Letting old expectations go... so I can welcome new hopes and dreams.

We are at the point at where our baby can join us any time... or in little more than a week or two from today.

I am a huge advocate for a natural, non medical birth... I believe that a birth (without any complication) is not a medical condition that needs so much intervention, drugs and surgery. Women's body should be able to accommodate what is so instinctively natural and human... Roo's birth was nothing easy... but truly life changing and expanding as a mother and simply as a human being.

I wasn't surprised that my doctor kept mentioning that my baby has been "looking up at the north star" every time we took ultrasound for last past two months... but at the same time I was pretty optimistic that she would find her chance to turn since Roo was also very late in turning...

Until we were getting ready for the 36 weeks check-up last week... After literally having tried everything I could to spin a breech baby... from acupuncture, chiro, Moxibustion, crawling, being upside down in the pool, lying on a slanted board..., I knew that I could no longer blindly believe that the baby would turn in next few weeks.

She still might... but at that point I felt the responsibility to also think of a birth plan B and plan C... plan C being Cesarian surgery.

All through last week I grieved the possible loss of natural birth experience. I wrote a lot about what I was feeling in my journal... talked to a few friends and prepared myself for a doctor's visit... which was inevitably going to be a discussion about the operation. I knew I was going through the process and it was something I had to go through.

Probably the hardest thing was to free my expectations and old ideas... like wanting to have a natural birth, fear and doubts I have towards the medical system in the States and expectation to be back on my feet quickly... so I could accept what it would be and create a space for new hopes and dreams to pour in my heart.

Now... after going through a week or so of contemplating all the thoughts and information, I feel much more in peace with what our option might be. I have come to a conclusion that a birth is a process to bring a new life to the world... and natural birthing process is an amazing transitional moment to transform life from one phase to another... but it's not the only way. 

She might stay with me until our scheduled operation day... or she might join us much sooner. It's really up to her now. Knowing that a birth is a process of transition... I am now taking time to emotionally start the process. So if an operation happens a lot sooner than our scheduled date without much time for us to transition, I know I would feel in harmony to have had a chance to leave this phase of life to welcome our brand new family member.

I am reciting this quote by Marilyn Monroe everyday...

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”

I am pretty sure that I will be a much bigger person after going through this process and am thankful for everything my little baby has already given me.

Baum-kuchen on maternity leave (5/23 - 7/1)

As some of you might already know, Frido and I have decided to temporarily close our shop after this Wednesday (5/22) until July 1st to welcome our baby.

We sincerely apologize for such short notice about the upcoming schedule. All orders taken during our “closed” time will be fulfilled and shipped after July 1st. So please make sure to place an order before the end of this Wednesday (5/22) if you are expecting to need new Traveler's Notebook refills, etc from our shop!

I am hoping to still be active on my Instagram (_wakako) & our blog as time allows... but I am planning to take a break from my email inbox after this Wednesday to give our family some time to rest and prepare for an exciting journey to begin:)

Thank you so much in advance for understanding... We truly look forward to re-opening the shop after our incubation time and to continue expanding Baum-kuchen into an inspiring place to explore!

Sincerely,

-wakako

Last 14 days...

I know I skipped a whole week of update... so here is highlights from last 14 days.

It's amazing to see how big of difference a whole two weeks makes when you have a growing baby in the body. In last two weeks every single friend I see has made a remark, "OMG! You are so much bigger than the last time I saw you!!". Well... I feel exactly the same way without looking at a mirror.

There have been a lot of meditation, yoga, chiropractor visits and family/friend time... and of course Baum-kuchen...

It's crazy to imagine what might and could happen in next 14 days...

Backyard transformation...

We have been working A LOT in our garden lately... It must be a part of our nesting process. Over the weekend, we were wondering if we had any old photos we took when we purchased our property and my jaw dropped when I actually found those photos.

It's absolutely crazy to see them side by side... and how little I actually remember what it looked like three years ago.

An elderly lady who previously owned this house really left both inside and outside of the house untouched (which was what we liked about the house... since we saw so many houses with not-so-good remodeling results) so our backyard was literally a blank canvas.

