Fair warning: this post may or may not contain a decent amount of “sap” or “cheese”…because that’s where my heart’s at right now and I want to share with y’all! Some of you guys may be familiar with my story prior to getting pregnant. I always knew I wanted to have kids “one day”, but I wasn’t in a hurry to have a baby. I never got “baby fever”. Michael was really ready to have kids and I felt like after being married for 4 years…we’d done so much together and were in a good place to start “trying”. We were extremely blessed to have gotten pregnant almost right away…and from the moment that pregnancy test said “pregnant”, my life was forever changed. I cried tears of joy when we found out…and almost every single day of my pregnancy, I was overwhelmed with gratitude that God allowed us to get pregnant, and would be blessing us with a child. Anytime I prayed for Shiloh while I was pregnant, I started crying almost everytime. Just overwhelmed with how good God had been to us and how thankful I was.
There was still a part of me though while I was pregnant that was nervous about becoming a mom. I enjoyed doing what I wanted, when I wanted. Having freedom. Being spontaneous with Michael. Working however much I wanted, etc. I was a little bit worried about how a baby would change that. If I’m honest, I’ll tell you…Shiloh did change that. Life definitely looks different now. In a lot of ways, it’s not quite as easy, but you know what we exchanged for ease when we had Shiloh? Purpose and perspective.
Fast forward and here we are with a 13 month old and I can honestly say Shiloh is the greatest gift I could ever ask for. Before we had a baby, some of our couple friends with kids would say “omg having kids is the best thing ever. I can’t wait for y’all to experience it”, and tbh…I didn’t fully believe them. I thought “Actually, life with just me and Michael, traveling, little responsibility…that is the best thing ever!”. YES there are so many amazing things about being a newly married couple with no kids! Cherish that season! Grow in that season! But if you’re having any of the thoughts I was before we had Shiloh or when I was pregnant…worried about having a baby…I just want to let you know that having a baby has changed my life forever, and she truly is the greatest gift in the world.
Over thanksgiving, my family went around the table and said one thing they were thankful for this year…my answer was Shiloh, for several reasons. But the main reason being that she has given me an entire new perspective on life and the world in front of me everyday. She’s made me want to be the best version of myself I can be. She’s made me want to love Jesus more, treat others with kindness, have a healthy and loving marriage. Having her has also given me a whole new perspective on HOW MUCH Jesus loves me, and that has completely rocked my world!
This is Shiloh’s second Christmas (she is 13 months old right now) but the first time we’ve been able to do matching pj’s since she was just a tiny newborn last year! Hanna Andersson has THE BEST selection of holiday matching pj’s for the whole family! I was obsessed with this deer print that Shiloh and I are wearing but they have so many other adorable prints as well! I thought the red plaid and ‘tannenbaum‘ prints were also so cute! I love the pair that I’m wearing because they are so lightweight and breathable! I typically don’t like to sleep in pants or long sleeves but I’ve slept SO good in these because of the soft + light material!
I know this time of year it’s so easy to get caught up in all of the Christmas shopping and gifts and travel and busy schedules. So I just want to encourage you guys to stop and remember that “the best things in life aren’t things.” We have so many gifts all around us that trump anything money could buy! I have a few things on my Christmas list but can honestly say…Shiloh is the greatest gift I could ever ask for, and my heart is so thankful…even thankful to have a little cutie to wear matching Christmas pj’s with.
Thanks for reading!
This post was created in collaboration with Hanna Andersson. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!
xo Lauren
