Let's GO TIGERS!!!

Football season has arrived and all I can say is: "LET'S GO TIGERS!!!"

Miss Squeak only wakes up for touchdowns. :)

I do owe a major apology to my husband. Our marriage is usually interrupted by football season ... but this year, our family is interrupting football season. I know he would have loved to attended the Clemson v. UGA game (and all the other games for that matter). Fingers crossed he (and maybe WE) can still make it to a few later in the season!!! Xoxo-BLC

The Nursery Re-Do ...

You may remember from our house tour that I painted one of the guest rooms in the most obnoxious pink and white stripes. I know this room is over the top and I still love this room to pieces.

So when we discovered our little peanut was a baby girl, we knew hands down she NEEDED this to be her nursery. Thankfully, the neutral flow fit quite well in this bold room.

Stewart obviously approves ... or not (poor fur baby!!!). The nurses in the hospital sufficiently scared me into taking off the bumper. It was so cute but not worth the risk!

The pink room always had the turquoise lamps and that was my main pop of color in the neutral nursery. I am so thrilled that the lamps transitioned so well into the nursery.

My husband deserves a gold medal - he moved this room ALL by himself the moment we returned home from the hospital. And since its a baby girl, he agreed the pillows could stay. :)

We spend a lot of time in there with feedings and snuggles before naptimes.

I do believe Squeak LOVES her room and so do I!!!

Xoxo-BLC

Psalm 27

My husband's work partner visited us in the hospital with his sweet wife and prayed this over Miss Squeak:

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked advance against me
    to devour[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

4 One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

6 Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

13 I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

We just love Psalm 27 and will continually pray this over Miss Squeak. Chin chin!!! Xoxo-BLC

SHE is here!!!

SHE is here!!! It's a LITTLE GIRL and I cannot believe it.

It was the best surprise for us. This goes down as one of the best days ever.

I introduce to you: Miss Squeak!

We arrived at the hospital at 5AM for our induction. By 6AM, the doctor broke my water and the pitocin drip started. I was already 3 cm dilated and having contractions. I didn't feel much until about 10AM and by 11AM I could feel a lot. I had the labor and deliver nurse commit to me that she was fine with me going natural ... and going for the epidural. My husband was with me too - we had talked a lot about our birth plan after the birthing class and I felt dissuaded from the epi. I did receive two rounds of IV drugs and that helped get through the pain. After 45 minutes of pushing, SHE was here at 2:45PM. She weighed 6 pounds and 13 ounces, 19 1/2 inches long, and is absolutely perfect. We love her to the moon and back!!! Xoxo-BLC

"For this child I prayed and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him."
1 Samuel 1:27

He or She!?!

Our "he" and "she" coming home outfits:

If the baby hasn't arrived yet, today is the day per doctor orders.

Sooo excited to see if baby is a he or she!!!

Wish us luck and send prayers.
Xoxo-BLC

Pregnant in Heels

It's my last day pregnant and what a ride it has been!!! I'm wearing my favorite Rosie Pope dress that has been the best outfit. Of course I spent my last day pregnant in heels at the office tying up loose ends before ... m-a-t-e-r-n-i-t-y leave!!!

My in-laws came to town for the big day tomorrow and we had such a lovely dinner with them. Then my husband treated me to one last ice cream cone at my favorite creamery. It has been the biggest blessing carrying this little peanut with me. I cannot wait to meet him or her tomorrow!!! Xoxo-BLC

Nursery Rhymes

With baby arriving in just days,

we are *almost* finished with the nursery ...

... so come on in for a little tour:

 Stewart has claimed his "spot" in this room as you can see.

 I've been told by the mister that the pillows must go if the bambino is a boy.

I absolutely LOVE the baby bedding. It's by Pom Pom at Home.

I picked white for the bleach-ability and easy peasy matching for sheets.

I am aware the babys don't sleep with pillows and blanekts. :)

 If you've read TCSK for any amount of time, you've heard of AK

and her gorgie paintings!!! (See more by clicking here).

I just love this painting by AK called "Naptime."

 Neutral is not easy peasy for me ... I loooove color.

But keeping it neutral and adding in pops of color was the plan.

 My husband did most of the heavy lifting here:

building the crib, bookshelf, hanging curtains, etc.

I couldn't have done it without him.

 This bookshelf is from Ikea ... thanks to Pinterest.
It comes in a metal color but a little gold spraypaint and viola.

 My sweet baby shower hostesses gifted us the lamb painting.

We have a tiny weeny lamb theme going and I just LOVE this artwork.

