Here is my happy girl just after waking from a nap. And some of my favorite photos of my life. My sweet and talented assistant, Amy Cooper snapped a few shots (impromptu at our friend, Jenn’s house one afternoon). Sometimes the best photos are when you least expect it… OR when you’re just REALLY in love with the theme of the subject–my deep, ridiculous love for my daughter. It’s fun to be on the other side of receiving photos… I can’t stop thanking Amy for this GIFT!! It’s so fun to be on this side of the camera in precious times of life like these.

The Summer 2012 official booking dates are:

Saturday, June 2nd – Thursday, June 7th

Please contact us as soon as possible to find out about securing your spot on our schedule. We are filling up FAST but we want to photograph YOU!

Email: KaceyLuviAdmin@me.com

or Call 712.898.0418

The dresser on the left is my old IKEA dresser from my senior year of college, re-purposed, re-shined.

The lanterns and frames… a collection from Home Goods and TJ Maxx!

Florals are from Z Gallery.

The cubby dresser on the right was also a re-purpose/re-shine from my old house (once served as my entertainment center), and the cubby bins (also from IKEA) created to fit perfectly in there. I know IKEA is meant to be cheap and “easy to assemble yourself” …well, don’t be fooled here. These bins LITERALLY caused blood to be shed by both Chance and I. Once they were all put together (originally unfinished plywood) we painted them white and I added the miniature chalk boards and my own titles.

The bathroom was finally settled with this shade of raspberry (a Disney color called Enchanted ….something about Cinderella… I can’t remember) and the adorable onesie made by my sweet friend Lauren Artino with her amazing “Evy Love Creations” The chalkboard is from Hobby Lobby… glitzed up by me and a glue gun with the white chiffon trim. Underneath the chalkboard hang the most important detail of the nursery… her 8 Pearls of Wisdom. Chance and I have prayerfully considered 8 biblical values that we will teach our daughter over the course of her life. The chalkboard will eventually serve as a learning tool to instill these characteristics in her little heart. The 8 pearls of wisdom (written on each pearl) are: Love, Kindness, Obedience, Thankfulness, Humility, Wisdom, Purity and Truth. I designed this custom art piece for Swayze in Photoshop, but then commissioned my sweet dad to actually hand paint it onto a 2 ft x 4 ft piece of masonite board. The room couldn’t have been complete without my dad’s hand in it. I LOVE this piece.

The white circle chandelier/mobile is from Etsy.com

The glider is from Target, but custom recovered by Sheri Rasmussen, our favorite seamstress in the Valley!
The bedding is my mom’s craftsmanship and work of art. She SLAVED over this bedding. Of course, bouncing in and out of so many baby stores and online boutiques, nothing was “just perfect” for her. My mom laughed and said… “I had the same problem when you were born, so I made yours. I think it’s only fitting that we make your daughters’ as well.” It’s times like that that make you tear up, thinking of the generational tradition and love that is being created.  Here is her bathroom art. (Created in Photoshop) and printed to a 20×20.

Towels from Target.

Diamond rings from Z Gallery. This poster (again created in Photoshop and printing at 20×30) is the saying that I had engraved inside Chance’s wedding ring. “I love you more today” –sorry for the reflection! This will always be a true statement in our house. 

Here is my glorious update from the last few weeks… just a reminder of how I know I’m pregnant.

1. My Dr. says… “your weight is doing just fine… just ease up on the salt.” Which I interpreted as “your weight is fine, but you’re looking a little swollen-ish.”

2. For those of you that really know me well, you’re right, this is not my original wedding ring… this is my 8-month swollen salt finger ring from Target. Thanks for noticing.

3. Normally when I try to squeeze through tight places, I turn to the side, suck in and scoot by.. now, I am much more narrow going straight through. That’s fun.

4. I have mastered the 3 pillow fort I build around myself in bed every night (for comfort and to prevent me from rolling onto my back… apparently a 3rd trimester no-no)

5. My husband blindly reached to grab my hand last night in bed to pray and he landed right on my pokey belly button covered in stretch mark prevention oil. He was so grossed out. I laughed until I cried. These are the things you have to live with, honey.

