Moving On

Lest y'all are wondering where the heck I've gone to...

louloveslife.wordpress.com

It's time to move on.

Farewell, Blogger.

Come on over, friends :) The journey continues!

The 22 Facebook Updates of Pregnancy

...because, whether people are sick of it or not,

I can't stop talking about being pregnant...

I mean, I'm growing a human being...

that pretty much trumps EVERYTHING I've ever done,

And I'd like to remember every moment:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5 

#6 

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

#14

#15

#16

#17     

 

#18

#19

#20

#21  

#22

...and counting :)

Nesting - Project #1

2 Squirrel Doggy Chew Toys

+

2 Wooden Plaques

+

Plaster of Paris

(filled the squirrels to make 'em heavier)

+

Bahama Blue Craft Paint

=

2 Squirrel Bookends for Baby Girl's nursery!

TAH DAH!!

The 10 Musts of Pregnancy

REGULAR EXERCISE ROUTINE

I am a firm believer that if you don't take care of your body, your body won't take care of you. I've been very grateful to have the energy, strength, and flexibility that regular exercise provides and for the peace of mind that Baby Girl is being taken care of by a healthy body.

BRITA WATER BOTTLE

I take this with me everywhere. Quite literally.

Water is my best friend. And hey, why not filter it.

BOBBY PINS

Seems funny, but comfort takes on a whole new meaning when you're body's growing a human being.

Simply having my hair out of my face is part of my comfort. 

BELLY BAND

Ahhhh, the comfort of not having to worry about buttoning the top button. It's so nice to not have to buy all new pants, too...though, don't get me wrong, elastic waisted pants are my new favorite thing.

VASELINE COCOA & SHEA BUTTER BODY LOTION

Nuh-uh! No stretch marks for me if I can help it.

MEMORY FOAM SLIPPERS

No, they're not cute, but I would wear these everywhere if I could.

They're my feets' best friend.

ICE BREAKERS MINTS

Every one of my senses has been heightened by just enough to make any sort of sensory overload (loud noises, strong odors, bright lights, etc.) completely unenjoyable at some point during pregnancy. That goes for taste as well. Thus, having the aftertaste of anything in my mouth for too long makes me nauseous. There is nothing quite so neutrally-freeing as the taste of "fresh".

TOOTHPASTE AND TOOTHBRUSH 

Same results as #7, but better. Even mints have an aftertaste.

BODY PILLOW

I'm naturally a stomach/back sleeper, so the whole "sleep on your side from here on out" thing is hard for me. I wake up at least 3 times a night and have to roll to my side again. Packing pillows all around me to hold me in position helps, and is quite comfortable when done correctly.

BURT'S BEE LIP BALM

James put this in my stocking for Christmas (cause I always steal his...and then accidentally lose it). It's just another comfort thing. Un-chapped lips.

- - -

Now you're probably wondering why I didn't put a food item on my list. Yes, absolutely, food is a must...but, oy, I have craved and uncraved so many things during this pregnancy that I don't have a "go to" food anymore...it just depends on the day.

Oh, the simple joys of pregnancy.

Gotta keep it comfortable!

Happiness

All I need for complete happiness right now is...

...a whole batch of these.

All to myself.

Recipe via

(...in case any of you wanna make me some)

(...seriously though, I won't even try to stop you)

All I ask...

Please bless that life will happen the way it's supposed to

...

and that I'll have the patience and strength to be ok with that.

Daydreaming

I've been daydreaming about my Baby Girl...

In fact, that's what I do all day long.

But, truthfully, it goes back further than that.

It's been a lifelong daydream, really:

CLICK HERE

It's a Girl!

I think it goes without saying that I am a little behind on updating the ol' blog...c'mon, August wasn't THAT long ago ;)

So, let's just jump right into it:

WE'RE PREGNANT!!

(trumpet fanfare)

I've looked at our baby pictures over and over and I remain fairly certain that our daughter is going to be an adorable, brown-eyed, brown-haired chunk of cuteness!

I'm so excited to meet her, I can hardly stand it.

- - -

We're going on 21 weeks now.

Thus, on Thursday, we went in for our ultrasound appointment and

 discovered we're having a beautiful, miraculous little baby girl.

She's healthy and amazing and we couldn't be more thrilled!

To celebrate after the appointment, we went to the store and got

Baby Girl her very first outfit.

Gotta love the bumblebee on the rump :)

And James, of course, loved the outfit because it's not pink.

- - -

Speaking of non-typical baby girl colors, I was SO thrilled to know the gender

because (YAY) I get to start planning the nursery!

Based off the pins I've been pinning faithfully for the past year,

this is what I've come up with:

Adorable right?

Man, I love Pinterest.

It makes my aesthetic dreams so easy to sort out.

I've got a lot of super fun DIY projects ahead of me!

- - -

*sigh*

Friends, I must say, I couldn't be more excited to finally be the woman

that I've been drawing pictures of faithfully every year since I was 5

for my "What I want to be when I grow up" projects:

A mom.

Spewing Sentiments

Things go wrong and things go right.

I think that's life's way of guiding us.

The ol' "can't go over it, can't go under it, gotta go through it."

How else are we going to learn?

Well, life, regardless of the shape and size

of the obstacles in our way, is still beautiful.

We've all been given different things:

different eyes to see the world around us,

different minds to interpret the world around us,

different hearts to feel the world around us,

different souls to enhance the world around us.

What gifts!

My eyes are an adventurous pair.

They magically morph most every moment into an exciting quest.

They grew up that way or, that is to say,

they've never really grown up at all.

They are the "lost boys" that tether me to childhood forever.

My mind is a vast cavern.

Dreams flutter through chambers and secret passageways.

Paintings and lovely trinkets adorn every polished surface.

Sunlight pours through lofty windows, splashing everything with life.

It is the colorful collection that calms and thrills me all at once.

My heart is a delicate album

of music and of photos, all in one.

It's Ella Fitzgerald on a scratchy gramophone and a time machine.

It's Anna Netrebko at the Paris Opera house and Grandma's afghan.

It's The Carpenters, Barry Manilow and a 9-passenger suburban with no empty seats.

It's a Latin beat and my husband's light feet.

It's "Rock-e-bye" - Mom's voice lullabying from my lips.

It is imprinted with fragile footprints,

and fueled by tears, kisses and laughter.

My soul is a familiar stranger.

She is very much like me and has yet to be like God.

She is eager and impatient and worn and willing.

She is peace from head to toe and joy from ear to ear.

She is the reflection none else can see.

Who are you?

Design LIVE

Check it out!

I illustrated the artwork for Tennessee's 1940 Census for Ancestry.com

 CLICK ME!

Then scroll down and click on Tennessee :) Cool!

This is what it looks like, but it's a little cooler to see it on the actual site.

Oh, and click on this one, too!

You should give me something to design for you, too!

P.S. Do you know why my sidebar pictures aren't showing up anymore?