This is truly something I've waited my whole life for... to carry a baby with a man that I love. Adam is the epitome of the man I dreamed would be the father of my children, and for that, I am so thankful. This pregnancy has been smooth sailing. And we pray and anticipate the labor and birth process will be the same.
In 7 weeks time, give or take, we will be welcoming our 4th child (and my first biological) into the Alonso home. The registry is settled and slimming down a little. The birth plan is complete and our birth team is finishing final preparations, as I prepare to nest into my labor and postpartum natural remedies. I am making double of every dinner meal to freeze for Adam to take over the kitchen for a few days (everyone hold your breath...hehe).
We decided on a cozy corner instead of a nursery- minimalist in nature, because we don't love clutter and I didn't want to be up and down the stairs for recovery. Abel's tiny clothes are washed, folded, and put neatly in drawers. Bottles and pacifiers are sanitized in the safest of soaps. The first round of newborn diapers are nestled neatly into my organizer. The bassinet will come down from the attic in a few weeks and become his little nest for the next 4-6 months.
It's about that time, y'all!
So here's the backstory:
(Because y'all know I can't not have a story to tell!)
One year ago at this very same time, we were wrapping up our post-elopement photos at sunrise on the beach with my dear friend Emily. And now... we are 33 weeks into this journey to become parents to a sweet baby boy!
Last fall when we decided we weren't finished with growing our family, we immediately started trying. At the same time, my long-time friend Rebecca had just announced her move back to the Upstate of South Carolina and that she had just finished her certification to become a Doula. I also knew she was a photographer... which was a double blessing! I reached out to her as soon as I saw her post to let her know we were TTC. She shared her excitement for me. And, as soon as we found out in January that we were indeed pregnant, I reached out to tell her! I had known Rebecca and her husband Christopher when they were pastoring the youth at the church we (Joel and I) were attending in Easley before we moved to Florida.
She was at our red barn wedding (I promise this is relevant) in 2013. She was there for my journey all along. One day she showed me the property that she was living on, filled with beautiful rolling hills, lush green trees, and a RED BARN... I knew it was the perfect space for our maternity photos. I am not one to flaunt my body and tend to be more than modest, but my husband pushed me to appreciate this time and the work my body had done to bring our son into the world... so I WENT FOR IT!
Rebecca also accepted my doula request, which I'll be sharing more about in the near future. But, that allowed Adam andI to get to know each other better before getting in front of the camera. It made a world of difference!
So here's a look at some of our favorites from our session with Rebecca Haymes Photography!
You're Invited to our Home Birth...
And, in case you missed it... we decided to birth our little guy at home. And, we also decided to share our labor and birth LIVE . If you'd like to be a fly on the wall in our birth, here's your chance!
If you want to follow our EXCLUSIVE Birth Experience Updates, click the link to join!
Our Birth Registry and Such
And just because so many of you have asked, here's a link to our:
Baby Registry on Amazon
SERIOUSLY the best gift is the gift of preparation as we prepare to bring Abel into our home.
You can also make contributions to our birth team services:
Doula and Photography Services, Midwifery Services, and Postpartum Care
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We so enjoy sharing my life alongside you! We are so grateful to each of you reading and being a part of our life and our story! We hope to be part of yours, too! And, we'd love to connect.
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Finding joy in every season,