6. My dog looks at me a little funny.

7. Random people in public have started to say… “whhoooaaaa…. baby’s comin’ any day now, huh?” I don’t have the heart to say I have 4 more weeks, so I just respond with “YEP! Any day now!!”

Thank you Andrea!!!!! What a gift you have given me. I just LOVE you!!!!

I’ve been experiencing the full and true value of what it means to be pregnant. Here are a few ways that you know, that you know, that you know… You know you are pregnant when:

1. Dessert after dinner is mandatory. 2 desserts after dinner is possible… and likely.

2. You bake cookies and burn your belly button on the oven. (true story… happened on Friday)

3. The once baggy sweats you owned are fitting a little more like leggings.

I am a short 8 weeks away from my due date with the nursery in “half way put together shambles” but on it’s way to what my husband has called “better than our room.” We’ll see. My mom has just completed the bedding (yes, she is a rockstar for sewing up my dream creation) and the crib is all intact. Oh, how our lives are going to change in a mere 8 weeks.

Thank you for your continued prayers. They are coveted and appreciated more than you know.

]]> http://www.kaceyluvi.com/blog/week-32-a-bumpdate/feed/ 3 http://www.kaceyluvi.com/blog/my-baby-shower/ http://www.kaceyluvi.com/blog/my-baby-shower/#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:57:52 +0000 admin http://www.kaceyluvi.com/blog/?p=4219 My first really fun surprise: My sweet sister-in-law, Katie flew in from San Diego to surprise me at my shower! It started my day off with screams and HUGE excitement! My sweet and amazing sister, Sunshine, threw me a shower in San Diego in August!! Check out Chance and my personal blog at The Team Pearson Blog to see those fun photos too!! All the details and decor were a surprise to me as my mom, aunts, Amy and Jenn kept everything a secret! Here is my reaction to the amazing cake (created by: Breanna of Sugar Dreams) My mom said, “Now, I know you’re pregnant… you’re belly is finally bigger that your booty!!”
My mom is amazing. I cannot thank her enough for putting this shower together. I have know idea what it is like to have a daughter yet, but I will understand a mother’s love soon. She is over the top, beyond thoughtful, creative and considered my favorite EVERYTHING when putting this all together. She enlisted the help of my aunts and 2 dear friends, Amy + Jenn and it was, overall, an overwhelming day. I feel SO blessed and very well loved after the day. I know my little Sway Baby will be welcomed with open arms. I have a feeling little Miss Swayze will be quite special. She thanks everyone too… for all the cute clothes, handmade specialties, registry gifts and diapers.. (she just hi-fived my ribs).

In the 24th week of my pregnancy with this precious little girl, I have to admit, I am OBSESSED with my belly. I feel her kick, punch, roll and even hiccup and it makes my heart jump for joy. Since it’s the start of my 6th month, we are just now getting the nursery underway. The crib was delivered and it’s still in the box… intimidation plagues me. Baby girl clothes are so much fun and we even have our stroller already… but the crib?? That’s going to make this very, very unmistakably real. I can’t even describe the emotions I feel on a daily basis about this baby, becoming a mother for the first time, what it will be like to watch my husband with her, and what it will be like to see Chance in her (I hope she looks like him). So, here is a little personal update for those who are interested in the detailed things about my pregnancy thus far!

