My Birth Story: Real Life

I've been hesitant to share this with y'all, but the Lord has placed it on my heart several times lately to be open, to be vulnerable, to be real... so here it is. 

Yesterday, when I looked into my Baby girl's eyes, I became so emotional (I guess it could be that I have been taken off of the antidepressant meds I was taking for post-partum... but maybe not, real life people) thinking about that day, those long hours awaiting her arrival; the hardest but the most rewarding time of my life.

  So yesterday, I began to write. Here's our birth story, the real life version.

Charlotte Grace Pierce who we loving call, Lottie Grace born May 30, 2019 at 2:51 PM

Wednesday May 29th, around 5:45 PM, my water broke, 11 days before my due date. My parents were watching my sister, Morgan’s girls, Maggie Ruth (4) and Kit (1) for the week. (Wells and I are living with my parents while our house is being renovated, another fun part of our story.) Wells was on his way home to my parents house in Aiken after working all day in Columbia. I was totally freaked out and not thinking clearly. I hopped in the shower. Wells got home and was welcomed by my parents saying, “are you ready to be a Daddy?” His response, “I guess so!” (Not realizing it was happening, like now)We thankfully had our bags packed with the exception of our toiletries... so we threw that together, Mama was cooking hot chicken salad for dinner so she wrapped us some to go croissants and off we went up I20 “speedway” headed to Palmetto Richland in Columbia, averaging about 95 the whole way with the flashers on. Of course, if you know me, I was doing my makeup in the car the whole way.
We got there and I had amniotic fluid dripping down my legs (nasty, I know) so the nurse said "she's grossly ruptured we're taking her to the room now." No need for triage, I suppose. I got checked into my room and they told me I was still only 2 cm dilated, which I had been for the previous 2 weeks, with irregular contractions, so I was put on Pitocin. My nurse told me to let her know “when” I wanted my epidural. I informed her that I really didn’t want one and that I was going to try it without an epidural. Her response, “okay, we’ll just let me know when you want it.”

This was right after we had gotten to the hospital, all smiles but so nervous.

By this point, my Mama, Hannah, Morgan, my MIL, Amanda and FIL, Max were all there. My Dad had dropped off my Mom but had Sleeping Maggie Ruth and Kit in the car... so he drove all the way back to Aiken and kept them there until the next day. He was the ultimate Papa that night; a trooper for sure. 

Facetiming with my Dad,the best Papa Bear

Side note, I’m not really a planner... but the only real plan I had was that I didn’t want an epidural and I didn’t want a C-section... pretty funny, huh?

About 2 hours in and feeling those contractions as I was about to vomit, that no epiduaral plan went out the window. “Get that girl down here and tell her I need that epidural, now!”
Around 11 PM, the Anesthesiologist came  in to administer my epidural. Yikes. I cried like a baby and struggled through that one big time.
They told me I would be drowsy and I was. I tried to rest through the night but my mind wandered, “what would she look like? Was this really happening? I’m kinda scared. Lord, help me make it through.”
Sometime earlier that week, I remember telling Wells that I wished he could deliver the baby for me. I was so nervous. I was definitely wishing that then. 

 Crazy sissies and Mma walking laps around the hospital while I got my epidural

Mama, Hannah, and Morgan stayed through the night with me and Wells. Hannah and Morgan kept me laughing and ate like half of our hospital snacks...haha. Wells was passed out on that uncomfortable little chair bed thing.  Hannah and Morgan did eventually go and get like 4 hours of sleep early that morning at Wells’ parents house before my Mom called them to come back because we thought baby girl was about to be here. We were wrong though. hah.

