When I started Lilies + Lambs, I did so to document my journey into motherhood. The road was rocky at times; but in the face of adversity, I made a promise to myself to find beauty in it- from bump to baby and beyond.  

So when @pampers and @walmart asked me to share my mother's promise, I couldn't wait to share the motivation behind L + L, and how I remember to keep this vow to my little one:

When getting prepped for my hospital stay, I have to admit I didn't put too much thought into a bag for the Mister. Lucky for us, we live minutes away from the hospital, and he was able to sneak home for a shower, change of clothes, and a few essentials once I was settled and hanging with the family.

I'm a planner- big time. So when it came to packing my hospital bag, I did some research well in advance of my due date, and had my duffel ready to go about three weeks before Maddie came. Laugh if you will, but it was a welcome luxury when the babe came two and a half weeks early...

When we were expecting, my husband and I were clueless as to what we would need when Maddie Mae arrived. In fact, after nursery furniture was purchased my husband said to me, "that's pretty much it, right?" Not so much.

My youngest sister, Erin {Er-Bear, Bear for short}, has impeccable taste- timeless, classic, and effortlessly chic; all at the ripe-old-age of 21. So when it came to my baby shower, it was no surprise when she gave me the most beautifully sentimental present- a Jennifer Meyer nameplate, inscribed with my initials on one side and my daughter's soon-to-be nickname on the other.

This past weekend wasn't necessarily ideal- my husband worked most of Saturday and Sunday, and the weather was predominately rainy and dreary.  Despite the odds being stacked against it, the rainy weekend wasn't a total bust.

Even before I found out we were pregnant, I knew I wanted a non-traditional nursery- no race cars or airplanes for baby boy, no hearts or princess tiaras for a girl. So when we found out we are having a baby girl (YAY!) I set out on a minimalistic grey-and-white themed nursery. I've never been too girly, and I tend to avoid most pink tones in general, and I wanted something sophisticated for our little lady.  However, as the nursery progressed it became clear we needed to incorporate some color into the space. My husband, being more traditional than I,  advocated for the use of at least some pink from the beginning.  "It's too girly," I would argue. To which he always responded, "Well, she IS a girl."

With temperatures reaching a balmy 41 degrees the past few days, I'm hoping us east coasters can start to to break free from hibernation, say "bye, Felicia" to this winter, and begin to enjoy our lives again. I've been engaging in the fun exercise of planning trips online to warm and tropical places- full well knowing our schedules and this bump probably won't allow for them to actually happen. 

Making the decision to announce our big news to our world via social media was one that took a lot of thought. To post or not to post, that was the question.  For us, getting pregnant wasn't easy, so we hesitated to post something so big on a social platform- we didn't want to hurt feelings or "jinx" anything...  In the end, however, we felt the joy was something worth sharing-- and considering so much of our family and friends are scattered across the country, it really was the fastest way to get the word out.  We toyed with a lot of ideas, including the red, white + blue option above-- she'll be a summer baby, my husband has a summer birthday, and those moccasins are just too cute.  But, in the end, we opted for a bean boot tribute in front of the fire.  We posted on Christmas Day, and it just felt right. 

Hello, hello! After a very long hiatus, I've decided to leave my former blog, mvsees, behind and begin anew- new site, new look, new year, new perspective.  I'm looking forward to posting about the things I've always loved- recipes, decor, fashion... our bulldog.  And now sporting a growing baby bump, I'm thrilled to incorporate glimpses into the big changes going on around here- maternity style, nursery inspo, teeny tiny baby clothes, lullabies + little lambs. Check back for daily posts, and be sure to follow my IG account @lilies_and_lambs for more pics!