The most amazing thing is that 98% of work has been all done single handedly by Frido including removing massive amount of asphalt, taking metal poles out (which used to be light poles for badminton court or some sort), replacing grass to mulch, removing a strange white structure, planting all the new trees, creating a vegetable garden, building our patio (happened over the last holidays) and most recently constructing a pergola over one weekend...

I mean... he is one capable person, right?

He really had a big vision to turn this backyard into a special garden and I so admire his focus on making it happen...

I love that this special garden is truly ours and it now has so much life within it. 

p.s. more photos of some fun garden details to come soon:)

Coping with a pen and a paper...

I've been quiet here since I had a lot to go through in past week or so... and some things have been bitter sweet and pouring my own thoughts out using a pen and a paper has been helping me so much.

I simply write words as they come to my mind. No editing... no judging. I am not sure if I would ever read them again in the future but it's reassuring to know that they are stored and processed somewhere outside of my mind and that my heart seems to be able to detach itself from some of the expectations as they have been recognized and make a space for new thoughts filled with hopes and dreams.  

I have been using 10 years journal for last five years... but it is a place for capturing snapshots of events rather than really pouring all the thoughts... so maybe this is what it feels like to really journal...? I thought of using my Traveler's Notebook but I wasn't sure if I wanted to actually line up this notebook filled with so much emotion next to my other refill notebooks when I archive... so I grabbed one of the line LIFE Notebook which I was thinking of trying with a fountain pen.

The notebook has been going everywhere with me for last few days and it has been helping... so I thought I would share. If you have a lot going on in your life, you might want to simply pick up a pen and paper too...?

p.s. recently... I received a lot of emails from our customers how much they enjoy this blog space... I just wanted to say thank you...

Sending the virtual love!

Some of our moms live in distance...
Of course... sending a card via old school snail mail will be a lovely gesture... but why not make it engaging and personal by shooting a small video?  You don't need a fancy video recorder...  You can use an iPhone, Flip Video, a point-and-shoot digital camera with a video capability... or any other equipments that are available to you!

Roo and I made this video thinking of my mom who lives in a different city... and thought it could be something she can watch over and over or share with her family/friends who live far. We used a video feature of my point-and-shoot camera (which I use for most of our Baum-kuchen photos) and edited them using Adobe Photoshop... but I have used iMovie before and was able to get just about the same outcome (and they are so much more user friendly!!). Depend on what you shoot, you might not even need to edit the video!

Here are some easy video ideas to get you creativity spinning...

1. You could stand in front of your video camera with flowers and simply tell your mom how you love her and list things you are thankful for her:)
2. If you are camera shy (I am little bit that way...), why not shoot your mom's favorite flowers. Mix it up! You can shoot them from distance... and up close so there are some visual interests. You don't even have to buy these flowers! Maybe find pretty flowers in your neighborhood. You can make it personal by speaking to your mom while you are shooting the flowers so you record your voice. It will be almost like an audio message with a movie of pretty blooms...
3. If video is bit too much, you can always do something playful with a still image! Try spelling your message with flower petals, capture the image with your digital device and simply text/email it to your mom!

I hope you have fun creating them and I am sure your mom will love them too:)

Let the flowers stand out!

If you only have a few cut flowers from the garden (or neighborhood) to share with the special someone..., here is an idea to let them stand out!

Frame them with colorful mt masking tapes using a little corner in your house!

With mt masking tapes, you can create rectangles to make frames for flowers to be displayed in front of, make interesting shapes to compliment the silhouette of flowers, create stripes as a background..., etc, etc. You can have a lot of fun with this!

Extra bonus? This is a great installation to get little hands involved... so the gift can be from dad and kids:)

Concept: Lisa Yamaguchi
Photography: Baum-kuchen

Leaving marks on LIFE's Journey

We are so thrilled to have finally restocked more LIFE's Journey Measuring Stick in our shop:) Some customers asked us how we are documenting Roo's growth so I thought I would share a few snapshots!

