Oh boy you guys! This weekend is about to be a bundle of fun. These two are getting married! Do you remember their inspiration board? Pure magic.
I'm mean seriously. These two should go into modeling, look at those smiles. I cannot wait to see these two tie the knot. I've got a handful this weekend with hundreds of roses to arrange, a pavilion to chic-out and a 6 week old as an assistant. Wish me luck! For updates along the way... follow me on Instagram!
Have a great weekend, friends!
I've sneak-peeked more than a few of these gorgeous images by my friend Bevin from Sweet Pea Photography, but I just had to share more here on the blog. Rowan was only 10 days old for this shoot- perfectly tiny and new. It's amazing how fast he's been growing. I'm so thankful that we decided to get photos taken early on. And now for the good stuff... :)
Aren't they perfect? I am so happy with them. Rowan, you are such a little cutie!
So in love with this perfect little baby boy.
Hi, friends! In honor of Rowan's 1 month birthday, I wanted to share his birth story with you all. If you had been following along during my pregnancy, you might remember that I had some pretty specific ideas about how the day he was born would go. The first thing I'll say is that it was nothing like I imagined. His birth was perfect. I didn't have the "perfect" natural birth I had been planning for, but it exceeded my expectations in every way. Fair warning: this is not the sugar coated version so proceed with that in mind!
On Friday, June 14th I woke up around 8:30 with no contractions. Nothing happening. I had my membrane stripped on Wednesday and was really hoping that would set off my labor but it didn't look like this was going to be the day. I had an induction scheduled for the next Monday as I was already a week overdue at this point. I went back to bed, frustrated and discouraged. About an hour later I woke up with three very intense contractions. Thinking that they would probably fade, I went to get a glass of water and swirl on my labor ball.
During the next contraction, the pain was so intense that I believed I had become incontinent. I was thinking, "am I in labor? did I just pee? what is happening?!". Looking back, it's so obvious I was in labor. Silly me. I had Isaiah time the contractions just to make sure they were coming closer together. I had 3 or 4 within 10 minutes. It was time!
We packed up the car, all while I paced around the house trying to make it to the car between contractions. We drove the 20 minutes to Munson Medical Center on bumpy roads. It was a sunny and gorgeous summer day. It was Isaiah's grandpa's birthday. I thought about what was happening... it was time to meet our son! Even through the intense pain I was so excited. The car ride was excruciating. We got up to the Women's Clinic for me to be checked. I was already dilated to 5 cm and my water came gushing as she checked me. (I warned you about the real details). They wheeled me to the maternity area and got me immediately into a room. I was super happy my favorite nurse was there to help.
Even before this point I had decided that I didn't want to deal with the pain of contractions. I opted to get the epidural, which was a huge change of heart. Isaiah was a great supporter, saying, "I'm just reminding you that you really didn't want the epidural. Of course it's up to you!". There was no hesitation, I asked the nurse almost immediately once we were in the room. My contractions were coming closer together, starting low in my abdomen and radiating to the top of my uterus. The nurses had to make sure I was hydrated and monitor baby's heart rate for 20 minutes before they could order the epidural. It felt like an eternity with blood pressure cuffs, needles, two monitors, no underwear, an ugly hospital gown.. I remember thinking "Okay, just get the medicine and you'll be able to catch your breath and adjust everything." With every contraction I leaned forward and let my belly hang low between my legs. I could feel my cervix opening up. It was time to meet our baby.
Around noon the anesthesiologist came to the room. Nobody let us see an needles (not that we asked). It took her about a half an hour to do what she had to do. It was painful dealing with the needle on top of the contractions but I felt very calm inside. I knew that the pain would dissipate soon and our son would be born. I remember thinking, this is the way he should come. I don't want to be in pain. I could do it, I just don't want to have to. I want to be calm and peaceful today. As soon as the epidural set in I couldn't even feel my contractions, what a relief. I even fell asleep for about 20 minutes.
It was around 1 in the afternoon when the midwife checked me. I was making steady progress. It took another 2 and a half hours for my to finish dilating. That time went by so quickly. Isaiah and I talked about how crazy it all was. I was glad that he was there to support me in that way. It was just right. When I was fully dilated I still didn't feel the "urge to push". The doctor also told me that he was lying posterior and we needed to flip him. I went on my hands and knees but that didn't work. They dialed back my epidural by half so I could feel more sensation.
