A Few Favorite Moments From My Pregnancy

This is such a special time, being pregnant with our first child. There are so many little moments I cherish and want to always remember. Spent some time reflecting on some of my favorite moments from my pregnancy, and thought I’d share them here with you.  

When I first came to Ryan, all giddy, and told him “I think I might be pregnant!” We were both afraid to get too excited yet, but we were nonetheless.

When we went to our first doctors appointment/ultrasound, and heard the baby’s heartbeat for the first time. It finally sank in “this is really happening!”

When we went to our gender reveal ultrasound and found out it was a girl. Ryan totally guessed it right from the start! 

When I felt her kick for the first time, in the middle of the night. I could barely fall back to sleep because I kept waiting to see if I’d feel it again.

When Ryan felt her kick for the first time, and couldn’t believe it. His face & reaction were priceless.

Nesting and getting her room together. I love being in that room and seeing her sweet little baby things. 

Laying in bed late at night with Ryan watching her move around and seeing such big movements in my tummy.

Snuggling up together and reading our pregnancy & parenting books. 

I’m sure there will be many more over these last several weeks. Sure can’t wait to meet & hold this sweet babe of ours. ♥ 

DIY Teacup Candles

Aren’t these little teacup soy candles adorable?! My friend Carly invited me over last week to make them. I was so excited to learn as I’ve been wanting to make my own candles for a while now. She is super crafty and even has her own Etsy Shop called Smooth Seas collection. Make sure to stop by and check out her cute products!

These candles are simple to make once you get the hang of it, but they do require some candle making supplies. See details below on how we made them.

What we used:

-Double Boiler
-Thermometer
-Hot Glue Gun
-Teacup Candle & Saucer (saucer is optional)
-Bag of 100% Natural Soywax
-Candle Wicks (we used the ones with wick tabs)
-Scent (we used essential oil that she had on hand, but you can also buy scents for candle making)

*Most of these items can be found at your local Hobby Lobby (or similar store) in the candle making section.

Pour your soy wax into the double boiler, and heat (stirring occasionally with metal spoon) until your wax reaches about 180F. This will probably take 20 minutes or so.

TIP from Carly: Stir with metal spoon. That way you can put it in the freezer after and the wax will easily peel off.

This part you can do while you are waiting for the wax to melt. Use hot glue to glue your teacup to your saucer. Then use a small amount of hot glue to glue your wick in place, in the center of the teacup.

Once wax has melted and reached 180F, you want to set it aside to add your scent (follow the guidelines listed on your scent packaging for how much to use). Stir for a minute or two. (If you wanted to add dye now would be the time to do it. Make sure to use dye specifically for candle making, food dye will not work).

After adding in the scent and/or dye, you want to let your wax cool to 140/150F before pouring into your teacup. Once it cools carefully pour your wax into your teacup and let cool (we let cool & set for 24 hours before lighting). Then just trim down your wick to desired height. And that is it! Enjoy your beautiful new creation.

Hope you enjoy this fun project! Special thanks for Carly for teaching me how to make these! Can’t wait to make more in the future!

Maternity Photoshoot

Ryan and I did a little maternity photoshoot yesterday in Laguna Beach. Stayed up all night editing the photos – here are some of my favorites! So thankful that my husband was able to take these for me, he perfectly captured the vision I had for them. This camera of ours has turned out to be a great investment! :)

The Story of Her Name

Eveleigh Lynn Kirkland
{Pronounced Ev-uh-lee}

Almost three years ago Ryan and I headed West, leaving the familiarity of our hometown of Orlando, Florida, to start a new chapter in Los Angeles. This was a big deal for us, a goal we worked towards for a long time! When we finally got settled in to our new home, we decided to go out to dinner to celebrate. I had heard & read about this yummy restaurant called Eveleigh in West Hollywood, so we decided to try it out. It was a special night of celebration for us, so happy that we “really did it!” The restaurant has held a special place in our hearts ever since. 

About a year and a half after that night, we were laying in bed one night talking babies and baby names. We weren’t yet ready to start a family, but still talked & dreamt about our future children. We were going back and forth on names we liked & didn’t like, when the name Eveleigh popped into my head. I said “what about the name Eveleigh for a girl?” and Ryan immediately loved it! “What about the middle name?” he asked. “Hmm….what about Lynn, after your mom?” “Eveleigh Lynn Kirkland… I love it!!” He replied. So ever since that day it was settled. We thought the name was beautiful & feminine, but unique. And we loved what it represented for us.

About a year or so after that we were pregnant with our first, and still loved the name. We found out it was a girl around 16 weeks, and her name has been set ever since. ♥

^^Last weekend we drove up to LA to have dinner at Eveleigh, in celebration of our little one^^

Baby Girl's Nursery

It has been so fun nesting these past few months, and getting baby girl’s nursery ready for her! I can’t believe she will be here in eight weeks (give or take). This pregnancy has gone by so fast & yet so slow at the same time. Funny how that happens!

Her nursery has quickly become my favorite room in the house. I love the natural light in the room and wanted to stick with a light, airy, and simple feel. I chose a pale grey for the walls and accented with blush pinks and a touch of antique gold. At the bottom of this post I listed all the items in the room and where they can be purchased.  :)

Crib: DaVinci Jenny Lind, from Target

Rocker: NurseryWorks Empire Rocker, from Fawn & Forest (this was my dream rocker, and way out of my price range. But hubby surprised me by having several of our family members go in on it as a shower present!)

Tassel Garland: From Tuck and Bonte

Throw Pillow: From IvieBaby

Crib Sheet: I Heart Crib Sheet from Land of Nod

Area Rug, Moroccan Pouf/Ottoman, and Lamp: From Target (purchased in store)

Side Table: From Ikea

Gold Frames: From local antique store

Ceramic Owl: 99 cent store (score!)

Gold “E”: Craft store “E” sprayed with glitter gold spray paint

Dresser: Antique given to us by a friend, then we restored & refinished it

Gallery Frames: Purchased on clearance from Joanns and spray painted white

Gallery Prints: Various (some made by my husband, some found on Etsy)

Grey Minky Changing Pad Cover: From ModFox

Ornate Grey Frame: From Target

Grey Caddy: From HomeGoods

Curtains: From Target

White shelves: From Ikea

Chevron Hamper: From Walmart

Grey Feather Basket: From HomeGoods (using this as our toy/stuffed animal basket)

Thanks for stopping by!