Annalee Estelle | One Month

Dear Annalee,

We have loved getting to know you this month! You're sweet smile and beautiful blue eyes captured our hearts from the very beginning. You have a really sweet spirit and are such a good baby. You love hanging out on the sofa in your newborn lounger and you sleep so well in your bassinet by our bed. Sometimes you even like to nap in your own crib during the day! We went three weeks without giving you a paci, but finally caved - and you love it! You have been a good eater since you were born, waking up yourself to eat every 3-4 hours, sometimes more often in the beginning. Now you even give us one long 4-5 hour stretch at night - which we are so grateful for. Your daddy loved celebrating his first Father's Day with you, and we loved taking you out for your first trip to church. Father Joe even gave you a blessing to hold you over until your baptism. You have had so many visitors and been showered with gifts since the day you arrived! You loved spending time with your Gramma and your GranDe & PapaSam this month, and even got to meet Uncle Rob and Aunt Karen. For your one-month birthday we had your first sleepover with Megan, Matt and Mary Mac and visited King Family Vineyards for the afternoon. I'm so happy that you made me a Momma and us a family of three!

One Month Highlights:

• 9 lbs, 3 ozs., 22 inches, 14.5 in head circumference, bold blue eyes and blond hair
• Wearing newborn clothing and pajamas \\ Pampers Newborn diapers
• Nicknames: Sweet Pea \\ Pumpkin \\ Stinker \\ Little Bit
• Tricks: You love tummy time on your play mat and even rolled from your stomach to your back twice \\ You can almost hold your paci in your mouth with your hands \\ You have the sweetest sleepy smiles and funny faces
• Favorite toys: Lion WubbaNub \\ paci
• Food: Just momma's milk
• You made your first trips to the Palms, Southern Inn, The Livery and Church
• You love car rides and walks with Mommy
• You had your first sleepover and vineyard trip on your one month birthday
• This month we celebrated your daddy's first Father's Day

One Month Favorites {Items We Couldn't Live Without}:

Boppy Newborn Lounger \\ Bassinet \\ Paci (at 3 weeks) \\ Changing Pad & Covers \\ Boppy (for mommy) \\ Swaddle Blankets \\ Sleep Sacks \\ The Bob stroller 

Pictures from this month:

My first official pic in the hospital

My last day in the hospital

In my Sunday Best!

Hanging in the Boppy lounger

One of my favorite poses

Chunky long arms

playing in my gym

Napping in my crib

Sweet little feet

Hanging with Daddy

Our Baby Announcement  |  Mommy's "bump dates" | Your Birth Story

Five on Friday

It's been awhile since I linked up with the gals for Five on Friday, so I thought today would be a good day to catch up and join in the fun!

one. I have been on the search for a great gold frame for the pencil drawing my sister-in-law did of the Virginia alphabet for Miss Annalee's room. Who knew it would be so hard?  I came across Framebridge while following Emily Ley on Instagram and am in love. They have great frames, and it's a one-stop-shop for framing.

two. If you're looking for some great summer necklaces, Cora Lee is the place for you! They have so many fun pieces and you can't beat the price! April is also offering a discount, pop on over to her blog for $5 off.

Lauren Necklace - $37.95

Emily Collection - $39.95

three. Annalee received the cutest crib sheets from her soon to be bestie, Allie Grace. Look how precious these blueberry sheets are! Their Farmer's Market series is precious!

four. Baby headbands are so much fun, but my husband isn't the biggest fan of huge bows on a little bitty head. I also worry about headbands being too tight and hurting their little noggins. The Pleated Polka Dot has so many fun options for little girls, and great options for newborns as well. I love these elastic headbands - so simple and soft - and the perfect touch for a baby girl!

via Etsy.

five. Lucy and Lyla has a fabulous boho chic collection and Eleventh Avenue is featuring quite a few of their items at a steal! I picked up this their fringe kimono, tie dye maxi, and striped shorts, all for less than $65. Hurry, items are going quick!

via Eleventh Avenue

I hope everyone has a great weekend. We are planing an outing to the vineyards on Saturday to celebrate Miss Annalee's one month birthday!! If you'd like to join the fun, grab the button below and link-up with April. Christina, Natasha and Darci are on summer break. 

Cheers to the weekend!

