My Experience Consuming Caffeine During Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

I did not consume any caffeine when I was pregnant with my first child. I cut out all caffeinated coffee, tea, and pop for the entire duration of my pregnancy. I continued a caffeine-free diet after my pregnancy too while I was breastfeeding. Everyone, including my doctor told me that it was best not to consume any caffeine because it could have negative consequences for the baby. So I listened... for the first baby... 

This past pregnancy (my second child), I ignored that advice. I drank coffee almost every morning of my pregnancy. I did not consume a lot, maybe 2-4 cups per day. I was a little nervous about doing it but coffee works like an antidepressant for me. I really feel that it helps me be a better, nicer person (and mother!). I am sure I am not the only one that agrees with that statement! As the time grew nearer for my baby to be born, I started to feel paranoid that my baby was not going to sleep because I had consumed too much caffeine. Once he was born, I continued to ignore that fear and I drink my morning cup of coffee. 

Funny thing is that both of my babies had about the same sleep schedule and similar behaviors. They both required feedings every 2-3 hours around the clock for the first month, into the second month. I believe my second baby (where I consumed caffeine) slept longer earlier than my first baby. He currently sleeps 6-8 hours in a row starting when he turned two months old. He occasionally sleeps less, but the sleep schedule fluctuated a little with baby #1 too. I reread my old blog post, Sleepy Mommy & Daddy Pictures, to find that my first baby started sleeping 8 hours in a row at 10 weeks old. Both babies were/are not colicky. They cry when they need a diaper change and when they are hungry. That is pretty much it. 

Therefore, based on my experience, drinking caffeine while pregnant and breastfeeding has no effect on the baby. I am not a doctor, nor am I promoting caffeine use during pregnancy! I am just stating my personal experience for those of you who are also feeling guilty about consuming caffeine during pregnancy and breastfeeding. 

Best of luck to all you mamas! =) 

How Fast Do You Lose Weight Postpartum? [My Experience]

I gained a whopping forty pounds during my first and second pregnancies. The weight all came off very quickly and easily after my first pregnancy. The same thing is happening with my second pregnancy's postpartum period. This second time around, I have been recording the numbers to entertain my curiosity. Keep in mind that everyone's bodies are different but here are my results so far. My son was born January 1, 2014, so it has been two months since his birth.

Really pregnant! And 2 months after delivery-- excludes the sucking in tummy nonsense ;)

Pre-Pregnancy Weight: 135 pounds
39 Weeks Pregnant: 176 pounds
Total Weight Gain: 41 pounds

3 days after delivery: Lost 20lbs (156lbs)
6 days after delivery: Lost 6 more pounds (150lbs)
2 weeks after delivery: Lost 2 more pounds (148lbs)
1 month after delivery: Lost 2 more pounds (146lbs)
6 weeks after delivery: Lost 2 more pounds (144lbs)
2 months after delivery (Current Weight): Gained 2 pounds (146lbs)

Two months after delivery, I am still up 11 pounds. I have not been exercising so the only weight loss activity I do is breastfeeding. Since my weight has gone up, I feel I am at a standstill. That is essentially my cue to start exercising again! You should not stop exercising to begin with but as we all know... life happens and exercise takes an unfortunate step down our priority lists.

All this weight gain and body destruction is a small price to pay for creating such an adorable creature!

The Birth Story of Oliver Fox

Post by Metro Health.

My little Oliver's labor and delivery story is much better than Miss A's story. Meaning it was far shorter and far less painful than my experience with Miss A. Unfortunately, with all birth stories it was still very painful and I never want to go through it again! (You can read The Birth Story of Amelia June if you missed it.)

My body started to make some progress around the end of week 36 in my pregnancy. I started feeling slight cramping as if I were about to start my period. This lasted for a couple days and triggered my curiosity. I thought my son would be born shortly after those aches and pains began. I went in for my regular prenatal 36 week check up and nothing was happening down there. No dilation yet. Another week went by with no labor symptoms. Around 38 weeks, I started feeling Braxton Hicks contractions. I thought those were the real deal because the contractions were every 5-10 minutes for several hours. However, when I changed positions or walked around the contractions would disappear. That is how I knew it was false labor. I ended up figuring out how I could trigger Braxton Hicks contractions. I simply bounced on a birthing ball for an hour or longer while watching TV. I sat in various yoga positions (Malasana, Baddha Konasana, and other poses meant to induce labor) and just stretched while sitting on the floor with my legs in the splits. I was able to make my body have false labor contractions.

