Im not sure if I've ever mentioned it here, but last October I got a random email from a publisher from about.com in the nursery/kid portion of the site. I thought it was some kind of mistake when I first saw it on my inbox. Kathryn said she saw our blog on the sneak peek of our nursery and was drawn to it. So she emailed our business email, luckily we had a link to our business website on the blog. She said she couldnt find an email address to contact me so she searched around the links and was happy to have found our website. At first we were apprehensive about sharing our story with her because we werent sure if she was real or not. So, after mentioning it to John that day, we did a little research on her. She's a nice lady and patient at that. We were suppose to get the full interview and pictures done and sent to her after Thanksgiving. Well, life happens and we didnt get a chance to completely finish it by the first deadline. Before we knew it, Tristan was born and life after that was just too chaotic, especially with family flying in and out for a good 6 weeks. We took the nursery pictures back in December, but we never got a chance to sit and edit them til the end of January. We finally sent her the finished interview along with the photos just 2 weeks ago. Yikes! A whole 5 months later! She was very nice about it and understood because she had kids of her own.

We have been wanting to blog the full nursery reveal for a while but wanted to wait 'til Kathryn got the article out 'cuz we promised we'd let her feature it first! So, here it is! We certainly put a lot of thought and creativity into his nursery and we are more than happy with the turn out. A lot of it didn't go according to plan, but we love how everything fell into place at the end.

The theme was a given already. Before we even found out we were pregnant, we already knew we were gonna center it around adventure and travel. I even incorporated some things from one of our favorite animated movies: UP! My birth announcement to John was even adventure related (watch the reveal here!) The day I told John we were expecting, one of the firs things he did after the news sunk in was go on Pinterest to pull up inspirations. I already had a hidden board full of ideas. Well, the bad thing about that is we didnt know where to start. We still ended up with a blank drawing board. We threw ideas at each other and agreed on a lot of things, but we also disagreed on some. It was to the point where we no longer looked at our Pinterest boards and just let it flow as the months went by.

Why did we choose neutral instead of gender color specific? Well, we wanted to keep it clean and simple. We didnt want his entire room to be painted blue just because he's a boy! With this, we figured it'd be a nice space he can grow in to. Its also easy to change out accent colors. We wanted to keep his furnitures white with a mix of rustic and wood to stick to the outdoorsy/woodland part of the theme. 

John got the mural inspiration after our trip to Sutro Baths/Lands End and he noticed the mountain silhouettes in the background on one of the images he took from the trip. That is his favorite thing in the nursery. A lot of things are DIY-ed, thrifted then repurposed, or something we already had. Other things were bought from Homegoods, Ikea, or Amazon. We set a budget for this nursery and waned to make sure we stuck to it. We were fortunate enough to have had my parents offer to buy the crib and mattress! You can find some of the diy stuff we did under the Projects/DIY tab on top of the page! 

My graphic designer sister, Jane (find her shop here), did most of the framed wall art, so we saved a ton of money from that alone, and then John did the wooden and flag signs. This side of his nursery is definitely the woodlands and outdoorsy part. I love the little details here; from that vintage lantern to the woodland stuffed animals. The dresser/changing station was thrifted and repurposed! I totally scored on that because I was starting to fall in-love with the mid-century type. At first I wasn't sure what I was looking for, but when it popped up on Offer Up! I knew I had to have it! I think it blended perfectly, especially how it matches the crib!

That stump table was the last piece we needed to do to complete the nursery. I was so adamant about having one that I searched high and low to find a place that was giving away or selling stumps. I remember seeing a couple houses with stumps and firewood for sale whenever I drove towards the freeway. Lo and behold, there it was. For 5 days we stopped by this house that had a bunch of them on their yard, no one answered. I was almost going to give up until we finally got a hold of them! I was so excited. It was only $5! John got to sanding it, cleaning and then stained it and tada! The perfect side table! This kind of piece would have cost us $180-$300 everywhere else I looked! The vintage luggages was one of the first things I bought for his nursery. This was a part of the original idea we had, so we stuck with it. Which works out because its his little 'travel' area which holds the vintage plane, pilots hat and goggles and the globe! Told ya everything fell into place at the end! :)

Our main purpose for choosing the theme was to hopefully ignite some interest for travel and adventure within him. That no matter where he ends up in life, he should never stop exploring, in any aspect of his life. We want to teach him that experience is just as important as being well-educated. The world is his playground, and he should play in it. The possibilities are endless, as long as he seeks it and goes after it!

It was definitely a work in progress. I spent a lot of time, late nights even, getting things done for the nursery. Overall, we love how it turned out and is proud of the amazing collaboration we had, cuz despite some of the disagreements, we found ways to compromise and make it work where both of us were happy. Alright, lets be real, Im sure he just let me win most of the time! Haha! I remember sitting there after he put the stump side table and just admired the room. It still felt surreal. Its definitely not as clean now as it is in those pictures, but its still my favorite room in the entire house. 

