I get a lot of questions about the different art and gallery walls in our Georgia home, so I wanted to put a few photos together with my tips and advice when choosing custom framing.
When we were in Europe this summer on our babymoon (posts on that here, here, here and here), I bought an Hermés scarf of a map of Paris as a souvenir that I could frame in an acrylic frame in our living room. I took the scarf to a local framing shop, only to find out the cost of framing it was more than the actual scarf. And the scarf was Hermés. Yowza!
I did a little research and discovered a few things. For acrylic frames, Etsy had much better prices than my local shop. I bought this frame and framed the scarf myself for less than half the cost I was originally quoted.
For smaller custom framing, Framebridge had the best prices. I sent off the above map of Paris and three Babar prints (featured below) we bought on our trip for Hudson’s nursery. I picked out custom framing for each piece online and they were mailed back to me so beautifully, you would honestly think it cost double of what it actually does.
As for gallery walls – the key in my opinion is laying out the pieces on the floor and measuring. First, measure the space you’re working with. Tape that off on the floor (or use paper or something to create boundaries so you know what you’ve got to play with). Move the frames around within the space until you have a layout that works for you and then go for it. You can get hardcore with the measurements if you’re into that or you can wing it. I typically… wing it. Christian is hardcore measurement man. It’s whatever strikes your fancy!
A cheater tip is to put a tiny piece of toothpaste on the pack of a frame where the nail should be. Hold it to the wall where you want it to go. When you remove the frame, you’ll know to put the nail where the toothpaste is. This was always my strategy until Christian came along and took over. But it rarely failed me!
acrylic frame | all other pieces from Ballard Designs and will be in a full room reveal soon!
gold frames | full nursery details will be in tomorrow’s blog post!
And onto the staircase (below!). I knew when we bought this home I would want black and white framing up the staircase. I worked with Framebridge and uploaded five black and white photos from different adventures in California into these frames and couldn’t love the way it turned out more. So crisp and clean and a nod to some of our West Coast memories.
Another custom framing element I wanted to talk about was this chalkboard. For over 10 years I had a tall, thin chalkboard I used in every house/apartment I lived in. My mom made it for me in college. We would write to do’s, grocery list items, the week’s menu, etc. on it. In this house, I just couldn’t find the right spot for it and ended up giving it my sister.
My mom and I had the idea to frame a chalkboard to make it look a little more polished. I had this frame made locally for around $200 and bought chalk paint and plywood. Looking at this now, I might need to throw one more coat of chalk paint on it, but we’ve used it constantly. The cool thing about this is that you can customize the size to whatever wall you’re putting it on!
Bonus points: when nieces/nephews/friends kids come over, it’s a hit.
Let me know if you have any framing favorite sources – I’d love to hear! Thanks so much for reading, and you can see more home features in the “home” category of this site. XO –
We have been working on this dining room transformation for several months, so I am so excited to share these photos with you guys! I partnered with Pottery Barn to create this moody and romantic space that I hope will create memories and spark candlelit conversations for many years to come.
Originally the walls were painted navy blue and I loved how the darkness worked for the space. The bottom half of the walls are wainscoting. I thought a moody floral wallpaper on the top half of the walls would have a nice masculine/feminine balance.
For me, the showstopper in the room is this gorgeous Scarlett Crystal Chandelier. When it was hung, it instantly elevated the entire room.
When looking for pieces for this room, I instantly fell in love with this Avondale Cabinet Buffet and then chose all of the other pieces around it. It was delivered to our house and wow. It was even more beautiful in person – so well made and sturdy. Both Christian and I love it! From there we chose this dark wood Banks Table (comes in two sizes) and Faith Display Cabinet.
I knew I wanted a contrast between the table and chairs. But I was still a little nervous to go with white. I thought they would look beautiful, but I didn’t want to be the person fearing guests would spill on upholstered furniture. After speaking with one of Pottery Barn’s designers from their free design service, I felt like if we went with Sunbrella fabric we could have the best of both. Watch this demonstration on Sunbrella. It’s kind of mind blowing!
