First off, Happy Halloween!!! aka My favorite holiday! That is exactly why I wanted to save this special post for today…

So I guess it’s time to fill all of you in on why I took a spontaneous and if I’m honest, unplanned blogging break over the last couple of weeks. A lot has been going on in the Cantrell world. Hampton turned one and I have been very busy with his party planning. Also, we got an offer on our house! We were so excited and were making plans to move/pack, etc. when they rescinded their offer. Womp womp womp. Yeah, I know.

These aren’t the only reasons that I have been away. I’ve also been pretty sick during my 10th – 13th week of pregnancy. You read that right! We are expecting baby can #2 May 8th!! While this was a HUGE surprise to us, we are getting really excited. It has taken about this long to convince myself that I really am pregnant. Other than the sickness, I haven’t felt a bit pregnant. I’ve still been able to run and workout and I haven’t gained any weight so far. This has been very different than my pregnancy with Hampton. I had gained about 4 pounds at this point with him and was already in maternity pants because my uterus was tilted forward. Too much? Sorry. Anyways… we are pretty excited and I can’t believe I’m already starting my 2nd trimester. I have a feeling these next 6 months will fly by. We are being very prayerful that our house will sell before baby gets here.

So, that’s basically why I haven’t been around a whole lot. I’m hoping to start feeling better in the next couple of weeks so that I will be able to devote more time to my blog. I have missed it so much, but sometimes, I need to focus on being present in my life and enjoy it.. I will catch everyone up and start bump dates soon!

What a weekend! Seriously, this was one for the books! Thursday night, we went to a local benefit dinner and heard Ben Carson speak. I have been in love with his story since seeing Gifted Hands last year with Ryan. I was pregnant with Hampton at the time and his story touched me so deeply. I couldn’t get over that it was real. It was so neat to have the opportunity to hear him speak in person.

Saturday, we went to the pumpkin patch with my family. Hampton picked out his very own pumpkin and it was so sweet and special. I’ve always had a thing for the pumpkin patch, so taking Hampton for the first time was a dream come true. We rode the cow tractor and played in a box filled with corn. He slid down the big slide with his daddy and cackled the whole time. My child is a little dare devil. We had so much fun and it was such a blessing getting to spend so much time with my family and sister in particular. I have missed her so much these last few weeks.

My baby boy,

I can’t believe you are 10 months old today. This past month has been the fastest one yet. You still aren’t walking, but you are standing up for several seconds at a time before you fall down and I feel like you probably will be before your 1st birthday – but I’d be okay with it if you didn’t. You need to slow down. You climb everything – including me and daddy. You love playing in the kitchen cabinets. You are cutting two more teeth on the bottom, but you still have no signs of any on the top. Thomas the Train and Cat in the Hat are still your favorite shows/songs/toys. Your favorite book is the bible, and I am so proud of that. You go straight to it every time you want to read a story.

You don’t like to snuggle quite as much as you used to, but when you do, it is precious and I treasure every second of it. You love to be cuddled when you are sleepy. You still sleep with your Daniel Tiger and we can’t go anywhere without it. We are going to Me Me’s house for your first time this week! I can’t wait to take you to the beach again. I can’t wait to celebrate your first Labor Day with you. You have started eating more “big people” food. You love bananas, toast and apples the most. You hate carrots and green beans and throw them at Pippa. I can’t believe you have already figured out that trick. You are talking more and more and getting to be quite loud. You have the biggest smile and you are constantly making us laugh. You are definitely learning the word “no” really well and even obey us…sometimes. You roll your cars and Thomas all over the living room floor. I love watching you play. You are over 20lbs now and growing more and more every day. I am starting to plan for your birthday party because it will be here before we know it.

I love you my sweet angel.