Eventually I was able to feel pressure in my bottom, and a true urge to push. Ladies, it really does feel like you have to poop. So I just went with it and figured that the poop has to come out before the baby so I better just get on with it. It's not as bad as you think. I was pushing on my left side. The nurse coached me through pushing but only when I felt the urge. Apparently I was a really good pusher. :)
His heart rate started dropping significantly while I was pushing so we decided it would be best for me to push with every other contraction. They gave me an oxygen mask to wear during recovery and they needed to monitor him internally. This didn't bother me nearly as much as I thought it would. Because my pain medication was dialed back to much, I could definitely feel what was going on. It wasn't too painful, more like an intense workout. I gripped my right knee and used my left to hold the mask. It was intense. I felt powerful. Isaiah was right there cheering me on. My number one guy.
When the doctor came back to check on me, she declared that she would be staying. She couldn't believe how much progress I had made! It had been about 2 hours. I remember her asking me if I wanted to keep my socks. Ha! I said, "I don't know, okay, sure" . That's when I knew for sure that he was close. I pushed and pushed, through the ring of fire until his body was born. (A truly unique sensation). In what seemed like a millisecond he was on my chest. He let out the sweetest little cry and Isaiah and I were overcome with emotion. There is nothing like meeting your baby for the first time. He looked into my eyes and I lost it. He was perfect. I held his hands and rubbed his back and marveled at just how amazing he was. His hair, his fingers and toes. Our baby was here. Little Rowan, you are perfection.
Just after he was born. I can't believe how much he's changed!
So that is the somewhat abbreviated version of Rowan's birth. If you have questions about what happens next, or anything about my experience I would be happy to share!
Love,
Rowan's Mama
Hello friends! Greetings from babyland. As I type this, Rowan is sound asleep next to me, as sweet as ever. I cannot believe that tomorrow he will be 4 weeks old! It's amazing how fast they grow. Today I wanted to pop and and let you all know how things are going. The short answer is that everything is going great. He is a doll. Nursing is going well, he sleeps in 4-5 hour blocks overnight and the rest of the time he's just stealing our hearts with his vibrant little personality. He loves taking walks and seeing new things, he gets bored easily so I try to do lots of activity with him while he's up. I love being Rowan's mom.
The first month was madness. We had lots of family and friends visiting who wanted to meet Rowan which was so much fun. It was also exhausting. I gave birth on Friday evening, and literally on Sunday night we went out to dinner for Father's Day with our families. Madness, I tell you, madness. Looking back, I can't honestly believe that even happened. Rowan loves being out and about. He sleeps through long dinners out and really loves his stroller. We take a walk almost everyday. That also helped with my healing in the first couple weeks postpartum.
From our newborn shoot with Sweet Pea Photography
Isaiah is totally a natural at this fatherhood thing, which I knew he would be but it's a lot of fun to watch. He's been awesome at waking up to feed him at 4 am, changing diapers like crazy and never complaining when I say "Honey, will you bring me my (phone, water, boppy, etc)". I hope he knows how much I appreciate him right now. I've been pretty worn out and needing lots of rest to heal.
Yesterday I went to the gym for the first time since I was 12 weeks pregnant. It was a serious wake up call. Time to get in shape! Thanks to my postpartum meal plan, we've been eating healthy and clean but there are definitely more things I could be doing to get back to a comfortable fitness level. Planning to cut back on ice cream (and sugar in general...), and push through this period of time where I can't run more than 5 minutes at a time.
July 1st has passed, which means that we are more than halfway through 2013. WHAT. I re-read my letter just now. Somethings are going super well but I can see myself slipping on some of the goals I had set out for this year. We all know that action is the best way to fight that sluggish, depressed feeling so I'm going to reevaluate my priorities and get some stuff done this week. Making things happen, right?
Obviously I didn't get to posting our love story in June, so maybe next year? Who knows. I might save it for a winter project. I'm writing our birth story after this so that will be up shortly.
I don't know all of you who read my little blog, but I would love to. Thank you so much for sharing this space with me. Please always feel free to e-mail and say hello!
Best,
Rachel
He's here! We welcomed Rowan Burke Moger to our family on June 14th at 7:17 p.m., and simple put, he couldn't be more perfect. He was 8 lbs 5 oz and 20 inches long. I can't believe it's already been almost two weeks! He's already grown and started changing. He gives us the brightest smiles and most expressive faces and hand gestures. Little Rowan, we love you so much!