The wallpaper finished being installed while we were in the hospital with Hudson (this train never stops moving, people!), and everything really came together. I love that this is one of the first rooms you see when you walk through our front door. It’s dreamy!
By popular demand, I’m sharing what I packed for the hospital! I polled you guys on Instagram if you wanted to see the items we used or both the items we used and didn’t use, and everyone said both. So here we are.
If you’re one of the 5 or fewer men that read this blog occasionally… you might want to skip the below. This is a post for the ladies and could be read as TMI if it doesn’t pertain to you! That’s your warning.
I used my MZ Wallace bags for the hospital and per usual, they were amazing. These bags weigh nothing, can be wiped down easily and hold SO much. I love, love, love them and plan on using them for Hudson’s diaper bag as well with a ToteSavvy insert.
For Me | Packed and Needed:
Two pairs of comfortable pajamas that button (for feeding)
Blankets – our room wasn’t cold, if anything it was warm so I definitely didn’t need this
Socks – I opted for slippers
Pads – hospital provided them
Squirt Bottle – hospital provided and I liked theirs better
Perineal Cold Packs – hospital provided “padsicles” that are way better than these. They taught me how to make them for the first few days home. Soak a pad in water and then fold up, ringing out excess water. Layer them flat with wax paper between layers and stick them in the freezer. These end up being much more absorbent than the cold packs.
Snacks – I had brought all of these snacks because I had been told I’d be starving, etc. I barely touched them. I felt like the hospital was always bringing me food and water. Christian also hopped out to pick up food a few times. We barely touched the bag. That being said, I did arrive at the hospital 8cm dilated, so we didn’t have a lot of chill time prior to delivery. Better safe than sorry, but I just wanted to be honest that we didn’t up needing this!
**This being said, hospitals will feed you but some do not necessarily feed your partner meals. Christian has employee privileges at the hospital where I delivered so he could go to the lounge or grab food quickly nearby. BUT, I didn’t realize this and thought it might be helpful to know!**
And there you have it! We stayed in the hospital two nights, and I definitely packed too much stuff. But even looking back, better to have it and not use it than need it and have to send out for it.
When we left, the hospital sent us with a swaddle, pacifier and lots of things for me – extra squirt bottle, mesh underwear, pads, etc. Take these! They have plenty and they can’t repurpose them from your room. You’ll use them at home.
I hope this list will be helpful to you if a hospital stay is in your future! This was my first time ever spending the night in a hospital, so I certainly learned a lot. I’m immensely thankful to the doctors and nurses who made our stay so comfortable. I look back on Hudson’s delivery as the most wonderful experience (more on that here), and feel endlessly grateful for our time there.
If you packed something that’s not on this list that was helpful, please let me know in the comments! Thanks so much for reading and sharing. And you can see my maternity must-haves here! XO –
Before I share Hudson’s full nursery with you guys, I wanted to share a peek into his custom closet that was designed by The Container Store. I have loved my closet transformation so much (video tour here), so I was definitely excited to update this nursery closet into a more functional space.
Before it was installed, the closet was simply one shelf and a hanging rod. Below I’m sharing a “before” photo from another closet upstairs with the same layout. Considering baby clothes hang less than two feet… that’s a lot of wasted space. With the Elfa Decor closet, we now have multiple shelves, drawers with dividers and floor space for a significantly larger amount of storage.
While I have the Avera Custom Closet line downstairs, the Elfa line is such a great choice for babies and kids. As they grow up and their clothes take up a different amount of space, you can move the shelves and drawers around, continuing to customize the space to meet your needs.
AND The Container Store currently has an Elfa sale (30% off!) going on through the end of February! So if you want to start the year with a fresh, organized closet, there’s no better time to get a deal.
