The Princess Has Arrived!

I mean who are we kidding, you know this baby is going to be a princess! I am so excited to announce that she is here, I have been meaning to give you a little peek of her but I pretty much just stare at her all the time. I plan on going into detail and posting a few of the 300 pictures that have accumulated on my camera in just 5 days but for now I will leave you with this. Nora Leigh was born Tuesday June 10th at 7:32 pm, she weighed 7 lb 4 oz and was 21 1/2 in long! We are home with her now and absolutely out of our minds in love! If you want to see daily pictures of Nora you can follow me on Instagram! But here are a few for now!

 

Okay, I am going to snuggle with my sweet girl now! See y'all soon!

 

 



Nora News + We've Been Featured!!!

Hey y'all! I had planned on doing my final bumpdate today but then I got a very exciting email that changed my plans a little bit!

 

 I have been following Melissa at Fawn Over Baby ever since I saw her daughter's GORGEOUS nursery on Pinterest & then spent hours perusing all of her posts! Her DIY posts are truly inspiring and I would give anything to have even a fraction of her creativity. She also features all things baby related and today she is sharing our maternity session! I know I have bored y'all to death with those pictures but if you want to see them again head on over to her blog and check it out! And even if you are sick and tired of seeing them then you should at least go visit Melissa's awesome blog!

The timing of this couldn't be more perfect because we are being induced tomorrow!! We are checking in to the hospital at 4:30 a.m. to begin the process and hopefully we will have our sweet girl soon thereafter! I can not even begin to describe it. I am kind of all over the place, terrified, excited, nervous, pretty much every emotion you could think of I am feeling. It is completely surreal that sometime in the next day or so we will have our baby girl in our arms!

 

 

 

 

 



My Favorite Five On Friday Yet!

Hey yall! This is a very exciting Friday for so many reasons! I am thrilled to link up with April and the girls for Five On Friday to share the excitement!

 

{one} Our best friends are getting married tomorrow!! Most of y'all know Lauren from her blog Peach State Of Mind, well her & her hubby-to-be just so happen to be mine and my hubby's real life besties! We are so so so excited to see them tie the knot tomorrow! Paul is in the wedding and I was originally until I went and got my self knocked up and Lauren was kind enough to understand that a 9 months pregnant bridesmaid wouldn't be fun for anyone! So I will be sitting and watching and hoping Miss Nora is not the dramatic type who decides she needs to steal the spotlight and come in the middle of the wedding. But who am I kidding, no one could steal the spotlight from Lauren, she is going to be one STUNNING bride! 

I stole your picture Lauren! 

{two} This will be my last Five before I become a Mommy!!! My blood pressure has been slightly elevated for a couple weeks now so the doctor decided he will induce next week! I was originally against being induced but will do whatever the doctor says is best for me and baby girl. I find out today when the big day will be! I can't wait to kiss these sweet little lips! 

{three} Okay so those were really the only two reasons this was such an exciting Friday. Everything else kind if pales in comparison! When the doctor told me I had to start taking it easy I decided to use my couch time for some crafting! I made this cute little headband holder and quickly realized I need about five more to fit all of miss priss's' headbands! She is going to be one stylin little lady! 

{four} As much as I had hoped to have baby girl's nursery complete by the time she got here, it just didn't work out that way. We have been so busy and I am still working full time (well today is my last day). So that hasn't left much time for nursery projects. Technically the room is done as far as the necessities go, there are just a few little projects I want to finish before sharing! But we did score big time last week after a trip to ikea! I was so frustrated when I couldn't order the rug I wanted online because I really didn't want to drive all the way to downtown atl. Looking back I am so glad we had to make the drive, we found so many other things we needed by actually going to the store and my original rug ended up not being what I wanted once I actually saw it. We got those ledges in white to use as bookshelves, hubby spotted that PRECIOUS little lamp that I am so obsessed with and we decided to go with the "tejn" rug instead of the "rens" because the "rens" ended up being extremely yellow in person.The "tejn" is smaller than what I originally planned but it was only $10 and I honestly want to use it more as a photo prop than a rug anyway! 

{lamp},{shelves},{rug}

{five} I have absolutely LOVED being pregnant! I have been beyond blessed with an incredibly easy pregnancy and I already know I am going to miss having my sweet girl moving around in my belly. That being said, this ecard definitely describes my mood this week! 

37 Week Bumpdate!

Hey y'all! I am going to try my best and do these weekly now since we never know how many more weeks I actually have!!!

