I am finally sharing details and a review on our Uppababy Vista stroller! Easton just turned 11 months and we use it everyday. When we first got pregnant, picking a stroller was huge for us. There are so many out there and I wanted to make sure we chose one that not only worked for us in the beginning but that we could keep and use for awhile. We went to Buy Buy Baby and tested out a few. As soon as we both pushed the Uppababy Vista we were like, this is it. 

This stroller is legit the Mercedes of strollers. It glides and is so easy to push. People ask all the time what my thoughts are on it and I am freakin obsessed with it. 

It is beautiful to start out with. I loved how sleek and chic it looked. It has a beautiful leather handlebar, a ventilated canopy and extendable UPF 50 sunshade, which keeps your babe cool and comfortable. It's very aesthetically pleasing and that is one thing I love about it.     

We have the MESA car seat and it attaches perfectly. I did a few stories sharing how easy the stroller is to use because it is insanely easy. Everything is one click! 

If you're like me and a busy mom with a bunch of stuff you will love the extra large, easy access basket with a 30 lb weight limit. This is great to hold your diaper bag, toys, purse, shopping bags, etc. 

I see more babies in our future and I love that this stroller can turn into a double! I love that it grows with your family! Our entire family loves this stroller and I would recommend it to anyone! You can click below to shop our favorite Uppababy products. 

This post was sponsored by Uppababy. All opinions are my own. 

I am already getting emotional writing this. What better day to tell you about Easton's birth story than on my birthday. You are the best gift I have ever received Easty boy and you truly will never understand how lucky I am to be your mama. I am very excited to share with you guys this amazing, loving, empowering, life changing and unforgettable experience. Now let's talk about how he came into this world...

CONTRACTIONS STARTED

It was Friday November 1st, 2019 and I had a photoshoot with my friend Lindzy. Let me rewind and tell you I already had my hospital bag packed and in my car because I thought I was getting induced earlier but my doctor changed her mind. Halfway through the photoshoot I looked at Lindzy and said, " I don't want to freak you out but I'm definitely having what I think are contractions." They felt like bad cramps. I came home, did a try on session, got some food and relaxed with Justin. I woke up Saturday to worse cramps around 10am. I told Justin and you guys, you would have thought I was having the baby on the floor at that moment. Justin started freaking out, running around the house, trying to get everything in order. 

FIRST TRIP TO THE HOSPITAL 

I said, babe calm down I am fine but I'm in pain. I remember standing at the top of our stairs bending over as Justin was at the bottom of the stairs looking at me and he said we are going to the hospital!! I showered, did my makeup, brushed my teeth and we stopped at Tim Hortons (I had heard to make sure to eat before) and headed to the hospital around 11:15am. 

Justin was seriously so cute. He dropped me off at the front, went and parked the car and sprinted in with the bags. He was flustered the person checking us in was taking a while because he knew I was in pain. Once we got checked in, they put us in a room. 

They checked me and I was 3-4cm dilated and 70% effaced. They put me on the monitor and watched me for 1.5 hours but my contractions were irregular (7 minutes apart) and not super close together. They sent us home and said to come back when it got worse. 

We left the hospital, picked up food, went home and tried to nap but they were getting worse. Justin downloaded a contractions app for me to time them. I was pacing around our bonus room and would bend over anytime I got one. Justin kept telling me to lay down but it felt better to stand. I finally gave in and curled up in a ball on the couch next to my phone with the app opened up. I did it for one hour and two separate times an alert came up that said go to the hospital! At this point the pain was so bad I could care less what I looked like I just knew we needed to get there. 

SECOND TRIP TO THE HOSPITAL 

Justin was in a panic (again) lol. When we got to the hospital around 9pm we pulled up and I got the biggest contraction. It was so bad I couldn't get out of the car until it passed. I waddled in as Justin parked the car (and this is actually really funny) the guy at the front was a younger kid and he looked at me and asked if I was there to visit someone. YOU GUYS, lol. I was huge, waddling, out of breathe and looked at him and said no I'm in labor. Then he freaked out and said omg let me grab you a wheelchair lol. 

We got into a room and they checked me. Somehow I was still only about 4cm but 90% effaced now. The contractions were super close and I was in so much pain. I knew I wanted and needed the epidural. They had me in a room on a monitor waiting for my delivery room. 

Once we got into our delivery room I was in so much pain I didn't even open my eyes for a long period of time. My mom and my sister came (I am super close with both of them) and were trying to calm me down. My nurse, unfortunately, was not very nice. She was an older woman and acted like I was a pain for her. The time came to get the epidural and Alyx (my sister) said Nicole it's ok, it doesn't even hurt! She knew I hated needles and was trying to make me feel better. My nurse (right before I got the epidural) said, "oh wow really? I have seen people jump off the bed it hurts so bad!" Justin later told me him and my mom looked at her like they were going to punch her lol. 

