Bellamy's Nursery...

just arrived home from our beach/mountain excursion this morning...

post on that later.

for now, a lot of you have been asking and the finishing touches are FINALLY in place..... 

here's our baby girl's cozy little nest! 

we love it and hope that she will too!

picked up 2 antique prints (one boy, one girl) at a yard sale for the kid's doors

framed cross-stitch i found at the Metrolina antique fair

"a bell is not a bell until you ring it"

along with a couple sweet etsy prints

toy box/bench >> junk store find, painted.

and, my wonderful MIL sewed up some pillow cases with my extra fabric

vintage rod iron dress form... found here for one heck of a deal and painted.

bought this chair 5 years ago at a yard sale for $5, found the ottoman at a junk store for $10 and had them reupholstered.

lamp and table found at the Metrolina antique fair. painted the table.

storing pacis, hair accessories, and whatnot in mason jars.

Jenny Lind crib, borrowed and painted gold.

crib bedding... a mixture of handcrafted and craigslist finds.

yarn ball mobile crafted by momma... was a bit more difficult than it looks, but turned out perfectly!

ikea floating shelves, accessorized with old and new.

ceiling medallion, painted gold

antique bird cage wired for lighting and hung with crystals.

changing table was a craigslist find. painted and adorned with Anthro hardware!

we had to take the door off of the closet to allow for the shelves, so a curtain it is!

two of my favorite stories as a girl!

antique mirror from Metrolina antique fair... hobby lobby letters.

Lofty Larks Wallpaper from Anthropologie

this project was truly a labor of love!

Justin was resposible for the construction of things... wallpaper, cornice boards, bead board, painting, caulking... you name it!

i stepped in for everything else.

really, it all started with the wallpaper and the vision stemmed from there!

the days are running together...

it's been such a challenge for me to find some LaLaLu time lately...

my little sis, Kathleen, is keeping my little guy busy for a few, so i've been afforded a small window of time before i get back to my day.

thanks, Aunt Kath!

this is my day in a diptic nutshell :

>>our packing list for the spontaneous trip we're takin' to the coast (leaving bright and early tomorrow a.m.)

>>the kids bag is ready... now for the hard part... me.

>>laundry, laundry, and more laundry.

>>took a little time for some updates in baby Belle's book... she was 1 whole month old yesterday!

since we didn't get to take our yearly beach vaca, due to our little beauty's arrival... we're taking it now!  headed to Garden City 'til Saturday and then it's off to Asheville for some family time with Mimi and Poppy (Justin's mom and stepdad)

This past weekend :

 on Friday night our dear friends, the Celettis and their precious boy, Colt, hung at our place and brought some delicious Cappriccio's pizza along with them.

after dinner we all walked up for icecream at the Creamery in downtown Concord.

it was pretty perfect.  we don't have many friends with kids... let alone boys that are close to Asa's age, so he was loving it!

I met Kristy through a mutual friend last September and she's been such a huge blessing in my life ever since.  i'm beyond thankful for that girl!

on Saturday morning we swung by a Chick-fil-a drive thru for breakfast and headed out to a yardsale in South Charlotte... i picked up a few cute things for my sister's new nest and some corduroy overalls for Asa.

after his morning nap, we ventured over to Huntersville to Discovery Place Kids.  it's only been open since October and i've been waiting 'til Ace was big enough to go and really enjoy himself.  

it gets my recommendation for sure!  they thought of everything! they've got fire trucks, race cars, submarines, boats, grocery stores, playhouses, water tables, play gyms... you name it! i'd say it's great for kids anywhere from 16 months-5 or 6 years old.

Asa's favorite, by far, was the water table... and the submarine.

{side note : not sure Saturday is the best day to go. we really did enjoy ourselves, but probably won't do it again... it was PACKED!}

on Sunday, my mom's parents came into town for lunch at Five Guys and to spend the afternoon.  it was Bellamy's first time meeting her Great Grandpa (Grandma came to visit in the hospital).

oh, and leave it to my Grandpa Sullivan to spoil Ace with some candy before lunch.  i let it slide for this special occasion ;)

i sure hope you guys enjoyed that sweet little gift of 80 degrees and breezy this past week... i'm not quite ready to say goodbye to summer, but just give me a few more weeks of this hot hot heat!