I picked lambs because that is the one animal Jesus compares us too.

John 10:27-29 is the verse (below) that prompted the little lamb theme.

Also, my dear friend gifted us the Sissy's Painting below and I LOVE IT.

 Stewart in his "spot" again. He is obsessssssed with the baby toy box.

I've told him no at least 1 million times. He's learned, but still protecting it.

You may remember this room as a guest room before.

I cannot wait to have our peanut home and in their room.

We are beyond excited and love this little bean more than words.

Xoxo-BLC

 

John 10:27-29: "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all^[a]; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand."

Keep On Summering ...

Are you as ready for Fall!?! Not me ... I plan to keep on summering.

As such, a little closet cleaning as in order on TCSK II.

Mostly Lilly dresses and sizes range from XS-12.

And for those ready for Fall think fur and sweaters. :)

Happy Shopping!!!

Xoxo-BLC

 

PS: If you need the link to jump to TCSK II, click ------->

or paste this link: http://theclothesshekept.blogspot.com

Stewbaby ZZZzzz's

Eons ago, Stewart spied Joeytella hop onto the couch and then onto the bay window. Stewart is literally five times Joeytella's size but finally gave it a try ... and he LOVES it. He is currently part of the neighborhood watch and can tell you every chipmunk hole or squirrel nest. Sometimes he even sleeps on the job ... Xoxo-BLC

Pregnant Pause

I have not done a very good job of chronicling my pregnancy and there are sooo many aspects of being pregnant that I do not want to forget. I will admit: being pregnant is much tougher than I expected. Here are my recaps by trimester:

First Trimester. We found out we were pregnant on week six and we were in love with this baby immediately. New Years Eve was a day or two later and it VERY tricky hiding our new news. We hosted a party at our house before going to a BIG party. Our house was easy peasy - sparkling grape juice to the rescue (only one guest asked why my champagne looked different ...). At the BIG party, I just held a glass of red wine all night and was adamant I should be the designated driver. I first heard the heartbeat on week eight and was beyond smitten. It was an unforgettable moment hearing that pitter patter. We decided early to not find out if it was a boy or girl. We also decided early to keep it a secret until the second trimester. So many of our friends had miscarried and we just wanted to carry this in our hearts for a while. We made a few exceptions: like our overnight trip to the farm and when we went skiing in Telluride. It's hard to keep it a secret when you want to ask the waiter "is this cheese pasteurized?" and "will you cook my burger until it's very well done?" Also, my sleepiness was cause for concern if you didn't know I was preggo. Except for an awful cold I picked up, I felt incredible until week 10ish. We had just returned from skiing and *BAM* I ralphed literally once or twice a day until week eighteen. Talk about being g-r-e-e-n. I still managed to gain two pounds (must be the carb-only diet I kept). I am a stomach/back sleeper, so I started sleeping on my side - the body pillow is wonderful for this transition. One really neat thing about being pregnant that I noticed in the first trimester, my psoriasis cleared up completely which is very rare for wintertime. 

Second Trimester. We told our parents and sisters literally the first day into our second trimester. I had great intentions of sending super cute Valentine's and filming their reactions ... but I just felt so crummy and time got the best of me. So facetime and phone calls it was to my side. My in-laws were visiting the next weekend and we told them in person. Everyones reactions were priceless. By week eighteen I felt instantaneously better. I had energy and didn't need to sleep from 6pm to 6am. We had our first big ultrasound at week twenty and it was beyond ah-mazing seeing our bean turn into a baby. I still cannot get over it and just marvel at the snapshots. We had three big ultrasounds in total (due to baby positioning mostly) and we are so blessed that everything appears to be perfect. I love this baby so much and just cannot wait to see what he or she looks like out of the womb. It's fun seeing a sneak peak for now. It was also really fun having my husband, in-laws, and mom see the ultrasounds. My mom was also there for my sugar test and I was beyond thrilled to have passsssed. By week twenty-two, I could feel the butterfly kicks which quickly morphed into karate kicks. I gained ten pounds this trimester and bump popped about week twenty-three. I caught my second cold which was awfulllll and was sooo sick on the ride back from this wedding (still apologizing to the R's who were gracious enough to let us ride with them ... I was the worst passenger ever). At work, I tried my first jury trial all by myself ... and WON!!! A few juror members stayed afterwards to talk about the case and their first question to me: "when are due?" Such a fun victory to celebrate while being pregnant. We also took our babymoon to Palm Beach this month and had so much fun!!!