We had his newborn photos taken by Bevin Deak from Sweet Pea Photography last Monday. I just had to share some of these preview photos! They are gorgeous. Check out Bevin's amazing work here. I'll be posting more photos from the session later on. If you're interested in daily photos of Rowan and to see what I'm up to, follow me over on Instagram!
I'll be back soon with a post about our love story (obviously these posts got pushed back a little bit) and Rowan's birth story. Hope you're all enjoying your summer!
With a warm heart,
Rachel
It's June 10th. You were "supposed" to be born on Friday, and now it's Monday. Your dad and I are getting a little bit impatient, it's only because we can't wait to meet you and count all your fingers and toes. We can't wait to hold you for the first time and look into your eyes and watch you take in the big world for the very first time. I can't wait for your sweet baby smell and to feel you wrap your hand around my fingers, or to see Isaiah hold you for the first time. It makes me cry happy tears just thinking about that moment. You're lucky to have such a good daddy. He is kind, generous, smart, and interesting. You two will get along great, I can already tell.
Yesterday we were talking about what qualities we hope you'll develop as you grow. I said that I hope you are generous in a way that allows you to foresee needs of others, and that you feel called to action. I also hope you're curious in a way that makes you naturally smarter and more inclined to try new things. On a more practical note, I hope that you are self-motivated so you can make the right things happen and be a leader.
Daddy says he hopes you are kind in the specific way that you will be helpful to people when they need it. He also hopes that you are independent- and that you do the things you're interested in (not just what other people tell you to be interested in), and that you're sensitive. Sensitive in the way that lets you see beyond the surface of things, and gives you perspective of the things that matter.
I'm praying today that as we start this journey into parenthood that we can model those qualities for you. We love you so much already, an indescribable amount. I know that when you are born that love will only multiply.
Can't wait to meet you, little one.
Love,
Your mama
I hope this never happens to you, but I wanted to talk a little bit about passive bullying tonight. It's happened to me before and I'm sure it'll happen to me again. It's like on Mean Girls when Regina tells Cady that she likes her bracelet. She's acting nice but you know she's out to get you. Or maybe you don't know at the time but when you look back on it you see the way you were bullied behind your back. I've never been pushed or gotten in a "girl fight". I've always been a sensitive person and very in tune to how other people perceive me. So while others might not notice the fake smiles, I always know when you don't actually intend to ever get coffee with me. And it hurts my feelings. Sometimes it's a bigger thing, or even smaller. Like today... something little happened and I felt bullied, like a victim. I get anxiety when people don't like me, so a small thing can escalate quickly in my mind and I try hard to figure out what I did wrong and probably assume wrongly most of the time. So as I was thinking about this situation and trying to diagnose what I did wrong in this particular situation, this is the conclusion I came to about why we (professional, married women in our twenties) don't like each other and act like bullies sometimes.
We are all part of a culture of "sameness", we like organic food, instagramming peonies and going on coffee dates with our friends. We gravitate towards the same trends and designers and way of life. We love Kate Spade, having our hair professionally blow-dried and when our husbands do nice things for us. We are girls in our twenties who really do have our sh*t together. We all know that "comparison is the thief of joy" and have pinned the saying to the appropriate board on Pinterest, but we don't live that way. Especially me. Especially today when something completely stupid happened and I looked at myself and asked "what is wrong with me?".
The answer (as scary as it is to admit), is that nothing is wrong with me. I'm figuring myself out, just like we all are. I'm figuring out what it means to be a part of a culture where everyone is the same, or at least that's the way it appears. I'm figuring out how to love the things I love and still do my own thing. Because the things I love are trendy, and everyone else loves them too. It's a paradox because we all like the same things and we all want to be unique so in our quest for uniqueness we all look like clones of one another and start to resent each other. It's a little pathetic and it makes me feel like a copycat for genuinely loving the things I love, and it makes me feel like a mean girl. Does that make any sense to anyone out there? Grool. (I hope you get the reference).
I couldn't get to the bottom of where this came from, but I saw the image on Pinterest. If anyone knows the source, please let me know!
