Hannah Morrison

First 3 Weeks of PG & A Summer Look

Alright y’all, I have been writing a BUNCH over the last three months, keeping logs of what I was feeling and experiencing each week- both emotionally and physically. I will be sharing those throughout the coming months, as well as current updates! I also want to promise you this: The Cake by Hannah is not and will not be solely a “mommy blog” now. If you aren’t pregnant or a current mom, this community is definitely still for you. I am not changing who I am as a blogger, just adding something new to the mix! You will still see Presley, my marriage, my shop, my closet, and my faith. There just happens to be a growing belly involved now, too. 😉

I seriously have been so blown away by all of your comments and messages. I am still trying to soak in everything that’s happened over the last week.. but I can’t seem to fully grasp it all still. Thank you so much for being part of my life, y’all! You made this experience ALREADY so much more than I could have ever expected. Paul and I feel so overwhelmingly loved, and just so humbled. Did I say “thank you” enough yet?

Okay, okay, so more about the first few weeks:

As I had mentioned in my announcement post, I found out I was pregnant two weeks in, which was definitely earlier than most. Mind you, we had been trying so we knew to take a test regardless, but it was pretty easy to know… “that time” hadn’t come yet and my dog was CLINGY AS EVER.

I had no suspicion I was pregnant at all though after I had convinced myself I was definitely pregnant the month before and turned out not to be. I was also traveling with my mom the whole first week of pregnancy, and she even joked about me being pregnant because I was nauseous a few mornings. But, I chalked it up to something I had eaten and lack of sleep, because that happens fairly often for me. Then when I finally got home, life never slowed down and I wasn’t able to think much about my symptoms I was already experiencing. I really thought they were all my normal life symptoms of being tired and doing too much. I was always starving, waking up sweating at night, having creepily vivid dreams, and my dog wouldn’t leave my side. They can smell when you’re pregnant, and a mommy instinct kicks in (real life) and Presley literally was guarding my door, following me everywhere, and laying on top of me any chance she got. I also usually want sweets but I was grabbing popcorn, chips, and stuffing my face with all the broccoli and pickles I could. I always love pickles, they’re not strictly a PG craving by any means, but I ate an entire jar in 24 hours week 2.

I started researching OB-GYNS week 3, and picked one close by. I will share all about what I have decided to do for labor and my pregnancy journey soon. (which I am sure will make someone care enough to post about me on Reddit and say I am stupid… 😉 If you don’t follow my Instastories… don’t worry about it, haha.) So anyways, I decided to switch doctors because my doctor was in south Dallas, but with the nature of pregnancy and visits being far more frequent, I decided to find someone in my town.

First Few Weeks of Symptoms

Irritability… out the roof y’all. OUT.THE.ROOF. I think I will start the hashtag #GodBlessPaulMorrison

Just kidding. But no, really.

Emotions… OUT THE ROOF. Crying, yes, and angry as heck at everything.

B L O A T E D and C R A M P S. We are talking like, “Whoa, I know that can’t be my PG belly yet. But my WORD.” While your body is transitioning and the uterus is doing its thing, you are uber bloated and cramping as if you are on your cycle (it’s like a  pinching sensation- nothing crazy or super painful, but you can feel it for sure).

PEEING. ALL THE TIME. Week 3 we were at a conference one day with church staff, and I literally had to get up every thirty minutes. I was definitely drinking water, but I was like “What the heck is happening?!” So, of course, I googled if this was normal. It is. In fact, week three your embryo is finishing attaching to your uterus, and that is what causes you to pee a lot.

Who knew.

HOT. I am very cold natured all the time. But, I started to sweat a lot and get really hot. The day after we found out I was pregnant, I was leading worship with our students for Student Sunday. We were jumping around 20 x’s more than a usual Sunday service, and I was about to pass out. I was so out of breath and seriously dripping sweat. My hair underneath looked like it does after a cycling class. I had to keep ducking down, sitting on my heels any chance I got during rehearsal, and I wanted so badly to be like, “I AM PREGNANT, Y’ALL. Don’t mind me.” I also snapped at our friend and guitar player, and I was like OMG, Hannah… get it together.