I received the epidural around midnight and it felt like a bee sting. But once I got it I was in lala land. I said on my stories that I've never done ecstasy but it has to be what it feels like because all of the pain was magically gone. From 12am-7am my nurse said she wanted to check me every hour. She had me flat on my back and would come in and flip the lights on, change me, check me and flip me then we would wait. She kept saying every time I was closer. Finally at 7am her shift was over and a new young, bubbly, super nice nurse walked in. She was like girl why are you flat on your back? We've gotta sit you up and get you to start pushing! I was so excited. I liked her a million times better already. 

THE BEST TEAM 

At 8am they called the doctor and he came. Oh ya I missed that. My entire pregnancy I had a woman doctor I loved and I found out the day I went to the hospital she wasn't on call and wouldn't be delivering my baby. My only real criteria was that I didn't want a guy delivering the babe. Guess who was on call? The only guy at my doctor's practice. He came in, cool as a cucumber and had me start pushing. He was amazing. I instantly felt at peace with him delivering the baby and he helped me focus on my breathing. Justin was at my head, my mom was holding my leg and my sister was recording everything. All three of them were coaching me, telling me how amazing I was and truly were the best. I couldn't ask for a better team. 

GO TIME

As I continued to push, I realized I could feel what felt like his head on my left side. Oh no. The epidural had wore off only on the left side. I told Justin I couldn't do it. The pain was so intense. I remember looking around and I could tell something was not right. I later found out Easton's heart rate got up to 200 and that was when the doctor said he was going to "help me." He used the vacuum and I heard my sister say omg Nicole he has a head full of black hair! My doctor said Nicole look at me and give me your hands. I reached down and grabbed Easton and pulled him out and onto me. Ok officially crying. The song "You are the Reason" by Calum Scott was playing on my playlist. I looked down at you and you were staring right at me. That is when I truly experienced the most amazing love. My baby was here. November 3rd, 2019 at 9:23 God gave me the best gift I have ever received. My boy! Easton Brooks Leffew. He was 6lbs 13.5oz and 19.5 inches long. He had a head full of black hair just like mama but was daddy's actual twin. I could not have been more thankful the labor and delivery went smooth and we had a healthy baby. For the next hour I held him on my chest and had skin to skin. He latched right away and he was so peaceful and calm. 

Justin had to skin to skin after me and just when I thought my heart couldn't be more full. Seeing him staring at Easton, being "daddy" for the first time was the most precious and special moment. 

It is insane what our bodies can do, just when I thought I couldn't do it, I did. It was the most incredible experience and even though at times I felt the most pain I have ever felt I would do it 100 times over if it meant I got to see Easton at the end. 

Thank you for blessing me a 1,000 times over Easton. You are my best friend. I love you so much. XO

Hi girls! I have had a few of you request this post so I wanted to share the goods with you! I have been exclusively breastfeeding for 16 weeks now so I have learned what you really need! Here are my top 10 must haves:

1) Nursing bras- I have tried a few and these are my top favorites. My sister used them too. They are cute, super comfortable and look like sports bras. The snap is super easy! 

2) Nipple cream - this helps a ton in between feedings. Your nipples will be sore, cracked and may even bleed but if you keep a cream on them it will help them heal. I love this one because it's safe for baby and mama! 

3) Nursing pillow- I have used this since day one! It has truly helped out my back because it brings your baby closer to you so you aren't hunched over! Plus it is comfier for them! 

4) Cooling gel pads- these were amazing in the beginning. Nursing makes your boobs so tender and these help a ton! 

5) Nursing cover- I loveee this cover. How cute is the print? I love that you can use this multiple ways. It can be a carseat cover, nursing cover, shopping cart cover, stroller cover, etc. I always carry mine if I am breastfeeding in public. 

6) Pump- this is the pump I use and I love it. Always check with your insurance first before buying one because they covered ours! I started pumping to create a stash for if and when I'm ever not home and Justin has Easton! 

7) Nipple shields- I struggled with the pain in the very beginning so my lactation consultant recommended these and helped a ton! After a couple weeks I tried without them and it didn't hurt anymore. 

8) Burp cloths- Easton has acid reflux really bad so we pretty much wear a burp cloth on our shoulder or have one super close 24/7. But when I'm nursing I definitely need one to clean the milk off of his face and excess milk on my boob. 

9) Nursing tanks- these are great but I wear my nursing bra all the time so I don't wear my tanks a ton. I do like these though if I'm leaving the house and am feeding him in public.  

10) Nursing pads- you will leak and these are lifesaving. Milk has stained a lot of my shirts before I started using these and wearing my nursing bras 24/7, lol. 

Always make sure when you are nursing you drink tons of water and have snacks on hand because you will be very hungry! :) Hope this post helps! XO

Our very first doctor's appt. Justin took it without me knowing. Seeing our little bebe for the first time!