Xx,

Jenn

[I've been meaning to blog about our birth story for the past two weeks, but with a newborn, the holidays and friends & family visiting, it has been impossible to get some time to just sit and blog. And when I do get some free time, I use it to catch up on sleep or spend some quality time with whoever is awake with me. I have tons of saved blogs that I have yet to publish! Oh well, birth story first. I want to share it before the year ends! So bare with me as I try to recollect one of the hardest yet most amazing day of my life. These will be picture heavy. Photo credits: Sloan Photography]

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It was around 8:00 a.m. on December 12, when I started feeling contractions. John left for work at 6 am that day and I went back to bed. At first I thought they were gas pains and that it may just be because I need to use the restroom.  After trying to use the restroom with no luck of relieving the 'gas pains' I tucked myself under the blanket again and tried to sleep it off. I felt the cramp like feelings again at 8:45 a.m., but this time it hurt even more. I curled up in fetal position under the blanket for a good 5 minutes hoping it would go away, but it didn't. It just kept coming and going. So i finally got up at around 9:00 a.m. and went downstairs to find my Mom prepping breakfast. I told her that I think what Im feeling might be contractions. After trying to use the rest room one more time with no luck, I took my phone out and started timing them. They were 9-10 minutes apart, then 7-8, then it'd stop for a few minutes, then come back, and they would get more painful as they progressed. So by 10:30 a.m., I finally contacted John's work to let him know, by noon, John was home. I was walking around the house taking deep breathes when John walked in. I didn't ask to go to the hospital just yet. I decided to try and relax first, shower, and eat before heading out. We didn't head to the hospital 'til 2:40 p.m., and looking back now, I wish I had taken a nap and ate one more meal before heading to the hospital.

We got to the hospital at about 3:00 p.m. and was seen in the Triage room where they monitored me for about an hour and a half. The nurse that was taking care of me walks in at the end and tells me I'm going to be admitted. I wasn't expecting to get admitted that night, but I guess baby boy was ready to make his appearance. We were moved to a L&D room at 5:30 p.m., and I remember being hungry and hoping I could still eat one last time, but John came back in the room with a popsicle and ice chips. I was so bummed. As soon as we got settled in the room, the first thing I asked for was a medicine ball. But sadly, I was only able to bounce on it for about 10 minutes because the baby heart rate monitor kept sliding off. So I layed down for a bit to get situated before asking to stand and walk around. My contractions were getting stronger and were hurting so much more. They were about 2-3 minute apart with a few breaks in between. John was nice enough to let me squeeze his hands every time one came. He was such a good sport throughout this process. Our friend Ashley of Sloan Photography came around 7:30ish p.m., and started photographing right away! So a big shout out to her to these amazing photos!! Now we get to look at them and relive the moment! 

I was trying to hold off on getting the epidural because I didn't want to be stuck on the bed, but by 8:45 p.m., I was over the pain. I gave in and asked for the epidural. I felt like a whole new person... one that couldn't feel anything from waist down. Haha! The medicine started making me a little sleepy so I tried to take a nap, but hospitals are the worst place to try and sleep because someone came in and checked on me for what felt like every hour. I was measuring 3cm, 85% effaced when I went in and it stayed that way for a long time! It wasn't until 4am the next morning that I went from 3cm to 6.5 cm. I just remembered my epidural starting to wear off and I was starting to feel everything again and my pain level going from 6 to 10.. million! Haha! I cried a bit and begged for another dose of something. So the nurse contacted the anesthesia person around 6:50 a.m. and he gave me another dose of something. When the nurse checked me again after the dose, I was measuring 10cm, 100% and +1. I sorta went into a panic mode. I looked at John and thought "OMG! This is it, he was ready to come out!" or so we thought!


My nurse kept telling me to hold off on the pushing because they wanted to wait til I was +2 so that it'd be easier and I wouldn't have to push for to long, but Lord! I couldnt hold off. My epidural wore off again and contractions were so painful that pushing was the only thing that relieved the pain. At about 9:50 a.m., they put the oxygen mask on me because baby's heart rate was starting to drop. We did some preliminary pushes to get me started, I think my nurse felt sorry for me so she gave in and let me push, but man oh man I was exhausted! Lack of sleep was not helping me. I was pushing for almost an hour before my nurse finally said to take a break. I took a quick 15 minute nap and she put the peanut ball in between my legs again to help open up my pelvic and whatever else it was supposed to do. My contractions were so bad that after 20 minutes I said I gotta start pushing again. So back to waiting on contractions so I can start my pushes. It was about 11:10 a.m. when we got started the second time around. Getting his head out was the hardest part ever!! My nurse waited til I was crowning before she called in my doctor. The funny thing was that the doctor that delivered me was the first doctor we saw and the last one before delivery. It was just meant to be! Anyway, I felt the baby crowning and I was wondering what was going on because she told me to stop pushing and his head was just hanging out. Every time I pushed my eyes were closed. I remember opening them and a bunch of people walking in behind my doctor and I knew this was it, in just a few short moments, we were going to meet Tristan.