But the truth is, I'm not a mean girl and either are you. I won't apologize and either should you. I won't back down from what I love. It's true that I love shellac manicures, peachy pinks, white furniture, my iPhone, Starbucks, flowers and dates with my husband. I love inspiring quotes, reading blogs, going on vacation and having my breakfast in bed. I value my college education, upper-middle class upbringing, and precious time with my family. I dream of luxurious European vacations, a golden-doodle puppy and picture perfect Christmas mornings. Do you? Probably. Because those things are awesome and fun. And I am so glad we have those things (and hopefully more) in common. I'm excited when I make friends who are into similar things. It fires me up to collaborate on projects with other creative professionals and support each others' dreams. I get pumped with I make friends with someone who also loves designing flowers, is entering motherhood or pursuing entrepreneurship. So instead of feeling threatened when I find out how similar I am to someone, I'm going to get psyched and be her friend, and learn as much about what makes her unique as I can so I can support her dreams. I'm going to let more people in, and I'm not going to take it personally when others don't do the same. And I promise to let more of me shine, even the geeky and embarrassing parts. (I love the BeeGees and I usually head straight for the hotel pool on vacation, plus I still love the Disney Channel... so whatevs).
Thanks for reading this scrambled little love letter. I hope we can still be friends. I am going to tell more of my story soon, starting first with our love story, which I actually can't wait to share.
xoxo,
Rachel
p.s. I'm a little hormonal as my due date is tomorrow, so just take everything I say with a grain (or 2) of salt. :)
I mentioned in a previous post that I first draw inspiration for people, from real life. So after my visit with Nicole and Tyler this weekend I was left incredibly inspired by their vision. Aside from being their planner & coordinator for the day, I'm heading up the event and floral design. Pinterest was my best friend when putting together their proposal. Here's a little sneak peak!
All images sourced through Nicole & Tyler's Pinterest Board
Isn't it gorgeous? Nicole envisioned a setting filled with nature, their ceremony will be in a garden and reception in an outdoor pavilion in the woods. We're going to up the glam factor with candles, elegant ceiling drapery and delicate white and peach blooms in metallic footed bowls. Expect tons of lush greenery and garland and even more sweet little details... like the letterpressed invitation suite they designed and printed themselves at an open letterpress studio in Ann Arbor. Amazing. It's an honor and privilege to pull a wedding design together for these two lovebirds! I don't want to give too much away but you can bet on an amazing day in July.
xoxo,
Rachel
p.s. No, still haven't had a baby...
Two more days. Well two and a half. Two and a half more days until Friday afternoon, May 31st, the day that marks a serious change in my day to day life. This baby boy is coming, my career is shifting gears dramatically, 3 months of uninterrupted family snuggle time, summer weather, family vacation... I simply cannot wait. My last day of work is on Friday, in two and a half days. I've been counting down the minutes for months and I can't believe it's finally here.
It's been a struggle maintaining composure these past few weeks. First of all I'm extremely pregnant and that comes with it's own set of physical limitations and annoyances. But psychologically it's been hard to stay on the bus and get through these last couple weeks of work. My concentration is dwindling, I'm at my wits end emotionally and to be honest I just want to be alone or with my husband almost 100% of the time. I've been in and out of early labor, with contractions speeding up and slowing down in direct relation to my stress level. Too many ups and downs. But the end is in sight and soon I will get to hold my baby boy.
How fun are these colors for spring? I feel an inspiration board coming on. :)
This weekend was really nice. Isaiah and I had some friends up from Ann Arbor and his brother visited too, a funky mix but we all had so much fun. I'm helping design and plan the wedding for a couple of my favorite people (Nicole & Tyler). Their wedding is going to be so amazing you guys. Nicole and I met in college when she moved in across the hall from me and the rest is history. We bonded over boys and our connection to the Midwest. That summer after I met my now-husband, I visited her in Michigan and she was the first person to meet Isaiah (she drove me to his parents house). We both graduated from Seattle Pacific University a year a part, and are both now living in Michigan. She is marrying the most wonderful guy, Tyler. Seriously, this couple is the cutest. They got engaged last month and are getting married in July. Yea you read that right, less than 3 months to plan and design a wedding for some of my favorite people and also I need to birth a child within that time frame... But I will say that it's entirely worth it and such a blessing to be a part of their journey to marriage.
Okay, that was clearly a tangent but very applicable to where I was headed next! For three days this weekend when we had visitors I hardly thought about being pregnant. I know! At 39 weeks, I honestly went hours not even thinking about the baby or his movements. Once I realized that he was going without any attention I felt awful, like I was ignoring him or something. But later on I felt happy and refreshed. For a couple days I didn't have people constantly commenting on my physical state, asking me how I am feeling, saying "Oh my GOSH are you ready to pop or what!?". It was a good break and probably what I needed to make it through this week.