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I took this picture with my tripod in her nursery today and I am kinda obsessed with it. I seriously sit like this and just stare at my belly all the time! I am absolutely overwhelmed with how much I love this sweet girl already.

 

Baby Size: A winter melon?

 

Weight Gain: I think just 1 lb since last week but I did go after lunch so idk how accurate that is. But we will go with it and say 15lbs.

 

Maternity Clothes: Pants yes, most shirts are still regular. My maternity jeans are starting to get uncomfortable because I have this one crazy deep stretch mark that rubs right against the band.

 

Stretch Marks: Oh yes, see above. There is at least two of these bad boys that are here for good.

 

Belly Button In or Out: In but flat

 

Sleep: I wake up at 1 a.m., 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. to go to he bathroom pretty much right on schedule every night.

 

Best Moment This Week: Major to-do list progress! Plus I totally have to brag on my hubby for rolling with a major preggo diva moment when I decided I hated the color of the crib and dresser and needed him to take them apart again and repaint them both. In my defense he said he wasn't crazy about the color we chose either and he had just bragged on me the night before for being super laid back this whole pregnancy. So in my opinion every preggo is entitled to at least one diva moment!

 

Worst Moment This Week: Well, due to the high blood pressure I had to carry around a jug on Monday (which was not only Memorial Day but also my birthday!) and pee in it. Sorry if that is TMI but this is real life folks. ANDDD I had to work half a day so I had to keep a cooler in the bathroom with my jug of pee. Real fun y'all, realll fun!

 

Miss Anything?: My feet being a normal size..

 

Craving: Sweet tea & guacamole! And now since I have been told to drastically cut back on my sodium, naturally I want everything deep fried and covered in cheese dip.

 

Queasy or sick?: Nope!

 

Labor Signs: Pretty sure I woke up to a few Braxton Hicks the other night..

 

Symptoms: Back pain, pelvic pressure and ginormous swollen feet.

 

Looking Forward To: Meeting baby girl in a few weeks!

 

Mood: So exhausted but mostly happy. Even though I was a nervous wreck with all of this high blood pressure talk and pee jugs..

 

Movement:  Oh yes she is still a rockin! And the only good thing about my bp being up is that they now put me into this recliner, hook up a monitor and let me listen to her heartbeat while tracking her movements. But little miss has been SERIOUSLY stubborn and rocking out right up until she gets hooked up to the monitor and then going to sleep. So today I had to sit there, drink juice and get my belly shook to try and wake her up! (They just want to make sure the bp isn't affecting her) But that is seriously the most relaxing sound ever!

Doctors Appointments: I went back last Friday to get my bp checked again and it was still high and my feet were still huge. Good news is my labs were great with no signs of preeclampsia! But they did give me the aforementioned jug to pee in for 24 hours to do more tests. Then I went back today and my blood pressure had shot up again (which I partially blame on the fact that I had really worked myself up into a nervous wreck). They hooked me up to the monitor again, she was still fine. My labs still looked good so the doctor pretty much concluded that I am trying to do too much and eating too much sodium. She pretty much told me if I didn't slow down and rest, she was going to put me on bed rest. So I am watching what I am eating, putting my feet up and trying to relax. Which is super hard for me because I have so much I need to do! So hopefully when I go back Friday, my bp and my swelling will be normal and I won't have to go the bed rest route!

34-36 week bumpdate!

Me and my little beach ball before the doctor this morning! 

Baby Size:

Weight Gain: I asked the nurse at the doctor this morning because I have lost track. She said from my first appointment I have gained 14 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Pants yes, most shirts are still regular.

Stretch Marks: Oh yes, all I can do is hope that they fade.

Belly Button In or Out: In but flat

Sleep: I wake up at 1 a.m., 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. to go to the bathroom pretty much right on schedule every night.

Best Moment This Week: A good report at the doctors office this morning!

Worst Moment This Week: I am getting exhausted really quickly and having a lot of pain which isn't too fun.

Miss Anything?: Tanning and energy!

Craving: Sweet tea & guacamole!

Queasy or sick?: Nope!

Symptoms: Lots and lots of back pain and pelvic pressure.

Looking Forward To: Meeting baby girl in a few weeks!

Mood: So exhausted but mostly happy

Movement:  Oh yes she is still a rockin!