Dr. Kotsko walked in and took over. The sound of her familiar voice sort of put me at ease. She directed me on the pushes and after 5 or 6 pushes, and at 11:53 a.m., I felt his entire body just plop out of me. It was the weirdest feeling ever. The hardest part was getting his head out, it only took one push to get his body out. I opened my eyes as soon as I felt his body come out and although everything was a blur, I just remember her holding him face down and turned him around as soon as she realized he had pooped inside of me. So she grabbed the suction tool thing and suctioned his mouth and nose to make sure he hadn't swallowed or had any in his mouth and nose. As soon as she finished, little mister peed all over he hands! I just remember laughing and thinking "boy this little one is going to be a handful already!" She called him a little "over-achiever!" Haha! John was able to cut the cord and I started to cry as I watched. They didn't put him on my chest right away because they ended up cleaning him because of all the pee and poop he already did. Funny thing is, while they were cleaning him, he peed for the second time, this time on the Pediatrician! Silly guy! I waited to hear his cry before I could focus on anything else. I remember looking to my side and watching them clean him and was wondering why I hadn't heard a cry yet, and as soon as I heard his cry, I bawled. I couldn't stop crying. They were tears of joy. I looked at John and mouthed "we made that!" Everything happened so quickly. One minute I was pushing him out, the next he was crying across the room. It was the most amazing feeling. One that I can't seem to explain or put into words.




Tristan Ezra Hugo, born 12/13/15 weighing 6lb 11oz and is 21 inches tall. He is perfect! He is ours to love forever. 'Til this day, it still feels surreal. I hold him and stare at him and still can't believe he's actually here for me to love on and give kisses to. Anyway, after he was all cleaned up, we did skin to skin and it was beautiful. They handed him to me and as I was caressing him I said "Hi Tristan! It's Mommy!" He stopped crying and smiled. I about lost it and started crying and laughing. It was the most amazing thing and I was filled with so much joy. He knew it was me. It wasn't captured on camera, but I will never ever forget that moment. It was when I realized I was a mom. My son recognized my voice and smiled at the familiar sound of it. It was breathtaking. I was in love. As I cuddled him, I looked at John again, who at this time was crying himself. He wasn't ugly crying like I was, but he had tears in his eyes. And so did my Mom. I was glad she was able to join us and witness the birth of her first grandchild. I wouldn't have it any other way. They both held my legs up like champs, despite my mom tugging and pulling on my leg a few times and made it difficult for me. Haha! John did amazing at motivating me and keeping me going. After every push he would caress my hair and whisper positive things. I felt so loved. The nurses cheering me on helped also. It was amazing. An experience I will never forget.



After I got some skin to skin with him, I asked John if he wanted to do it as well. So I handed him the baby and they got to bond for a little bit. Afterwards, they gave him back to me to feed. I strictly wanted to breastfeed and was so nervous that I wouldn't be successful at it. The moment I dreaded all pregnancy was about to happen. They showed me how to position him, and because of all the chords and IV still stuck to me it felt awkward, but Tristan latched on for a good 5 minutes. I hope he got whatever he needed during that first feeding because I was really worried. I was reminded that it takes some time before I get the hang of it. The first few days of breastfeeding was very dreadful for me because I felt like he wasn't getting enough of whatever he was supposed to be getting. My milk supply hadn't come in yet and there were times where Tristan wouldn't latch. The lactation specialist that came in wasn't much help. She was very rough and I felt like I had to get it perfect the first time she showed me and I felt very pressured. I'm doing better now though. I got some help from his pediatrician. She was nice enough to guide me and show me both times we went in for baby's appointment. That was when I finally got the hang of it. Looking back, I wish I had taken some breast feeding classes because that was the hardest part for me the first few days. I think i'm pretty pro at it now though! Haha!



This labor and delivery was a long and tiring one, but definitely worth all the pain. Everything I used to just wonder about, I have now experienced myself. And it is true what they say, you can never fully understand until you experience it yourself. Since the birth of Tristan, I have had 3-4 hours of sleep and there are days when I am more irritable than Id like, but as soon as I hold him, all of it goes away. My favorite part is when its just us two awake, and Im feeding him and he holds on to my breast, sometimes my fingers as if Im the most important thing in his life. He makes me feel needed. He has given me a whole new purpose in life. Motherhood isn't easy but it is definitely rewarding. I know this is just the beginning and I am in for a ride of a lifetime and I can't wait to experience them. We used to just hear stories, now we get to tell stories ourselves.

Two and a half weeks have gone by, and Tristan has already changed so much since birth. He is definitely more alert. He lost weight and gained them back, almost weighing 8lbs. He has a strong neck and hates being swaddled. He likes to sleep on his side, no matter what we do, he ends up rolling to his side. He loves to smile and laugh when he's sleeping, and makes the silliest faces. I can't handle all the cuteness he throws at me sometimes. We are so in love with him, he has all of us wrapped around his perfect tiny little fingers.

Xx,
The Hugos