23 Weeks

Turns out I wore this same turtleneck for my 23 week photo with Ruby in tow. What?? I SO did not plan that. I don't know what that says about me...probably that I'm cheap/ thrifty/ resourceful/ etc. Regardless, I think I'm bigger this time around.

Circa 2011.

For all of you bumpwatchers, let us analyze these two photos. It appears I'm about as high & pointy as I was when I was carrying my daughter...PERHAPS, IT IS ANOTHER GIRL?? Oh, the drama.

In other examples of how I am subconsciously carrying on traditions through my pregnancies, I am currently reading a classic—Pride & Prejudice. I read another classic, Jane Eyre, with Ruby—both period novels somewhat far from my usual tastes, but I have enjoyed/ am enjoying quite immensely. Just trying to fill the "Downton Abbey" void, y'all. P&P is turning out to be quite the worthy sub.

I've also been reading the She Reads Truth Holy Week Plan, which is so SO good. I didn't even get as far as devising a Lent strategy for me to fail this year, but have wanted to be intentional & reflective in the days leading up to Easter and what that means for my life/ faith/ etc. I was also touched by this perspective.

Peace to you...xx

A Peek Inside...Our Master Bedroom!

The rooms in our new house are slowly but surely coming together, with lots of furniture & picture shifting yet to take place. I'd like to think of our master bedroom as about 85% finished. It's just not quite there yet...

Almost everything you see in the above photo is from IKEA - the bed, the nightstands, the duvet cover, the wall hanging. I am undecided on how I feel about that.

This bedroom was the first project we tackled upon becoming homeowners. It really only required paint, as you can see why from the 'before' photo. Thankfully, I never had to wake up to this dreadful navy blue/ near black color scheme.

The paint color in my mind was more of a grayish-purple. A color that would leave the beholder questioning, "Is it gray? Or is it purple?" Well, there's no question about it, the walls are purple. As were walls in my high school and post-college bedrooms. Apparently, it's an ongoing theme in my life. And I'm ok with it.

There's still a lot of wall & floor space demanding to be covered, which is tricky if one prefers a more minimal look. Other than that, I really don't have any complaints. I dream of this place while I'm not dreaming in it.

So, there you have it! Looking forward to showing you more rooms as we piece them together...xx

And in case you missed it, a peek inside our living room!

Wayde's Surprise 30th

This post could have easily turned into a retrospective on how not to throw a surprise party, but alas, the celebration turned out to be a success. Wayde was completely in the dark (as were our guests for who knows how long at our house before I got ahold of someone regarding our timeline. Sorry about that, folks. I'm sure that wasn't awkward at all).

I certainly couldn't have pulled off the decorating/ snack prep if Wayde's brother and sister-in-law weren't in town to keep him occupied for the afternoon. Never operate alone during a suprise party mission.

Unfortunately, this is the only photo I snapped of birthday boy:( I would've taken more pics of the party in general if I hadn't been so preoccupied with playing DJ (courtesy of my iPhone).

The donut cake & chocolate milk especially touched my husband's heart, as this is one of his most favorite late-night snack combos/ vices. I couldn't imagine a more suitable baked good for such an occasion.

Baby girl enjoying some glazed goodness. And can you please check out her nails?! Like mama, like daughter...warms my heart.

Even though Wayde had a blast, we both agreed afterwards that we never have to throw another surprise party for each other again. And for that, I am grateful.

Thankful for so many wonderful friends that helped make the birthday boy feel special!! Because he really is...xx

22 Weeks

Not knowing the gender of this little one had been torturing me lately. Since the ultrasound, I've taken numerous gender prediction quizzes online, which have not provided any clear insight. Obviously.


During my Mom's birthday party, my brother came out of the kitchen asking if the picture on the fridge (a 14 week ultrasound photo featuring a full body shot)
was of baby #2. "It's a boy," he confidently stated. "It has a...schmekel." My mom & sisters also examined the pic. "Yep," they all agreed, "it looks like we know what you're having!"

And for the rest of the weekend, I was convinced (or at least 90% certain) that this babe on the way was, indeed, MALE. But before I started buying boy clothes, I needed one more bit of confirmation.

So, I googled "14 week ultrasound boy" to do a little photo analysis of my own...

After skimming dozens of grainy, black & white images, I settled on one that looked the most like our photo. Turns out, it was an ultrasound photo of a GIRL. Apparently, the tailbone can often be confused with another piece of "anatomy" at that stage of the pregnancy. Hmmm.

So, I am back in the boat of unknowing. And I can honestly say that I really do like it here. At least we know one thing for sure...this baby is either a BOY or a GIRL.

