OH NO
I pretty much did the stupidest thing today. I lost some incredibly valuable documents in a rather embarrassing way, and the only thing to do at this point is pray to our angels that some kind person will return them.
Pretty please.
Motherhood
8
image from mister baker’s instagram
At least once a day, I find myself saying out loud, “this is such a good time in my life.” And it’s true. I can’t remember ever being as happy as I am at this moment, and that’s with a broken foot. I’m really lucky and I know it, is what I’m saying. And it feels pretty damn good.
I’ll see my midwives on Thursday for an official report, but as far as I can tell, baby and I are doing just fine. I’ve been taking spirulina tablets, little green pellets that smell like fish tank, and my energy has benefitted significantly as a result. Which is good, because wow, I am busy.
And hungry! The kind of hungry that had me get out of bed at midnight and make waffles. Also, pickles. So many pickles.
The nesting has begun, and not a moment too soon. We’re less than two calendar months away from our due date, and 4 weeks from the day that our midwives would like us to be prepared for both the birth and the baby. So, yeah. Busy!
With everything that is happening, it’s easy for time to just disappear. I am trying to slow down and savor these last few moments of carrying this baby, because this pregnancy has been one of the most beautiful experiences and there is a part of me that isn’t quite ready for it to end.
03/52
“a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, for 2014”
Emet: Carefully considering his next move.
Jade: This girl is obsessed with doing flips on the bars.
A lot of healing happened this week, in ways that I hadn’t expected. A walking cast magically appeared at school with my name on it, courtesy of a sweet and generous parent, and what a difference it has made in my ability to get around. Crutches are such a pain! My foot is slowly but steadily recovering, and I’m feeling confident that I’ll be good as new in plenty of time to prepare for birth. Thank goodness.
Over the weekend, I took a quick 24-hour solo trip to Los Angeles in order to attend my grandfather’s memorial service. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to go until the absolute last second, but it all came together thanks to my sweet mister. Heavens, how I love that man.
The trip was perfection. I love a good train ride, and this particular journey was exceptionally lovely, with the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean just so. Getting to spend some quality time with my dad — actually, getting to spend some quality time with my whole family, something we’ve never really done before — was tremendously satisfying and just so much fun! I look forward to more visits with them in the very near future.
The best part of it all, though, was coming home to those two sweet faces. And of course, the handsomest face of all, which happened to surprise me with a shave and a haircut, and yes, I did bury my face in his neck the moment that I saw him.
This life of mine, man. It sure is fantastic.
9
image via mister baker’s instagram
The thing is, having a broken foot is highly inconvenient. Having a broken foot at 31 weeks pregnant? Ridiculous!
I’m getting by, thanks to many helping hands at home and at school, but I can feel my system working overtime in order to heal my foot and grow this baby.
I haven’t been able to get to any of the things I had hoped to at the beginning of last week, things like organize our bedroom and rearrange the living room, but I did manage to make a proper list of essentials for both me and baby. At least, I started to make that list.
Of course the upside to all of this nonsense is that our tiny one is as well as can be, growing and moving and being all babylike. My belly has grown significantly over the past couple of weeks, which has elicited all sorts of sweet words and thoughtful touches from people, including strangers. I’m thankful to have gone my first full week without throwing up! That alone is a sort of miracle. While pregnancy-related-nausea and I have made peace, I’m very glad to no longer feel sick to my stomach on a daily basis.
Undoubtedly, most of my energy over the last week was devoted to my injury. Now that my foot is on the mend, I’m able to relax and refocus my intentions toward this baby and the weeks to come. My midwives would like us to have everything prepared prior to our home visit, which means we’ve got 35 days to get ready.
Where is the time going?!
02/52
“a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, for 2014”
Emet: We talk about staying focused a lot these days.
Jade: Rapper’s delight.
In another exciting edition of this week’s technical difficulties, the charger was nowhere to be found until after the sun went down, which means that I managed to fire off all of six shots before losing the camera to a dead battery. And my plans of taking the kids to the park for our first “location shoot” were waylaid by this broken foot of mine, so we settled for our front entryway. Again.
With all that being said, though, I love these pictures. And those sweet faces.
10
image stolen from mister baker’s instagram
30 Weeks! Only seventy days left until our due date and I’m feeling very pregnant, in the best possible way.
My belly has grown quite a bit in the last few weeks, as has our baby. Body parts are recognizable, and movement has become much more pronounced. Those ticklish bumps and nudges have been replaced with large wiggles and flips, which Baby Baker performs with frequency and grace. I love love love it!
Our first real baby-related purchase arrived today, a simple sling from this adorable company, and although we’re far from prepared, I’m definitely feeling more and more ready for this little person to join our lives. This pregnancy really caught me off guard, and I’m so glad that it did, because I can’t think of anything better than bringing a new baby into this sweet family of mine.
01/52
“a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, for 2014”
Emet: This boy is the sweetest, kindest, most generous, and most noble ten year old on Earth.
Jade: Never a dull moment with this girl.
I have long admired the 52 Project, and have never managed to muster the courage (or the dedication, ahem) to commit to shooting a weekly portrait series. Since learning how to take photographs is high on my list of life aspirations, I figured I’d finally just give it a go.
And lo! For my first attempt, I’m rather pleased with these shots. Snapping a few pictures with my kids this afternoon was definitely the highlight of my weekend. I’m excited to see how this project unfolds, especially with the addition of a new little face in just a couple of months.