Summer Corn and Shrimp Saute'

via The Chew

We have been very blessed since the arrival of Miss Annalee with a steady supply of meals and goodies from family and friends, so we haven't done much cooking.  Last week I did throw together one meal for us that we loved - Summer Corn and Shrimp Sauté - and wanted to share!

Ingredients

•    1 pound shrimp (16/20 count, peeled and deveined)

•    1 teaspoon chili powder

•    1 teaspoon salt

•    2 ears corn (husked, kernels cut off the cob)

•    2 cloves garlic (diced)

•    1/2 red onion (thinly sliced)

•    1 fresno chili (sliced)

•    1/4 cup white wine

•    1 lime (zested)

•    1/4 cup basil

•    1/4 cup mint

•    2 tablespoons butter

•    extra-virgin olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Preheat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat.

2. Season shrimp with chili powder and salt. Toss well to coat.

3. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the pan along with the corn, garlic, red onion and fresno chili. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until translucent and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. 

4. Add shrimp and sauté 2-3 minutes until shrimp are fully cooked. 

5. Add the white wine and bring to a simmer, cook until reduced by half. 

6. Add the lime zest, fresh herbs and butter. Stir and flip to melt the butter and combine the ingredients. 

Enjoy! 

First Father's Day

We had a great Father's Day weekend! Maybe a little too much fun for this momma... it left me very sore this week. Well worth the memories though.

Friday night, Annalee made her first trip to Friday's Alive - our summer outdoor concert series downtown - and was a perfect angel! She wasn't too keen on sitting in her carseat the whole time, but was great once she was in momma's arms.

Saturday, our good friends Meg, Matt & Mary Mac came to play and brought lots of goodies! We enjoyed a lazy day of catching up and feasting on fried chicken and all the sides... complete with a lemonade pie and chocolate chip cookies. {thanks for spoiling us, Meg} Mary Mac loved meeting Annalee and enjoyed her first birthday gift from us, the Princess Cozy Coupe!

Meeting Mary Mac

Snuggling with Auntie Meg

We even got out for a little shopping downtown and left the boys to enjoy their Father's Day....

Sunday we made it to church and Annalee got a sweet blessing from Father Joe. Afterwards, we enjoyed a great Father's Day brunch at the Livery - soaking up the 80 degree weather on the deck with Miss Annalee. 

That evening my brother and sister-in-law drove up from a wedding in Asheville for a quick visit to meet Miss Annalee and J cooked us a great Father's Day meal of baby back ribs, collard greens and mac-n-cheese. We feasted and called it an early night! 

Snuggling with Auntie Karen

Meeting Uncle Rob

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day weekend! We certainly enjoyed celebrating J's first Father's Day and the precious time we got to spend with great friends and family. 

Best Gifts for Ones

Tis the season for birthday celebrations, and we have quite a few this season. Today, I wanted to share some of my favorite gifts for one-year-old's... girls in particular, but not to worry, there are boy options too! I'm a big fan of outside toys for the season, here are some of my favorites.

Go and Grow Lil' Rollin' Giraffe 

Snug-n-Secure Swing

Princess Cozy Coupe

WaterWheel Activity Play Table 

We can't wait to celebrate one of our favorite little ones on Saturday with a fun happy from above! What are your favorite gifts for one-year-olds?

DIY | Diaper Wreath

Miss Annalee is doing great - growing, growing, growing! I just  can't believe she's 3 weeks old today, where did the time go? Today, I thought we would take a bit of a baby break - ok, not a baby break - but a break from MY baby - and talk crafting! A few weeks back, we had a fun double shower day for our friends having twins. Double the fun, right? The boys had a diaper shower, while the gals gathered for our own celebration. I made a diaper wreath for the door, and thought I would share a little DIY today.

Supplies: 

24 newborn diapers

4-6 yards of assorted ribbon, any color

1 wooden 24" wreath

Hot glue gun

Scissors

Crafting Wire

Wooden or Paper Letters for the name {Optional}

You'll start by wrapping the diapers individually around the wooden wreath and securing each diaper with a thin ribbon. Alternate the colors as you choose, or use the same. Totally up to you!

Work your way around the whole wreath, covering all of the wood with diapers. 

Next is the bow. I used a variety of colors, textures, and patterns for the bow. 

I started by tying one ribbon and securing with crafting wire, then adding another and another until you reach the fullness you'd like. 