Doctors Appointments: We had our first pelvic exam this morning (fun stuff) and we found out baby girl is finally turned!! We were so concerned that she wasn't going to because most transverse baby's don't turn. But I know for a fact last night she was not yet turned and her Daddy got down and talked to my belly telling her we really needed her to get in position. It was so sweet he even rubbed my belly saying that he was trying to show her how she needed to go! She obviously listened to him! I am also 50% effaced and 1/2 cm dilated so things are getting ready! My blood pressure was slightly elevated so they did some tests to test for preeclampsia but the doctor said he really wasn't worried about it. I just think it was my nerves. Now we start the weekly visits checking on Miss Priss's progress, I just can't believe we are here!!

Five On Friday!

Hey y'all! Oh my goodness, I am SO glad it is Friday! This week has been absolutely insane and I am just glad it is over. I am welcoming this weekend with wide open arms! Linking up with the ladies for Five On Friday!

 

{one} Monday we celebrated our second wedding anniversary! I can't believe that it has only been two years, honestly it feels like 22! We kept it simple with dinner at the AMAZING Cheescake Factory and called it an early night. Sweet and simple, just our style. Here's to a whole lifetime of sweet and simple anniversaries!

 

 

{two} Another reason we called it an early night was that we had to be at the surgery center at 5:30 a.m. for the hubby's knee surgery. It was a very minor procedure, he should be completely back to normal in a couple days. But how dang cute does he look in his little cap!

{three} Alright mommas, I need some advice. What is your advice for hospital bags? What kind of pj's? What is best to come home in? Any suggestions for hubby's bag? To make it a little easier, how about you tell me your 3 must-haves for your hospital bag?

 

{four} I realized I haven't posted anything about my photography recently. I have truly been blessed when it came to pursuing this business, I never expected it to take off like it has. It has been overwhelming and amazing all at the same time! So here are a few snapshots of the work I have done lately!

Everybody loves the babies!

A couple weddings..

{five} This weekend we are heading to a cabin in the mountains for Lauren's bachelorette party! I am so excited to celebrate one of her very last weekends as a single woman and what I am sure will be one of my last girls weekends for quite some time!

Y'all have a good weekend!

Five On Friday!

As always, happy Friday y'all! After a jam packed weekend last week I wish I could say I was looking forward to a relaxing weekend but I am afraid it is going to be another busy one! I am doing pictures for a wedding I booked before I got pregnant. I just hope my feet and back can handle it! I was the second shooter for a wedding this past weekend and completely overdid it. It left me feeling crappy and exhausted. To be honest I still don't feel like I have completely recuperated. But tomorrow's wedding is very short with very few people so I should be fine!

{one} If this oh so exciting Five isn't enough of me for one day, you can catch me on the Blog Baton instagram all day! I love this idea so much, I just wish I had a more interesting daily life to share!

 

{two} Last Saturday after working that wedding I get in my car and receive these messages from my husband. When I finally get him on the phone all I get is a "hold on" and I hear the tell-tale noises of a hospital in the background. I knew he was working earlier that day and he already has a hurt knee that he is having surgery for on Tuesday, so my mind was reeling with all kinds of horrible scenarios. Finally, his friend/our roommate Ryan answers the phone and tells me he had to take Paul to the ER because he cut his finger on a grinder while working on his go-cart. But not to worry it wasn't too bad, they were stitching him up, doing an Xray and sending him home. Well he called me when they left the ER and said he was ok but had to see a plastic surgeon to see if he would need reconstructive surgery on his hand. In my head I start freaking out thinking how on Earth is he going to hold our  daughter with one hand! By the grace of God when we saw the plastic surgeon yesterday he said not only did Paul not need surgery but that he was VERY lucky because most people in grinder accidents end up losing a finger! So we are very very thankful that it was not near as bad as it could've been!

 

{three} On a simpler note. Can I just go right here? I have no idea where this picture was taken but it looks like Heaven! Of course the week that GA finally decides to crank it up to 80 degrees our AC goes out. As you can imagine an 8 months pregnant woman in a house with no AC is not a very happy site so everytime I get miserably hot I think of my happy place, that hammock.

{four} We got our maternity pictures back! I am so in love with them! I posted them earlier this week but in case you missed it you can see them here. A lot of people have asked about my dress. It's from this Etsy shop I found through Pinterest called Kobieta. Most of their products are a little strange but they do sell these gorgeous custom maternity dresses. A little pricey but I really wanted the long flowy dress...

{five} Monday is our two year wedding anniversary!! We originally planned on going to Charleston but with everything going on, like me being super pregnant and Paul having surgery Tuesday we decided to stay home. I can't believe it's only been two years, it seems like so much longer! But I need your advice. I have NO idea what to get him. I think the traditional gift for two is cotton but I don't want to get him clothes. So please feel free to share some advice!! 

Y'all have a good weekend!!