Dave and I are so excited to introduce Iris Ann Owens! This post (and many more) are long overdue, but I've been too busy soaking up ALL the newborn snuggles. Our little love arrived exactly two weeks past her due date at 6:38 am on September 3rd, weighing 7 pounds, 12 ounces and 21 inches long.

She has been so strong and smart since day one, we're two very proud parents. 1 Samuel 1:27 could not be any truer..."For this child I prayed..."

We had her name picked out for years, right after my Grandma passed away. One of the hardest things for me to wrap my head around was the fact that she would never get to meet my children. I had the idea to name our first daughter Iris, after Grandma's favorite flower, and luckily Dave loved it as much as I did. Ann was my Grandma's middle name, along with mine and Dave's Grandma, so that was a natural fit as well.

As soon as I found out I was pregnant and I calculated my due date, I had a feeling she would be a girl. Her due date was the same week as my Grandma's birthday, and since Iris was the only name we'd agreed on, I knew it must be a wink from my Grandma in heaven. Sure enough, I was right!

I have roughly one billion pictures to post, so I'm going to start with photo overload on this one. And when your Dad's a musician, a Pink Floyd onesie during newborn photos is a must...

Iris Ann Owens, you are loved beyond measure...

♡ MALLORIE

follow along

Eating healthy and making sure I'm giving baby all the proper nutrients was extremely important to me this pregnancy. I've always eaten really healthy, but what I eat seemed to carry so much more weight when I was pregnant with Iris. I like to think that watching what I ate did some good, my midwives even raved about how healthy my placenta and the umbilical cord looked when she was born!

What to Expect® When You're Expecting is now in a brand new 5th edition with a fresh perspective, up-to-the-minute information and advice, including information on a few of my favorite superfoods and whether they're healthy while pregnant. Most of them are a bit unknown and should be checked with your healthcare provider, but my midwives okayed most of them!

I didn't eat these superfoods in surplus though, usually just when I made my pregnancy smoothie, which includes flaxmeal and chia seeds. This is something that you have to go with your gut on and use in moderation during pregnancy, but since I ate so much of them when trying to conceive I felt good about eating them in small quantities while I was pregnant.

*My little sister-in-law made the "you are so loved" canvas...isn't it cute? I'll be sharing more nursery pictures soon!*

The book answers every imaginable question expecting parents could ask and offers solutions for every pregnancy and postpartum symptom. I'm loving the chapter on postpartum information right now and Dave's been watching me like a hawk for Baby Blues/Postpartum Depression, but I've been lucky and feeling really great so far.

Also, all medical coverage is completely updated, including everything expectant moms need to know about the Zika virus. As if pregnant women need anything else to worry about, now we have to avoid mosquito bites, which is next to impossible if your blood is as tasty (apparently) as mine! But, it's nice to know all the facts and all we can do is our best at steering clear of situations that might put us as risk.

Did you read What to Expect While You're Expecting when you were pregnant? If so, what information did you find most helpful?

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

♡ MALLORIE