Friends, I’m so excited to share today’s post with you!! I had a clear vision for Shep’s nursery from the beginning, and it has been gratifying to see it come to fruition. Let’s take a tour! But first, let’s look back. Here’s the before of the former “blue room,” our smallest bedroom: Yikes! My inspiration for turning this dumping ground into a happy spot for our baby boy was one of my favorite childhood books – Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey, a treasured New England author. We’d use the bold but nature-inspired colors and whimsical illustrations from the book to set the scene, framing three spreads to star in the space. This was my original inspiration board: All of the credits are in this post! And here’s how the board came to life! Whee!! Such a good before and after :) To free up floor space, we moved the queen bed into our guest room and set up the full in here. We hired out the painting – prepping the walls to cover up those stripes was a feat! – and he did a beautiful job. When I first saw the finished colors, though, I was convinced we had made a mistake – they looked a little cartoonish to me. But, once we layered in finishes and especially the artwork – what was meant to tie everything together from the start – they totally transformed. Speaking of which… The art!! The illustrations that started it all have turned out to be the crown jewel in this room, just as I had hoped. We had Framebridge frame three spreads from the book (I bought a new copy and cut the pages out verrrrrry carefully!). The gold Richmond frames have a heritage feel even though the illustrations themselves are youthful.

The chapter of our family story wherein we introduce a new character would not be complete without photos, and I’m so very grateful to have had our friend Graham on hand to take these ones. His skill, his eye, his sense of light and scale and setting – they’re all exquisite. But what really sets him apart is his kindness and ease, and that goes whether you’re one of his lucky friends or just meeting him for the first time. I am so glad to share his beautiful work with you today! Here, a few of my favorites from Shep’s newborn session. Once again, my lovely friend Sam was on hand for hair and makeup help. I am almost always FOR hair and makeup help (as I am useless when left to my own devices), but especially a few days after giving birth. Thank you, wonderful Sam!! We took a few more in Shep’s nursery, and they’re some of my favorites — that post will be up next! P.S. June’s newborn photos and my baby favorites from the first six weeks

Friends, I have been itching to share these photos since the day they landed in my inbox (and that was several months ago!!). I only waited because, though I’ve posted other parenthood posts out of order, it seemed most fitting to share these after the story of June’s birth. With that taken care of, it’s finally time. To say we treasure these photos does not quite do my feelings toward them justice. I have known Graham for some time now, and am well aware of his talent — but I’ve come to appreciate it in a new way since having his camera pointed toward my family. I may be biased, but the moments, the light, and the love he captured back in January is, I think, exceptional. We are so grateful to have this particular and extraordinary time of our lives captured with such care and talent by one of our dearest friends. P.S. If you are in the position to take newborn photos and are considering having your hair and makeup done – DO IT. In fact, if you are having any professional photos done and lack basic hair and makeup skills as I do, DO IT. You will NOT regret whatever money you spend. And if you happen to be in the Triangle of NC – I cannot recommend Sam of Lula Hair & Makeup highly enough. She is the best, best, best. You can read more about how we planned for this session here. Any favorites? The one of the three of us smiling on the bed is one of mine – it is hanging on our fridge :)

Way back in January, I traded some graphic design work for a photo session with our dear friends Sam and Graham Terhune. I’d do anything for them, of course, and would also do just about anything for some of their beautiful photos! For several months afterward, they pestered us to set up our session, but I always evaded them with vague excuses – because I had a very specific use for this session in mind, and that was newborn photos! :) Though I think some maternity photos can be lovely, I would choose a newborn session 1000 times over if I could only do one. About a year later we’re finally ready to cash in on our end of the bargain, so I thought I’d share some of the inspiration I’ve been collecting! From top to bottom and left to right: unknown, both by Cassidy Brooke, @themamacircle, Cassidy Brooke, DeFiore Photography, Nicki Sebastien, Elate Photography via 100 Layer Cakelet, Petite Sweet Peas and Me, unknown, Amy Frances via 100 Layer Cakelet I still don’t think all babies are that cute, but these photos sure make them look good :) The newborn photos I tend to like best are simple, understated, quiet, and intimate. That’s right in line with Graham’s style, and I know he will do an amazing job!! I’m also super grateful to be able to work with a dear friend on these, since I doubt we’ll feel like we have anything together after just a few days of adjustment. Since I am relatively hopeless with hair and makeup under the best circumstances, I’m considering hiring a pro to give me a little extra boost for this session. I can’t think of a time I’ll probably need help more or be more grateful for a little pampering, and