almost done...

the chair arrived today!

i'd been searching for a couple of weeks at our local discount stores (ollie's and big lots) to see what kind of furniture they were getting in. i found a couple of possibilities early on, but then upon further investigation, the recliners at ollie's didn't rock, and justin wasn't crazy about the pattern i found on a recliner at big lots. we went back last weekend to see if big lots' inventory had changed, and we found this one on friday night. we checked a couple of other places on saturday and i convinced justin that we wouldn't find a better deal anywhere else. once we decided that yes, this would work for us, we went up to the register to purchase it and found out that they were running a deal that weekend. all we had to do was sign up for their customer reward program (free, no strings attached except for e-mails about their deals) and we got 20% off the chair since it was a large purchase (otherwise, you got 20% off after spending at least $20 10 times--not as impressive.) so we got another $50 off the price and an even sweeter deal. i've had many friends share with me the importance of having a chair where you feel comfortable being able to doze off. i also love the idea of curling up in the chair to read books when he's older--and it will easily transition into our living room at some point if we want to move it around. so a good investment overall!

we got these from babies r us--wall hangings as a part of another bedding set, but it continues the sports theme on the other side of the room...
and this little dog made herself at home. she apparently thinks the chair is hers (along with several of the toys that have squeakers or fun noises.)
justin decided to test out the story-reading feature with pepper. she looks quite interested, doesn't she?
we have a side table/nightstand coming sometime next week to go by the chair (for drinks, books, etc.) and that will be it for the nursery! i spent most of this morning and afternoon washing loads of baby clothes, and now davis has a full dresser of clothes, with stuff ranging from newborn size to about six months.

alright, that's it for tonight. headed to bed soon!

another shower and nursery update

again, apologies for going another 10 days without posting. we've been busy and getting caught up on several areas, including my last bit of editing from previous photo shoots and organizing the nursery. it's so hard to believe that next week is the beginning of october! i am finally feeling more confident that davis could come early and we'd be okay--but i'll still give him some time :)

today at lunch, we had my baby shower with my work friends. i work at a small mental health agency with some amazing friends. i really am blessed to work with some great people, and even some of my friends that no longer work there came back for the shower today. so nice to catch up with them!

i could not get over the details on this gorgeous (and delicious!) cake--the baker did such an awesome job of matching the details in davis's room.
and amber wowed us again with one of her adorable diaper cakes--she included lots of necessities, like pacifiers and medicine droppers, as well as some "life is good" stuff--and the diapers were chlorine-free! though we plan on doing cloth diapers for the majority, i like the idea of chlorine-free disposables when we have to use them. less impact on the environment with chemicals going into the ground, fewer harsh chemicals on my baby's bottom.
oh, and this sign was so cute. can't wait to put it on our front door!
a peek at the menu...
and one more shot of that cake--i will gladly pass along the information to anyone who wants to use this baker. cheaper than "your perfect cake" and the detail work was amazing.
after we ordered, it was time to open the gifts! davis got some great ecu stuff...
lots of toys and things to entertain him...
and some practical (and still adorable) gifts--the perfect combination!
after the gifts were opened and our meals came, we had fun catching up with one another and enjoying a delicious lunch. i'm so grateful for my friends at the office and will miss them dearly while i'm out on maternity leave! but i will be back and excited to introduce davis to them when he gets here :)

now, on to the nursery. i love how it is coming together...

after doing so many sets of letters for other people, i got a chance to do a set for my own son last weekend. i based it off of his bedding and am so happy with how they turned out. justin hung them up tonight above the crib...
oh, and our mobile is in there. we went with one that had the interchangable cards with black and white designs that are supposed to be visually stimulating to newborns, with the colorful design cards for when he gets older. we found it here and since i wasn't crazy about the mobile that came with his bedding, it seemed like a good option.

this is the dresser that justin put together last week and the lamp we picked up at target to bring in some of the sports themed stuff. that's his humidifier on top of it, and then the bags and bags of bottles/pumping supplies that i've gotten from friends that i have yet to sort through. (i may need help with that one day from one you experienced moms out there--i'm not quite sure what i have and what i need and it's a little overwhelming.)
this is the other side of the room, with his toy storage container and bookshelf that we got at the shower two weeks ago. we also bought the alphabet artwork on the wall from target--i've been eying that since we knew it was a boy, and i love the colors and fun design. to the right of this area will eventually be the rocker-recliner that we bought last weekend but haven't picked up yet from the store. justin's making arrangements to get that home tomorrow, so we'll update when it's there. i'm so proud of myself for finding a good deal on this chair, and it's going to be perfect for rocking him and reading books to him.
the changing table, with diaper supplies building up underneath. you can see the first set of diapers that we've gotten on the bottom shelf, and our next set is on their way right now--hopefully should be here next week.
and the closet--lots of blankets, towels and crib sheets--with drawers full of hats, socks and bibs.
part of my plan for this weekend is to wash all of this stuff--haven't done that yet! it seems like it should take several loads, but i know it's small stuff and it won't actually be that bad. we're at home for the rest of this pregnancy, and i'll be staying busy by doing one last maternity photo session, picking up our order from spring run market, and catching up on work stuff.

