A Day at the Zoo - Bookends on Willa's Pregnancy

The day we found out we were expecting little Willa ♥︎ Valentine's Day 2016

The day before little Willa was born ♥︎ October 23, 2016

The day we found out we were expecting little Willa, we thought we would celebrate with a trip to the zoo. Navy was finally old enough to really 'get it' at the zoo and Ryan was off work to join. It was perfect and the whole day was a mix of the magic of enjoying our first born daughter take in the world around her while dwelling on the sweet surprise that another little soul would be joining our crew later that year.

Fast forward to my due date coming and going on Saturday October 22, 2016. As we chatted about what we wanted to do that weekend I suggested a zoo day for Navy. Even though I was feeling quite tired from the later stages of the pregnancy, I figured a day focused on Navy prior to baby girl's arrival would be really nice. And the copious amounts of walking wouldn't hurt my progress either ;) We ended up enjoying the sweetest day as a family of three. Ryan was on exclusive toddler management as I was moving closer to a snail's pace at this point haha. We saw all the sights, played on alllll the parks and let Navy run wild and free, wherever her little heart desired. Afterwards, Navy didn't nap on the long drive home like she usually does so we decided to stop in at Costco and really stock up before baby girl made her debut. Hilariously enough, once we were home from our awesome day and the groceries were all packed away a looked around and took stock. Navy was SO content, Ryan and I had enjoyed the greatest weekend together, the house was stocked full of food, neat & tidy. I felt this wave of peace wash over me and I remember thinking 'ok, I'm ready'.

That night I felt the preliminary feelings of labour and our sweet little Willa was born the following day. Amazing how life works sometimes. So grateful, that in the midst of a season that has seen lots of change and transition for our family, Willa's entry into the world was cocooned in peace and intention. The journey of birth is so incredibly important to me and the peace that accompanied hers is a gift I will never take for granted.