Take Time for Yourself

Stay at a hotel by myself
Everyone has their opinion on consecutive baby showers.  My personal opinion is if you want another baby shower, go for it!  I feel like big life events (is there a more grand event than a new baby? nope...) should be celebrated, doesn't matter if its your first child or fifth. I am a fan of celebrating anything really; a promotion, the end to a long week, the beginning of summer.  Life is meant to be celebrated and I enjoy finding any excuse to celebrate so you better believe I wanted to do the same with Baby #2!

Although I wanted to celebrate in some sort of way, I also don't need anything and I didn't want friends to feel obligated to purchase a gift.  I decided that for my birthday (about 6 weeks before my due date) that I wanted to get a hotel room all to myself for a night.  I know it sounds crazy, but I have never stayed at a hotel by myself and it is something that I have always wanted to do.  I decided to have a little shower/birthday combo celebration at the hotel; friends could drop in and hang out by the pool during the day, we could order pizza for dinner, and then I would have the evening all to myself to relax before I am fully submersed in newborn land.

I booked a room at The Hyatt House in North Hills, Raleigh, NC.  It was the perfect hotel because they are known for their large rooms with kitchens, they had a nice pool with a bar, and free breakfast (which always makes me excited). Summer weekends are always hard to get folks together and I was surprised at how many of my friends could make the event.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all those who came to celebrate! I seriously have the best group of friends who I would not trade for anything in this world.  They brought all my favorite food and plenty of champagne to go around.

with my best friends, Katie Carlough & Catherine Wagoner

 with Caroline Griffin

 with Rachael Estes, Melissa Abrams & Mim Williams

 with Sarah Beck, Maggie White & Holly Johnson

with Emily Price, Caroline Griffin, Katie Carlough & Lauren Garris

After everyone left, I really didn't know what to do with myself.  I sat in silence for about 10 minutes before  I decided to spend 2 hours in Target going down every aisle (with some of my gift cards!) and got some things for myself and the baby.  I ordered a glass of delicious cabernet from the bar, took a hot shower, donned my robe and face mask, finished my book, relaxed on the couch, and went to be early (duh).  The next morning I slept til 10 am, thanks to the black-out shades.  Kenny and Holden came over to enjoy breakfast and more lounging until our late check-out at noon.  Staying in a hotel by myself, although I can see how it would get lonely on a routine basis, was EVERYTHING AND MORE that I envisioned it would be.

Lately I have really stressed the importance of self-care in my life.  Self-care does not have to be anything expensive, extravagant, or time consuming.  It can be a manicure or massage, a nap in the rain or sleeping in on a Saturday, a glass of wine on your patio or 10 minutes of silence to finish your coffee, reading a chapter in your book or a charcoal face mask.  Think about what makes you feel relaxed and confident and try to add more time for yourself into your life.  We all have 24 hours in the day and we are all busy, but if you manage your time for yourself it can make all the difference with every aspect of your life.  Taking time for yourself makes you a better person, spouse, parent, daughter/son, friend, coworker, etc. 

Before I checked into my hotel room, I was feeling overwhelmed with how busy work has been, anxious for all the things we needed to do and buy for the new baby, and irritable since my house was a wreck and laundry was piling up.  After a night in a hotel by myself, I just felt so calm, collected, and appreciative.  I looked over and saw these two laughing and I just thought to myself "Wow.  How did I get so lucky?" I am so thankful for everything that I have and this is my favorite stage of life so far.