Welcome back, friends! I know it’s been a while, so I wanted to share a few updates…
The Biggest News of All
In case you haven’t heard, we’re having a baby! Yep, we will be welcoming a baby boy in late February 2018 and couldn’t be more excited. After almost 5 years of marriage, we decided it was time to jump on the baby train!
And the question everyone always wants to know…will he be a 5th? After a lot of back and forth, we decided to stick with tradition and name him Charles Parson Gaylor, V. It’s a big name with a long legacy, but we know that he will make it his own just like the men before him. We will call him Charlie and love him forever!
Marriage
Married life is great! As you can imagine, there have been some pretty big changes since we found out about our little one, and we know that life is about to get turned upside down in a few short months. But after 11 years together, we have learned to be a great team. I thank God every day for blessing me with the most loving and supportive husband. (As my dad likes to say, I batted 1,000!) Whether it’s counseling me on my business, telling me it’s all going to be ok when I have a crazy pregnant lady meltdown, or giving me those oh-so-necessary back rubs, he’s the best. I can’t wait to watch him become a dad! (Ok, enough mush before the ugly crying starts back up.)
Career
I’ll just throw this out there. Leaving a comfortable job with salary and benefits (and maternity leave) and going into self-employment full time is hella scary. It’s been over 2 years and I have days when I’m so proud of myself for all that I’ve accomplished, and days where I’m so insecure about my future that I browse the job boards. It ebbs and flows. But I have been so humbled by the trust that my clients put in me, and the work just keeps on coming. I feel that it’s a luxury when you get to the point where you can turn down business that doesn’t seem to be a good fit. In the early days, I would take anything that came my way, but now I can be more selective. I am, of course, apprehensive about the shape that my career will take once Charlie arrives, but with the support of the aforementioned super-husband, I know I’ll be just fine.
House
To be honest, we’ve kind of just enjoyed the last year of no major projects. We’ve been focusing on our careers and getting debts paid off, so as far as the house goes, we’ve been coasting. But as soon as we got those pink lines on the pregnancy test, both of our heads started filling with the laundry list of house to-do’s. I’ll be sharing a post about nursery plans later, but for now we’ve cleaned out my old office and moved it into the living room downstairs. When we found out I was pregnant, we immediately started calling contractors to get going on a kitchen renovation, but they are all so backed up that no one could fit us in before Charlie arrives. (Great for the construction business and the economy, bad for us.)
We have a few smaller projects scheduled before February, like some gutter repairs and repairs to the carpentry work on some of the eaves. We’re also considering adding some insulation to the house to help with heating and cooling, but when all your walls are plaster, it’s a big undertaking. But don’t worry, I’ll keep you posted!
Sully
I couldn’t have a big life update without including baby #1! Sully is still sweet, loving, cuddly, and all kinds of cute. He’s also responsible for getting his baby brother to move for the first time. Turns out if a dog pounces on your pregnant belly, the baby doesn’t like that. But all is well. I can’t wait for these two to meet!