Around 10 the next morning, the doctors came in and I was fully dilated and we thought we were going to be meeting our Lottie Grace very soon. We thought that so much that the nurse decided to go ahead and turn the thermostat up so it wouldn’t be too chilly when baby girl arrived. If you know me, I'm as hot natured as they come...so this was a BIG mistake.
It was time to push. Our families had to leave except Wells and my Mama. They were there with me the whole way.
Sometime after pushing for a bit, they said my contractions were beginning to become irregular and I was not able to feel enough so they turned off my epidural .  At this point, things made a turn for the worse, y’all.
Labor is rough. The worst experience I had ever had. I was pushing with all my might and fighting harder than I ever knew I could fight. Doctors and nurses were coming in left and right checking me. I was still only +1 and not making any progress. Baby girl was stuck and I was a mess. The last time they checked my progress, I said, “if you tell me I’m at +1, I’m going to be very upset.” (So me ) The doctors response, well sweetie that is why I am recommending that we take you back for an emergency c-section. I was in total agreement and let her know with tears streaming down my face, sobbing really, that I just needed my baby girl out right then and asked when it was happening. They took me back and the reality of it all set in, I felt like a failure. I was so emotional. I had worked so hard for what I felt like was for nothing. Wells was taken back to scrub up and my Mama had to leave. I was so scared.
My sisters told me that she was a mess also. She was there beside me the whole time, encouraging me and she knew how hard I had worked. None of us ever imagined I would end up having a C-section. I never even considered it. Not even for a second.
I am so thankful to one of the Anesthesiologists. I don’t know her name but  She was so very encouraging to me in those moments before surgery  when I felt like a failure. She took time to talk with me while I was being prepped for surgery. Although I was getting pretty drugged up at that point and was not all there, I remember her being there for me. She told me that the same thing happened to her and that I would heal up and be just fine.
I vaguely remember the first time I saw my baby girl. I remember hearing the doctors say she’s here!! and holding her up over the drape. I saw a blurry image and that was about the last thing I remember.
I always thought maybe I would have one of those beautiful Pinterest worthy pictures with my makeup fixed... instead our first family picture with Lottie Grace, I was drugged up, my cried off mascara black eyes were looking 2 different directions and don’t actually remember it at all. Hah. 

A few minutes after Lottie Grace arrived, Wells went out to tell our families that Lottie Grace was here. Imagine a scene a lot like the scene in Cheaper By the Dozen 2 when Nora was in Labor and the whole family tried to go back. The hospital typically doesn't do this apparently, but our fams got to go back into recovery and see our sweet baby girl, fresh out, sucking her sweet little fingers. Meanwhile, I was dead to the world, knocked out completely.

One proud Daddy

 Proud Aunt Morgan and Aunt Hannah

 Proud Grandparents

I remember waking up in recovery and seeing Lottie Grace for the first time, really. She was so beautiful. Wells gave me a sip of a Coke he was drinking and the Lactation nurse latched Lottie Grace on my boob and off we went to my room. 

Our whole family was there. My parents, Wells’ parents, Hannah, Morgan, Kirk and Crosby, Mags, and Kit, and Cole.
Hannah offered to fix my makeup but  I said no (what was I thinking? ) I was so overwhelmed, exhausted, and felt about as bad as I looked, like I had been drug behind a train, several hundred miles.

As much as I wish I did not look so trashed in our pictures, this was real life.  this is our story and I would not change anything for the world. We have received the most precious gift we could have ever received. Lottie Grace is such a blessing in our lives. She is so loved by SO many and I can’t imagine what I would do without her. I can’t really remember anymore what life was like before you were here, baby girl... but I don’t really want to either. Mommy and Daddy love you SO much! I can’t believe you’ve been with us for 3 months, baby girl. ♥️

This is our story, y'all. Thanks for taking time to read.

I would love to hear your stories.

until next timeXO,

Addie, 

Lottie Grace's Mommy

My 27th Year

o n e  w e e k  l a t e  ; 

but I’d say that’s Addie girl fashion-ably late”ish” through & through... am I right people? 

Last Monday, May 21st, I celebrated the beginning of my 27th year. I didn’t take 1 pic on my birthday... again, so me. Thankfully my sis, Hannah is always there to document our lives.

Throughout this past week, the thought had crossed my mind several times to make a “thanks y’all for the b-day wishes post,” but every time I had that thought it just didn’t feel like enough... and (so typical) that thought left my head... squirrel! & onto something else. 

This morning, as I was sitting in this 100-year-old home here in Chester that we’ve been so blessed to live in for a few months, I glanced at my birthday cards & thought for a brief second, “oh I should put those things up, my birthday is ova.” & all of the sudden I was filled with gratitude, so I snapped this pic.