Depending on your space and budget, The Container Store Custom Closets has so many options of what you can do to organize your closet or small space. And trust me, once it’s updated you’re going to think, “why didn’t I do this years ago!?”
Thank you so much for reading – and the nursery reveal is coming next week. Can’t wait to share it with you! XO –
With New Year’s Eve around the corner, I wanted to share a few blog posts from 2019 that I would totally wear on NYE if I had some snazzy plans. You can also see some of 2018’s here and 2017’s here!
The blog posts with outfit details are linked underneath each photo – but let me know if you can’t find something. And wow… if some of these photos aren’t motivation for this postpartum body to get on the treadmill (it was a push present request), I don’t know what is. In January and February, you’ll find me and Hudson in the basement. On the treadmill. Watching Real Housewives.
I hope y’all have a fabulous and safe New Year’s! And whether it’s in sweatpants with pizza or in sequins with a glass of champagne, I know I’ll be spending some time looking back on the year. The highs the lows – you’ve got to have both in order to appreciate the most beautiful moments, you know?
And after being so glad to say goodbye to 2018 (blog post here), 2019 has been a much happier year filled with joy, new experiences, milestones and a whole lot of gratitude.
I hope you’re leaving 2019 with some happy memories, and if not – girl, I’ve been there. That’s one of the best things about starting a new year. Starting over. Who doesn’t like a fresh start?
Thank you so much for being a part of CBL and for your support, love and grace. The whole family appreciates you more than you know! XO –
Christmas Eve has arrived in the blink of an eye, can you believe it!? December has never breezed by faster, and we are so thankful to spend our first big holiday close to family… with family. And we can drive!! Christian does have to work some so I’ll be on my own for part of the week, but I think we got this.
I’ll admit there wasn’t nearly as much lying on the sofa watching holiday movies as I thought there would be (we still have time in January, right!?), but nonetheless it has been a very special season in the Barnes house.
I was behind on all of my Christmas shopping, didn’t get baby Hudson one thing (he racked up on his birthday, so I think he’ll survive) and only managed to get Christian one gift. But that’s the beauty of growing older and wiser. What do I need? Nothing. We feel extra thankful this year, and to be able to easily spend the week with aunts and uncles and cousins… it’s pretty wonderful.
I hope you will take some time this week to really reflect on all the blessings that 2019 brought to your life. And if it wasn’t your favorite year (I’ve had a few of those too… let’s not forget this post), let’s celebrate that it’s coming to an end. Nothing but new adventures and opportunities in 2020.
Isn’t it fabulous closing out one year and starting another? Nothing like a fresh start.
Happiest Holidays to you and yours. May it be full of reminiscing on old memories and making new ones. Thank you so much for reading and being a part of this special year. I am immensely grateful for you guys. Truly. XOXO –
– loving these black candles (similar candlesticks here) –
– seeing so many beautiful faces in our Christmas cards this year –
It’s the weekend before Christmas! WOW, this month has gone by in a flash more than ever. I barely got gifts for my nieces and nephews in time, and Christian only has one gift from me. One. I don’t feel great about it… but honestly it was the most I could do this year. Next year I will start planning earlier, for sure!
I can’t get enough of this MacKenzie-Childs nativity scene. My sister uses the one we grew up with, so I knew I would want one for our home now that we have Hudson. I love how creative and whimsical this one is, and I know we will love putting it out year after year.
As the year is coming to a close, I want to take a moment to thank you. To thank you as you’re reading this post for taking time out of your busy day to visit this blog, read these words, look at the photos we take and share with you. You are why I love my job. You are why I’m able to work and also be home to feed and take care of Hudson. You allow me to wake up and be excited about what I do. Thank you for being here and being a part of Carrie Bradshaw Lied. Truly.
I hope all of you have a fabulous weekend and get any of your last-minute shopping and buying taken care of! I plan on watching a Christmas movie with our first fireplace fire and wrapping the few items I have been on top of. I mean, you do what you can, right!? What is your go-to Christmas movie? Mine is probably While You Were Sleeping and The Family Stone. Some of my all time favorites are shared in this post.