-Mommy

1. You will think about someone else a million times a day.

2. You have an all new respect for your parents.

3. New challenges arise every day.

4. Poop and vomit no longer phase you.

5. You will look like an absolute fool just to see a smile on that sweet face.

6. You have a new-found inner strength.

7. You’ll listen to an hour of Sesame Street every day for a little bit of peace.

8. Your belongings are no longer just yours.

9. Your showers and potty breaks are now communal (yes, I said potty)

10. You have more love and joy in your life than you ever thought imaginable.

Hampton is officially 5 months old (Wowza). People are constantly asking me what some of my favorite and most essential baby items are and so I’ve created a list of the things that made our life so much easier.

Mirror – This is a must have. I love the mirror because you can see the baby when you’re driving. You know if he is crying because he spit up or if he is asleep, etc. It is a definite must.

Aden and Anias Swaddle Blankets – I love these. They were by far my favorite blankets and we are still using them (at 5 months). They are great for swaddling but also to cover your baby without using a thick heavy blanket. If your baby is hot natured like mine, that is an important factor. 

Boppy – We use our boppy All. The. Time. I use it when I’m nursing Hampton, feeding him a bottle, reading to him, etc. He is also starting to try to sit up and he loves propping up in the boppy. It’s great to lay your baby in.

Swing – I was very back and forth on whether or not to purchase a swing. All kidding aside, I don’t know how we made it the first month without it. Hampton loves his swing. It is great because you can strap them in while you fold laundry, wash bottles, pee (for the first time all day), eat, and all the other fun mommy things you get to do once your baby arrives. It’s a win/win. They love it, you love it.

Mams Pacifiers – I loved these pacifiers because they were smaller and didn’t look like they were swallowing my child’s face. They are also much cuter. I mean, come on. Those nurser pacis are U-G-L-Y. No offense if you use them, but you know it’s true. 

Baby Gowns – These were great for the first couple of months. I put Hamp in them every night. They make your tired exhausted life so much easier at 3 a.m. when you don’t have to worry about snaps. You just pull it right up, change ’em and done! They also have mittens which are also great so that your baby doesn’t scratch himself in his sleep.

Taggie – We have a taggie that was made by a woman at our church, however this one is similar. I don’t know that we would have made it without taggie. Hampton started teething very early (around 3 months) and he was too little to hold a teething ring or anything for that matter. The taggie was perfect because he could grasp it and chew on it and it kept him very content. We still cannot leave the house without our sacred taggie.

What are some of your favorite baby items?

Hello there! I am hoping and praying this is one of my last bumpdates. I can’t believe I am 37 weeks pregnant already! I am very aware that babies (especially first) come when they want to, so I’m not getting my hopes up that he will come early, but a girl can dream! I am definitely starting to get a little uncomfortable and our evening walks are getting tough. I went to the doctor today and we had our final ultrasound! Our little man weighed 6 lbs. on the nose! I’m so thankful we will have a normal size baby and not a 10.3 pounder like his father was. The doctor said she thinks he will be around 7.5 lbs. I am 1 cm. dilated and 40% effaced!

I’m trying not to rush these last couple of weeks because I want to savor every last moment of our family of two. I know things will never be the same. That makes me sad in one way but so excited in a BIG way for this next chapter of our lives. I can’t wait to see Hampton and hold him. I’ve been about to die to kiss those little feet that have been kicking me all this time. It’s weird to think there is a full grown baby in my stomach right now, but then he kicks and I’m quickly reminded that that is indeed the case. I can’t begin to tell you how thankful we are for this incredible blessing.

With all of that being said, I’m also getting very anxious and nervous about the delivery. I do NOT want a c-section. It is terrifying to me. I’m praying so hard for a natural delivery, and would greatly appreciate your prayers as well. Fingers crossed we have him soon! I’d be okay with going into labor any day now. Again, a girl can dream!

I’m off to eat some pineapple and bounce on my birthing ball! Have a lovely weekend!

Ryan and I have been so blessed with an amazing church family, family and friends. We have been so overwhelmed by their support, prayers and beautiful gifts over the past few months. Our little boy is already so blessed and has more clothes than I do. Our first shower was held in our church building and honored us and 3 other couples. It was a very special night.