**I do want to add that Wayde's opinion was never swayed throughout this whole ordeal (for lack of a better word). He once told me early in our marriage that he had a feeling that we were going to end up with all girls. If you know my husband, you know that he doesn't go throwing around premonitions all willy-nilly. So, we'll see if those sentiments are on track come this July...

Mom's 50th Birthday Party

My mother hit her monumental 50th birthday this past weekend, so we celebrated with a lovely little family gathering at our new house. We also broke in our new dining room table & chairs for the occassion (which is deserving of an entire blog post in itself)!

I really felt like I scored with these tissue banners from the Dollar Tree - party decor can get spendy, y'all!

I'd like to take credit for this incredible cake, but we ended up ordering it from Glorious Desserts. SO worth it too! It tasted just as amazing as it looked.

We sipped on orange sodas & pink lemonade to keep with the color theme. It was a special night, indeed.

It was pretty wonderful getting to entertain my whole family in our new home. Looking forward to many celebrations here in the future! xx

21 Weeks

It occured to me this week that I'm not going to see a new episode of Downton Abbey until after this baby is born. That seems all too soon & ages away at the same time...

We managed to get through the ultrasound without discovering the gender (though I kept checking with Wayde throughout the appointment..."are you sure you don't want to find out?"). At least the baby appears to be healthy & thriving. For that, we are so thankful.

I will say though that if I had any sort of inkling at all regarding the gender before the ultrasound, it all went out the window afterwards. This babe was not giving out any clues. Oh, well. It's only another 19 (give or take) weeks and who knows how many hours in labor until I find out. Yikes. And that too feels like all too soon & ages away at the same time...xx

A Peek Inside...Our Living Room!

This is just a peek, friends! I still kind of consider this space a work in progress (though it's one of the more "put-together" rooms in our new house). We've been living here now for almost two months (!) and it sure didn't take long for it to feel like home.

I've always dreamed of hardwood floors and a fireplace in my future home, not daring to dream big enough to have an actual working fireplace. We've still yet to test it out though as we're a little nervous to. Think about it...to willingly set an open fire in the house you've searched & saved for over the course of years...maybe next winter;)

Like many friends have already expressed, our furniture choice also surprised me. First of all, we purchased the couch & chairs at Homemakers (of all places). After debating over the customization options on two different chaise lounge couches, we gravitated back to one of the first displays we saw upon entering the store.

The couch is way bigger than we anticipated, but I like it. Plus, Wayde can lay fully extended on it, which is pretty nice for him considering he's 6'4".

What surprised me the most was this little swivel number. Would you believe I wasn't the one who was rallying to purchase it? That's right - Wayde's choice. Which I was pretty pleased with. I think my design sense is wearing off on him:)

We've even got a built-in shelf! There's still some decor shifting to be done and maybe even a new coat of paint in the near future, but that's that for now.

I've pretty much looked forward to decorating my future home since I was a little girl. It's been a long time coming, but worth the wait. Most importantly, we want to use this place to love & bless our guests; that our home would feel like their second one.

Looking forward to sharing some of the other rooms with you!! xx

20 Weeks

Half-way mark. Might as well start taking some bump photos, as awkward as they are. Let me document my rapid weight gain for y'all! I didn't start photographing my pregnancy with Ruby until 21 weeks, so at least I'm ahead on this one...? Trying to be conscious of the whole second child syndrome, if you know what I mean. I worry way to much about family dynamics.

If one thing is for sure, it's that this pregnancy is FLYING. We have our 20 week ultrasound today, but are opting not to find out the gender like we did last time. Just to be honest though, I wouldn't mind if our technician accidently let something slip.

Looking forward to seeing this little one swimming around on a screen for a bit today! Prayers for it's health & well-being are most appreciated...xx

Nice Weekend.

Minneapolis trips are the best. So many loved ones and so many interesting spaces to catch up on life in. Conversations over hot drinks & pastries went down at Parka with my dear friends Dena, Maren, (sister-in-law) Nicole, & our baby girls (not counting the two unborn littles in tow). Always a treat:)

Parka is also attached to Forage Modern Workshop, a boutique specializing in new & vintage furniture and home decor. A little piece of Heaven for any Mid-Century loving, coffee enthusiast.

I would've taken more pictures, but I was too busy chasing Ruby and trying not to fall down over footstools (which almost happened).

Ruby & Uncle Scott. I'd have to say, she's pretty smitten with him:)

Another reason for our trip was to stock up on Ikea goods. Since moving from an apartment to a house, we now have a bigger space to fill. Wayde is in the process of building our dining room table (really!), so we picked up some acrylic chairs to do with it. And a few other things...

Looking forward to posting some house updates (eventually)!! xx