A couple days later on New Year's Eve, I had my 39 week appointment and discovered that despite the disappointment of false labor contractions, they were helping my body dilate faster. I was then dilated to 3cm. The doctor asked me if I wanted my membrane stripped and I said yes. She told me that there was a 50% chance I would go into labor if I had that process done.  It was not painful and only felt like a normal cervical check. As soon as I left my appointment, real labor contractions began. It was 11:00am and the contractions started out faint but consistent. I decided to go shopping and run as many errands as possible to distract myself. Miss A and I went to Target for some last minute baby supplies. We walked around for a good hour or longer. Then we went to Field's Fabrics to buy some clearanced fabrics to make baby blankets. After that we did a little grocery shopping at Save A Lot. It was at that last store that I started to get nervous because the contractions were starting to feel stronger. They had consistently been 3-5 minutes apart since they started at 11am.

Around 3:00pm, I called my husband home from work. He was supposed to be home already but ended up being forced to stay late. While I waited for him to get home, I bounced on the birthing ball in attempt to ensure my baby was getting into the correct position for delivery. The contractions ended up being fairly painful around 5:30pm and we decided it was time to drive through the winter storm (30 minutes) to the hospital. The car ride there was not so calm and peaceful. Every contraction sent me breathing deeply in tears and yanking off my seat belt to relieve some pain. Sitting in a car is NOT a good labor position in case you were wondering.

We arrived at the hospital and I realized I forgot my purse... It didn't matter though. Everyone who saw me entering the emergency room was super happy, saying "YAY! A NEW YEAR'S BABY!" I smiled as best as I could. After all the complaining about NOT wanting a baby born on a holiday, it really was pretty exciting. Luckily, I had my doctor's appointment that morning so when the triage nurse did a cervical check, I was dilated to 4cm and they could prove that my cervix was indeed dilating. They gave me the epidural as fast as possible. I probably had the epidural around 7:30pm. My contractions were painful but much more tolerable compared to the ones I felt with Miss A. I could focus and actually breathe the pain away with the nurses. My nurse was so helpful and cheery. Everyone at Metro Health hospital was excited about having a chance to care for the New Year's Baby and for the opportunity to deliver the first baby in the county instead of it being born at Spectrum Hospital like usual.

My cervix dilated pretty fast and I was ready to possibly deliver before or around midnight. The only problem was that my baby had his head turned to the side. The nurse kept moving me in funny positions (with one leg propped up really high, etc) to get him to turn. Unfortunately, he was being stubborn and did not want to be born in 2013.

I reached the pushing stage around 1:30am or so. I don't really remember because the epidural started to wear off and I started feeling intense pressure. This part absolutely sucked! I honestly did not feel like I could push the baby out! I was in so much pain, far worse than the contractions I previously felt (yet far less painful compared to any part of Miss A's labor and delivery). I ended up coming down with a fever of 103 degrees. While pushing, I was fiercely shaking, completely frozen with chills, and extremely thirsty. Since I was at the pushing stage, I was not able to get a drink of water or a blanket because the baby could have been born at any moment. It was MISERABLE! Nobody could tell me why I had a fever. They were just as confused as I was.

Oliver took his time and ended up being born at 2:11am. He was the first baby born at Metro Health and the second baby born in Kent County (WZZM 13 News Link) for 2014. He was born famous! He ended up being born with a slight fever because of my fever. He also had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck at the end and came out in shock. It took him a tiny bit longer to start breathing but he ended up being just fine. I did not panic because I just knew everything was going to be alright. I didn't get to hold him until 20 minutes after he was born because the nurses wanted to make sure he was okay. I was sweating profusely with a raging headache so I did not mind. Initially, they were going to give him to me right away but because of our circumstances I waited.

After a few hours, Oliver's fever had subsided. He was (and is still) very healthy and ended up weighing 7lb 6oz and measuring 21" long. My fever subsided sometime the next day. All in all, the experience was much more pleasant than my experience with Miss A. I was even rational this time and let the nurses keep him in the nursery at night! I didn't do that with Miss A for some reason... They just kept bringing him back so I could nurse him throughout the night. That definitely helped me recover a little bit faster. I recommend that all mothers use the nursery at the hospital because you only get that luxury for those first two nights. (Then you enter hell...) :P

Now we are lucky to have a healthy and beautiful family of four to live and grow with for the rest of our lives. I am sure it will be truly wonderful. When I am not sleep deprived, I sense the full beauty of it!! We are blessed.