How I told Chance: I beat him home on a Sunday afternoon by about 20 minutes since he went to Trader Joe’s to pick up a few things for dinner, so I took a pregnancy test and saw the most faint of faint lines. I squinted, rubbed my eyes and even took it into several different rooms with different lighting to make sure I was seeing correctly. Yep, that’s 2 lines. Chance got home and I couldn’t keep a straight face… I also couldn’t help it from becoming bright red in hue. He reported what he picked up for dinner and announced that he was going to get it started. I said, “Yeah! Let’s make it a celebration dinner!” His eyes got big (he had no idea), he looked at his watch (as if the watch was going to say “you’re wife is pregnant, dummy” or “It’s your anniversary and you forgot”). He looked so confused without even a guess, I could see his brain spinning.. it’s March.. nothing happens in March. So I finally squeaked out in a high pitched voice, “We’re gonna have a babyyyy!” It took a second to sink in, then he asked “How do you know?” I told him I took a test. Not good enough. He wanted to see it. I showed it to him and he said, “Ok, well, why don’t you go walk the dog and I’ll start dinner.” (pause…. pause……. …….) Now before you start thinking my husband is an insensitive baby hater, I used the opportunity to celebrate how different we are in our reactivity. I’m a jumper/screaming/fist pumper and he’s… not. I know my husband well, so I wasn’t offended in his response. I knew what he needed in that moment. He needed my jumping/screaming/fist pumping excitement to be taken elsewhere (on a walk with the dog) so that he could start processing on his own. I walked the dog in the most beautiful sunset and emphatically thanked my God for giving me this baby, and prayed He would continue to grow it. Before I even got back home, I started receiving text messages from our friends. Looks like Chance did all the processing he needed to do because the word was out! Once I walked back through the door, he looked at me and said softly “We are having a baby.” I melted. Married women, I implore you to celebrate the characteristics of your husband that are unlike yours. I could have easily ruined this joy with an angry, self-entitled tantrum that demanded he react the way I wanted him too… and in the end, he reacted with joy and thankfulness. What more could a wife ask? I am so blessed.

My Due Date: December 4th, 2011

The first trimester: Plug your ears if you had a horrible experience, but my first trimester was amazing! I managed to avoid any morning sickness or weird food aversions. There were certain things I no longer wanted (like all the healthy, clean food I was eating just before I got pregnant). So, for awhile, a grilled chicken breast with steamed veggies (my usual dinner) was the last thing on my list. I regressed to being a child and wanted all the simple, bland foods like peanut butter and jelly, cereal… you know.. all the amazing starchy carbs we generally try to avoid.

The second trimester: Again, an amazing experience so far! We found out that we are having a GIRL and could not be more thrilled about it. We both would have bet big money on the fact that we were having a boy (it’s all I could picture since I grew up with all boys and we haven’t had a baby girl on my side of the family for 13 years… my little Gracie!) BUT, the old wives’ tale quizzes pointed otherwise. My quiz results for “symptoms” showed an alarming 90% chance that I would have a girl! Not that old wives tales are all that dependable, but it go me stirring.. and sure enough! My little girl.

Cravings: The only over-powering craving I have had (more so in the first and early second trimester) was Orange Juice! I couldn’t get enough of it! Of course, I was trying to keep gestational diabetes at bay, so I would try to water it down and not overdo it. I wanted fruit of all kinds, all the time. And occasionally, I would get a real hankerin’ for a Costco hotdog. Then again, that’s nothing new. I find myself asking for extra pickles at Subway and going through a jar of Claussen’s in no time. I thought that was just a funny myth, but the pickle thing? That’s real.

Nursery Plans: Our colors are going to be grey, white and raspberry, with some burnt orange accents. The theme I have in my head (which *admittedly* makes no sense to Chance) is Farmhouse Modern. In a nutshell, that means that the art on the wall will be created on reclaimed wood and accessories will be a blend of modern and rustic pieces. Come to think of it, I’m not even sure I get it yet, but I promise, it will come together. The main art piece that will hang over her crib will be a large, hand-lettered  piece with the Scripture, Zephaniah 3:17 which says, “For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

Chance and I are so thankful and anticipating great changes this December. We are praying DAILY for her health and our preparedness as we wait for her. We will gladly accept your prayers as well!

After that first week of vacation, I continued to rest and rehabilitate for the next 5 weeks until I geared up for a highly anticipated wedding (Nick and Socorra Roth) and my summer SENIOR sessions in Sioux City, Iowa and Dakota Dunes, South Dakota. I am SO pleased to say that Amy and I felt like we had a very successful trip. We LOVE all of the new friends we have made (we will be introducing you them one by one as I post them all). Needless to say, we flew home exhausted but are already excited and gearing up for round 2 in July… just give me a few weeks in between to rest {giggle….no, actually I’m serious}.