Delving Into The Photo Roll

I've come to find that sometimes the easiest way to give an update about what has been going on in my life is to just open my camera roll and scroll through it.

31 weeks pregnant

If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably already seen the pics from the little photo shoot Mark and I did on our back deck last week. Here they are again for those of you who only read the blog. 

We are having a professional photo shoot taken tomorrow, but I liked these casual no make-up hanging around the house shots too.

Several weeks ago I saw a fox at the end of our road near the edge of the forest. I thought this was the coolest thing and have been hoping to see him again. Last week I walked out the front door to run an errand and there he was again; right across the street! He paused when he saw me and we held each others gaze for a few seconds before he ducked into the storm water tunnel near the road. I creeped over hoping to see him emerge but he was long gone down the tunnel. I'm happy we met again.

Fox tunnel.

Speaking of foxes, this past Saturday was the baby shower. As you might know, the nursery is woodland themed, so Alicia went with that for the shower too. Lots of fox decor and gifts! 

Devil's Tower, Wyoming 

The cake was a tree stump but it totally reminded me of Devil's Tower in Wyoming! I loved it. 

And I must say the diaper cake was the best one I've ever seen! The fox on top is wearing a tie with a fox on it and you can see an invite on the table...more foxes! 

I didn't really take any photos because I was busy enjoying myself. My sister took quite a few, so I'm sure I'll have more to share later. 

I made a mala to wear/use during labor and delivery. I used older beads I've kept over the years from jewelry of past. Rosewood (shields from negative energy), skulls of deer bone (this represents the death of my old identity as I am born into a mother), lapis lazuli (throat chakra; assist in speaking truth, open third eye), turquoise (strengthening stone, good for exhaustion, Tibetans believe it relates prayer to whatever deity is being invoked), Om pendant (the first sound of creation), bells (baby hears them in the womb and again once born. Help to transition.), blue goldstone (master healer, provides courage), quartz crystal (harmonizes all the chakras), Lord Ganesha (The Destroyer Of Obstacles, Bestower Of Success ). I am quite fond of it. 

The Blood Moon was a few nights ago. It was also a full lunar eclipse with great visibility! Mark and I watched from the front yard, and I saw TWO shooting stars during the time we were out there. The next morning I woke to a thick fog rolling over there river. It was lovely. 

And I got a hair cut...I'm growing it extra long so really just a trim. The stylist complimented "the awesome color job" I had to laugh because it is just a three dollar bottle of Sun-In that creates this color. Nice to hear a pro say it looks good though. 

That's it for this trip through the photo roll! Tomorrow we welcome October! My favorite month of the year! 

~ Love & Light ~

It's Prep Time!

Moonbelly 31 Weeks

With only seven or eight weeks left of pregnancy, I have been spending some time preparing the room I plan to labor in. I'm going to use my yoga studio as the primary space, while also spending time on the deck overlooking the river. Here are the things I've been collecting for that fateful day.

Top athletes use coconut water for optimal performance.

Staying hydrated while you labor is super important and I've enlisted coconut water as my ally for that purpose. I'd also like to have some aged barley miso soup ready when the time comes.

The guest bed.

The former guest room is now the nursery, and instead of putting the bed in the basement, we moved it to the yoga studio so I can use it during labor. We ordered a waterproof bed pad to go on it in case my water breaks while I'm lying there. And yes...I was too lazy to make the bed for this photo.

The altar.

My altar is in the studio, and for the past year it has been holding items representing fertility, and birth. A nice focal point to have in the room that was specifically put together to welcome the soul who chose us as parents. When I first assembled it, it was with the intention of getting pregnant quickly and now it will be with me as my baby begins his journey earth side.

Art by Catie Atkinson 

Inspiring birth art by Catie Atkinson will be adorning the room. She is the talented woman who made my pregnancy journal. I love love love her style. Her works can be viewed and purchased at her ETSY store Spirit & Sol.

Yoga gear.

Yoga mats, cushions and blankets to assits in the many positions I'm sure I'll find myself in.

Exercise Ball.

An exercise ball to sit on and rock my hips. This is supposed to help gravity move the baby down. I actually really love this thing and know I will use it a lot even after the birth.

Lavender essential oil.

Organic lavender essential oil for diffusing. Veriditas Botanicals is my favorite essential oil company. The best.

Always need a book.

A book of yoga poses and guided meditations for early labor.

Corn bag.

My neighbor gave me one of those groovy cloth bags filled with hard corn kernels. It can be heated or put in the freezer and used cold. Very helpful little tool.

I also put a fan in the room and will probably have some New Age music streaming off Pandora. Maybe a candle or two. Or, maybe I won't care about any of these things? You can't predict the unknown, but you can plan for your vision. Do any of you have suggestions for things to make labor easier? What worked for or helped you? Ultimately I'll be having my boy at the hospital, but I plan to stay home with our doula as long as possible. I would love any ideas or inspiration you have to share. 

31 Weeks.

~ Love & Light ~

The Mindful Mom-To-Be

The Mindful Mom-To-Be by Lori Bregman.

I haven't been writing any "currently reading" posts over the past seven months because pretty much ALL I have been reading are pregnancy books. And frankly...a lot of them kinda sucked. I thought about doing my top 5 (I've read over a dozen at this point) but most of the books on pregnancy that I really love are classics that everyone already knows about, like Spiritual Midwifery by Ina May Gaskin. I decided not to write about pregnancy books, but then one I had ordered from Amazon showed up. A new book published this year that some of you might not have heard of. And it is really good! My new favorite. The Mindful Mom-To-Be: A Modern Doula's Guide To Building A Healthy Foundation From Pregnancy Through Birth by Lori Bregman. So if you are pregnant or have a friend who is, this is my number one book recommendation.


Lori is a doula out in Santa Monica, CA. and founder of the Rooted for Life pregnancy coaching program. I am a fan of her book namely because I love how the chapters are broken down into months of pregnancy. Each month/chapter contains tips, recipes, exercises and coping advice specific for that phase of your pregnancy journey. She also conveys a more modern and spiritual side that is missing from a lot of the other books I read.


So there it is. My number one pick. I hope I'm not boring you to death with too many pregnancy posts. Thursday I'll be 30 weeks along, so before long you'll only be bored with baby posts! Seriously though, thanks for stopping by and having a read. Eventually I'll get regular with publishing content again, and who knows what the future holds ~ I've been feeling the urge to overhaul the blog or start from scratch. So much change in my life makes me feel called to change up the blog too. Everything in its time.

~ Love & Light ~