HAPPY MONDAY!

routine schmoutine...

so, this weekend... while it flew by (once again) was a taste of perfection.

Justin didn't have to fit in any work and we hardly had an agenda.

there was country cookin', there was swimmin' and sun bathin', there were Starbucks swing thrus, there were walks, there was icecream, there were naps... love all around!

it was Saturday evening in particular though that set this w/e above the rest.

you see, our little family life revolves around a pretty set routine (for the kiddos, at least) and when Justin and i want to have our fun, we get a sitter.

however, not much of that has happened in the past few weeks... for obvious reasons.

so, after our little man's afternoon nap, we decided a date for the whole fam was in order.

to Southpark it was. (we barely ever get to that side of town)

California Pizza Kitchen is one of our faves... Avocado Eggrolls, Cobb Salad, and Sicilian Pizza... in that order. YUM!

also, Justin's Father's Day gift was going to be a mini shopping spree at the J.Crew outlet on our beach vacation, but since little sister decided to make her debut a few weeks early, that didn't happen.  so after dinner, it became a family affair to get daddy a couple handsome new duds... it didn't hurt that they were having an additional 30% off of sale items.  (they had TONS to choose from... if you hurry, you might still catch it!)

now, remember that routine i mentioned... well, Asa's bedtime is between 7:30 & 8 every night, but this night the little hand was rounding its way up to the 9 as our Southpark fun was coming to an end... and we still had a 45 min drive ahead of us.

what's so wonderful about this is that Asa AND momma kept their cool... no pressure to get home, no worrying about whether he'll get enough rest, just living in the moment and loving it.  i made a decision.  i stepped outside of my little routine bubble and i'm so glad i did. 

of course, by the time we got home Asa was on the verge of a mini meltdown, but he's fine.

every once in a while, it's okay.  we were livin' on the edge.

let me just say, Justin and I are pretty layed back when it comes to just us, but a schedule is what works for us as a family.  we like it.

actually, i'd love to hear some momma feedback on a daily schedule with two babies.

Asa's still on two naps a day (i'll take it while i can).  i'm wondering how the transition to one will go.

and then, there's Belle... she's still too little for any kind of real routine, but maybe in the next month or so.

what works/worked best for you??

Bellamy's whimpering for mama... time to get some sweet newborn snuggles in!

quiet... maybe too quiet...

Justin and Asa are off to my parents for the night.

it's become quite the tradition, wear Boston butts are concerned, for my dad and Justin to stay up cooking them through the night on the smoker.

this time, the hubs decided to take a load off of momma and bring Ace along.

so, for now it's just me, the little lady, and The Civil Wars...

(until a bit later, when my little brother shows up to keep me company)

i'm really trying to appreciate the quiet... it's a gift.

but, truly, i want my boys to come home RIGHT NOW!

i've done some laundry, prepped for tuesday's dinner, cleaned the dishes...

no toddler to bathe and put to bed, no hubby to recap the day with...

i hardly know what to do with myself.

so, i'm here...

i've realized lately what a faith builder it is to have a new baby.

i'm much more laid back with Bellamy than i was with Asa, but still am plagued by little worries and anxieties.

this time around, it's mostly due to this devil gas/indigestion that creeps up on my baby girl's sweet disposition.  it attacks her in the midst of the soundest sleep.  literally causing her to wrench about and cry in pain.

i've pulled out all the stops... switched to a bland diet, limited gluten and dairy, warm bird baths, tummy time, gripe water... you name it, and nothing seems to bring relief.

my pediatrician assures me "it's just one of those things" and i can really only wait it out.

i've prayed and cried over this so many times now... i just want to fix it. and i can't.

but what does worry count for??