Silly friends!

My cousin actually had her baby 4 days after this picture was taken! We are so excited to welcome Natalie to our growing family! I’ll post about our third shower once I get some photos back from it. 🙂

How far along? 34 weeks

Baby Size: 5lbs. 19 inches (What to Expect app)

Weight Gain: 32 lbs. 

Button: Belly button is neutral. I’m expecting it to pop any day now. 

Feeling: Ready. We are getting so close. I am so ready to see my little man!

Maternity Clothes: All the time. I actually found some really cute black shorts at Khols for $6 this week! They have been a life saver.

Sleep: I’m not sleeping at all. I wake up almost every hour to Hamp moving or needing to go to the bathroom.

Miss Anything? Sleep. And of course my old body. I’ve had a hard time mentally, with this whole getting huge thing.

Movement: All the time! He is getting stronger every day.

Looking forward to: Our 36 week ultrasound! I am ready to see him again and find out his weight!

Bump: If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen pictures of my growing belly. It’s definitely out there now! I finally took a “belly picture” this week. I’ve been awful about that.

Exercise: I’m mostly walking. My doctor said that is the best thing for me right now. It will also help induce labor in the coming weeks.

Anything making you sick: Meat is making me sick again. Unless it’s in a cheeseburger. 🙂

Nursery: Our furniture FINALLY came in a couple of days ago, so I can breathe again. I will post pictures of the nursery when we finish it. I’m just thankful baby H won’t have to sleep in a drawer.


Favorite moment this week: Our baby showers which I will post about later, as well as watching Ryan put together the stroller. It was very entertaining, but he did it like a champ.

This Labor day weekend was spent celebrating our family. We started the weekend off by celebrating Ryan’s great-grandmother’s 90th birthday! She is the sweetest and most generous person. It was so much fun to see the family and enjoy time with her.

Sweet Tanner sporting his Auburn hat at Nanny’s party.

Later that day, we took a fairly spontaneous trip to Jax Beach. We decided at the very last minute to go. We celebrated my grandfather’s 80th and my grandmother’s 75th birthdays. We surprised them by showing up late that night. The weekend was very relaxing. Pippa seemed to enjoy the trip.

On Tuesday we went to a few used bookstores that we like to hit when we go down there and we hit the jackpot! 22 books for $19! Now we just have to find a place to put them all. We also lucked out and found a highchair for baby H! I’ve been looking every where for an old high chair like this one. It does need to be re-painted, but we have just added that onto our list of things to do before baby. I’m absolutely in love with it! We found it at a yard sale for $20. You can’t beat that!

How far along? 32 weeks

Baby Size: 4lbs. 19 inches (What to Expect app)


Weight Gain: 30 lbs. (yikes)


Button: Still in but only slightly. 

Feeling: Excited and nervous. I’m so ready to meet baby H but getting anxious about the delivery. 


Maternity Clothes: YES! Moms-to-be, give in to the maternity jeans. They have been a life saver. I also bought some black and white pants for work and they are great!

Sleep: I’m sleeping okay. I still wake up multiple times a night, but I’m getting used to it and maybe it will help me be prepared for those first few months.

Miss Anything? Being able to tie my own shoes without using extreme acrobatics.

Movement: All the time! He is getting stronger every day.

Looking forward to: My baby shower next week!


Bump: If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen pictures of my growing belly. It’s definitely out there now!

Exercise: Still walking and swimming. I’ve also tried this prenatal Pilates series thanks to another blogger’s suggestion. That has been a nice change.  

Anything making you sick: Unfortunately, my morning sickness has come back. I’m hoping it will go away soon but I’m not holding my breath. It has mostly been in the mornings, but has hit me at night a couple of times. 


Nursery: Still waiting on our furniture to come in. I’m starting to get a little antsy, but they assured me it would be here within the week. We will see…