I can’t believe that next week is Christmas. I know I have a three week old, but I am so behind on gifts for family. So much so that it is top of list today to get some of those orders in before it’s too late!
I’ve shared gift guides in the “holiday” page of this site (at the top in pink), including picks for her, for him and friends. Today I wanted to share a few picks for the home decor lover and why.
Shop the pieces by clicking directly on the collage or finding its associated number at the bottom of the collage!
I shared here that I can’t get enough of our SodaStream. I love it and use it far more than I thought I would. This would be such a great gift for anyone who is a Diet Coke fan. Some help to break the habit!
This tumbler can be used as a vase and adds a pop to any arrangement. I also love, love our tea kettle and think it makes such a kitchen statement.
I’ve shared how much fun we have with our Furbo. A great pick for the pet lover!
I have this coffee table book and love it. I was recently at a Dirty Santa party and there were two coffee table books in the lineup. They were some of the most coveted items at the party reminding me what a great gift they are.
This blanket is so incredibly soft, it is bound to be your favorite. And it’s 25% off right now!
We love board games, and I think it’s such a fun gift for an individual or family. Our most reached for games are the ones above.
If you have given or received any great home gifts, I’d love to hear what they were! Thanks so much for reading and sharing. If you’re also behind on your gifting… get on it this week, girl! XO –
What do you like to do in your free time (when you have it)?
Love this. Honestly, I do feel like the limited free time I have I’m usually trying to answer direct messages on Instagram, reply to emails, think of new blog post topics, read the contract I’ve put off reading for 6 days… I have a hard time remembering that I need to turn it off.
BUT, I really love taking walks with friends or with our pets. I love binging a new show or watching movies. Catching up with friends on the phone. And as not cool as it is to admit, I love to clean out/organize a closet or drawer. #typeAproblems
What’s your favorite holiday cocktail?
LOVE this question! I’m a red wine girl to the core, but I love a little spritz. A recipe that would work with vodka here!
What’s going on with your ring stack lately?
I shared on Instagram Stories earlier this year that my diamond on my engagement ring is always getting loose. I’ve put a new set of platinum prongs on it, I’ve had it tightened at jewelers in Mississippi, California and Georgia. It still gets loose.
SO, I’m actually working on something fun with the wonderful owners of Albriton’s Jewelry in Jackson, Mississippi. We are going to find a way to keep it more secure, and I am so excited!
The answer to this question: my engagement ring has been loose and living in a box and now it’s living in Mississippi. So I’m always mixing and matching my left hand ring stack. I’ll mix cz’s like this one and this one with my diamond bands.
Definitely! I’ve never loved a city where I’ve lived as much as OC, but it certainly came at a price. Not only literal cost of living, but we were also really far from family and spent so much of our time on airplanes. I know that we were brought to Georgia for a reason, and I can’t really explain it but it feels right.
I have been floored by all of the people I’ve literally known for a few months who have brought us gifts, food and stopped in to meet Hudson. The people here are so AMAZING. I’ll always adore our time in Orange County but Georgia is now home, and we are both really happy about that.
Was Christian not able to take paternity leave? Or if he was, why didn’t he take it?
He did take a week off but was still taking call. And it was wonderful to have him home to help.
I am used to Christian being gone from 6AM (or earlier) to 8-9PM. So even having him only work from 8AM to 4 or 5PM is a major luxury for us. The fact that he is now able to answer my phone call or text during the day if I need him is incredible.
To explain how unavailable he was for the past six years… I can’t even accurately put it into words. So we are incredibly grateful to be on the other side of training. It’s a significant life upgrade and only further validates why we waited until now to have a baby.
Do you have a SNOO?
We don’t, and so far I don’t think we need one (although I know some people really swear by them!). Hudson sleeps really well in his crib, and we somehow got him sleeping in it at around a month old. During the day if we need some help from a swing, we will use the mamaRoo which is less expensive.