overall, i'm still feeling good most of the time. i've had some occasional pains with my hips stretching, and i've been careful not to let my feet swell up too much in the evenings. i'm not sure about braxton-hicks--i think i might have had some tonight, but wasn't positive about that. otherwise, i still can't complain and feel so lucky that i've had such an easy time with the pregnancy. i am getting close to the point where i feel massive, though--like i question "how much bigger can my stomach actually get?" and clothes that had fit up until this point aren't quite making it. only about one more month....

more updates later when our chair gets here!

whirlwind baby weekend

wow, it's been quite a weekend! i feel like we're still recovering from it--and we certainly have much more to do in the nursery (more on that at the end.) we scheduled two showers with our friends and family in fayetteville (where i grew up and most of my family still lives), and then our research on 4-d ultrasounds had me booking an appointment at the local ultrasound place there, too. so justin, pepper and i headed down there on friday evening after work, and on saturday, we started our day getting a peek at our little man (along with about 10 of our family members who were able to join us.)

he kept that hand up there by his mouth for most of the time, even with us doing lots of poking and shifting him around!
he wasn't really happy with us at this point--too much poking? everyone said "awww..." when that face came up on the screen!
finally one with his hands away from his face--i'm loving his cheeks and little up-turned nose!
after the ultrasound, we went back to my grandmother's house to eat lunch and visit for a while. then it was time to get ready for the shower with our extended family at my great-uncle and aunt's house about 20 minutes away.
it had started raining by then, so the shower was moved inside to their garage. they had some great decorations, like this adorable diaper cake...
and lots of blue!
after enjoying a great barbeque dinner, we played a couple of games and then had fun opening gifts. the shower had a "library" theme, and guests were encouraged to bring a copy of their favorite childhood book and inscribe it to davis rather than a card. what a cute idea!
justin and i had fun checking out all of the different books that we remembered as kids--and then some new ones!
(thanks to my sister-in-law rachel for taking these photos during the shower!)
we got a couple of our "big" items at the shower, including our pack and play and swing.
this was one of justin's favorites--a textured foam book. so cute!
it was so great to visit with everyone--and we are so thankful for everyone who came!

on sunday, we went to church in the morning and then had lunch at one of our favorites spots in town for chinese food. the ladies quickly got ready to head back out, while my brother and justin went to a sports bar to watch the first few games of the nfl season (justin was given a reprieve for this shower, since it would be women only.)

sunday afternoon's shower was hosted by several of the women from our church in fayetteville, most of whom have known me since i was a little girl and i grew up with their kids at school and in youth group.
they had some delicious snacks...
(and i'm still enjoying this adorable cupcakes--i took several of them home!)
we got some amazing gifts there, including this beautiful blanket that my grandmother knitted...
and lots of cute outfits!
a shot of everyone who was there to enjoy the shower
we finished up with another one of our big gifts--a storage organizer for davis' room :) time to get all his toys and stuff in order!

so sunday night, after we got home, we started putting everything together and getting all the supplies ready for davis' room.

here's the changing table that we painted and put down new contact paper--and yes, i know the contact paper has wrinkles. i gave up on no wrinkles and figured it would all be covered up with items anyways.
our pack and play, all set in our bedroom where davis will be sleeping for the first few weeks.
the matching swing, and another view of the bookshelf we got at the "library" shower.
and the yet-unpacked stuff from the showers (along with our seat cushions for our outside patio furniture--don't mind those)
we have a lot of work to do!

i'm actually sitting here right now watching justin put together the dresser that came in today--so we should soon have a place to put his clothes that he'll be wearing for the first few months. that will help us make some order of the crazy closet--at this point, it's just bags and piles of clothes, both new and hand-me-downs from relatives. such a blessing!

just an update on our appointments--davis' heart rate is holding steady around the 130s and no major concerns at this point. i am starting to get some swelling in my ankles during the evening, but otherwise, i'm hanging in there.