So yea, I am ready. Ready for this stage of life to be over so I can fully embrace what's coming. I'm ready to design better weddings for my clients. To infuse more of my heart into the things I do every day. I'm ready to meet my baby boy, to see Isaiah become a father, to hug my parents, to have time alone with my new little family. I'm ready to stop working at a bank. I'm ready to start designing more amazing floral arrangements and I'm ready to make the right things happen. Two days. Two days. Two and a half days. On Saturday I'm going to enjoy my celebratory spa day and then it's time to induce labor like crazy! Bring on the spicy food and bumpy railroad tracks. Little baby Moger, I am so ready to be your mama it's insane.
I have quite the line-up of posts scheduled for June. I'll be sharing our love story in honor of our first wedding anniversary on June 30th, plus some good baby stuff coming your way.
Love,
Rachel
Hi Friends! At just about 39 weeks, I'm hoping this will be my very last pregnancy post. The last time you heard from me I was 34 weeks along and feeling pretty wiped out and intimidated with the upcoming weeks. As of today, I am in "pre-labor". On Tuesday night I was feeling very off- something just wasn't right. I ended up in triage where they had me on the monitors for 4 hours. I had started to dilate and my contractions were mild but coming consistently every 4-6 minutes. Baby looks great, a strong heartbeat and moving like champ. The doctor sent me home, saying that my labor could pick up at anytime or it could go on like this for weeks. What? I'm experiencing constant, dull pain in my lower back and cramping in my lower abdomen. I can hardly feel the contractions at this point.
I'm still working at my day job, taking it literally hour by hour. I won't get into all the details, but I'm really struggling with when my last day of work should be. My original plan was to work through May 31st, for lots of reasons. But now I'm feeling that I might be better off at home. There's a pretty big financial incentive to keep working through next week but I might have a baby before then anyway! So as of right now I'm taking it easy and trying to keep myself busy.
This weekend we're having some visitors come to the house for the long weekend which I am SO looking forward to. My brother in law is coming up for a couple days and so are my friends Nicole and Tyler who I haven't seen in far too long. As long as I don't give birth this weekend we're planning to grill, go to the beach, nap, who knows what. I'm also helping Nicole plan her wedding so we'll have our fair share of fun planning time. :)
As far as the baby list goes, we are set. There are still a couple things I could do but in reality they aren't important and could easily not get done before baby gets here. This includes filling out Munson's "5 wishes" form, filing paperwork for Sincerely, Ginger, sending out a couple thank you notes, hanging his mobile, organizing my closet and making frozen burritos and more date chunks. Nothing too pressing. :) The bags are packed, car seat is installed and baby clothes are clean and organized. We've got diapers, wipes, blankets and toys.
Wish me luck!
I love planning weddings & designing flowers. Unapologetically, without restraint, with not one bit of hesitation, I love what I do. This weekend was so perfect. It reminded me why I love this profession so much. It's about true love, beauty, and creating lasting memories. Nothing is better than seeing a bride's bouquet come together just like the two of you had envisioned, watching the sun break 30 minutes before a spectacular outdoor ceremony and hearing from guests that this is the most fun they've ever had at a wedding. Even at 38 weeks pregnant with swollen ankles and a huge belly to cart around- there is no place I'd rather be than at a wedding. Especially a wedding I've helped form into someone's perfect day. What a blessing to serve a couple leading up to their wedding day.
I'll be back later with more details on Amy & Jon's wedding day, but for now enjoy these sneak peaks I posted over on Instagram!
Tomorrow officially marks the start of Amy and Jonathon's wedding weekend on Lake Michigan and I am squeeling with excitement and anticipation. I've been working with these two lovebirds since September and let me tell you- this is going to be a party! Peach, orange and teal color scheme, big lilies, open water, breakfast for dinner, and surprises left and right. Big balloons, confetti poppers, and mimosas on the dance floor. Even at 38 weeks pregnant and I prepared to put my party hat on and celebrate the future of this fabulous couple.