My initial reaction= crud, you can see my huge pile of laundry in the background, & great You can tell the floors are dirty... but gosh, Opie Taylor (our baby kitten) looks too dang cute to crop. 

& there came a thought; 

What if instead of focusing on that ever-growing pile of laundry in the background... (that I big time suck at- ask Wells) or the dirt on the floors, I choose to be thankful for the dirt on the floors, for that reminds me of the fun that was had on my birthday, for family that traveled on a manic Monday evening just to be with me. What if I choose instead of complaining or being embarrassed about the laundry, I choose to be thankful that there is laundry to do, that I have clothes to wear, and that I have to ability and the means to do laundry.

These simple everyday things are just that, simple little things; but what if the little things really are the big things in life? What if instead of only looking forward, we live simply in the moment and we take time to look up. It is in these simple times that I am brought to my knees with thankfulness and that is truly my best place to be. 

In my 27th year, I hope I can learn to look up;

to choose to see the little things in life, to choose to see the light in sometimes dark days, to choose to be real in our insta perfect world, to choose to see the good even if there is only a speck, to choose to remain positive when life seems so unknown, to choose to take the backroad when the calendar says hurry the heck up, to choose to love even when you’re tired & you feel like you have nothing else to give, to be thankful for all that comes my way, for there is purpose in it all. I just have to choose to see it.

This year, my 27th year I’m going to try to choose  J O Y  daily, hour by hour, minute by minute. For my God is good and deserves all of my praise.

Until next time,

xo,

Addie

Thankful for Home; the house that built me

Today I am  t h a n k f u l  for  my h o m e ; for the house that built me. 

This home is where my story begins, 26 years ago; the last born of 4 daughters. 

This place shaped me and molded me for 18+ years & is a big part of who I am today. 

Have you ever heard Miranda Lambert's song, The House that Built me? This song gives me all the feels about home. Each time I hear her song, I can't help but to tearfully reminisce on my childhood and the house that built me.

If only walls could talk, this place would have a lot to say; oh, the stories... stories of laughter, tears, arguments, gatherings, new beginnings, sickness, health, unconditional love, and most importantly forgiveness. 

I’m so very thankful for my roots, for where I come from. I also realize that I'm not the same as I was back then but I’m so thankful for that; thankful to Jesus for constantly growing and changing me. There are times in our lives that may be hard to look back on... but it’s being able to look back on those times and thanking Jesus for that time for it has shaped you, grown you; you wouldn’t be you without it.

Maybe you don’t share my love for home, maybe your story is not like mine, and that's ok.     

 I pray that one day each person would be able to have a home, a place that they have fond memories of; a place where they are loved, a place they are accepted.

I pray that you know ultimately that you have a good Father in heaven who loves you, adores you,  wants good for your life, and that He has an eternal home for you in Heaven. 

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."  Psalm 139:14

Although, I no longer live at my “home” and I haven’t for quite some time, it’s my favorite place in the whole world & it will always be my  h o m e ; the house hat built me. For this, today I am T H A N K L F U L . 

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing praises to Your name... to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night." —Psalm 92:1-2

It is Thanksgiving week and I have challenged myself to be intentionally thnakful each day this week. What are you thankful for today? 

#weekofthanksgiving 

I am #thankful #grateful & #blessed way more than I deserve.

Hello, Anna Maria

This post is lonnnnnng overdue, 2 months over due...to be exact... but this summer has been crazy busy and I'm honestly not really sure where the time went. 

Today, my husband, Wells started year 3 of Physical Therapy School at the University of South Florida, HIS LAST 1st day of School EVER! Woohoo. To say he (more like WE) is excited is an understatement! :) 

Praise Jesus, from whom all blessings flow; 

We see the light. 

Yes, I absolutely had to take a "LAST 1st Day of School" pic of my hubs. 

Anyway,  as the New School Year is beginning, I figured there is no better time, and in appropriate Addison fashionably lateness, I would share this hidden beutiful jewel,  Anna Maria Island, with y'all; Better late than never, right?!

Wells and I celebrated our One Year Wedding Anniversary back in June. Wells was in the midst of his first clinical rotation so we knew we couldn't go anywhere too far away, so we did some research and some asking around to the local Tampa natives, and we decided that a weekend getaway to Anna Maria Island was just what we needed. From everyone we heard from, Anna Maria was beautiful, cute, quiet, an low key.