We're having a baby! 

Hi babes! This post has been a long time coming. I am currently almost 37 weeks so I'm a little behind on my pregnancy posts but super excited to share as I know there are a lot of other first time mamas out there/ girls who are trying to get pregnant. The most important thing I want you guys to know while reading this is that - I am not a medical professional. I am not telling anyone to do what we did or that we had the magic solution. Always consult your doctor with any questions you have! PS- if you have any questions at all or just want to chat, send me a DM on my Instagram: HERE!

WHAT WE DID TO GET PREGNANT

I never thought we would have trouble getting pregnant. The thought never even crossed my mind. We were both excited to start a family but thought that the second I got off birth control it would happen so we waited to start trying until I was 28 and Justin was 30. I was healthy, Justin was healthy, we both workout frequently and thought it would be super easy. The first month passed without taking birth control and I was so shocked I wasn't pregnant. However, I had been on birth control for 11 years and had heard it takes your body awhile to adjust after you stop taking it. Little did I know that was just the beginning...

Month after month of negative pregnancy tests, I was starting to get discouraged. I went completely off all my medication I was taking. Around 8 months of trying I decided it was time to look into some other things we could do. I started taking Premama Wellness supplements. They have different stages of vitamins that you take to help you get pregnant. While these were great and may helped a lot of women get pregnant, after months of using them we still weren't. I started to get stressed but had heard from everyone that doctors wouldn't even start to be concerned until you had be trying for a year. 

A year rolled around and we still weren't pregnant. I didn't want to be stressed but I was so sad every month. I honestly can't remember at what month I started doing this but I had downloaded an ovulation and period tracker app called Flo. Flo was my godsend. Not only did it track your period but it told you the days you were ovulating and those days were obviously the days we had to make sure to have sex. Also, yes I held my legs in the air after for at least 5 min. The most TMI sentence I've ever put out. 

On top of the app, I was also using ovulation strips. You can buy these over the counter. I wanted to trust the app but needed to know for certain when I was ovulating. I made sure I was eating healthier and working out to get my body in the shape it needed to be in to have a healthy baby. I started taking a prenatal vitamin. But unfortunately, none of these were working, I still was not pregnant. 

I asked Justin what he did and he rattled off a list of probably 20 different things. What actually did the trick we will never know. But it may have been a hormone called Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (hCG), which has been known to increase sperm production. But we are beyond thankful. His advice is to do as much research as you can, read clinical studies, talk to doctors and make your own decision as to what you are going to put into your body.

HOW WE FOUND OUT

It had been a year and a half of trying. I would religiously check my app (Flo) to see if I was ever late. January of 2019 came and I checked the app. I was 6 days late on my period. I remember freaking out and being so beyond excited. I texted my sister immediately and she was like NICOLE TAKE A TEST! I took one test and it was negative. I told myself it was in the middle of the day and it's always best to take a test first thing in the morning so I waited until the next morning and took another. It was negative again. I was so sad. 

March came and it was right after my birthday. One night Justin and I were watching tv and he said, have you started your period? I realized I hadn't and it had been awhile. I checked my app.....in big bold letters it said 9 days late. I was happy but after January I did not want to get excited. He said go take a test! 

I grabbed a test from the closet and took it. It was a generic one and after I took it I looked at it and sighed. I told Justin it was negative. He said let me see it. I gave it to him and he said BABE. You read the test wrong, you are PREGNANT. I said no I'm not. No way. I just remember smiling so hard for so long. I said we don't know for sure I am. I'll take another test in the morning. The next morning I went to a boxing class then stopped at Walgreens and picked up the two fanciest tests there was. You know, the ones that say PREGNANT or NOT PREGNANT, lol. I came home and took 2. Both immediately said pregnant. This was the best birthday present I had ever received...we were having a baby. 

FIRST TRIMESTER RECAP

Symptoms- I went to Memphis with my mom and remember telling her I was so frustrated because I had gained 5lbs. I know this sounds so stupid but I have been the same size for years. I remember being so exhausted and then my boobs started hurting. So so tender. 

Cravings- CARBS. Bagels, cereal, mexican food.

Food aversions- coffee. yogurt, chipotle. 

Sickness- I only threw up twice my whole pregnancy and they were in the first trimester. Also- I don't know why they call it morning sickness. I felt sick more in the afternoon/evening. 

Mood- tired, weak, giddy. 

Favorite pregnancy apps- the bump, babycenter and kinder (this helps you pick names!) 

Best parts- knowing I was actually pregnant. Seeing him at the first ultrasound. Hearing Justin talk about him. Seeing how big he grew every week on the app The Bump. 

If you are currently pregnant, congrats! If you are trying, I am praying for you. I hope this post can help to bring some, if any peace to you that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Love you girls! 

Gotta go, I think my water just broke. Jk. :)