Tomorrow morning I head out to the farm to start working on bouquets and bouttonieres, and from there I'll be heading over to Elk Rapids to start set-up and direct rehearsal. Saturday morning the girls have hair & make-up while I'll be installing balloon backdrops at their reception and putting final touches on their ceremony decor. I can't wait to share more after the event, but for sneak peaks be sure to check in over on Instagram.
Amy and Jonathon, I don't even know where to start with you two! You've been an absolute dream couple to work with, giving your ideas and input, but always receptive to my thoughts. I appreciate your kind hearts and positive attitudes. Getting to know your families over the last year has been such a blessing, I can't wait to be a part of your day on Saturday!
xoxo
Rachel
As of Friday my pregnany was considered "full term". If that's not completely mind blowing I don't know what is! For the past few weeks it's been hard to concentrate on anything except the things that require my immediate and undivided attention. Do you ever feel like that? The exhaustion of the third trimester makes everything seem completely overwhelming.
As you probably noticed, I didn't post any goals for May. I wish I could say this was deliberate but it wasn't. However, it's probably a good thing. Just making it in to work and doing my job well is enough pressure right now. On top of that, I've still got one more amazing wedding to coordinate this weekend and a house of projects that are 85% done. We've made remarkable progress on the Sincerely, Ginger studio, the nursery is just about perfect and we even gave the living room a facelift. Isaiah cleaned out the car and garage. I've got a cooler packed with snacks for labor, hospital bags packed, laundry done, and baby announcements picked out. We are ready. But when people ask, "are you ready?" I always hesitate and usually answer by saying, "the house is! We'll be ready when he gets here".
This weekend I'm coordinating and styling a wedding I've been working on for nine months, for a bride I can truly call a friend. I can't wait to see her tie the knot! But after this big weekend it's time for me to take a deep breath and relax. I need to really sink into my exhaustion, rest, and let my body and mind prepare for the challenge and blessing that lies ahead. I wish I could say I wanted him here now, that I want to run around the block and eat spicy food so he'll just get here already- but I don't. I can't imagine going into labor this run down. I need energy to fully appreciate what an amazing time this is.
So there it is. This is where I'm at. I'm excited, I have my hand on a lot of things, and I'm really tired. This is my life today.
A huge part of my pregnancy has focused on guilt surrounding food & exercise. It's a little tough to admit, but I haven't been the best eater throughout my pregnancy. It's been a struggle to get enough calories throughout the day, and somehow I'm still gaining plenty of weight. It's been hard not to feel guilty about this but I've come to terms with the fact that I'm just doing what I need to do in order to have a healthy baby at the end of this pregnancy. Sometimes that means green smoothies and 2 mile walks, but most of the time it hasn't. I've had extreme fatigue that makes cooking hard and exercise near impossible. Before I was pregnant these were habits I was fairly proud of! So now that I'm preparing for life with a baby, I am ready for the challenge of getting my body back and upping my fitness level.
What we decided will work best for us is to create a six week postpartum meal plan and to exercise when and how it feels right. It's important for me to have a balance and not feel like every meal and workout is a planned experience, it would be like setting myself up for failure. A little structure allowed for serious planning and now I feel so prepared in regards to food after baby! While nursing, it's important to eat enough calories and obviously to be getting nutrients from lots of natural sources.
You can downloads the meal plan here. Keep in mind that I created this for personal use, so it's not the absolute prettiest. Feel free to share and edit as you see fit!
The meal plan I created is virtually the same week to week, with minor adjustments. I divided the plan into three sections: Meals, Snacks and a grocery list. I wanted it to be very simple for my husband. We plan to post it on the fridge so if it's Wednesday and I'm ready for lunch, he can go to the chart and know exactly what to put together for me. We are members of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) here in Traverse City, where we get the bulk of our produce during the peak season. We can usually expect onions, greens, berries, carrots, radishes, kale, tomatoes, and lots other fun extras like ramps and pumpkins! It's really fun and a great way to get our organic produce. If you're curious about what a CSA is or how they work, check out this link.
I designed the meals so that some aspect of each was easy-peasy. If you look at the plan, the italisized words are frozen, underlined are in the pantry, and the standard text is what we will eat fresh. My mother in law and I spent a week cooking meals and partial meals to round out the plan, including taco meat, beef burgers and lots of frozen dinner like enchiladas, pasta with chicken, eggplant parmesan, and more. We baked "lactation cookies", muffins, and whole wheat pizza dough. We also went to Sam's Club and bought KIND bars, smoothie supplies, nuts & seeds, dried fruit and other snacky stuff I might want to have around the house. The idea is that everything nonperishable will already be purchased and prepared. We will use the CSA box we receive each week and the small grocery list to round out the meals with fresh fruits, veggies, and dairy.