We are going by the calendar date... but one of our customers Ashley of hither and thither blog is marking her boy's growth by monthand I think that would totally work too!

Another customer suggested that you can paint each 12" in different colors to customize the stick so that you will have an idea about a range of actual height as little one grows. There isn't really a right or wrong way of leaving the mark on LIFE's Journey... and I hope that the product is so simple that each family can customize THEIR Measuring Stick to work for them.

We are planning to install another LIFE's Journey when our baby girl arrives. One measuring stick on each side of a door frame:)

Happy growing!

Let's bring some happy surprises to Mother's Day!

When we think of giving flowers to mothers, does it always have to be a big bouquet from a formal flower shop?

Definitely not! Instead of being grand..., a mother's day gesture can be a little something that brings extra happiness to her day.

We can squeeze a dose of creativity added to flowers that can be easily found at a local market... mixed with found objects around the house... and VOILA! You can create sweet surprises everywhere in the house. Especially quite romantic if you (I am talking to you... our lovely male friends/ and customers!) are thinking of giving flowers to your partner, girlfriend, a lovely wife who is a mother of your little ones and shares the same roof with you (because you can set up all these ideas the night before... and surprise her when she wakes up:)

The idea is to use anything and everything as flower vases to set up a small bunch of flowers around the house. It brings extraordinary moments to everyday routines especially when she finds flowers in the most unexpected spots... like a kitchen cabinet.

Surprise her!
... and most importantly have fun with it:)

Here are few ideas you can use as starting points. But seriously... the possibilities are endless!

Idea 1: Open and surprise!
Put small assortments of flowers in kitchen cabinets (or in a bathroom medicine cabinet, a walk-in closet, shoe storage... anywhere with doors that are regularly opened throughout the day!) and watch her smile when she finds the little treasure!

Idea 2: Let flowers overflow from everywhere!
Why not stick some flowers into every crevice you can find throughout the house? Don't worry about making them too perfect or bouquet-like. Combining unexpected spots with casually placed flowers can do some happy magic. Look for drawers, boxes and other objects that are usually used for something else...

Idea 3: Everyday objects as flower vases
We don't need fancy vases to make flowers stand out. Look into various cabinets in the house and you will find countless objects to hold a small amount of water and a pretty flower or two to express your appreciation to the mother. You can even bunch up few of these made-up vases and create a tabletop arrangement to go with special breakfast. In the pictures below, we used a boiled egg holder and tiny casseroles to hold single flowers and put them on a wooden cutting board. Seriously easy!

Concept by: Lisa Yamaguchi
Photography: Baum-kuchen

A gift of fresh green!

We wanted to share an easy way to create a flower arrangement... so we asked Lisa - our lovely friend in Tokyo who has been practicing flower arrangement for years - to share a secret recipe for a simple but elegant flower arrangement.

Here are Lisa's words...
"Boxed arrangement can be approachable even though you are new to flowers since you have a box as frame and a a floral foam as foundation. Using shades of green takes away the color scare! (I know some men can fall into this category... I am not naming whom:) Greens are also appropriate since May is definitely the season for fresh new sprouts! What can be more "shun" (means "in season"... in Japanese) when we consider Japanese aesthetics."

You can see below photos to find out what you need to compose a fresh green boxed arrangement... followed by useful tips from Lisa!

  

- You can easily cut floral foam to fit into any container you are using.
- If you choose to use non waterproof box (like a paper or cardboard box), simply place a cellophane sheet to avoid water from leaking.
- Make sure to soak the floral foam in the water before you start creating your arrangement!

Care and Maintenance tips:
- Check the floral foam everyday to make sure that it stays moist. If it is dry, add some water.
- Spray water daily to flowers and foliage to keep the arrangement fresh.
- If one flower gets bad, neighboring flower tends to be affected as well. So make sure to take away individual flowers that are getting old from the arrangement. You can add and subtract to adjust the arrangement as days (or sometimes even weeks) go on.

Thank you Lisa!!!

Concept and photography by Lisa Yamaguchi.