Justin pleads with me to stop dwelling on it... that's just easier said than done for this momma. 

but i'm gonna try.

so, this is me, handing it over and trusting my Father to answer the prayers i've been sending up for my baby Belle...

no more worries. 

on a brighter note... i've decided to start crafting.

i've got a few ideas up my sleeves.

nothing too original, but stay tuned ;)

and... here's some recent pics...

my little mischief maker

baby girl found her thumb for the first time

a mental snapshot of our morning...

i woke a bit after 7am to the tiny (feed me) grunts coming from Bellamy's bassinet... 

took a look at the monitor to see Ace playing happily and quietly in his crib, so i decided to soak in a few extra moments with the baby girl before daddy went and grabbed our boy.

pretty soon, it was all four of us piled in the bed to take in some morning cartoons.

Asa always cuddles with his dad first, before makin' his way over to momma.

this morning, he decided to smother baby Belle with kisses.  you could say this is a good problem to have, but nonetheless, i slowly pulled Bellamy away from his smooches... a girl's gotta breathe.

it was only a few minutes after this when Asa had had his fill of morning snuggles and was up and running... we were close behind. 

so simple, but these are the moments i live for.

the blog and i have been having a stare down for the past couple weeks. (BELLAMY IS 2 WEEKS OLD ALREADY!)

i won't say i'm terribly overwhelmed with the two (i've had bunches of help from the family).

however, i can honestly say that over these past days, blogging is the last thing i want to do with the quiet moments i can gather each day.

if Asa's napping, i'm soakin' in some time with Belle or resting myself.

if Belle is sleeping and Asa's awake, we're eating, reading, playing with Blue, coloring... you name it!

and if they're both awake... well, you know.

so, anyway, i wanted to drop by with a little update and say that i'll be back soon with precious pics and some (hopefully) pretty great posts!

Happy Independence Day!!!

have a fabulous weekend, ya'll!

GUEST POST 2...

still taking things one day at a time around here... and savoring the moments we have together before Justin's return to work next week (nooo!!!).  so far, Bellamy has been fairly laid back... really only fusses to eat.  and, nighttimes haven't been altogether horrible either.  sleep is definitely not as scarce as it was during Asa's first couple weeks.  speaking of my boy, we know he's got some love for his new little sis... we're just hoping it gets a little more tender... sooner than later.  he switches between jealousy, curiosity, and affection on a hourly basis.

i can't blame him... this baby girl is rockin' his little world!

i'm learning the fine line between grace and discipline these days.  things are gonna be just fine.

all in all, we're good... really good.  thank you, Jesus.

our week, complete with a visit to the pediatrician (weighing in at 6lbs 9oz! and perfectly healthy, with the exception of being slightly jaundiced), sweet visitors, Bellamy snoozin', play time with our boy, and pumping... LOTS of pumping... perhaps too much.

now, i'm so excited to have one of my dearest and best friends, Kristi, from Kristina Lynn Photography sharing a few words on the blog today.  She has two sweet babes... her first is a precious boy, Ezra, who'll be 3 in a couple short months and she and her husband Slade just welcomed there baby girl, Hazel, into the world a little more than 3 weeks ago!  i love that our girls are so close together, and although her family lives in Greenville, SC we hope for them to do a little growing up together!

On Hazels coming into the world...

 Like every birth you never, ever feel ready. I think for us this was more true with Hazel. Ezra was our first so all I did all day was think about him and, in essence, prepare in my heart. With Hazie, I felt like I could have waited one more week, then juuust one more and so on. One thing that helped me want to stop "putting it off" (like I really could) was the excitement to find out the gender of our little one. I carried the same (but felt alot worse) so I had started assuming I was having a boy (but was secretly hoping for a girl). I also was ready to not be pregnant.  I had a good chuckle over a post Carey made one day about her pregnancies being pretty smooth... no throwing up, no headaches or getting enormous and uncomfortable, etc. Mine have been pretty much the polar opposite, you name it I had it, and towards the end it was debilitating nose bleeds every day. So one prayer I did have is that our new baby would be not as difficult as my first,after a rough nine months. I don't know if she really is just that much easier (it seems like it and she is sleeping nights like dream - no pun intended) or if I am just more relaxed, but this go round does seem easier. (thank you Lord!) Also just very thankful that she's alive- the nurse told me we were very blessed in this case, considering they'd found an unexpected knot in her cord called a "true knot".  I made the mistake of googling it and realized that, yes, it is a scary thing. All my dumb worries seemed pretty small after hearing that news and we just basked in a tearful thankfulness.