He also often naps in this lounger during the day.
But if he wasn’t already a good sleeper? I’d probably buy anything.
What has been your greatest joy since having a baby? Biggest frustration?
JOY: I love that when Hudson is upset, my voice, smell and touch seems to be the best at quickly soothing him. It makes me feel really special.
I also really love seeing how deeply Christian loves this little bitty baby. He is so present and eager to take care of him and interact with him. It’s really sweet to watch.
FRUSTRATION: Since I am breastfeeding, I operate on a very limited time window of “free time” to do laundry, dishes, answer emails/take calls/shoot or edit content/meet deadlines, attempt to manage my DM’s, run any errands, take care of the pets, take care of myself, etc. It can be frustrating to look at the clock and see it’s 4PM and wonder what I’ve done all day other than change diapers, feed, burp and console a baby. It can feel like groundhog day.
Even with having help two days a week, when you’re breastfeeding and/or pumping… it’s another part-time job. I didn’t fully realize that until now.
Will you share your newborn must-haves or hospital bag necessities?
Yes I plan on sharing both! Hudson is three weeks old and I’ve probably only taken a handful of days off since he was born. Hoping to take some time in January to slow down. Because he actually came early on his own, I had a project I had committed to on his (surprise) birthday. I was literally on my laptop from the hospital bed a few hours after I had him. It’s just… how it is when you’re a small business owner without an assistant or “team.”
I do know that his job provides a large amount of flexibility. I’m always incredibly grateful for that and know to appreciate that after six years of working on the corporate side.
Back to the point here, YES I am working on both of these and they’ll probably hit the blog in January.
How is it going with the postpartum belt?
I shared in this post that I bought this belt (just search “postpartum belt” and the post comes up!). I love it. It helps me feel supported, it offers lower back support and it honestly just feels good to have that kind of pressure.
I’ll wear it all day and sleep in it, but I’ll take it off if I’m going out or it doesn’t work with clothes. It does add some thickness to your waist which can be difficult under anything remotely fitted like pants or dresses.
What’s the hardest part of postpartum that you weren’t experiencing? Or to be as bad?
I had a pretty smooth delivery and therefore recovery hasn’t been as bad as I had anticipated.
I will admit that in that first week, finding time to take care of yourself is tough. You’re putting all of your limited energy into your baby. There is very little time that is spent doing anything but tending/taking care of them.
So there were some bathroom tears when I didn’t feel like I had five minutes to myself to use the bathroom or shower. But every day the juggle gets a little bit more manageable.
Do you let the pets near Hudson? How are they adjusting?
We do!! It’s just that they have absolutely zero interest in him. Although when he’s upset, Bailey will occasionally get stressed. Other than that, they’re like “this isn’t a treat and therefore, I don’t care.”
How are you liking your ToteSavvy in your Neverfull as a diaper bag?
So far, so good!
Do you feel any symptoms of postpartum depression after welcoming Hudson?
I don’t think it’s qualified as PPD, but breastfeeding has brought some waves of emotions. For me, it has felt lonely and isolating. It also really clips your wings of independence as no one can feed the baby but you. I do have a pump and we use bottles as well so that he will learn to take both bottle and breast, but I find all the pump pieces, cleaning it, etc. to also be very time-consuming. Even if you pump ahead of time to free yourself up, your achey chest will alert you if it’s time to leave.
We’re taking it day by day, and I’m committed to sticking with it through the first few months (as well as through flu season). If we need to, we’ll explore other options if/when that time comes. Fed is best.
What was the other baby name you were in between?
I’m not sharing… only because if we have another boy it will definitely be his name!
What kind of burp clothes are you using?
We have been gifted a lot of sweet personalized burp cloths from friends and family, but I also bought and love these.
How did you find your NICU tech who is helping with Hudson? How does it work with a night nurse?
