Friday, May 31, 2013

You are my sunshine...

Today... I spent a day thinking of this special girl in my life.
She will be turning three in a week or so... and she tells me everyday that her baby sister and her Omi from Germany will be joining her for the special birthday.

How sweet and rascal she is all at the same time.

I love you... my one and only Satchi. 
You are... and will always be my sunshine.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Last week...

Last week was a transition from working... to our maternity leave.
I am glad we have this time to mentally and physically prepare for a new family member to join us.

Last week...
- packed and packed the last round of shipment to our customers.
- enjoyed my dad's spontaneous day visit.
- had a baby moon night out with our friends in LA downtown. Roof top cocktail at Perch (LOVE the sunset from there... looking down the industrial downtown LA), an amazing shared dinner at Baco Mercat (must go back soon!) and more cocktails and music at Villains Tavern. Yep... we got our "night out itch" out of our system:)
- and just simply enjoying the family of three...

Let's see what this week brings:)









Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Forage from the garden

Our garden is growing... and so as my interest in bringing these beauties inside. The Flower Recipe Book by Alethea Harampolis definitely inspired me to see what's possible to use in little arrangements.

I like how some of her "recipes" feel so free spirited. It feels very appropriate for our Southern California living.

So here are some recent picks from our garden.

We are currently in the process of growing multiple patches of wildflowers and a special sunflower forest which will be dedicated to our very dear friend...

I have a feeling that I will be playing with the idea of garden forage throughout this summer while we nest with our little one:)








Monday, May 27, 2013

Time is kind...

This weekend we have put together a co-sleeper, cleaned the diaper station, washed some of the tiny baby clothes (which I happily scored at a local second hand store that specializes in kids clothes:) and worked little more on the garden. 

At the end of the night I told Frido that I felt good. I felt ready for a big adventure ahead of us and my head felt like it was in a right place thinking clearly... on the contrary to the feeling I had that I would probably not feel ready until the moment baby joins us. 

It takes 9 months for a baby to be out in this world... and I am so glad that we have had these 9 months... and few more days/weeks to go. We are at 38 weeks and counting.

A place to breath...

Little more updates from our garden... our favorite spot - a garden oasis.

We are starting to fill the space with eclectic found objects and now it looks and feels very cozy. A place where we love visiting when we need a moment to breath.

Not sure if I can pick my favorite part from this space... if it's an open frame that makes me want to find a perfect spot to sit so I can see what my heart seeks for at the moment or the makeshift succulent planter garden.

I treasure this space...








Sunday, May 26, 2013

Simple days...

It has been a good long weekend... without much plan... just going with the flow. This morning we took Roo to a spontaneous breakfast date then strolled through our favorite... Arlington Garden. It's hard to believe how easy it has become to go out with Roo these days. Three years does a magic.

It was one of those days that felt so simple and ordinary yet so special that I want to make sure that I remember the day for a long time...

A garden walk followed by gardening at home then long naps for everyone, lots of family time with giggles and watching my sweet daughter relax and fall in sleep at the end of night...

Life does not have to be complicated to feel complete...










Wednesday, May 22, 2013

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.

Monday, May 20, 2013

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...













Thursday, May 16, 2013

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:)











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