Oh 2014, I’m in love with you already.
HELLO THIRD TRIMESTER
27 Week Belly Shot, 12/18/13
I was describing my general state of being to my doula/dear friend/cherished colleague Amanda earlier this week, and she joked that it sounded as if I were still in my first trimester. And it’s true! I’m easily nauseated, overwhelmingly exhausted, and unexplainably emotional. To be honest, that’s kind of how it’s been this whole entire pregnancy. Actually, all of my pregnancies have been like this. Despite the physical similarities, however, this one has been a completely different experience.
From the beginning, I have approached this pregnancy with new perspective. I’ve had a long time to reflect upon my previous two deliveries, and decided a while ago that if ever given the opportunity to bring another life into the world, I’d do so outside the traditional medical system. My reasons for this are many, and perhaps one day I’ll actually get around to writing about how and why we made this choice, but for now I will simply suggest The Business of Being Born as a great documentary on the subject of hospital versus home birth.
Through this process of allowing pregnancy to happen without hardly any intervention, I have become more trusting and confident in my own body and its inherent ability to grow, birth, and sustain a baby. Because we haven’t had any ultrasounds, we rely entirely on heartbeat and movement to monitor the growth of the baby. As such, I find that I am much more in tune with all the various bumps and nudges in my belly. Quite a bouncy little thing, this baby, and I absolutely love it.
We have decided to wait until the birth to find out whether the baby is a boy or a girl, and I can’t even begin to tell you how fun not knowing is turning out to be. Our family has bonded together in the sweetest way as we eagerly await the arrival of our newest member, and I’ve managed to fall in love all over again with each of these radiant souls I’m blessed to share my life with.
With just a few days left until Christmas, our house is buzzing with preparations for our simple celebration. The kids have been hard at work all month long, handcrafting and carefully wrapping no less than two dozen presents, all of which have been placed with care under our tree. My fingers are busy stitching up some last minute gifts, and there is baking to be done and movies to be watched. And a proper Christmas feast to be made, my favorite.
This is a really, really special time in my life. I have always loved this season, and to think that next year we’ll have a new little person to celebrate with is just about the best gift I have ever been given.
FULL
Hello, December!
After a much needed week-long break from school, I was jolted awake by my alarm this morning and wasn’t all that happy about it. The kids, however, were both eager to return to their rhythm and made it out the door in record time for a Monday.
This Thanksgiving Holiday was nothing short of perfect. Most of it was spent at home, which is pretty much the only place I want to be these days, and there was so much food it was kind of ridiculous. I started preparing our feast Tuesday evening and couldn’t have been more pleased with how it all came together. I even made the best pie ever, which just so happened to also be the prettiest.
I mean.
Have you ever hand cut leaves from pie dough with a paring knife? Because wow, that is some tedious work. Can’t wait to do it again!
Seriously though, spending quality time with my sweet family in our little nest was just what I needed. We watched some favorite Christmas movies, ate too many molasses cookies, and even managed to put up some of our decorations. The kids spent most of yesterday making and wrapping presents, and at the end of the night as we lit our first Advent candle, I was overcome with gratitude for this beautifully chaotic life of mine.
In other news, I received a few texts and messages recently of the “You’re pregnant?!?” variety, so I thought this might help clarify things a bit.
And that’s before I started eating for three straight days.
IN A NUTSHELL
First of all, did you know that pecans are pink? So fancy! I spotted these pretties at Sprouts last week, and now I want some to decorate with for Thanksgiving.
We’re nearly 24 weeks into this pregnancy, and so much has transpired for our little family since learning of the baby that it’s hard for me to know where to begin.
We moved, but that probably doesn’t surprise anybody. We move a lot. But this time, there was intention. We wanted a house with space enough for a new addition, and at least one more bathroom. We’d hoped to end up in a more family-friendly neighborhood, perhaps one within walking distance to something cool. And hey, if we didn’t win the rental lottery with the place we found, then I don’t know what.
Our new house is a quirky little gem, which actually isn’t all that little. Nestled in the winding hills overlooking Downtown San Diego, it’s a spacious split-level straight from the 1960s and nearly everything is still in its original condition, including the contact paper in the cupboards. Rather special, this place.
Regardless, moving is hard. I’m particularly bad at it, in fact, which is quite funny since I do it so damn often. But this one really got to me, and I’ll spare you the details but it wasn’t pretty. We’ve been in our house nearly two months, and although we aren’t anywhere near settled, we’ve come a long way. There is even a dedicated space for the littlest one, even though there aren’t any things to put there. Yet.
We also gained a housemate in the form of one Jesse Miller, my dear ex-husband and father to Emet and Jade. He’s been here just over a month, and what I can say for certain is that there is nothing that makes those two kids happy quite like having all of us under one roof.
With less than four months until the due date, I’m finally feeling as normal as possible because let’s face it, growing a human isn’t exactly comfortable. But it is exciting! I have lots of plans for our home and for our family as we continue to prepare to welcome our newest member, and lots of thoughts that I hope to share here.
Unexpectedly expecting my third child remains an incredible lesson in surrender and acceptance. And gratitude. I am truly blessed, and even though I may struggle in this way or that, ultimately my heart is filled with joy and peace.
Plus, I’m so thrilled for the Holidays I can hardly stand it.