Third Trimester Updates (Second Pregnancy)

I have not posted much about pregnancy symptoms this time around.
Basically, this second pregnancy brings much more aches and pains overall. The doctor says it is because my body has "been there, done that" and everything is already stretched out, which often causes more pain in subsequent pregnancies. I have not gained any additional weight compared to my first pregnancy. In fact, I will probably end up gaining less weight overall.

Here is a pretty picture I took of myself today. I am 36 weeks and 5 days pregnant.

36w5d pregnant

Aches & Pains Experienced

• Pelvic Girdle Pain: I have been unable to lay flat and lift up my legs since my third trimester began. It feels almost impossible to flip over while laying in bed at night. The pain shoots from my lowest abdominal muscles down my legs. I lay with pillows and do some recommended pelvic floor strengthening exercises but nothing seems to help it completely. My temporary solution has been to pull my entire body over with just my upper arm strength and simply grit my teeth through the pain. If I could stay laying in one spot all night (it would be a miracle!), I would only have pain when I sit and stand up. My doctor is very unhelpful and unsympathetic when I describe this pain to her so I have not had a confirmation on what this pain is called. However, I believe it to be pelvic girdle pain. 
• Sciatic Nerve Pain (Could be related to above issue): I can no longer vacuum, sweep, or mop my home because the ending result is long term sciatic nerve pain and sore lower back. The pain is so strong that I am unable to walk without limping or using objects to lean on to move around. I can no longer go shopping unless it is a very quick trip because the pain from pushing the shopping cart forces me into bed rest. The pain will not subside until I have completely rested for a full day or longer!
• Minor cramping and occasional sharp lower abdominal pains: Starting this week (36 weeks pregnant), I have experienced very minor cramping. It feels like I am about to start my period but obviously I am not. I have been feeling slightly nauseous too. Yesterday and today, I have been feeling very sharp pains in my lower abdomen. It is very quick and does not happen regularly. I had this pain every 2-10 minutes for about a half hour earlier today and then it stopped entirely. I am anxious for my next prenatal appointment to find out if this is normal but I am not concerned enough to call and ask. My baby is kicking around a lot, the pain is inconsistent, I have no blood or other leaking fluids, and my water has not broke. 

These are my main unpleasant pregnancy symptoms that are very different from my first pregnancy. My first pregnancy was a breeze! My biggest problem then was being unable to breathe and panicking often about the lack of air getting into my lungs. I was very paranoid about that happening again with this pregnancy but it has not been a problem yet. I must just be carrying this baby much lower than the first. 

Biggest Pet Peeve: My MIL states how big I am every time I see her and talk to her on the phone (which is often) and exclaims that I am going to have a huge baby... So irritating that I would like to ban her from visiting the baby in the hospital. I did not have that problem with my first pregnancy and I gained a total of 40 pounds for that baby. So far, I have only gained 30-31 pounds. I was pushing 35 pounds a couple weeks ago but seemed to have lost some of it... due to starving myself to boost self confidence! <--- totally joking. But really, I don't feel huge... I feel like a normal pregnant woman and that is how I want to be.

Emotional Status: Thrilled to be having a baby boy and can't wait to meet him! Though, I am frightened about how sleep deprivation and postpartum hormones will affect my mind this time around. Last time, my mind was mush and I could not multitask for the life of me! Ahh!! I am still way excited to meet my son and for my daughter to meet her baby brother! I am also a little nervous about how a new baby will affect my daughter's behavior but am prepared by having no expectations! =)

Our Family Christmas Tree 2013

This is our second real Christmas tree together as a family. We were really ambitious and wanted to pick out the biggest, tallest tree...

So many Christmas trees... So many choices!

Miss A found her perfect my size Christmas tree and when I told her it was too little, she found the next best one... which we seriously contemplated bring home for five minutes!

And after walking around forever, we finally found a nice soft bristled tree that doesn't shed or poke you to death. (I forget the type of tree... it was a self service tree farm so I wasn't able to ask.) We bought the same type of tree last year too.

Cutting down our 11ft Christmas tree

While daddy cut the tree and loaded it into the truck, Miss A & I goofed off... =)

It just hilarious watching him carry this humongous tree... that we would later cut an additional 2ft off because our ceiling was only 9ft tall... ! Too funny!

I had to deal with my own troubles of hiking through the field carrying a baby... having to pee... and sciatic nerve pain striking at every step. But still, I couldn't miss out on picking out our family Christmas tree!