The goal is to not make a perfect bow, but use lots of different shapes and sizes to create a round fluffy bow for the wreath. 

After making your bow, take a variety of ribbons and tie to the wreath to create length.

Attach your round fluffy bow to the front of the ribbon strands to complete your bow.

You can leave the wreath as is, or add a name. I added the letters {made from scrapbook paper, cut with a Cricut} TWINS for the Hastings' twin boys. This was the only shot I took of the letters on the wreath, but they turned out so cute!

The perfect addition to any baby celebration or hospital door. 

Happy Crafting!

Baby Lyons | Week 38 ... She's here!

How far along? 38 weeks


Size of baby: 8 lbs., 4.5 ozs, and 20 inches long

Gender: A beautiful baby girl, Annalee Estelle

Weight Gain: At my 38 week check-up on Wednesday, May 27, I had gained a total of 32 pounds, when I checked into the hospital that night {after my water broke}, I was up only a total of 28 pounds. Amazing that amniotic fluid accounted for 4 pounds! At my one-week post-pardum check-up, I was only up 11 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. This breast-feeding is no joke, it burns some serious calories. 

Maternity Clothes: Well, my wardrobe for week 38 consisted of nursing tanks and bras, stretchy shorts and pj's. Anything for easy feeding access and easy on the belly. 

Nursery: Got lots of finishing touches done this week with your early arrival and GranDe's visit. It's amazing how quickly things get done when you need them! Papa Sam put on your dimmer light cover, Daddy organized the closet, GranDe washed all your toys and put them away and several loads of laundry have been done for all the new baby girl clothes we've received from family and friends. Our rocker finally shipped from PB and should arrive soon too! For now, I'm doing lots of feeding in our bed or at the sofa. 

Purchases: We have already made several Target trips for nursing tanks, extra changing pad covers, diaper sacks, your monitor and a few other necessitates for mommy. Amazon Prime has also been our good friend, delivering your "Weekly blocks" just in time for your one week old picture, and delivering a carseat adaptor and cup holder for the Bob stroller. GranDe went shopping for some little girl clothes and blankets too and Kara dropped off a large box of baby girl hand-me-downs from Mary Mac! We are all set for you baby girl. 

Movement: You are a bundle of joy and are so alert! You love steering at us with those big dark blue eyes, and you make the funniest gestures with those long lanky arms and hands of yours. 

Symptoms: Mommy is very sore from her c-section (thanks to our little breech baby), but feeling good! Recovery has been really great and we can attribute much of that to our wonderful doctor and staff of nurses at Augusta Health!

Sleep: You are sleeping like a champ! During the day you are awake more, but at night I usually have to wake you for your 3 hour feedings. Mommy and Daddy are tired, but getting the hang of things. GranDe and Papa Sam are staying with us, so they usually help with early morning shift between feedings to give Mommy and Daddy a couple more hours of rest and allow you to play! Mommy has also been enjoying some naps during the day when you nap.  

Workouts: Enjoying lots of time napping and siting. Standing for long periods of time still hurts a good bit, so I am taking it easy. No workouts or walking for Mommy just yet. 

Cravings: Mommy is starving all the time {more so now than when I was pregnant with you} and always thirsty! I enjoyed my first cold turkey sandwich the day we came home, a small glass of vino on Sunday night when my parents arrived, and a Summer Shandy sometime later that week. Trying to keep my belly filled with good snacks and meals as much as I can - you seem to deplete the supply really quickly. 

What I Miss: My big ole' belly! Ok, not really - you are way cuter than that huge belly of mine. 

Best Moment This Week: The realization that you were coming... and quick! Read Your Birth Story here. It was a super exciting day! Also, making eye-contact with you for the first time when they placed you on my chest was pure joy!

Looking Forward To: Maternity leave and spending my days {and nights} with my baby girl. 

Thanks for following along this wonderful 38 week journey with us. It's been so fun to capture each week of my pregnancy and look back on how quickly time has passed. I can hardly believe you are already here in my arms. We love you baby girl!

Our Announcement | Weeks 5-12 | Weeks 13-16 | Week 17 | Week 18 

 Week 19 | Week 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 25 | Babymoon 

Week 26 | Week 27 | Weeks 28 & 29 | Week 30 | Week 31 | Week 32 

Week 33 | Week 34 | Week 35 | Week 36 | Week 37