Fun in the Sun!

Time is limited to blog these days but here are some fun photos from yesterday! Charlotte was enjoying the sunshine on the deck!

One Week Eloise!

Being housebound is proving to be a little dull! I am healing nicely and in mild pain at this point, but I am mentally so ready to go back to the gym and get back into the full swing of life! I want to take the girls on adventures, play like I used to and not be inactive! Granted, I am one week and two days into my post surgery healing, so I cannot push it. But I want to! Until I am back to the grind, there will probably be MANY photoshoots with Eloise.
I will be very excited when Charlotte is ready to "pose" with Eloise, but for now, she is content touching her hands and looking at her a lot!

Peaceful Eloise

Eloise has been with us for one full week and we are in love all over again. She is so tiny and a very calm, quiet baby. She makes little mouse noises when she is hungry and then either quietly observes the world around her or goes back to sleep. We know, in due time, her squeaks will develop into real cries, but until then we continue to marvel a newborns ways to let the world know they need attention.
Charlotte is very curious about her and does not quite grasp that this little person is part of her life and family now. She is very gentle with her and has helped out little by little.
There is something very surreal about bringing a second baby home to me. With Charlotte we were so consumed with learning how to care for a newborn that the time seems to just fly by. With Eloise, we are much calmer and know how to handle the day to day necessities. However, the element of teaching a toddler who is not yet two years old is a whole new world. We include her in everything we do and make sure she feels like she is getting all the same love she got before.
And as always, I am having a lot of fun photographing our little sleepy wonder!

Welcome Eloise Camelia!

There are few words to describe how much joy we feel welcoming little Eloise into the world. She was born at 8:03am on July 26th at 6lbs and 15.6oz. I am recovering from the c-section and it is rather exhausting, but the whole process was certainly easier on us than Charlotte's birth.
Many more posts will come soon when I am feeling better!

E's Room...Sneak Peak...

Here are some progress photos of E's room! There are still a few very fun details that are not complete yet, but it is coming together!

Design by: A Room for Frances

un, deux...trois!

Another beautiful photo shoot by Alexis Stein Photography! We are merely TEN days away from the big day and we are so excited! Words cannot really express the joy and peace I feel knowing she is on her way. However, these photos capture the essence of all of our joy!

Our Progress!

Here are some promised photos of the progress for both girls' rooms. There are still many detail still not complete, but they are at a point where I can really see the final vision and it is so much fun to watch it start to come together. The first photos are peaks at Charlotte's room and the last two are just teeny glimpses at some of the elements for Eloise's room.
I cannot thank Claudia Kalur from A Room for Frances enough! Her design ideas and ability to put it all together have made this process a joy. I cannot wait to see the final, finished product!

Pillow Obsession....

I am totally and utterly obsessed with pillows. It started a few years ago and it seems to be getting worse. When I see a beautiful pillow, it seems to ignite the same reaction as seeing a great handbag, which is my true #1 love. My love of design and all things home related certainly has taken over. I used to pour over fashion magazines page by page, but I am finding that joy is replaced by the love of interior design magazines. So, here we are, yet again, with a post about the girls' rooms. I have been too sick to play outside and photograph Charlotte, so I have been playing with pillows and fabrics. Luckily, I am starting to feel better and look forward to resuming normal activities!

Charlotte's Room...Sneak Peak...

Here is teeny, tiny glimpse at some inspiration for Charlotte's new bedroom. I am battling a massive sinus infection and ear infection, so this is short! The first inspiration was these bed linens by Sferra and this antique chair that has been painted by yours truly in Benjamin Moore's All A-Blaze. The walls have been painted Navajo White and the crown moulding has been completed. There are many other details to the room that I am so excited about!
More to come....

Room Designing Begins!

I have not been blogging much this month, largely due to our excessive "to do" list to prepare for Eloise's arrival. Not only is there a lot of planning, but summer is always filled with busy weekends and fun, sunny days lounging around.
Luckily, my good friend Claudia has taken on the project of designing the girls rooms. She is an incredibly talented Interior Designer with a specialty in spaces for children. She has recently launched her website and business, A Room for Frances. We have had tremendous fun planning these rooms, and thank goodness I have her because I have a lot of ideas and sometimes NO direction or concept of budget - which we have already surpassed! I thought of doing before and after pictures, but time is just not on my side! Plus, I think pictures of the final result will be the most fun! So, I leave you with a little picture of the inspiration driving Eloise's room.
Overall, I am feeling great being pregnant at the 35 week mark. Lately I am battling a terrible cold, but overall, I love being so pregnant.
I have been too distracted with working on the room designs that I have not had time to worry about the actual arrival of Eloise, but I think that is because there is a lot less stress than bringing the first baby home.
We are very excited! The countdown begins...