35 weeks pregnant

Four hours and fifteen bucks later, we had a fully decorated Christmas tree in our living room!

35 weeks pregnant- Mommy & Miss A

Daddy & Miss A

Merry Christmas everybody and have fun decorating for the holidays if you haven't done so already! =)

Pregnancy Belly Button Video

I apologize in advance for both creating and posting this video of my belly button!
I am 33 weeks 5 days pregnant and could not resist showing you what my belly button looks like at this stage of my pregnancy! It's not really thhaaatt disturbing but maybe you will think so!! HAHA! =D

Do enjoy.

Babymoon Road Trip through South Appalachia

We went on an actual babymoon this pregnancy!

I really wanted to take a vacation before our first child was born but since we were wedding and honeymoon planning, a babymoon was not top priority. So now after having experienced life with a newborn and truly understanding sleep deprivation, a babymoon was essential this time around!

So we really did it! We took our first road trip together and spent five days exploring some of the larger cities in the Southern Appalachia region. We stopped so frequently and got plenty of walking exercise so there was no problems for my third trimester pregnant self!! =) This was our last getaway before our son arrives sometime around January 6, 2014. We chose the following cities to explore because we also are thinking of relocating next Spring. [Read Thoughts on Relocating Family Out of State]

[Cities in order of road trip visit]

• Lexington, Kentucky
• Knoxville, Tennessee
• Asheville, North Carolina
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Charleston, West Virginia
• Ashland, Kentucky

We started our trip around 6:00pm after my husband got out of work. Our goal was to drive the longest stretch of the trip that night, so we could officially start touring the next morning. It was a nightmare driving through Indiana because there was so much construction and we could only drive 55mph. My husband was forced into work two hours early (4:00am) so we were really happy to finally reach Kentucky. That's when the speed limit kicked into gear and we felt like we could actually reach our first destination! We ended up stopping at a nicely remodeled Motel 6 north of Lexington.

I drove first so obviously I needed my picture taken! ;)

Kentucky

I never took any pictures downtown Lexington, Kentucky for some reason... I simply forgot. But we started our first morning off by taking a good hour walk around town. It was a fairly nice city. We wanted to eat at a local cafe for breakfast but ended up not finding one so we headed to the nearest Waffle House. We passed so many Waffle Houses on the way and had never tried it before so it all worked out. I ordered waffles and hashbrowns, country style with sausage gravy! Yum. My favorite thing about the southern states is that the hotels serve biscuits and gravy! I don't know why that doesn't catch on in Michigan. It's so delicious. After walking downtown, we stopped at Fayette Mall in Nicholasville, Kentucky on our way out of the city. I bought a scarf... which is super cozy and visible in most of my pictures throughout the trip. Then we headed to Knoxville. On our way, we visited Fort Boonesborough and Cumberland Falls. 

Our first room at Motel 6 outside of Lexington, Kentucky

I thought this was going to be a cool picture so I had to take it. Plus it shows a Kentucky license plate. =)

So many colorful cows!! That white gate on the right is open... Cows could have easily walked out. 

Fort Boonesborough, Kentucky

Daniel Boone settled here from 1775-1780. Each cabin had people in costume assuming roles of various positions in the settlement. It was very intriguing to see how the people actually lived back then. And of course, it's always great to catch up on a little history. For more information about this location, visit the Kentucky State Park website here.

Fort Boonesborough State Park 

Inside Fort Boonesborough in Kentucky

Inside Fort Boonesborough, Kentucky

Entrance to Fort Boonesborough

Cumberland Falls, Kentucky

Looking down at Cumberland Falls

Mist from Cumberland Falls

Lower view of Cumberland Falls

Proof we were here!

Knoxville, Tennessee

This was my absolute favorite city from the entire trip. The whole road trip, I kept wanting to go back to this wonderful city. The atmosphere was so welcoming and people were very friendly. A random guy (aged 30-45) told us both "Congratulations" as he passed us in the street. I smiled and thanked him. At first I didn't realize why he said it... Then duh-- I am obviously pregnant and he was congratulating us on our baby. HOW NICE! We visited the Knoxville Visitor Center and they offered us free parking for two hours and extended it so we could stay to watch a free concert hosted by the local radio station. A police officer even said, "Howdy" to me! (Yes I realize only northerners would be excited about such things!)

The State Theatre of Tennessee

The State Theatre of Tennessee

Tennessee River

Interesting art near Knoxville Market Square

Knoxville Radio Station WDVX 89.9 FM Hosts Free Concert

Year of October playing live on air WDVX 89.9 FM at the Knoxville Visitor Center

Black Cadillacs played next at the Knoxville Visitor Center

We ate lunch at Bella Luna restaurant in Market Square. Cheap, delicious Italian food in a fancy setting!

