a shower for baby kelly!

There are no words for how I feel today; truly. 

But I'm going to try my best to find some way to sum it all up…mostly so that I don't forget this huge milestone in my pregnancy :)

Everything started with a simple graphic, pulled from the crib bedding that I purchased for the nursery. It was the inspiration behind the baby shower invitation, and it became the thread that tied everything together for the shower decor.

I had WAYYYYY too much fun making all of these things, from the confetti garland, to the kraft paper banner…this is my favourite way to show people how much they mean to me. 

I mentioned this during a little impromptu speech at the shower, but my intention for this event was to create a day where I could spend some time with my favourite people, and thank them for the impact they've had on my life. 

Each and every smiling face reminded me of the amazing support I've received along the way. It has been a journey and I just feel so blessed to have these ladies in my life. 

My parents' house was such a perfect spot for this event, and I really like how the island was transformed into the food and drink area :)

My amazing husband assembled these fruit-kabobs…and I love him. 

Aaaaaand let's just talk about the cake. 

I gave Cat (the face behind the AMAZING Cake Whisperer brand) a copy of my shower invitation for her to use as inspiration. The result is a cake that is totally "me" in every way. Made to feed 25, it was just perfection. 

My alcohol-at-showers-mantra: there will be booze, as long as I'm allowed to smell your glass of wine at any time during the event. 

Just as I took the first slice into the cake, my friend Brittany arrived after a long drive in from Toronto that morning. Love her. It was so special to me that she made it :)

This is the part where I put my camera down and simply enjoyed the afternoon :) Bottom-of-my-heart thanks to Brittany for taking the photos below!!!

A few iPhone shots from the day:

I'll end this post with a message that I had printed by the table with the party favours… 

the human body is crazy...

I won't lie, I became very upset with my body when it decided to develop a cold the day before my only winter wedding. How unfair is that? Seven months pregnant AND sick while shooting a full day wedding at the NAC? 

But what could I do other than rest and sleep as much as possible before the big moment… Thankfully I'm married to someone who believes in me unconditionally; someone who told me over and over again that he knew somehow I'd manage to rock it out. 

And as I sit here in my pjs at 7:35am on a Monday morning, typing away between nose-blows, I'm thrilled to report that just as Ryan said, I got through it. And it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it would be! Sure, there were moments where I had to sneak away from the group to cough up a lung and chug some electrolytes, but my body didn't slow me down from doing my best work. 

The human body is pretty insane… 

But let me back up a bit and talk about my week of rest & relaxation in preparation for this weekend. 

It all started on Tuesday night when I taught myself how to crochet from a nice old lady's YouTube channel. I already knew how to knit, so it wasn't a stretch to figure out the patterns and get the hang of the hook. By the time I went to sleep, I knew how to do the basic stitches and chains, and I woke up Wednesday determined to start a little blanket for the nursery. 

Let me paint a picture of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for you:

Very happy with the finished product -- but it makes me want to start something else right away because I enjoyed making it so much!

In conclusion:

• I'm thankful that I was able to push through a big day yesterday
• I blew through two seasons of Gossip Girl like it was my job
• Now that the wedding is done, it's time to focus on the BABY SHOWER!!!

I have big plans to make this a glorious afternoon for 20 of my favourite ladies ever :) Rumour has it there will be a champagne bar, since it doesn't make any sense for the girls to go without a little bubbly just because I can't join them! 

I picture this week to be a combination of decor prep, maybe another crochet project, and a bunch of photo editing from this weekend :) 

Happy family day!!

week thirty-one

It's LOVE WEEK!

I just sent off my little v-day gifts for this year's clients, and stuffing the envelopes with little kisses while trying not to eat them all proved to be challenging. 

And in the name of love week, I have fallen in love with this extremely active little one...

New and interesting things from this week:

• We met the doctor who is going to deliver the baby!! Dr. Millar was better than we could have hoped for and we love his style. Favourite quote from our consult this morning:

"I'm somewhere in the middle between 

laissez-faire and uptight-crazy."

• We went for the info session at the hospital and it was quite informative. There's a bath in every labour room…and that sounds wonderful.
• My pelvic muscle tightness is leaving, thankfully. 
• Cravings now also include French Vanilla's from Tim's. 

Oh and check this out, we've been putting our parenting pants on and doing things like budgeting, saving money each month, and figuring out when and where house #2 will happen. It's all very exciting :)

While perusing a beautiful four bedroom model home in Barrhaven the other day, we were admiring a little mud-room space that had 3 cubbies with hooks (for backpacks and things), and Ryan randomly named our three children:

Cooper, Chase, and Madison 

He just kind of blurted it out and we both liked it. Sooooo, this baby will likely be a Cooper or a Chase. Just sayin'! 

letters to baby: the mystery of "you"

A LETTER TO BABY...

FEBRUARY 6th, 2014, 1:11pm

Oh baby, it's strange that we haven't officially met yet. 

You've been kicking me from the inside now for a very long time, and I've been busy designing a lovely bedroom for you and filling it with things I think you'll like…and I definitely know more about you than last time I wrote. 

For instance, I know you're going to be very smart (like your father) because you've been stealing all of my brain power since the day you were created. I have trouble spitting out the words I'm trying to say, I'm completely lost when it comes to knowing what day of the week it is, and even my knowledge of movie quotes seems to be going out the window!

I also know that you're going to be very zen (which will go nicely with all of that wisdom). For months now you've been making me turn down the volume on just about everything. No more driving in the car with the music blasting -- nope! Apparently you prefer silence or just a little bit of soothing music in the background. And after the length of a 42-minute TV show, you're over it. You prefer me to be tucked into bed with a book. 

And on every ultrasound you've been practising yoga, with your feet up in the air by your head, and even a cross-legged position a few times.

You're definitely a little bit like me though, what with all the napping we've been doing.

You're conscientious like your father; this we know for sure. You've never given me nausea that lasted more than 5 minutes (and only in the first few weeks at that!). You've never given me back pain, heartburn, swelling of the feet, or any of that other unpleasant stuff.

I appreciate it. 

It makes me excited to finally meet you in person…

To hold your little hand, count your little toes, and dress you up in adorably manly outfits. 

And once we meet, I know I'll never be able to imagine not knowing you. 

For now, I'm enjoying the mystery of "you." I'm spending my (numbered) days in this old life thinking of the joys that are just around the corner. Enjoying our zen time together with the volume down.

Oh baby, how is it possible that I love you already?

love, 
mom