For our painters, my doctors, our new vet, our NICU tech – I ask, ask, ask. I always ask around, ask for people’s opinions and experiences. When I first called her (after so many rave reviews around town), I assumed she wouldn’t be available. When she was I nearly fell on the floor with relief.
As I don’t have a traditional maternity leave, I knew I would need some help during the day so I could take calls, respond to emails, work on content, meet holiday deadlines, etc. She is with us two days a week and one night a week.
On those two days a week, not only do I work or run any necessary errands baby-free, but I also ask her a million questions. I’ve already learned so much from her about his behavior, best practices, etc. Every baby is different, but she notices things about him that I would certainly overlook if I was without her guidance. She’s already made many recommendations that have just helped our lives run more smoothly. Having her with us has helped us all be happier at home.
For the one night we have her with us, I will feed Hudson right before I go to bed. She stays upstairs with him, checks on him every hour and when he wakes up (usually around 4AM), she brings him down to me and I’ll feed him. Then I’ll text her, she will come back in the bedroom and take him and burp and change his diaper and get him back to sleep.
It may sound trivial, but on the six nights of the week she’s not here, the entire process of feeding him, burping him, keeping him awake for his feeding, changing diapers and getting him back to sleep takes about an hour. So just having that one night where I only spend around 20-25 minutes feeding him and never get out of bed = bliss. I always feel more rested the next day, and it’s really nice to have that one night where I sleep heavier because I’m not waking up to his every squeak or sound.
What is the breastfeeding pillow you use?
My sister and sister-in-law swear by this pillow. I’m using it and it’s definitely very helpful.
What stroller and car seat did you guys get?
We have the Bugaboo Fox complete stroller + Nuna car seat. It’s crazy beautiful – I love strolling him in it, and he passes out in the car. We also have and love the Doona car seat/stroller system.
Are you back to working out yet?
Not yet, but at my 3-week followup with my OB I was approved to go on walks and do some arm exercises under 15 lbs. So that’s exciting! She’s instructed me to wait longer for any core exercises as it needs time to heal. I love my OB, our pediatrician and NICU tech helping us and literally do whatever they tell me to do.
Will you guys have more kids?
Yes. We don’t know how many children we want, but we’ll just see how it goes. We usually joke, “we’ll see how much we like the first two and that will determine if we want to have a third.” It’s a joke… but like, halfway a joke.
Thank you so much for submitting your questions and reading! If you want to submit any questions for the January Q&A, just leave them in the comments of this post. And you can see all previous Q&A’s by simply searching “Q&A” in the search bar of this site.
When my parents came to visit and meet Hudson, my dad had just gotten over a cold and in the process had given it to my mom. Since they couldn’t hold or do much with Hudson, they instantly turned our home into an HGTV episode. They fully decked it out for the holidays, as well as helped with numerous small household projects. There’s no way I would have gotten all of these decorations up without them!
I had wanted to get a ten or twelve foot tree for our foyer… but with a newborn, I just wasn’t able to make it happen this year. So we are using our flocked tree from years past, and it never disappoints!
I documented some of their masterpiece on Instagram, and was floored by the amount of questions about the magnolia garland! So much so that I wanted to share how they made it all come together in a blog post that would be easily searchable for the future.
It’s so easy that it’s borderline embarrassing, but we are going to break it down step by step so you can create this at home! Directions are at the bottom of this post!
Magnolia Garland DIY
You’ll need:
Garland of your choice
Magnolia leaves + stems – we have trees in our backyard, so finding a friend/neighbor who will share will largely cut down on cost!
Directions:
When it comes to your garland, buy the kind that has the tiny wire branches that you can bend. The garland we used is a combination from At Home and Wal-Mart. We bought several 9-foot strands.
If your strands aren’t thick enough, you can double or even triple it. Make your garland thicker by placing them side by side and twisting the branches around each other.
