Lazy Weekends are the BEST

Hey y'all! We're still working on finding balance in the Sudduth household. The hubby is illustrating his booty off before heading to Heroes Con this June, so my sewing is taking a backseat for now. And that's fine by me 'cuz I love hanging out with our daughter! Not only that, marriage is a partnership. We treat each other as tag team partners because that's the most efficient way of getting things done and keeping each other happy...that we've found. His goal is to have a ten page spread of "Making Baby"...the illustrations he used to chronicle the pregnancy...to show at the convention. When things got cray cray, with me being put in the hospital and Harper's premature birth, he lost some of the focus to continue. Understandable. Now, he's in full swing drawing, inking and whatever-else-you-need-to-do-to-make-a-comic-book mode again. Because we are so busy these days, the time we get as a family to just sit and breathe is the best! Enough of my prattling! 

I love this baby Gamecock onesie from Target! Boo...Clemson! 

  

Here's a picture of Harper's outfit for the day:

I'm linking up with Kenzie and Megan for Too Cute! Tuesday and Chelsea for Trendy Little.

What did you do this weekend? 

Harper's First Easter

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend!

For my family it was special in so many ways: i had a birthday, my brother and his family came to visit AND it was Harper's first Easter! 

Best. Birthday. EVER!

Dress: Target/ Headband: Carter's

Time is flying and my baby is growing up too quickly! But I love that her personality develops more each day. Please note that we are sitting in the lobby. Harper decided that she would help the pastor deliver some of the message so we had to make a quick exit. Ha! 

This is the face of a sleepy baby. She had way too much fun for one girl.

I'm linking up with Trendy Little @ Sunny with a Chance of Sprinkles and Too Cute Tuesday.

I'm trying to establish some sort of schedule so that posts can go up on a more routine basis. But that little face pulls me in every time. 

New Place, New Space: Sewing

After months of having a new address, I'm finally able to unpack fabrics and sewing notions. Now that bed rest is over and Harper is happy and healthy...I can get into the sewing groove.

Mike and I went to Ikea a few weeks ago to pick up some furniture for my sewing area. While we moved from a two bedroom to a three bedroom, I'm still taking up residence in our dining area. I just dont think that sharing a studio space with the hubster will be conducive to anything other than him wanting to throwing my sewing machine out the window. He hates the way it sounds. Haha!

Anyway...I found some inexpensive items at Ikea and decided to give y'all a peek of my space.

 my favorite wreath! i call it "Beetlejuice"

i'm finally able to display some of my fabric...LOVE

fat quarters are hiding in these boxes. 

AND...

Harper just had her 3 month birthday! Time is passing so quickly! I HAD to sneak in a baby pic. 

What's the method to your madness? Unpack and decorate at the same time or do you just unpack the boxes? 

Getting It Together

This was my first week back to work and I have beyond struggled!

While Harper is safe with her Papa during the day, I HATE leaving her in the mornings. I'm so afraid that I will miss the first time she crawls, walks or any of the other milestones. And the bonding time!
Sooo it probably wouldn't surprise you to know that  I cried the entire way to office on Monday. 

Legit.
I didn't just have tears streaming my cheeks, I was doing the "ugly" cry.

Mike and I started the Muffin Top-Less challenge on Monday morning at 5AM. Harper woke up at 3:00AM for a bottle and didn't go back to sleep until after 4. Working out before pumping milk isn't a good idea...never again will I make that mistake! I was just too sleepy to assemble the parts and I wanted a power nap before beating my body up on leg training day.
Hello, extremely long day!
The next morning I was wiser and less prideful. I woke The Boy from his peaceful slumber to feed Harper while I pumped. BAM!!! Teamwork.

Returning to a job after a four-five month leave is like starting a new one.
Gotta get my sea legs on!
I just keep praying for the WILL to sew and eventually be self employed.
But this week as my nephew would say...
"I tired". 

Some things I've learned this week:

1. Do as much meal prepping on Sunday as possible. Two days worth isn't enough! 

2. It's okay to ask for help.

3. Piggybacking on #2, you can be a good mom without being "super".
3. Instagram is AWESOME. I'm tardy to the party on this one. Ha!
4. Spinach, tuna, peppers and brown rice LOVE each other.

I'm trying to come up with a schedule that will allow me time with my family (of course) as well as time to blog, sew, clean, work and workout.
Phew!
Let me know if you have any suggestions!

What's your favorite "hash-tag" on Instagram? 

Giving Birth in Pigtails

After a challenging pregnancy, I gave birth to the cutest little thing ever on December 8th of last year. I was exactly 33 weeks pregnant. 

