Baby Updates!

Clearly, my life is full and as a result, this little blog has been neglected. Not to worry, things are going fabulously and we are in full swing getting our house and lives ready for this little guy to arrive. My mom came to visit and we shopped 'til we dropped... literally. We worked really hard trying to get the house into a somewhat finished state (furniture, decor, organization, etc.). Need to focus on the house before moving on to baby, otherwise, it'll never get done. Let me tell you, baby stuff is sooooo much more fun. Slowly but surely, it's coming together beautifully. One room at a time. I promise to post pictures as things are more finished.

Big news since my last update, IT'S A BOY! A bouncing baby boy. We surprised my mom and Ryan's mom with a gender screen ultrasound a few weeks ago. It was so special and memorable to have our mom's join us. Not to mention, it's always a treat just to get a glimpse of our little sweetie. He is still active as can be. I'm thankfully still feeling great and starting to actually FEEL pregnant now that I am sporting a little baby bump and even feeling him move. And just for the memory books, I first felt him move on April 5th (16W 1D). Needless to say, it's all been pretty amazing. Now, I just can't wait for Ryan to feel him... patiently, but anxiously waiting for that moment.

Here are some pictures and a little video of mini Dunc at 16 weeks and 1 day:

baby duncan in 3D - 16W 6D on Vimeo.

Today marks another big milestone... 20 Weeks! I can hardly believe we are already at the halfway point. Only 20 more weeks until we get to meet our boy!! This week, he's the size of a small cantaloupe. They grow up so fast, don't they?

We have our 20 Week Ultrasound on Wednesday. More updates to come soon!

Three wonderful years.

Happy three year anniversary to my amazing husband. It just keeps on getting better...

I love you so much!

Spring fever.

The springtime sunshine and balmy temps notoriously leave me lusting for all the dainty, girly, pretties abound the fashion world. But this spring? I'm totally clueless on how to shop. See, I'm pretty sure that this little babe is about to change my body in big ways and I'm not exactly sure how to prepare for that. I am still in all my regular clothes, albeit a little more snug. I feel like one day I'm just going to wake up and have a closet full of clothes that don't fit. It's day by day around here.

So.. while the rest of you are frolicking around in the latest rosettes and pastels, I'll be over here dreaming of these...

{ Buy me here }

{ Buy me here }

{ Buy me here }

{ Buy me here }

{ Buy me here }

{ Buy me here }

Our sweet little babe in action.

I'm pretty sure I could watch these all day :)

turning over on Vimeo.

our snuggle bug on Vimeo.

It's been a good year!

We are thrilled to tell the world that we are expecting the arrival of our sweet baby Duncan on September 19th, 2010!

And now for the big reveal...


MANY, MANY, MANY more details to come!

So many choices, so much fun.

Not surprisingly, I've disappeared into the abyss of home ownership and well, it's just a tad bit tiring. But, fun. But, tiring. Have a mentioned I LOVE our house? Like, love love love our house. I try to make time to just enjoy it, but we seem to be on a neverending quest for the right furniture and decor accessories to make it ours. And you know what, it's hard. The pressure!!! Oh, the pressure! I feel like we are finally in a place of permanency and while I am so smitten with that feeling, I feel like I need to make fabulous choices so as not to waste our hard earned moola and buy things that we'll cherish for years to come. So......... while I continue on that search (and you wait for the big renovation reveal!), I thought I'd take a break and share something a little bit more fun with you.

The always fabulous Seleta of Simply Seleta showcased a cute little Patternality Match today by Liberty of London. You too, can join in on the fun OVER HERE. Not surprisingly, my results are:

{ Click the picture to Englarge }

If you know me at all, you know that this result is not surprising at all. Paisleys = love. However, there are certain exclusions to the above rule. Beach towels, beach bags and pretty note cards, yes please! Upholstery for our dining room chairs, hmm, not so much. Paisley's have a place in my life especially in the above mentioned colors. I love them, but I'm not sure my husband shares the same sentiment. The above description however, love it. So head on over and find your match and hopefully get a little boost of sunshine for the day.

Hope to see you lovelies all again sooner than later. Ta ta!

Two of the Lucky Ones we are.

January 5th was a different day. I think I was feeling a little too optimistic that a new year would bring a wind of change to certain parts of my life that were wearing me down.

But today. Today, I am optimistic. Changes have been made and for those things that I cannot change, I am learning to deal. I am focusing on those things that make me smile and truly truly am feeling blessed by so many things in my life. What can I say, life is just good. Not perfect, but wonderful and miraculous nonetheless.

And when I just don't have the words, there is always someone who does...


Have a wonderful day!

This pretty much sums it up.

Merry Christmas?