Third Trimester. The third trimester has been a blessing thus far. I can literally count the days left on my toes and fingers, so I know it could still be rough, but so far sooo good. I toss and turn a tad at night mostly because my hips hurt. I moved from the bed with my body pillow to the couch and sleep like a queen. The karate kicks are now wild and you can actually see the baby move - it's WILD. There were not too many changes this trimester other than me getting bigger and biggggger. I have gained about a pound a week during the last trimester and believe I'll hit twenty five pounds by delivery date - that seems like a ton but I still feel pretty good about it. My feet and legs are not swollen and my face is not puffy, but I know that too still has time to come. I walk Stewbaby almost every day for around 30 minutes. I also track what I am eating to make sure I'm getting the proper nutrition and not all SUGAR intake. I also track those sweet baby kicks. We took our birthing classes this trimester and they were beyond helpful (besides having to watch a natural birth ...). I have a friend that lost her baby in the third trimester and its colored my pregnancy in so many ways. It's made me more thankful and grateful for this experience. It's made me more aware of baby movements and body changes. It's also made me fall on my face and completely trust God each step of the way. When my stepfather died, I was in the room as he passed and I remember it being the saddest moment of my life. I also remember it being beyond peaceful and almost beautiful because I am so certain of his salvation. Knowing that he was in paradise with Jesus was beyond amazing for him, yet so sad for us. I have been excited about this baby and this birth because I have a feeling having a life and loosing a life might be somewhat similar. So many friends have told us that having a baby is the greatest reminder of God's love for us. I am saddened that our baby will not know my stepdad but I am prayerful that our baby will know God and meet him one day in heaven. The last memorable part of the third trimester is the nursery. It is all set up and ready for the baby to arrive. I'll share pictures soon. My husband did a great job and was beyond helpful in making it happen. I love him so much and am so excited to have this little person make us a party of three (four if you include Stewart). We pray for the baby all the time, we love this baby so much, and we feel beyond blessed to have him or her joining us this month!!!

Phew - so that sound cover most of it. I've definitely gotten over my white coat effect with these frequent doctor trips and finger pricks. I am back to thinking this baybay is a GIRL even though everyone keeps saying its a boy and I'm carrying like a boy. I'm so ready to meet our baby and see if its a he or she!!! Xoxo-BLC

Family Fun

My husband's sweet family came into to town for one last pre-baby visit. It was so much fun seeing them and spending the whole Sunday together. I'm excited to see them again in the hospital soon!!! Xoxo-BLC

Holmestead Company

Last year, in my post "Off to the Country ...", we visited these sweet friends on their farm. I love love love their story and way of life. I think it's so much fun and they are just the sweetest people. We also had the BEST time with them at my husband's 10 year reunion (see: All Roads Lead to Rome).

This summer, it's been SOOO much fun seeing them at our weekly farmer's market!!! And we have loved loved loved eating from their farm. My husband is still raving about the ribeye and I don't see an end in sight because it was that good. Holmestead is definitely our favorite by far!!! If you are ever in their neck of the woods, they have an amazing farm and Inn you can nest at --- or if you live near us, pay them a visit at the farmer's market!!! Xoxo-BLC

Maternity Style

Maternity Style: what an oxymoron!!! I'm just weeks away from the baby's due date, but I'm still not interested in maternity clothes. More of Me Maternity, ASOS, and GAP are my go-tos (and thank heavens for them), but if I can squeak by without, you better believe I am going to try. Stretchy, flowy, and empire waisted have become my best friend. Here is my non-maternity maternity go-to-style:

:: Sheridan French Dress :: Fornash Necklace ::

Gold Jack Rogers :: Fornash Bracelet :: Lilly Pulitzer Tote Bag ::

I love love love this Sheridan French dress (and it's ON SALE) and know I will wear it in my non-maternity times. It's so comfy and flowy --- and I adore the pattern and colors. She makes the best dresses. Sheridan French is one of my all time favorite designers, but I do recognize it's a tad pricy. If you like this look, but want to be more budget conscious, try Old Navy's blue and white maternity dress (as seen here). Fornash jewelry has the best fashion jewels. Jack Rogers have been a staple of mine of over 10 years and I don't see me chaning my mind anytime soon. I've squeezed into quite a lot of Lilly P during these nine months, but Lilly accessories always fit. Dish: do you have any "maternity style" insight!?! Cheers to fashionable pregnancies!!! Xoxo-BLC

Collar Wars

Rarely do we disagree on much in our household, but right now ... MAJOR disagreement.