I immediately started reading mommy blogger’s posts about pregnancy, their favorite products, etc. and started to get incredibly excited. (Thank you Katey Mcfarlan!) We started planning how we would tell our parents early on, and decided to tell them fairly early because my parents were going to be here along with Paul’s mom at Easter. That would put us right around 5 1/2 weeks.

Weeks 1-3 were just like being on your period, for the most part as far as symptoms go. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but enough to know to take a test if you really pay attention!

Okay, cool, but what about this outfit?

This dress is from Pink Blush, and I absolutely love it!!! It’s the perfect summer dress, and I totally have been wearing it before baby bump. Although… I don’t think that will be much longer! I can see a bump starting and I am so freaking excited. Pink Blush has maternity clothes as well as cute clothes for the non-pregger lady. 😉

You can shop my sandals and make-up below through the links! This heeled sandal I have on is my go-to through spring and summer. My super fun aviators are from Diff Eyewear, here.

xoxo- Han

All photos by Cottonwood Road Photography for The Cake by Hannah

We are…

P R E G N A N T

Y’all.

It’s real life.

We are having a baby.

I literally cannot believe that I am saying that. It’s been so hard to keep it a secret from all of our friends for so long, and from you! Yes, my three weeks of being sick back in April… and I just couldn’t quite shake it… pregnant. Weeks 6-9 to be exact, haha. But now, no more living in secrecy!! We found out week 2… soooo I have kept this quiet for almost three months. (!!!!) And on Saturday I officially start my second trimester. PRAISES. I can’t wait to journey through the next 6 months with you.

The Story

Back in December, long story short, I knew I was definitely not pregnant when it was “that time”, and for some reason I was disappointed. I had never ever toyed with the idea of trying since getting married, and I have never even been that kind of girl that gawks over babies and loves little kids. (Does that make me sound horrible?) My friends always joked that I would be the first person to get pregnant just because fate would have it that way for someone who swore she never wanted kids for the longest time.

When Paul and I got married, I knew he wanted babies and that I was not so sure about it. He never pushed or pressured me one way or the other, though. Other than knowing he wanted kids, we never talked about it. He was happy with whatever made me happy. Adoption was always appealing to me, and it very much still is, but the idea of having babies -like the actual delivery process- horrified me. And, I feared having kids that could hate me. (Just being honest.) With all my health stuff, too, I was told it could be really hard to have babies and it could harm me. Babies just weren’t anywhere on my radar.

So then, when December came around and I was experiencing these thoughts of wanting babies, I starting wrestling with that thought and praying through it. Two months later, I still hadn’t been able to shake the thought which is when I reached out to my besties (because, duh) and I decided to bring it up to Paul. We went out for our anniversary dinner at Whiskey Cake, but we started to fight (derp) because Paul left his wallet at home and we almost left. We stayed though, and were waiting outside for our table trying to shake off our little “quarrel” in the parking lot… haha. I knew I wanted to tell Paul tonight, but wanted to wait until we got to our table and the night already didn’t quite start like I had hoped.

We sat down for dinner, and I puked out the words no man wants to hear, “I have something I want to talk to you about.” Of course, Paul thought immediately he was in trouble about something. And I just started talking about December, how I have been wrestling with the thought ever since.. and now this.

Paul replied with a grin and the words “I have been waiting for you to tell me when you were ready.”  Paul had been praying for the Lord to change my heart toward having a baby for months, and He slowly was.

The Power of Community

The biggest influence on my change of heart toward babies was 100% our church community. One of my biggest fears has been if we have kids we would just fall into the trap that our lives become our kids and my marriage is secondary. I don’t want that- I am selfish for my husband and I want to be best friends forever. Mushy? Yes. True? Yes. Having friends our age and doing life with amazing parents our age, and seeing couples with young kids who still choose each other over their kids, and very intentionally do so, has completely changed my fears and view of having babies. I could do this- and the idea became warm to me for the first time in my ENTIRE life.