Anna Maria has many homes and condos available for rent, but Wells and I were really in search of a B&B. We wanted to truly relax and didnt want to worry with cooking or buying groceries and such... A friend reccomended the Harrington House Bed & Breakfast to us, and we are so grateful that they did.

We arrived at the Harrington House on a Friday evening with plans to stay until Sunday; however we loved it so much (plus Wells ended up having Monday off...) that we stayed an extra night. 

As soon as we drove up, I fell in love. I am a sucker for all things quaint, cute, and old. The first thing I think that stuck out to me at the Harrington House was the sign that said, "Welcome, Come as a guest, leave as a friend." That is exactly how we both felt throughtout our stay. We were treated like family. Everyone was perfectly personable, loving, and overly accomadating. 

How adorable is this little walkway?

 I felt like I was walking into a secret Garden.

The B&B felt like you were going to stay at your Great Aunt's home; welcoming, cozy, friendly, it just felt like HOME. They had movies, books, games, bikes, kayaks, beach chairs, beach umbrellas, and towels for guests to use as you like, They also had snacks and homemade loaves of bread for purchase for which they use the honor system, which is so up my alley. I love being able to step back in time where you can trust people and you are trusted. Each day around 3 in the afternoon, the chef baked homemade cookies, and they were SO GOOD! This may have been one of my favorite things..

The Harrington House had literally everything you could ever think of that you just may need. They had a full list of reccomendations to restaurants of any and every kind. 

Our first night, Wells and I rode bikes to a local eatery, The Feast. We had amazing mozzarella wedges (pictured above), holy cow, my mouth is watering just thinking about them...& a delicious pepperoni pizza, can't ever go wrong with a pep pizza, right!? The Feast was a casual restaurant with a very wide variety of foods. you can get anything from soups, pastas,salads, to sandwiches, seafood, and pizza. You can truly FEAST at this establishment, so their name is so true. 

Beautiful peonies (my favorite) from my hubby in honor of our anniversary gettway weekend... I had to share. How gorgous are they???

Breakfast at the Harrington House was SO good, y'all. 
I mean like not just okay, and not just good; it was excellent. 

Each day we had some type of fresh eggs, and a slice of fresh and absolutely delicious bread made daily. 

   

Oh yea, did I mention yet that we were at the Beach? And that the Harrington House is a Beach front Bed & Breakfast. I promise, we did do more than just eat on our weekend getaway. ;)

We were just a walk through the patio/pool area and just a few steps away from the beach;

 SO NICE!

The water at Anna Maria was breathtaking. The beautiful blue-green water could not truly be captured with a camera. It was like being in the carribean but you're not...you're in Florida on the pristine Gulf of Mexico.  

They say once you go to the Gulf, you never go anywhere else. 

Growing up in SC, I grew up swimming and playing on the beaches of the Atlantic, and as much as I love my home state and myhome beaches, they just really don't compare to the Gulf.

The white sandy beaches next to the beautiful blue green water seem to make the water sparkle that much more. 

It was turtle season so we saw many marked turtles nests. We were hoping to see some babies...maybe next time.

Holy Donut Experiment! 

This is a MUST if you visit Anna Maria. It was super fun, FRESH, and delicious...and this was totally our lunch the Saturday we were there. No shame. haha.

I loved that you could see the donuts being made fresh, right there in front of you and even better, they were warm when you got them. Hot Now ain't got nothin' on these things. ;) jk...but really, they were THAT good!

We both ordered the donut of the day, the Key Lime Donut. Y'all this was better than any piece of keylime anything that I've ever had. SO GOOD! I also got a chocolate with Sprinkles; can't go wrong with chocolate and sprinkles, my fav ever since I was a tot. It surely did not disappoint...very possibly the best chocolate and sprinkles donut evaaaa. Wells also ordered a S'mores donut; he LOVES S'mores and he said that it tasted just like a S'more. 

I am not a coffee drinker...so hello, what did I drink with my sweet donuts? Why Strawberry Lemonade of course!
Anddddd, this was probably the best lemonade I've ever had, hands down. Strawberry Lemonade by Natalie's with only 4 ingredients...Lemons, Strawberries, sugar, and water. The bomb, y'all. 