we have enjoyed watching/listening to the pirate football games the past two weekends--ARGGGH! i still hope to make it to one game this year, but not sure which one that will be. justin has obviously enjoyed the start of the nfl season and is quite into his fantasy football team. and work is going steady--still keeping me incredibly busy, but we're starting to get to the point where there's a clear plan for my maternity leave and getting everyone in place to take over once the time comes.

i will try to post again soon--maybe i'll do a post of all the edited photo shoots i've done recently. that's also slowing down, but i'm still catching up with the editing. never a quiet moment around here!

weekly update

i feel like i'm going to realistically be posting about once a week now--until things get a little bit calmer at home and work, at least. the smaller, daily posts just aren't happening, but i appreciate you sticking around for the longer weekly posts!

first of all, we finished the nursery! it still has a few details to finish up, but we're so happy with how it turned out. we can't wait to start filling up the room with other stuff!

after working hard all week on the nursery, we were excited to take it easy this past weekend with an overnight trip to the beach. i had scheduled a bridal shoot a long time ago for saturday evening, so we decided to make a full day of it and get a hotel room for the night. justin's mom and sister joined us on saturday, and we had a relaxing afternoon on the sand and in the water.
luna (heather's dog) joined us as well--she is such a well-behaved dog! pepper could learn some manners from her :)
and then davis was putting on a show for heather--she got to feel a couple of good kicks while we were sitting there!
(by the way, be impressed that i put pictures of me up here in a bathing suit. the low chairs and my 30 week belly did not combine for the most flattering positions. in other words, i feel like i look like a beached whale up there, but i also remind myself--i'm 30 weeks pregnant and in a bathing suit. what do i expect? so the pictures stay.)

we were staying at the seahawk, one of the motels where my family has stayed for years. we would come down for a week in the summer and rent one of their villas that's attached to the side of the small motel. i love that the seahawk has a pool, as well, and a nice green lawn with sunchairs and hammocks overlooking the beach.
ahh, nothing better than swinging on the hammock chair with the beach just a few feet away.

i left the beach a little early to get ready and meet up with the bride and her entourage. i love doing bridal shoots and was so excited to do one at fort macon and on the beach. can't wait to share them later in october once the wedding is here! stephanie made a beautiful bride and the weather was just perfect for photos.

as we were finishing up and doing some silhouette shots, i decided to ask if they would take a similar picture of me backlit by the sun. i love how it turned out and will definitely have to find a place for it in our house.
once i finished with pictures, justin and i headed out for a late dinner and came back full and tired. i think we were in bed and asleep by 11--i personally was excited for a night without the animals (the dog and cats rarely let us sleep past 7 or 7:30 at home on the weekends.) we did have a visitor, though--about 20 minutes after we had turned out the lights, a cricket of some sort started chirping and i decided i could not sleep through it. so i determined where he was (on the ceiling) and sure enough, we turned on the lights and there was a tiny cricket looking thing up there. however, the ceilings were tall (since we were on the 2nd floor, they were going with the pitched roof of the building--about 14 ft, justin guesses) and there was no way we could knock it down easily. so we proceeded to throw flip flops at it while standing on chairs (just justin on the chair, i was safely on the ground) and finally knocked it down by swinging a towel at it. i'm sure the people below us were quite curious as to what was going on. actually, it's an older motel and is built like a fort, so they probably couldn't hear us at all. but it was amusing!

the next morning, we got breakfast at our favorite diner and hit up the beach one more time. we had originally planned on going down to see my grandparents on sunday, but our plans changed later in the week when my grandmother ended up in the hospital. so rather than driving another hour down east to see then, we were able to go visit across the bridge at the hospital. the only thing that i regretted about not making the drive was missing out on posing in front of the sign and store in davis, nc--one of the little towns along the way to my grandparents' house in the "downeast" area past beaufort.
that's actually one of the reasons i wanted to name him davis, along with the family connections on my mom's side and justin's family's side.

but we found something close enough on saturday night as we were driving around to find somewhere to eat...
we'll come back with davis next summer to pose in front of his name at the beach (and the town, too!)

hard to believe that we made our last beach trip as "just us." and based on how much we packed for "just us," i'm not sure i even want to think about what we'll have to pack for our family of 3!

halfway through the week, and we're both excited about the long weekend coming up. it'll be a football weekend for our pirates (though we won't be going to the game--too hot for me at this point. i'll hold out for the possibility of making it to an october game--if this little guy allows me to make it that far!) and we're ready to get caught up on some projects around the house, as well as lots of relaxing and enjoying the day off.

hope everyone else enjoys the holiday weekend!