Leaving Knoxville, Tennessee. (I never wanted to leave!)  Asheville, North Carolina bound.

Beautiful scenery on our way out of Tennessee

 More beautiful scenery on our way out of Tennessee

Tunnel through the Mountain

Welcome to North Carolina!

Beautiful Forest Covered Mountains in Fall at North Carolina Welcome Center

At Rest Area/North Carolina Welcome Center

Forest Covered Mountains in Fall

Asheville, North Carolina

Before walking through Asheville, I had expected to absolutely love this city. I was certain that I wanted to relocate our family here because it was a larger city in the mountains that attracts a lot of tourists. The housing prices are out of our ideal price range but we figured it was worth checking out anyways. We were lucky enough to get a taste of the Friday night atmosphere to see how weekends could be downtown. There were a lot of college students and older people wearing the craziest outfits ever! I wanted to take pictures of the people but that would have been inappropriate! Now I can't judge a city based on clothing... That is just silly. But the city seemed to be filled with overpowering inscents and hippies of all ages! Many of the shops were tailored to that lifestyle. It did not appear ideal for raising kids... and therefore an inappropriate choice for our family. -- Normally I am very liberal, open minded, and such, but this place reminded me of my visit to Amsterdam, which was quite creepy. (I should have taken more pictures of the street shops but I think I was in too much of a shock from my previous expectations of Asheville!) The city was very compact with narrow roads, which also reminded me of being in Europe.

Band from Washington playing Downtown Asheville, NC

Outdoor Chess Tables

Double D's Coffee & Dessert shop in Bus

Random Cat Statues

We debated about staying the night in Asheville but after viewing the city, I wanted to eat dinner and sleep outside of it! I think my feelings were affected by the fact that I am large and in my third trimester. The hustle and bustle of pot smoking, inscent burning, and dreadlock headed people was just too much to take in at the time. I feel horrible for feeling this way about a possibly great city but it is important to remember that we only stopped by for a short visit! We didn't really have time to give the city a chance.

We ate dinner outside of Charlotte at Binion's Roadhouse in Hendersonville, North Carolina. The waitress was extremely nice and the food tasted great!

Binion's Roadhouse in Hendersonville, North Carolina

We spent the night on the west side of Charlotte in Gastonia at the Budget Inn. We probably should have continued driving to a better area but we were too tired to continue. I did not feel safe here. The area was filled with run down buildings. I felt certain that the lady standing in heels, smoking a cigarette outside of her room at midnight was a prostitute! I could have been wrong... But the fear was there because my husband tells me little bits about the prostitution and drug related emergency calls from cheap motels in Grand Rapid. Yeah...

So, no I do not recommend staying at The Budget Inn. It was run by a kid behind a glass window. We did not get our discount from the coupon book (given at rest stops). They told us they stopped serving breakfast entirely, which was partially why we wanted to go there in the first place. The rooms were filled with excess decorations; couch, metal decorative table and chair set, lots of random curtains, paintings, and several large mirrors. I had to look behind the mirrors to make sure they weren't two way mirrors or covering holes in the wall! (I've seen way too many horror movies...!) It was odd because everything else was so awful that it seemed like they could have spent their money better. There was a static filled TV that did not turn off once we turned it on. I had to unplug it entirely. The coffee pot came with cups, spoons, sugar and creamer. Everything but the coffee! BUT HEY-- It was cheap and we saved money! =)

Budget-Inn Gastonia, North Carolina

Charlotte, North Carolina

We only stayed a couple hours here Saturday morning. Their major employers are within the banking industry and the shopping area was closed on weekends. I found the downtown area to be very well kept up  and clean. We had a quick snack at a delicious creperie located inside a hotel before heading north towards Charleston. Overall, I really liked the atmosphere in Charlotte. It was quite lovely. The northern suburban areas were very nice too. We gassed up in Middleville, North Carolina and all the buildings looked brand new and well spaced out. It seemed like a very nice place to live. Just no mountains of course. 

Welcome to Charlotte!

Downtown Charlotte, North Carolina

New park downtown Charlotte, North Carolina

Look how tall this Bank of America building is! 

Cool decorative statue thing in front of Bank of America... looks like it would fall!

Mirror Art in Charlotte... We need something shiny like this in Grand Rapids!