Meanwhile, hubs enjoyed his iced coffee, looking like a J Crew model....
y'all, who looks like this after eating donuts?!?

Anna Maria City Pier is a must do. Full of local fisherman & kids swimming.We were told that this is a place where manatees are often seen; we didn't get that lucky, but maybe next time!

The Pier is a huge part of Anna Maria's history, dating back to 1911; I love that this is a place that represents a sense of welcome. This is a place where visitors would arrive by steamship, a place that provided dockage for ships from St Petersburg and Tampa. This pier has withstood hurricanes and despite being damaged on numerous occasions, it has been restored
 to it's original form, each time. 

I love a good restoration story, I love it when history is protected and brought back to life.

As we were leaving the Pier, I noticed a nice man making Palmetto Roses, something near and dear to my heart as a true South Carolinian and something I wsn't expecting to see in Florida.
 They bring me back to Charleston, where they originated; if you ever visit Charleston, SC, you will see tons of these!
"The weaving of the Charleston Palmetto Rose dates back to the Civil War. Tradition holds that southern ladies would give their true love a Palmetto Rose to keep them safe from harm as they rode into war. Today these roses are still keepsakes that symbolize everlasting love.
The Palmetto Rose is made from frons from South Carolina's official State Tree -- The Palmetto Tree. Due to each leaves' unique appearance, no two roses are exactly the same. The natural colors may vary from dark green to yellow or tan..."

So of course, I couldn't say no; I had to have one. And how appropriate that my love bought me a Palmetto Rose on our 1st Wedding anniversry. 

Anna Maria is full of natural, lush, beautiful foliage. These are just a few of the beauties that caught my eye. 

Some locals told us that if we loved the Anna Maria City Pier, then we had to visit Rod and Reel Pier also. This seemed like the place to be; full of locals and a great fishing spot... I am not fisherman....but we saw lots of people fishing...so that means it is a great fishing spot, right?
T'was a neat spot, for sure. 

Happy 1 YEAR! Whoop Whoop.

We found this adorable shop,  The Shiny Fish Emporium ; located on Pine Avenue just down from The Donut Experiement. This shop is great for children or adults, and has a variety of cute nick nacks. They also offer Sand Dollar Painting which was so fun and unique. This was like a twist on those wine and paint classes you can go to but was simpler and you had more freedom to paint whatever you liked. This was fun for me and my husband had a pretty good time too. I would certainly say this is a MUST DO for any families, girlfriends, or couples while at Anna Maria!

Our finished Products, Wells painted the Palmetto Flag, our home state, SC flag and I attempted to paint us on our wedding day.... Looks just like us, huh?  ;)  I thought they turned out pretty cute, though!

We enjoyed a nice lunch date on our anniversary at The Waterfront Restaurant . It was super cute from the exterior, with the seaside cottage look. The interior was adorable also. With beautiful large moldings and unique details making it super welcoming, while still feeling casual enough for a great lunch spot. The food here was amazing. We had Fried Green Tomatoes as an appitizer, AMAZING. For lunch I ordered their Fish Tacos, which were hands down, the BEST fish tacos I've had. Wells had their Crabcake Sandwich which he fully enjoyed! 

We celebrated our anniversary night at The SandBar Restaurant; The SandBar is outside dining...you are literally on the beach,which we thougrouly enjoyed. We missed the Sunset....because I took way to long getting ready...but it was still an awesome experience. We enjoyed yummy drinks, great food, 

amazing dessert, and an awesome view. I enjoyed their shrimp N' Grits and Wells enjoyed a huge crabcake served over rice. (Yes, he did he crabcakes for lunch and dinner...hehe)

I would say, The Sandbar is certainly a must do while at Anna Maria....and hey, a sunset dinner makes it even better!

Anna Maria was an amazing anniversry weekend getaway. I think we just barely scratched the surface of all that there is to do and see, but we SO enjoyed our time. We will certainly be taking a trip back sometime soon! If you're contemplating making a trip to Anna Maria, do it;

 you will surely not regret it!

Anna Maria, you stole our Hearts! 

Thanks for reading, friends.

Until next time...hopefully it won't be so long ;)

xo,

Addie