Rustic Outdoor Maternity & Anniversary Photos

Justin and I recently celebrated our fifth anniversary....my how time flies! Can't believe it's already been five years! We decided (well I did really, and Justin was a great sport) to get some professional taken. The last time we had professional photos was our wedding, so it seemed fitting with our anniversary, and the little one on the way. I wanted some maternity photos of my growing belly, so Justin was kind enough to play along.

Although we had to drive two hours to the photographer, it was well worth the drive. Unfortunately it started raining literally five minutes before we arrived at the location. Such great timing!  :(   We had to jump in and out of the car whenever the rain stopped for a bit. Of course every woman reading this knows the result....my gorgeously curled hair that I spent an hour on quickly became frizzy and limp. Not the best look for photos. Luckily we still got some amazing shots. 

The photographer, Kelly Williams, does brilliant work! You can find her website here. If I hadn't already bought some props to do baby photos myself, I would use her again for photos of our little one. 

The shoot was in Harrisonburg, VA, at an old mill. It had a beautiful pond, an old barn in the background, some brick walls, and an amazing old wooden fence. It gave the perfect rustic, outdoor feel I was hoping for.

Here are some of my favorite shots. Hope you enjoy!!

The first one is a shot I requested for our anniversary, with both of our wedding rings in it (and my belly of course!). I love how it turned out!

This may be my favorite. I got the banner on Etsy, and I absolutely love that fence! It gives the vintage, rustic look I was looking for.  :)

I'm sitting on the quilt my Nana made for me when I graduated from high school. It's always in the trunk of my car, always handy for whenever we need it.  :)  The photographer loved it!

These were taken at 36 weeks. My belly looks like a bowling ball!!! I don't think I look quite that big....the camera adds ten pounds, right?!?!? I'm just glad Justin and I were able to document our 5th anniversary, and the impending arrival of our first child. Now I just need to scrapbook all of these!  ;)

My Hubby is a Partner!!

I'm thrilled to report that Justin became a partner at his firm today! It's been in the works for several months now, so it's nice that it's finally a reality! I couldn't be more proud of him!! Not even 30, with a baby on the way (hopefully any day now), and he's a partner! Congrats to my amazing, smart, talented, loving husband!!

Here's an old photo from last year of Mr. Partner tackling our mold problem in the basement. ;)

38.5 Weeks and Ready to Pop!

It's been far too long since I've posted some belly shots....about 12 weeks it looks like! My how time flies! Currently it's not flying quite fast enough, as Justin and I are ready to meet our little one. We've been saying "any day now..." for the past few weeks, and each day that passes I get more and more anxious. My OB said last week that she thought we'd have a baby by the 26th...hopefully that's true. Between the SEVERELY swollen feet and ankles, and consistent contractions, I'm definitely ready. Unfortunately the contractions aren't cyclical at this point, but they're coming more frequently and are getting more and more painful. Hopefully we'll meet our little one soon!

Here are the last few belly shot photos showing our little one growing in size!

 33 Weeks

35 Weeks:

38.5 Weeks:

I look like a giant whale now! I'm worried this will be a 10 pound baby!  ;)  Hopefully not...

The countdown continues....only 11 more days until the due date....hopefully sooner...

Pink, Brown, Beige & Blush Chevron Mason Jar Invitations

I'm finally getting around to posting some new invitation designs to my Etsy shop. One of the newest designs features a chevron background, with hanging mason jars, a string of twinkle lights, and some bunting. The color scheme is brown, beige, blush, light pink, dark pink, and a bit of champagne/silver. These lovely invitations are perfect for a rehearsal dinner, engagement party, bridal shower, baby girl's baby shower, bridesmaid's luncheon, etc.

The printable invitations can be found for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Hope your enjoy them! Let me know if I can be of any assistance with your special event.

Pink and Grey Mason Jar Invitations

Good afternoon! Hope you're all having a lovely Saturday  :)  I thought I'd share a new line of mason jar invitations that are now available in my shop, in a lovely light pink and charcoal grey color scheme. These are great for a baby girl's baby shower, bridal shower, engagement party, rehearsal dinner, couples shower, etc. They feature five mason jars hanging from a string of twinkle lights. Perfect for an outdoor garden party!

These digital invitations are available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

Thanks for stopping by and let me know if you're interested in any custom orders. 

Mint, Peach & Coral Birdcage Invitations

I've released a new line of birdcage invitations, featuring the popular color schemes of mint and coral, as well as mint and peach. They feature various chevron backgrounds, and a lovely bird and floral design. These are perfect for a baby shower, bridal shower, bridesmaid's luncheon, couples shower, etc. The colors work well for unisex invitations if you're having a baby and don't want to find out the sex beforehand (like us!).

The digital invitations can be purchased through my Etsy shop.

I also have some coordinating thank you cards:

*Folded

*Flat

Lastly, I've added a small insert to my shop which can be used for registry information, a diaper raffle, request for guests to bring  signed children's book rather than a card, directions, host/hostess names, etc. Anything additional you want to add that won't fit on the invitation. The insert is the size of a standard business card (2.5 x 3 inches).

Hope you've enjoyed browsing my newest line of invitations! Let me know if I can be of any assistance with your next special event.

26 Weeks and Counting...

We've now made it past the 26-week mark, about 2/3 of the way through!! Less than 100 days until the due date now.  :)

I've been feeling kicks and punches, and some hiccups, numerous times a day. A few of them are a little painful ;)

So far things are progressing normally, and everyone is healthy. Such a relief! No more ultrasounds at this point, but I have a few more belly shots.

The 18-week photo was taken on Easter.

My parents graciously drove out to Virginia to bring us some furniture and baby items donated by my big sister (absolutely a life saver!!!). They were also kind enough to help us with some house projects, including the nursery and our stairs. My mom did an AMAZING job sanding and finishing the wood stairs up to our bedroom, which had previously been covered by carpet. While they aren't supposed to be finished wood stairs, she sanded them down and stained them a dark brown to match our flooring upstairs. It made such a difference - they're beautiful. And she helped add a hand rail in a matching stain, which was much needed.

My dad helped us add a wainscotting wall treatment to the nursery, after removing the old floorboard heaters which haven't been used in years. He was an incredible help! We couldn't have done it without him. I'm still working on the last coats of paint, but when it's finished I'll post the before and after shots.

They happened to be here during my 22-week mark, so they're in my belly photo with me. You can now see the wall color of the nursery (mint green) in the background, which we painted before they arrived, as well as the start of the wall treatment.

Last, but not least, is this past weekend's photo at the 26-week mark (Memorial Day). Come Labor Day and hopefully we'll have met our little one! In case you can't tell from the photos...my belly popped out at around 24 weeks....pretty much looks like a soccer ball now.  ;)

At 26 weeks our little one is about 14-15 inches in length, and about 1.7 pounds. He/she will be packing on the baby fat in the next three months.  :)

This weekend is the baby shower that my sister is graciously hosting, and I couldn't be more excited to see all the lovely women in my life. My sister made the most adorable invitations, with a little bendable carnival strong man - too cute! I'm excited to see what other crafty goodness she has in store. 

My husband on the other hand, will be on the beach in Aruba without his pregnant wife....most likely enjoying himself and the fact that I'm not there to hold him back.  ;)  He's going with his law firm for their yearly vacation, and unfortunately we didn't feel comfortable with me going at this point in the pregnancy. Hope he enjoys his solo trip...I know I'll be enjoying the shower!  ;)

Hope you're all having a lovely week! I'll post new photos soon. Keep in touch!