Use the stems to wire the ends of the garland together to get the length you need. Hang your garland wherever you want it (around the door, up the staircase, on the mantle, etc.). After the garland is in place, cut the magnolia branch clusters. When you cut each cluster, try to leave 8 inches to a foot of the limb so you have room to attach it to the garland.
Place each magnolia cluster in the spot where you want and use the garland wire branches to secure the magnolia stem to the garland by twisting the garland wire around the magnolia stem. If you don’t have access to magnolia, you can also use other greenery, like pine or cypress.
Karen says that sometimes Christmas tree lots may have broken branches that they give away or that are priced inexpensively. Or you can use less by just placing fresh greenery in the corners, like she did on the staircase banister.
I hope that helps and y’all let me know if you have questions! Get your Southern magnolia on. Thanks so much for reading – XO –
I’ve shared my gift guide picks for girlfriends + coworkers here and my gift guide for the ladies under $100 here, but I wanted to share some of my picks for the boys! You can also find all of my gifting selects in the “holiday” section at the top of this site from both this year and years past.
Shop each item by clicking directly on the item or finding it’s correlating number below the collage.
The guys always seem to be the most difficult to shop for. So I always try to put together some of my top picks and why.
Pajamas | I know a lot of guys don’t dig pj’s, but it’s important to have a decent set for travel, staying with in-laws, etc. I love this pair for the holidays. My brother has this onesie and brings it out every Christmas… it takes a particular personality though!
Fresh Clothes | You can’t beat a Christmas plaid, and I think a chambray goes with everything. Christian wears his all the time.
Tech Goods | These AirPod Pros are supposedly noise-cancelling which is incredible. A heavy duty charging cable is a car and travel staple. We both love our bluetooth speakers, and a great speaker will last forever!
Slippers | Christian wore these for years and years. This pair also looks super comfy.
A Book About one of their Hobbies | In the past few years Christian has picked up an interest in fishing. Regardless of the specific activity, a pretty book about their favorite or latest hobby (grilling, golf, tennis, etc.) is always a great gift.
Anything Yeti | We have so many Yeti pieces in our house and I really love them. They do such a great job of keeping things hot and cold, and as a new mom… I now appreciate them even more.
A Growler | If you have a craft beer lover in your life, a cool growler is a fun gift!
A Great Vest or Outerwear | Christian is all about the vests, and honestly, I am too. They look so cute layered on top of shirts or even sweaters. A great one will last years and years.
You can see past gift guys for the dudes here and here. If you have bought your s/o anything that they really loved, please share in the comments! We all love some fresh ideas.
I’ve been looking forward to writing Hudson’s birth story so I can hold onto it as I’m sure my memory will fade over time. So I wanted to write it while it was still fresh!
I’ll admit, I went into his birth with little to no expectations. Every woman’s experience is different, our bodies and babies are so different. Our next child’s birth could be completely unique and nothing like our first! So I had a three step birth plan: have the baby in a hospital, get the epidural and have a healthy baby however that may happen. I really love the hospital and doctors we chose. I completely trusted them to do what was best for the baby and myself.
After praying the baby would come early and be healthy (as probably all 9 month pregnant women do!), at 2:30AM on Friday, 11/22, I woke up with some lower abdominal cramping. I thought it could stick around or go away, so I tried to drink some water, reposition and get comfortable. I quickly realized there was no getting comfortable and at 3:00AM I got out of bed to walk around the house.
Around 3:30AM I used an app called Contraction Timer (recommended by my brother’s wife and so helpful) to start timing what I was feeling. I started to realize this could really be it. So I finished packing up my things, organized the pets food, ate some leftover pasta at 4:30AM and got dressed. I tried to let Christian sleep until 5AM as I knew he had been really tired the night before (I feel I now deserve a gold star sticker for this).
At 5AM, I woke Christian up. I told him I thought I was in labor and after timing my contractions they were consistent. He asked if I wanted to call my doctor first and my response was, “no, I don’t want to wake her up if it’s a false alarm.” Which is hilarious to me – typical daughter and wife of doctors. I never want to be the cause of waking anyone up!
