 10 minutes. after hours of this, & a couple conversations with our doula, i started realizing that i may actually be IN LABOR (insert wide-eyed emojicon here).
at around 6pm, as i swayed back & forth soothingly on my stability ball
(which i LOVE for so many reasons by the way), my doula confirmed on the phone that i WAS in labor & that baby was coming.
"REALLY? this is IT? We're having a baby?!!!" i screamed & cried (literally) at the same time.
"yes", she said, "get yourself to the hospital & let's have a baby!" i began to cry tears of happiness, excitement & fear of the unknown, as every emotion known to man traveled throughout my body.
my husband, who was lovingly preparing almond butter & jelly sandwiches, amongst other "power snacks" for our hospital stay, quickly wrapped up what he was doing & began to pack up the jeep so we could head to the Alternative Birthing Center at Southfield Providence Hospital.... and HAVE A BABY!
little did we both know the birth journey that was ahead of us
& that our sweet boy would decide to arrive 36 loooooooooong hours later.
(photo below taken by Mark with his iphone while i was laboring at the ABC Unit
with the soothing hands of our incredible nurse Dee.
the photo on the wall was my focal point at that time, too.)
so i went about my day as i normally would.
half way through the day though, the "cramps" were feeling more intense & coming every 5 to 10 minutes. after hours of this, & a couple conversations with our doula, i started realizing that i may actually be IN LABOR (insert wide-eyed emojicon here
).
at around 6pm, as i swayed back & forth soothingly on my stability ball
(which i LOVE for so many reasons by the way), my doula confirmed on the phone that i WAS in labor & that baby was coming.
"REALLY? this is IT? We're having a baby?!!!" i screamed & cried (literally) at the same time.
"yes", she said, "get yourself to the hospital & let's have a baby!" i began to cry tears of happiness, excitement & fear of the unknown, as every emotion known to man traveled throughout my body.
my husband, who was lovingly preparing almond butter & jelly sandwiches, amongst other "power snacks" for our hospital stay, quickly wrapped up what he was doing & began to pack up the jeep so we could head to the Alternative Birthing Center at Southfield Providence Hospital.... and HAVE A BABY!
& that our sweet boy would decide to arrive 36 loooooooooong hours later.
(photo below taken by Mark with his iphone while i was laboring at the ABC Unit
with the soothing hands of our incredible nurse Dee.
the photo on the wall was my focal point at that time, too.
) 
it is so dear to me that it honestly feels like it has taken a year to even process!
however as his first birthday nears, i have been flooded with memories of all that happened a year ago.
A YEAR AGO!?!? in a way, i can't even believe i am saying that out loud.
it has been a year of the greatest joy, complete amazement, the most sleep deprivation & inspiration.
a year where i have learned more than i could have ever imagined.
a year where my heart grew to indescribable measures,
in the matter of seconds.
a year where i learned the true meaning of selflessness & sacrifice.
a year where GRATITUDE & THANKS have taken on a whole new life form.
a year that has been by far, the BEST year of our lives yet.
it was also a year that i couldn't have gotten through without the support of my incredible husband, family & loved ones.
they gave me countless advice & were there for me at ANY time of day or night. literally.
they made me feel like i could ask them anything... and i did!
i am forever grateful because with having a newborn, especially your FIRST, came an entirely new world...
one that felt overwhelming at times, yet indescribably AWESOME, too.
one i wouldn't change for anything.
so today, as i think back to all that this past year has brought us,
i want to begin by finally sharing what has been on my heart for what feels like FOREVER now.
without further ado,
here are some of my :
>> TOP BABY MUST HAVES <<
these are a few of my favorite things that made such a difference for us, ESPECIALLY those first 3-6 months.
my hope is that these little tidbits help you, too, if you are a new mom or know someone who is.
1 // WubbaNub
not only is this the most adorable pacifier EVER, but it actually helps stay put in your baby's mouth due to the weight of the animal attached to it. it also helps build your babies cognitive skills & as they grow older, they just LOVE to play with it.
on top of all this, our son (who is about to turn one in TWO days) never got attached to a paci. he likes to chew on it from time to time now, but otherwise doesn't need it. win, win!
2 // Summer Infant SwaddleMe Organic Adjustable Infant Wrap
this was a life-saver for a super exhausted mom & dad who couldn't seem to get the swaddling tight enough naturally. after far too many attempts, my bestie told me about these & talk about a MAJOR game changer!!! love LOVED them & used them well into his 3rd month. ps. if you think your baby 'doesn't like to be swaddled', chances are that they are not swaddled tight enough (believe it or not). these will help fix that problem in a snap!
3 // DOHM Natural White Noise Sound Machine
this was another absolute MUST. we still use it with our son & he looooves it. it is incredibly soothing & also helps muffle noise that we make outside of his room while he is sleeping. i also love that it is so portable - if we travel, it is easy to pack up & take with us!
4 // On Becoming Baby Wise
i could go on & on about this book! it helped us guide Jobie to know the difference between day & night immediately. he loves having a sc
...i am forever thankful.
xxoo
ksen