We are having a collar war and poor Stewbaby is caught in the middle.

I like to think my husband taste and my style are in stride together ... but not right now!!!

It's the summertime seersucker bowtie collar versus the orange hunting collar.

Help us with this great debate ...

Which do you prefer!?! Seersucker or orange!?!

If only Stewart could TELL us his favorite!!! :)

Xoxo-BLC

Gaelic Blessing

Deep peace of the running wave to you.

Deep peace of the flowing air to you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.

Deep peace of the shinning stars to you.

Deep peace of the gentle night to you.

Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.

Deep peace of Christ, of Christ the light of the world to you.

Deep peace of Christ to you.

Our church recently read this Gaelic Blessing and I thought it was too pretty not to share. I hope you enjoy it and are blessed by it!!! Xoxo-BLC

Lake Thirty

"Be still, and know that I am God." —Psalm 46:10

I absolutely love being on lake time. Whether its at my in-laws or my parent's lake house, lake time is the best time. Rain or shine, we eat too much, play loads of games, watch too much TV, read the books that you've been meaning to read for too long, jump in the water, take boat rides, and just enjoy each other's company. This is our last out of town venture until the baby arrives and I am more relaxed than ever. Many thanks to my sweet family for the best holiday week and cheers to lake time!!! Xoxo-BLC

Stewart's BEST Day Ever

Stewart's favorite two places: the lake and the farm. He loooves being outdoors. Our quiet neighborhood with loads of squirrels to chase just doesn't compare to wide open spaces.

Stewart showed off his "ups" last year (see this post here) but he is still anti-tree-huggers.

If you need a tree trimmer and entertainment, just let us know ... we will let you borrow him!!!

Stewart loves to swim. He loves to swim so much he doesn't stop. This lake visit only involved on jet ski rescue by my father-in-law ... he just took off for deep waters with no intentions of turning around. Hence the dog-lifejacket with a handle ... a handle made perfect for pulling him out of the water when it's quitting time.

He professes to love boat rides too ... but like car rides, they make him a little edgy. 

So there you have it: Stewart's best day ever includes: 

tree trimming, swimming, and wide open spaces!!!

Xoxo-BLC

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Happy Fourth of July!!! We headed to my in-laws lake house and had the BEST time.

It rained off and on nonstop but that didn't stop us from having fun.

We took the same family photo last year on the red steps ...

... but this year had a four year old on the other end of the camera.

The outtakes were too funny not to share:

Family is by the far the most important thing to me. I am so blessed with a great family and so blessed to have married into such a wonderful family. I loved spending time with everyone, especially this little four year old. She was so sweet and excited about us having a baby and loved feeling baby kick.

Wishing America the happiest of birthdays today!!! Our freedom is priceless and many many many thanks to those who keep us free! Don't forget to set off those fireworks to c-e-l-e-b-r-a-t-e!!!!  Lee Greenwood said it best: "And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free. And I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me." Cheers to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! Xoxo-BLC

Devon Baer + SALE = ♥

Two of my favorite words: DEVON BAER and SALE!!!

This July 4th, Devon Baer is hosting 25% of ALL STYLES!!!

Let the fireworks explode ... this is just too exciting.

Happy Shopping to you and yours!!!

Xoxo-BLC

Prep Yourself with Country Club Prep

 Rarely do the "he" and "she" in our household agree on a one-stop-place to shop, but I think we have found the solution: Country Club Prep!!! I first met CCP through Elizabeth McKay, who is one of my most favorite designers everrr. They carry her line and sooo many wonderful preppy collections.

We made out like bandits: "he" walked with three ties, cummerbund/bowtie set, and fishing shirt. "She" walked with TWO pairs of shoes. And we might have to share the koozies. :)

We both sported our favorites immediately:

"Country Club Prep’s mission in business and in life is to find the best preppy designers out there and to bring them to you under one metaphorical roof. When you’re looking for something preppy - ANYTHING PREPPY - visit CCP first. It’s our job to carry that item, but if we don’t, guess what - we’ll tell you where to find it. Your complete satisfaction is just that important to us." The best part: if there is a brand or designer that you want CCP to carry ... just let them know!!!

 Country Club Prep is currently hosting a $1,000.00 giveaway. That's a new summer wardrobe!!! To enter, jump to their website and enter away. You have until July 4th so hop to it!!!

Dish: have you prepped yourself with CCP before!?! What are your go-to-staple-favorites!?!

Happy shopping and fingers crossed you win that 1k giveaway.

Xoxo-BLC