A quote from Slade  "Her cry sounds like the wheel of a squeaky cart."

Coming home...
This was easy compared to the last night in the hospital. Hazie had gotten accustomed to being held all the time and had started crying when anyone put her down. I didn't want to let her cry at all because friends and family were always there and that would be distressing to some of them. So I was anxious to see what she would do when we got home. To my surprise, it was like she suddenly forgot her hospital habits and just knew she was home, she loves her little closet/room (no we don't put her in a regular closet like Harry Potter or some horrible parents) we have a closet that is basically a room (I actually really love it for her).

Tricks of the trade...
One thing that has helped me (living in a house with with stairs, where the kitchen seems like a million miles away) is bringing breakfast up stairs to feed my 2 year old while I nurse her, or before so it doesn't end up being 10 before he eats. Also, the little bouncy seats are wonderfully useful when I need to put her down.  Aaand, lastly... I dont ever wake her up at night (I mean she knows when she is hungry!)

Over the last few weeks I have actually been very peak and valley when it comes to my moods and emotions, so I have been relying on the truth of scripture rather than what my emotions are telling me. I feel very mundane and unspiritual much of the time. When I was wrestling with this one day, Slade reminded me of the comforting verse in 1st timothy 
"But women will be saved through childbearing--if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety". Of course I am saved through Jesus and Him alone but this is the everyday mundane way God has ordained for me to be refined and tested and purified. I consider it a blessing to work in the home as unto the Lord. I don't have to be a spiritual super-woman and have revelations for heaven everyday. I just have to be faithful to the Lord in the everyday diaper changing and in my heart.

GUEST POST...

so, baby Belle came quite a bit earlier than expected... this is why i've been m.i.a. for the past week or so.  just getting settled in around here.  

in the meantime, i asked a few mommas to share their stories on a growing family... how the dynamic changes, tricks of the trade, and how the Lord grew them during that time of transition.

first, meet Rachael.

she's the super mama behind Letters to Ames.

stop by and show her some love :)

Hi! I'm Rachael - a nurse, a musician's wife, and a momma to five kiddos. I blog about our life over at www.letterstoames.com! 

Carlisle asked me to write a little something about my experience with a growing family. When I married my husband, I became an instant mom - he has two sons from a previous marriage. We became pregnant with our own son shortly after getting married. 17 months after Ames was born, the twin girls came along! If you're confused, it's okay - we are still reeling a bit, too. My husband has been known to call all of the kids "Steve" at one point or another (note: no one in our family actually has that name). 

One thing I noticed shortly after the twins were born was that I couldn't force a routine or a schedule right away like I did with Ames. As a result, things have actually been easier - more laid-back, more relaxed. My son is the most amazing toddler on the planet. He loves to sleep, he loves to eat, and he loves to be around people. He's adjusted to having two sisters with a ridiculous amount of grace, and it's taught us to be more flexible. This week, Ames takes two naps a day, something he hasn't done in months. Normally, I'd be reading stuff on the internet and trying to "fix" it. But I'm not going to worry about it. This week, it's working for us. The same goes for the girls. Sometimes, they nurse & nap in the car. Sometimes, one of them has to wait for a diaper change while the other is eating. It's okay. Grace abounds.

Another thing that has been radically different this time around is my acceptance of help. I went back to work very early with Ames, so I pretty much held onto him 24/7 outside of that. I paid dearly, as I could have used a break. Instead, I suffered some postpartum depression in silence (or occasionally, by way of tearful tantrums at home). Although the twins were born mere weeks ago, Chris & I have already taken a few trips out alone and left the kids with one of our moms. This has done wonders for our marriage and our sanity. The girls have also spent a little time in the nursery at church, so that I can actually listen to the message instead of breastfeeding in a dark corner somewhere. 

Both forcing myself to relax and taking time away from the babies takes a little adjusting and a little work, but it's been so worth it.