Oy. Our first week and a half of homeownership has been a doozy. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE our new house, but the work we are having done has not gone as smoothly as one would hope. Blessed we are to be able to do these things, so I am just trying with all my might to go with the flow and try to be patient. I just cannot wait to reside in the house, instead of the basement where we are staying now. Unfinished, might I add. Time to crank up the Christmas music and get into the holiday spirit... it's got to be lingering around here somewhere!

Not to worry, sweet sweet husband set up the Christmas tree down here and my parents sent a bounty of Christmas presents and a whole entire box of Dad's famous Christmas cookies. Yum! Tonight we will enjoy a special Christmas Eve dinner out and a candlelight Christmas service with Ryan's family.

One thing is for sure, we will never forget our first Christmas in our first house!!! Alas, Christmas is here and we will be spending it with loved ones! Blessed we are!

From our home to yours.... Merry Merry Christmas!

When all else fails, just go to bed.

I can't say last night was a very productive one. When we really should have been finishing packing, picking out paint colors, mulling over the wall texturing, choosing our fireplace insert and mantle and/or countless other tasks, we bypassed all of the above.

We fed ourselves a little dinner and promptly put ourselves to bed. At 9.

I think we're tired.

Bargain Shopping 101.

Remember that beautiful drum shaded chandelier from Restoration Hardware I was lusting over yesterday? I may or may not have one hanging in our new breakfast nook for 90% off + 20% off (yes, thats $40 people!). Details to follow.

xoxo

Our home.

So far, I'm thoroughly enjoying being a homeowner, but oh my, is it a lot of work!  Looking forward to days when I can just sit back and enjoy our new home.  For now, patience will have to do.  We seemingly dove right in to homeownership by starting a major project of re-texturing walls and painting yesterday.  It's a bit of a lengthy process and our house looks to be a bit of a disaster:

Don't let that cute smile fool you, he is not the work horse behind all of that!  
Love you honey! :)

During this 3 week process, we are finding the fun in picking out paint colors, light fixtures and new furniture pieces (And pack!? Oops!).  Choices, choices!  Did I mention I can't sleep when I have a major creative project swirling around my mind?  I think I thrive in these sorts of situations, but I sure wouldn't mind just a few more hours of beauty sleep.

Currently, I'm coveting a drum shaded chandelier for our breakfast nook:

THIS

I probably won't sleep until I find the perfect one!  Well, and quite honestly, one that fits the budget because the one above, surely does not.  :)

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!

Honey, we're hooooome!

And so it begins, we have finally purchased our very first home. Long awaited and well worth the wait.

And yes, my sweet husband carried me across the threshold to bring us luck and good fortune for all of our days. Now who wouldn't want that?

Special thanks to my Mom and Dad for making us aware of this whole threshold business. Ryan and I may or may not have been the last people on planet Earth to learn about this tradition, but good thing we did because we have now been blessed with the following:

Guarding Against Misfortune

Ancient Romans held a superstition that a newlywed couple could be plagued by misfortune, if the woman tripped in the entrance to their home. To prevent this from occurring, the groom would carry the bride inside.

(Edited to Add: I so would have tripped, so thank you Ryan!)

Putting the Right Foot Forward

Early Slavic societies nurtured the belief that a bride must not set her left foot into the newlyweds' home before her right one. Apparently, this would result in many years of bad luck. By entering the home in her beloved's arms, she would not be exposed to this risk.

Shielding from the Nether World

Greek mythology carried stories of evil spirits living in the earth, particularly underground. For this reason, young maidens would scatter flower petals in a bride's path for the wedding celebration. Afterwards, when the couple would retire to their home, the groom would carry the wife through the door to protect her from the evil netherworld spirits underground.

Blocking Demons' Access to the Home

The Viking peoples suspected a bride might unwittingly carry demons from her household of origin into her new home. If her bridegroom lifted her initially into their home, the demons would be prevented from entering with her.

(Edited to Add: I don't think I brought demons with me, but nevertheless, they're gone if I did!)

Dragging the Maiden into the Cave

Of course, we have all heard stories of the cave man, who would growl and grab a woman by her long hair before dragging her into his cave. Ugga-bugga! Call it progress! What woman wouldn't rather be swept off her feet than snatched by her hair by some big lug?

Source: HERE

Sooooo excited for the big move!!

Eeny Meeny Miny Mo.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that at this point in time, my sweet husband and I should be up to our ears in something like this:

Instead, we are completely procrastinating, opting for something much more fun and are up to our ears in this:

  

Here's to hoping that Santa grants my wish for packed and moved boxes this Christmas!

Husband.

Click image to enlarge.

Let's go for a little house tour, shall we?

So much for seeing you on the flip side. I apparently could not resist taking you on a pre-move-in tour of our (almost!) new home. Friday just can't come quick enough! And now for the tour...

Keep in mind, we have a few changes up our sleeves to better suit our decor style, but this will be a fun little memory of the "before."

I just cannot wait to host our lovely family and friends in our new home!!

Four more days...