elle bee photography: livy.

I had the pleasure of snapping a few pictures of precious Livy last week. Y'all, she is the most adorable baby girl with the biggest, bluest, most captivating eyes. And her parents? They are just as lovely. Really. Thank you for letting me freeze this precious time, Susanne! 

waiting game.

Last week was a caray-zzzz one. I'm shocked I didn't go into labor. Really. From sunup to (hours after) sundown I was on my feet keeping a 19 month old happy and entertained while moving, cleaning, organizing, you name it, while electricians, carpet and closet installers, floor refinishers, and cabinet makers made our home their second. Let's just say it was one of those weeks where the minute I felt everything was clean and put together, I would turn around and boom. The mess was back. 

As of today, we are still waiting on the vanity countertops to be installed. Therefore, we are still waiting on the plumbers, as well. The painters are going to have to come back to paint said vanities and to patch and paint the gillion new holes and scuffs on our walls. I hope that by the end of the week all of this mumbo jumbo will be coming to a close because...this baby is coming soon. I can feel it and my doctor agrees. 

I had my 38 week appointment this morning and am over 2 centimeters dilated, 50% effaced, the head is in -2 station, and my cervix is ripe and ready for showtime, go-time. She thinks this babe will come within the week, but I'm taking that with a grain of salt. Remember my progress with Brooks? ...and I still had to be induced. This time, I am going to try to wait to go into labor on my own. Dr. Stradtman said that she will let me go to 41 weeks before intervention. Let the waiting game begin! 

In the meantime, I am relishing sweet moments and snuggles with my first baby. Yesterday, he refused his afternoon nap and fell asleep in my arms. Instead of putting him in the crib, we rocked and I breathed in every ounce of him. Today, he is my little shadow and I don't mind it one bit. 

Oh, and here are some snippets of the progress made on the master and nursery:

 We haven't hung any art on the walls in the nursery, yet. And we won't be adding details, such as pouf and crib bedding until the baby arrives. Stay tuned for a peek into the upstairs space! It turned out to be one of my favorites. 

sprinkled.

Last night, the babe (who is no longer referred to as "no-name" because we finally decided on a boy name and a girl name) and I were sprinkled by my bests of the bests. We went to Bottega Cafe for dinner and had the best time. I felt (feel) so honored and loved by these ladies and their generosity. They really are keepers and I am so blessed to call them my friends.

Thank you again, my loves! 

On an another note, it's FRIDAY! Yesssssssss. The day of the week that I look forward to most. 

Brooks and I ran some errands this morning since the rain kept us away from our walk and a trip to the park. We did brave the weather to head up to Homewood Library before lunch for Water & Melon Day. I thought Brooks would go ga-ga over the firetruck, but he was pretty terrified, yet intrigued (as long as he was in my arms). We still had a great time with our buddies, despite the rain. I just love our city! 

While we were out and about, my favorite floor guys put on a coat of sealer in the bedroom and a coat of stain upstairs. It's looking good! 

Have a great weekend!

extra extra.

...read all about it! If you wish.

I have had the best of intentions to give a "Project Lancaster" update, but as soon as I take pictures of the progress, by the time I am able to sit down to blog about it, more progress has been made...and the cycle continues. I took a handful of pictures last night and, of course, the floors in the new master bedroom already have one coat of stain on them! Such is life.

We are counting down the days until the addition and renovation are wrapped up. 3 days, to be exact. We were actually supposed to move in this weekend, but the floors are taking longer than expected thanks to my pregnant self and the babe Brooks. The fumes are a bit too strong to put a sealer on in the evening, so they are having to put on a coat one day, sealer the next, coat one day, sealer the next. Better to be safe than sorry!

As of today, the walls are painted, the tile in both bathrooms are finished, the floors downstairs have one coat of stain, and the floors upstairs are getting a final sand and should have a coat by day's end. I haven't had a chance to mention yet that when John ripped out the carpet while Brooks and I were at the lake over the holiday weekend, he discovered beautiful pine floors! WINNING. So, we are only installing carpet (seagrass) in the upstairs bedroom.

Here is a view of the addition from the back of the house:

An updated picture of the front of the house, with our new roof (new gutters and light post coming soon):

Master suite: 

Upstairs guest suite:

Playroom and bonus room:

The electricians and plumbers can't come until the floors are finished so they'll be here on Monday and Tuesday, the same days we are planning on getting settled. Hopefully by next weekend, the nursery will be complete, the house will be clean, and I can kick my feet up and breathe a sigh of relief. Thank you and amen.

And speaking of the littlest one, I painted the dresser (that's chilling in the dining room) a few weekends ago, lined the drawers last week and started filling them up with baby goodness the other day. The size of these newbie diapers made my blood pressure go up a tad. I may or may not have had a mild panic attack. 

It's just like riding a bike, right?! We are almost ready for you, sweets! 

fourth recap.

As hard as it was to say goodbye to John for a few days, Brooks and I had a wonderful holiday weekend at the lake with my family.

We chased Geese, went on walks and boat rides, ate lots of snacks and "emeenems" (M&Ms), played on the playground and beach, loved on our cousins, aunt, and uncles, and splashed around in the pool. 

I was also able to slip away with mom Thursday night for the firework show at the Ritz. We went with the family to Great Waters on Friday evening for food and fun, but little man and I left before the fireworks started. I'm thankful for the time spent with my mama and the chance to see some fireworks! 

We were happy to get back home to Daddy on Saturday, but are thankful for our time on the water. I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend celebrating our freedom!