Christian calmly got up, finished packing a few things and we hopped in the car by 5:20AM.
When we rolled into the ER, they asked if I wanted a wheelchair, and I said I preferred to walk. I would periodically stop to breathe through a contraction as we made our way up to the third floor. Then I was checked by a nurse… only to find out I was already between 8 and 9cm dilated. As in, we were almost ready to push.
That’s when I started to get anxious. I thought I had more time! What about the epidural!? That was literally one of the only puzzle pieces to my “birth plan!” Christian could see my face start to shift once we heard we were much further along than we thought, and he stepped in to give me a little pep talk. He said that if I could be this calm without medicine this far into labor, that I would be tough enough to push without the epidural if it was too late.
While I appreciated his vote of confidence… having a natural birth is just not something I felt ready to do. I absolutely respect and admire anyone who does, but personally I am grateful to modern medicine and welcome it.
The nurse swiftly rolled me straight to labor and delivery and within minutes I was surrounded by wonderful nurses (who were all at the end of their long shift no less) taking blood and filling out paperwork. They were moving as fast as they could to gather all the information and testing necessary before I could hopefully be seen by the anesthesiologist.
They made it happen, and an anesthesiologist walked in the room with 10 minutes to spare before a scheduled c-section. He got me fixed up real nice, and all was well in the world in minutes.
From there we debated even calling our families and thought we could just let them know after the baby had been born since things were moving so quickly. But the epidural slowed things down a little bit. We had a few hours of downtime before it was time to push, so we called our parents.
You never know if your actual doctor will be available to deliver your baby, and I was so happy to see my doctor walk into the room. Everyone at the practice is great, but I felt so lucky that she was there to help these newbies, as she is exceptional.
In what felt like no time, we were ready to push. There were just four of us in the room – Christian, myself, my wonderful doctor and an amazing nurse. The energy was so relaxed, so calm and happy. After an hour of pushing during contractions, I felt this wave come over my lower body as our son was born. I can’t describe it as accurately as it deserves to be described, but it was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. I hope I never forget it.
Christian actually recorded the audio of Hudson’s arrival and it’s saved in the “CBL Bebe” saved stories on Instagram, but every time I listen to it I have tears in my eyes. I had no idea that labor and delivery could be so wonderful, so zen, so joyous.
We were between two names for the entire pregnancy. However once we met our boy with his head full of dark hair and inquisitive blue-gray eyes, I felt that his name was Hudson all along.
He is named after Christian and his maternal side as well as my maternal side, our Hudson Alexander Barnes.
We spent two nights in the hospital. The nurses were absolutely amazing and took such great care of us. When it was time leave I was ready to be in our own space again, but I knew recovering without those ladies was going to be a buzzkill.
Did I cry the first night home because I felt overwhelmed? Sure. But now, two weeks later we have a little bit of a rhythm. Christian’s parents, my parents and my sister have met the baby. We have an amazing NICU technician helping us a few days a week so I can get some work done. I’m able to both learn from her and have a few time blocks of independence. Hudson is a great eater and sleeper so far, and we are all just adjusting to life with him on the outside!
I wanted to share this story because I felt like during my pregnancy, women were so quick to tell me scary or stressful stories of pregnancy, labor, delivery and recovery. I know everyone’s journey is different, but I have been amazed at how pleasant and happy the process has been. And I know there is every kind of story out there. But to anyone who is a little anxious or nervous about becoming a mom and the path required to get there, I hope this story will be reassuring and comforting. Know that you could absolutely have a totally mellow, calm experience. Those exist too!
Thank you so much for reading, for all of your kindness, love and encouragement. December has been pretty busy for all of us, but I am hoping to slow down in January and really enjoy some downtime with my boy. Having a newborn around the holidays has just been really, really special. Gratitude to the max. Love you guys and thank you for so kindly welcoming our Hudson to the CBL fam – XO –