So we started trying, and by God’s grace the process was freaking fast. Truly God’s grace, because we were told I could have a hard time conceiving with some of my health stuff. I had truly convinced myself I was pregnant the first month, but found out I wasn’t. So the second month when I actually did conceive, I had no clue. I wasn’t letting myself go there, I was traveling for 3 weeks, and truly chalked up every slight symptom I had to travel, sleeplessness, and multiple time changes. We had just sprung forward and then I was in Arizona for a week, which was 2 hours more off my normal schedule. It was a mess!

Symptoms/How did I find out

Okay, so, when everything came together for me and I decided I should take a test, I was laying on the floor trying to workout and the dog would NOT LEAVE ME ALONE. Suddenly, I remembered reading something about how dogs often will know you are pregnant before you do. They become super motherly, clingy, and bark at everything. For a few days, Presley was more clingy than ever and was literally guarding doors and growling at any noise she heard. She legit would lay by the door and growl at nothing as if to warn anybody she was ready for them if they did decide to intrude. I had also been so freaking hungry for a couple of days, too, y’all. Pickles are not strictly a pregnancy craving by any means, I eat them all the time. BUT, I went through an entire jar of pick halves in less than 24 hours, and started on the Bread and Butter pickles. I was eating broccoli by the loads to try to fill my hunger without regretting it.

I popped up and told Paul, “okay, that’s it. I am going to get a PG test. I just gotta know.” He was like, “Wait- you think you might be? You haven’t had any symptoms have you?” Everything was coming together in my head finally, and I realized maybe all of this wasn’t just because I had been traveling and was off my routine…

I went to Target down the road, and I was so uncomfortable buying a PG test, that I walked around the whole store and managed to pick up two pink bath towels that were on sale for $5. Then I grabbed a test, stuffed it between the towels, and went to self check-out. I know.. so stupid. I don’t know why I am so awk.

Anyways, you can put the rest together. It was positive and here we are a couple days away from our second trimester. I cannot believe how fast things have gone, and I am just getting more excited by the second. This morning was our 12 week exam, and baby Morrison is healthy and heart beating strong! It still takes my breath away every time I hear it, and it’s such a reassurance. As my first trimester symptoms have died down so much the last week or so, I started to think maybe I wasn’t pregnant anymore. The anxiety before my 12 week exam was REAL.

I have logged everything the last few months to share with you guys throughout my pregnancy, and I vow to be real and honest about everything I am experiencing while also being super clear that everybody’s body is different and every pregnancy is completely different!

 The main surprise for me so far? How much weight I have LOST (despite my eating of 7, yes SEVEN, chocolate chip pancakes yesterday… errrr…). Every woman is different, but I have definitely lost weight and wasn’t expecting that. I am just ready for that little bump!

xoxo- Han

Now, about this sunrise photoshoot with Cottonwood Road Photography… holy moly. I literally cried during the shoot and totally cried when I got these back. I am so thankful for this images, they seriously capture our joy so beautifully. Thank you so much, Hannah Hagaman!

Dress C/O Fillyboo

Eyebrows and Tinting C/O Southern Chic Wax

   

 

   

Favorite Places to Eat In/Around Mckinney

It’s no secret I love my little city of Mckinney. Have I mentioned before it was on a list of cities most like Stars Hollow in America? If you watch Gilmore Girls, you understand my excitement over this honor. If you don’t watch it, shame on you. Mckinney is quaint yet fairly large, and you get equal parts of city as you do small town front porch living depending on where you’re at. Head up highway 5 and it’s farm land and small town. Go west of 75, and it’s suburbia. As a small town girl at heart, living in Mckinney just feels right. The little downtown square is my favorite spot, and I actually wept the first time Paul and I walked around the square after we met with the Anchor Church staff for the first time. In addition to the square, new places are popping up around town and just beyond that I am so thrilled about.

