Luck of the Irish?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I'm thinking today would be a great day to have a baby... but I've been thinking that everyday for over a week now.  However, the Carter's are Irish and my favorite color is green... so maybe we'll get lucky.  All the grandparents are banking on the full moon this weekend.  I guess we shall see.  I am officially 5 days from my due date and I am feeling it!  Baby C is a big girl... weighing approximately 8 pds or more at this point.  We are so ready to meet this sweet, chunky monkey!

I am on Spring Break (praise the Lord... not sure how good I would be at entertaining 20- 4 and 5 year olds) and the weather is GORGEOUS!  Today the high is 75 degrees... doesn't get much better.  I have already walked for a good while and now I think I'm going to grab my book and head out to my adirondack chair and relax.

39 weeks 3 days

Dear Baby C

It is 4 weeks until your due date and you still do not have a name.  I do know when we figure it out, it will be perfect and made for you.  Once again, I am going to try to do better with my blog, because I want it to be a keepsake for you and I... one that cannot be lost, burned or taken away.  It will be forever in internet land and we can read it now until the end of time (I think).

Like I said, it is 4 weeks until your due date and your daddy and I are so excited and anxious in waiting for your arrival we can hardly stand it!  Your room is ready, you have more clothes and necessities than we know what to do with, and you are one busy girl in my belly.  And what has made us even more excited to meet you is that we were able to see you through an ultrasound that was pretty cool.  You weren't bothered a bit throughout it, sleeping the whole time.  You have the sweetest, prettiest face your daddy and I have ever seen!  We are so deeply in love with you already!

The past few months have been very busy getting ready for the big day.  Here's a little recap of what's been happening.

Christmas 27 1/2 weeks pregnant

Aunt Amanda, Caca, Mama on Christmas Day eating yummy food!

Big T and Mama on Christmas Day

The day we went to get your baby furniture.  Can you tell we are tired and cranky?

2011 has been a very cold and snowy winter.  I have enjoyed all the snow days!

Daddy and I went to Nevada to visit Hayden,  Chatham and Aunt Allison when I was 31 weeks pregnant and Chatham was 3 weeks old.

Your nursery is ready and waiting on you.  

Meme, Mama, and Big Mama at your first baby shower.

Diaper cake and gifts at one of your showers.

Isn't that cake cute?

Your aunts and cousins at your baby shower with daddy's family.  Mama was 35 1/2 weeks pregnant.

And here you are, beautiful girl!

Look at that sweet, precious smile!

I love you sweet girl and can't wait for your arrival!  You have already changed our lives in such a wonderful way and I know it will only get better from here on!  

Love, Mom

The Joys of Painting

I absolutely love to paint.  Seriously.  I am still amazed how paint can transform a room.  My mother, mother-in-law and I painted every square inch of the Little Blue House (walls, ceiling, trim, doors, etc...), as well as strip down layers and layers of wall paper.  I love old houses... the stories that you uncover while renovating... wow.  

So I have been chomping at the bit to paint Lil' C's nursery.  Hubby and I moved all our office furniture to what was sun room/craft/painting room last weekend, so I could paint over Fall Break.  I didn't waste any time getting to work.  I have had intentions from the very beginning to do a gender neutral room (leaning more toward "boy" colors... I am not a girlie girl), even though we are finding out the sex.  This has perplexed a lot of people.  Even if they don't actually say it (unlike my bestie, who said, "You know if it's a girl, you will totally have to re-do this room."  Love you J.B.), they most certainly have a confused look on their face. Well, I'm not going to re-do.  I like what I like and that's the end of it.  

Below are the before pictures of the wall.  I love this color (Benjamin Moore, Lenox Tan).  We used it in a few other rooms, too.

And here are the after pictures.  I had intentionally wanted the walls to be a light grey color.  It turned out  light blue with a very little hint of grey.  It will do.  No actually, I really love it.  It is very peaceful and serene.  Just what a itty bitty baby needs, along with mommy and daddy.  There will be plenty of pops of color elsewhere.

Is this little Molly Dog not precious!  You can find it here on Etsy.  This was the very first purchase I made when I found out I was pregnant.  It has been my inspiration.  I love all the happy colors.

Below here is the color palette, give or take a little on the shade.  The curtains are going to be the cute kiwi dog print and the pop of red is going to be the glider.  

Happy Weekend!

My Kinda Morning

(Molly Girl last winter next to her heater.  She is her momma's girl, no doubt.)

Coffee.  Ryder Cup.  Big Chair.  Plug-in Heater.  Need I say more?  Oh yeah, most importantly, no school due to Fall Break.

Oh Baby Baby

Exciting things are happening in the Little Blue House.  Where to start?  Well,  I have decorated for fall, we are in the midst of fundraising for the St. Jude Half Marathon, Trey won $100 last night at his work meeting, my Fall Break begins in a week, aaaaaannnndddd, we are expecting a lil' Baby C in March!  Yes, mid-way through a shotty summer, we got a little surprise.  I am currently 14 1/2 weeks and feeling wonderful! We will find out the sex November 2.  
I am super pumped about decorating Lil' C's room.  In all other aspects of my life, I tend to procrastinate, but not this.  Here is a sneak peak of the fabric that will be used.  It was love at first pup!  More to come later.

(Magnolia Fabrics- Pups, Kiwi and Vanilla)

My New "Play Pretty"

When I was a young girl, my sweet grandmother (the grandkids and friends of the grandkids call her Caca... thanks to my older cousin John) would call all my toys "play pretties."  Well, I had completely forgotten all about play pretties until my mom got a new ipod touch, and Caca called it "your mother's new play pretty."  Baahhhaaahhhaaa!  We all just died and now everything we have is a play pretty.
Here is my newest addition:

This was Trey's birthday gift to me back in June.  He's good to me... in all honesty, probably too good!  He was feeling sorry for me that I was sitting at home, bored, bum hand, with my antique laptop.  Really, we were planning on purchasing a new computer anyway, he just decided to surprise me a little bit earlier than planned.

I was previously a PC gal, but I have turned over a new leaf and I am t-totally in love with my Mac!  I'm still learning all the new tricks.  Luckily, I have my sis-in-law who is somewhat of a pro that I can call on for expert advice, because I am not tech-savy whatsoever.  

Anyone else have a new "play pretty" that they are excited about?

Saturday Sunrise

{Saturday sunrise 5:30 a.m.  Picture from my phone.  Camera is dead as a doornail.}

Good morning from the TN River.  I love it here so much!  We are so blessed that we can come anytime we feel like it.  Trey's parents have a house on the river and it's only about 30 minutes from where we live.  It's a perfect getaway spot and we definitely needed some time away.

We came down yesterday afternoon and enjoyed happy hour, a delicious dinner and cards with Trey's Aunt Judy and Uncle Billy who have a vacation house next door.  We must be a charity case, because they have fed us 2 nights this week.  Whatever, we don't care.  She is a fabulous cook and even though I love to cook, I am pretty limited on what I can actually do right now, so bring on the charity.

I am not sure what the day will bring... right now though, my sweet husband has fixed some delicious smelling coffee and is waiting for me to join him on the deck.  Happy Weekend!