I was discharged from the hospital two days before Thanksgiving. I was "on pins and needles" as they say! Glad to be home but gosh was I nervous to be there by myself throughout the day. After about two months of being hospitalized, I had grown used to monitors, doctors, nurses and daily injections. Not forgetting the fact that I was 3cm dilated upon discharge. 

Early Saturday morning of December 8th, I woke up to labor pains. Even though our little lady was on her way 7 weeks early, I had a sense of calm. I just knew that everything would work out. By the time we got to the hospital, I was 6cm dilated. Not even 30 minutes later I was up to 7. The attending physician tried to stop my labor with magnesium...at 7cm dilated...I was NOT thrilled. That stuff makes you feel like you're cooking from the inside out AND you can only have morphine while on a mag drip. Labor pains, nausea, heat and morphine made me a cranky patient. While I was appreciative of the fact that the doctor wanted to put off labor for as long as possible...it was just too much. I knew that God would shield my baby from harm. And HE did.

My nurses convinced the doctor to stop the mag drip so that I could get an epidural. Thank goodness for them because I was ready to push shortly after. After only 18 minutes of pushing, Harper Camille graced us with her presence. The neonatal physician grabbed her from the labor & delivery physician for the usual post birth tests. Before rushing her to the NICU, her doctor brought her over to me and held her up so I could see all 4 pounds 2 ounces of baby.

Luckily, Harper had her own room so I was able to stay in the hospital with her. It was stressful. Seeing her in an incubator, having to ask permission to hold her and watching people poke her with needles was hard. Thankfully, I gave birth to a fighter! Harper was in only in the NICU for two weeks. Her physician discharged her the Friday before Christmas and it was the best holiday season of my life!

Picture time!

Thank you for all of the support!

If you have any questions about my premature birth experience, feel free to shoot me an email or comment below. 

Baby Update 2

Hey y'all! Thank you to everyone for your well wishes and prayers, they are all truly appreciated. The last few weeks have been challenging and nerve wrecking but I'm thankful to still be pregnant. 

I was admitted at 23 weeks and 5 days pregnant. I met with about five doctors in two days and one neonatal surgeon. The doctors had me on an IV because I was having contractions and was dehydrated (if you're pregnant...drink up because dehydration can cause contractions). I was hooked to a contraction monitor, fetal heart rate monitor and leg compression machine. The nurses and my family were probably sick of seeing me cry but I was so freaked out. Going from never being in the hospital for something as small as a stitch to having to LIVE in the hospital for weeks and possibly months was too much to process. Honestly, after being here for three weeks I still haven't fully come to grips with it. Not gonna lie, I still have my "why me" days where I throw the biggest dang pity parties that South Carolina has ever seen. I'm human. But then I come to grips with the fact that I'm not untouchable and bad things happen. Harper is still thriving inside me and that's the most important thing. 

The doctors have slowly started changing my care. I'm no longer on a constant IV, I wear the contraction monitor until bedtime and they only monitor Harper's heart rate for a few minutes a day. One doctor, who tries my patience like no other person walking the grounds of Earth, had me in the trendelenburg position. That basically means that I was flat on my back 24/7 with my head hanging lower than the rest of my body. I know that he was just doing his job but I cannot deal with him. He makes me want to scale the building and escape but I cant fit through my tiny window. Sidenote: don't watch zombie apocalypse movies if you're ever in the hospital. They make you evaluate your surroundings and tiny windows aren't good.

 This whole "inherently insufficient cervix" situation just reaffirms that I'm surrounded by the most amazing people, Mike being number one. He helped me with my bedpan. Seriously. 

I'm still catching up on emails because I had no time for manners when I was pity partying. If you haven't heard from me by now, please know that its coming in the next two days. Unless I get upset and have another party in which case...please excuse my tardiness in advance. ;)

I had a short vlog to go with this but it doesn't want to cooperate. I'll try posting it separately later.

Baby Update

Thank you to everyone  who sent well wishes and prayers our way! Mike and I went to the dreaded appointment yesterday and found out that I am out of cervix. My doctor had us admitted into the hospital immediately. Upset doesn't even begin to cover how I felt. 

We will be 24 weeks on Saturday so that is when they will administer a shot of steroids. The steroids will help baby's lungs to mature in the event that she comes too early (which I knew from watching Grey's Anatomy). Also...where the heck is Addison Montgomery when you need her?! 

Our baby girl is the only one blissfully unaware about what is happening! Her punches and kicks are SO strong y'all, and her heart rate is stellar too. This little one is a fighter and her mama needs to learn a lesson or two from her. :)

If you have any questions or have been in a similar situation feel free to comment below. If you want to tell me the lyrics to your favorite song, you can do that too. I'm going to have a lot of free time. Ha!