Below is my top favorite spots for date nights and lunch around town. You gotta come up and try them out!

Our Favorite Spots:

1. Sugar Bacon: located on the Mckinney square.

Must Try: The Sugar Bacon Appetizer (duhhh) and Bee Sting cocktail

2. Mod Market: Located off 121 at Preston

Must Try: The sweet potato hash OR the prosciutto pizza!

If you have food allergies, you can order GF which is not only gluten free but also yeast free, and it’s so yummy.

3. Sprinkles: Located in Legacy West (opening soon!)

We are legitimately too excited about this one. Sprinkles in Dallas used to know our names because of how much we went.

Must Try: Flavor of the month or Red Velvet!

4. Toulouse Cafe and Bar: Located in Legacy West (opening soon!)

Must Try: The Crispy Duck

5. True Food Kitchen: Located in Legacy West (opening soon!) There is one currently in Preston Center- Dallas

Must Try: Spaghetti squash (the sauce is amazing!!!), kale salad, and any of the cocktails

6. I Love Juice Bar Allen: Located at Stacy and Watters

Must Try: Sweet Greens Juice or Green Smoothie

7. Patina On The Green: Located on Mckinney Square

Must Try: Tomato Soup

8. Spoons: Located on Mckinney Square

Must Try: The breakfast plate and biscuits & gravy! It’s our favorite little diner for breakfast dates!

Plus, you feel like you are in Luke’s Diner. So that’s a major win. 😉

Now for this look- how stinking cute is this jumpsuit?! As soon as I saw it I knew that I needed it. You can pair it with a heel, a gladiator sandal, or even some kicks depending on your mood that day. I am a big fan of the rompers and jumpsuits during the spring, and this one will definitely be making as many appearances as it can. You can shop it here from Tobi.

Let me know if you try out any of my favorite spots! Mckinney is the best for a little day trip with your girl friends or mom. You can grab breakfast at Spoons, then lunch at Patina, afternoon wine at Landon’s, and then grab dinner at Sugar Bacon. It’s a full day of shopping, small town Gilmore-esque type feels, and the nicest people.

xoxo- Han

All photos by Cottonwood Road Photography for The Cake by Hannah

 

10 Things You Don’t Know About Us

 Hey babes!

I have had so much fun getting to know all of you over the last year and a half. It seriously is so much fun hearing from you, writing posts for you, and creating a genuine community with all of you. I thought that since I see so many new faces (or Insta-handles, I suppose) it could be fun to share 10 facts about me and Paul you might not know. I have felt pretty MIA lately with so much traveling and being sick, but I promise I am getting back into my groove and I can’t freaking wait to share so much exciting news with all of you soon. Life is so fun, and I love getting to live it with ya.

T E N  T H I N G S  T O  K N O W

1. I am the baby of my family by 5 years, and Paul is the oldest. My siblings are barely a year apart, and then I was a surprise while Paul and his brother are barely a year apart. We definitely embody a lot of the cliche sayings about the baby and the oldest, which keeps things pretty interesting around the Morrison household. 😉

2. I was a dancer in high school and Paul was a hockey player. We always joke about how HAPPY we are that we didn’t know each other in high school, because we would have hated each other. (Although, Paul thinks he could have shmoozed me. I beg to differ.) I was a goody two shoes and Paul was a rebel.

3. My favorite show since I was 5 years old has been I Love Lucy. I watch it almost daily, and I can probably tell you the entire plot line of every episode within 10 seconds of the show starting.

4. Everybody thinks Paul and I went to college together, but we didn’t! We went to different schools and met through a mutual friend at church. I happened to sit behind him, and he left church that night telling his friends he was going to marry me.