Fish fountain in park area middle of downtown Charlotte 

Post of all other cities named Charlotte around the United States!

These poems were scattered throughout the park area.

Statue of Books

Hazelnuts Creperie

Virginia

We drove through Virginia to get to Charleston, West Virginia and found a nice little town up in the mountains called Fancy Gap. It was a great scenic detour with amazing views and a delicious restaurant at the top.

Not very flattering outfit that shows my third trimester body pretty well. Oh well! #LOVEVA

Virginia is for Lovers!

Interesting Creature

Fancy Gap, Virginia

Off main road atop a mountain in Fancy Gap, Virginia

Rolling Hill Pasture atop a mountain in Fancy Gap, Virginia

Lake View Motel Restaurant in Fancy Gap, VA (Seriously one of the best places we ate at- Cheap, Friendly, Delicious!)

We traveled on the Blue Star Memorial Highway through Virginia.

Driving through the mountains

Driving through more mountains

West Virginia

The mountains were really fun to drive through in this state. They lasted forever! However, the housing alongside the highway consisted of rundown trailers, junk cars, and refrigerators in the lawns. As we got closer to Charleston, it got a little better though.

Bridge in Mountains

Mountain Drive in West Virginia

Mountain Drive in West Virginia

Charleston, West Virginia

We arrived in Charleston on the Saturday night before Halloween so the streets were filled with zombies. It was definitely cool to see, even though it was creepy because we were unfamiliar with the city! We ended up getting super lucky and getting an excellent deal at the Holiday Inn Express downtown Charleston. We were willing to spend a little bit more after the previous night's hotel experience. It was also the last night of our road trip. The hotel receptionists were very friendly and told us a little bit about what to see and where to eat in the city. We ended up ordering in though because we were exhausted. The next morning we toured the city and viewed the beautiful Kanawha River. Charleston felt really foreign to me because it is a very long city packed in between the mountains and runs along the river. All the surrounding cities were packed together near the river too. The mountains were on both sides and towered over us. It was sort of mystical at night.

Holiday Inn Express located downtown Charleston, West Virginia

Downtown Charleston, West Virginia

Kanawha River, Capitol building in the distance

At the Daniel Boone Park in Charleston, WV looking at the Kanawha River

Charleston Capitol Building

Leaving Charleston, West Virginia

On the way home

I wanted to stop at one smaller city called Ashland located in Kentucky. It ran along the southern banks of the Ohio River and ended up being more industrial looking than I had anticipated. I thought it would be further into the mountains but it rested in the smaller foothills. We just drove through it quick and then headed home. I didn't capture any pictures of the area other than the state welcome signs.

Welcome (Back) to Kentucky!

Welcome to Ohio!

Ohio

I have never liked the state of Ohio... mainly because I am from Michigan and Ohio just seems lame, except for Cedar Point. Plus, I am strongly against Ohio State University's football team. I AM A MICHIGAN STATE FAN!! Go green! Anyways, I truly loved everything I saw in Ohio. The suburban areas and farmlands were all very comforting and nice. Nothing from the highway looked run down. It appears to be a thriving state. However, we did not stop anywhere but a gas station and simply drove through the entire state. I was surprised that southern Ohio residents have a southern-like accent. (Northern Michiganders have an accent too so it looks like lower Michigan is the only people without an accent! HA. :P) 

Ohio's Appalachian Gateway

Colombus, Ohio

Farmland in Ohio

My husband said we have to beware of "JUMPING DEER"... like we don't have a billion of these signs throughout MI!

More farmland in Ohio... I actually find farmlands quite comforting and enjoy the scenery.

I love our Pure Michigan sign!

To be fair to my state, I stopped at our welcome center for a picture!

Sunset in Michigan sky 

And that was the end of our trip! We had a blast touring these parts of the United States! I had never been to North Carolina, Virginia, or West Virginia before so it was awesome seeing parts of those states. We were also very excited to get back home and break from driving so much. We rushed to grandma's house and picked up our daughter that we missed so so dearly! (I have never missed her so much!!)

I hope I didn't offend any readers who live in the states I briefly reviewed. We were only there for a very small amount of time and those were my first impressions! Everyone in all the cities was really nice to us. I would like to revisit Asheville one day and look around a bit more. But as for new cities to move to, we will probably focus more around Knoxville and other big cities in Tennessee. We both liked that part of our trip the best. I can't wait to start applying for jobs outside of Michigan! But first things first, I gotta birth a healthy son and let him plump up a bit! =)