5. I am an INFJ, which people are always like “Nooo, there’s no way you’re an introvert”, which gets me on my soap box about personality types. Extrovert vs. Introvert in most cases is less to do with social interaction, and more to do with how you connect with people and how you best rejuvenate after a long day or with big crowds. I am definitely a glass of wine and a book or Netflix at the end of the day kind of girl, and I have to challenge myself to go out with people more than once a week. Paul is the opposite. He loves being around people all the time.

6. I studied Broadcast Communications in college with a minor in writing, and my internship was at D Magazine as the Weddings and Mom blogger. It is what gave me a love for this blogging thing, and I learned a lot from that. I had to write as if I was a mom, making meals for her kids with a column “What’s for Lunch and Dinner” and wrote the column “Dress for Less”.

7. I have the world’s biggest sweet tooth- I would totally eat ice cream and cake for the rest of my life- while Paul could care less about chocolate and sweets. But, funnily enough he loves sweet and savory stuff like pineapple pizza or sweet ham.

8. I love each season individually- I get giddy as each one’s distinct smell starts to fill the air. But, by far, Christmas is my favorite time of year. I live for Christmas. My best Halloween outfit ever was dressing up as Jovie with a friend who dressed up as Elf, and we won best costume at a sorority event. Paul is equally as much of a Christmas fan, and it was genuinely something early on in our relationship that we both knew we could date one another because of our ridiculous amount of excitement for Christmas.

9.  My most embarrassing moment was during high school in my AP English class. We had weekly themed journals we had to write for a final grade at the end of semester, and we NEVER had to read them out loud… until the worst possible moment came along. Our prompt for that week was to write a piece about something you regretted. So I wrote a great piece about a horrible date I went on with the biggest jerk of the school. The voice of it was great and my descriptives were on point…

Yes. I had to read out loud. Yes. Everyone knew who it was about.

I was absolutely mortified.

10. When I was a little girl, I refused to eat pizza. I know- tragic. I swore I hated it. I also didn’t eat cheesecake until I was a teenager, because I thought that meant it was made out of cheddar or swiss cheese. Now, I would give anything to be able to eat a slice of pizza and cheesecake with my food allergies. I actually have vivid dreams about thick crust pepperoni pizza at least once a week.

Love this two piece set I am rocking? It’s so so cute, and I felt on point for Easter weekend with it. Pink AND gingham? Yes please!  You can find it here from Tobi.

xoxo- Han

All photos for The Cake by Hannah by Cottonwood Road Photography

The Perfect Blush Easter Dress

It doesn’t get any more feminine or beautiful than this Gianni Bini dress. The second I saw it, I knew I needed it. It’s basically all of my favorite things on one dress: blush, delicate tulle, past the knee, sequins, and ruffled cap sleeves?

You. Must. Be. Joking. 

Truly this dress should have been named the Hannah Morrison dress, because it’s literally the dress of my dreams.

I paired it with a lower funky heel by Steve Madden to casual it up just a hair and add my own flare. But, depending on your church or Easter Sunday plans, you can rock it with a higher heel or pump or even a nice flat sandal. Your call, sister, your call.

I absolutely love Easter, and I can’t wait to celebrate with my church family at Anchor here in Mckinney. We will be singing some great worship and hear an incredible message. We may or may not be doing an awesome cover to kick off the celebration by my favorite husband and wife duo band.

Don’t miss it! If you’re even SEMI-local and have nowhere to worship on Easter Sunday, please email me. I would love to meet you and give you somewhere to sit. You’re so welcome here at Anchor, and I can’t wait to show you around. These people and doing life with this community truly changed Paul’s and my life.

You are loved, known, and valued. We want to pull that out of you in ways you didn’t even know possible.

Happy (almost) Easter, sweet friends.

xoxo- Han

Post C/O Dillards

All Photos by Lindsay Davenport Photography for The Cake by Hannah

Shop my whole look below!

***Size reference: I am 5’2 and wearing a 0, and it fits just a little big in the chest area. Usually wear a true to size 0 Petite in dresses.***

LET’S GET SOCIAL