Understandably, we won't eat every meal right on track the way the plan is laid out. But this way we know that there will always be something easy to prepare, right on hand. Feel free to download the meal plan and use it! We're thinking that we might just use a plan similar to this even after 6 weeks, since we tend to throw away way more food that is necessary. Enjoy!
Hey everyone! Thanks for making the transition with me over to this new platform. There are still lots of kinks that I need to work out, but we are here regardless. Please bear with me as I figure out how to make this space as pretty as it deserves to be. Eventually this will be the site for Sincerely, Ginger with links for service offerings, galleries, and all the info you could ever want to know. I'm still working on developing the content, but will be rolling out phase two sometime this summer!
So just like this little photo I snapped for Instagram last weekend, I'm embracing the perfect imperfections. The potential. The drive to make things better and more beautiful. I'll be back later this week posting about my post-partum meal plan!
xoxo
Rachel
flowers by
Sincerely, Ginger Weddings & Events
On Sunday I was given a beautiful baby shower for Little Mo by my dear friend Renee. I had the pleasure of planning her and Seth's wedding in September, how time flies! I am so thankful for the friendships that develop with my clients. She is so wonderful and it was such a perfect day to celebrate this sweet baby. Because Renee knows me so well, she let me do much of the designing and all of the floral design. Unfortunately I didn't get many photos of the whole day, but I did snap this photo of one of the centerpieces I made for the table. I love the combination of pink tulips, alstro, eucalyptus and wild greens. Sorry baby boy, mama loves pink!
Good morning, friends! This morning isn't spectacular, but I have a really good feeling in my gut. It could be the giant cinnamon roll I just polished off mingling with two cups of coffee, but I have a feeling it's something more. Time is moving. Good things are coming. The end and the beginning are getting closer. I sort of feel like I used to feel before big dance competitions. We spent months preparing; practicing every step over and over. The few weeks before I would set out my costume, line up my accessories, make sure my caboodle was all packed and mentally rehearse to make sure everything was going to be just perfect. When the weekend finally came to perform, I was ready!
I've been feeling a similar excitement brewing lately, but in a bigger way than when I was younger. I'm not going to lie, the past few weeks haven't been a cake walk. I've been tired and felt hopeless much of the time. We've been through the longest Michigan winter ever and I thought spring would never arrive. I've done my best to prepare for the baby and the big career transition that's coming up in spite of it all, but now we're getting down to the wire and even though I have so much left to do I am so excited.
So I'm going to spend a moment focusing on gratitude. Today I am grateful for anticipation... specifically these ten things.
Isaiah's extended family is coming into town today, meaning lots of laughs and good food.
Meeting new friends. I have so many coffee and dinner dates with some fun ladies in town and I couldn't be more thrilled! One of my big prayers for the year was that motherhood would bring more women into my life who are passionate about similar things. I am grateful!
We opted out of our childbirth education class on Saturday (more on this later) to spend time with each other preparing for the birth of our son. Feeling so peaceful about this decision.
One more month of work. May 31st is my last day and I am giddy with excitement.
All of my doctor's appointments are scheduled until the baby is born, and we have a surprise ultrasound on Monday! Thankful for a healthy baby and that time is moving along. Last night Isaiah asked if he thought it would go fast and I said "the days will be slow and the weeks will be fast" He said, "You sound like a wise person". Haha, maybe I just AM wise. :)
My in-laws are visiting next weekend and I love when they come to town. We're going to knock out some good projects and finally have some quality time together. My MIL and I are going to cook a bunch of food to freeze post-partum and the boys are going to paint and build office furniture. Yay!
Amy & John's wedding is coming up in May, and we've been having so much fun preparing! I can't wait to see everything come together after almost a year of planning. Those two are the sweetest and deserve the most phenomenal day.
Two spa days within the next month. Enough said.
My office is getting really close to being done. Finishing building the shelf and I'll spend the last part of May organizing. My fave! Hoping to paint this weekend. Also, I've had such a steady increase in inquiries for fall 2013 and 2014 weddings. Feeling so happy and blessed that my business is growing authentically and my patience is paying off.
I'm going to birth a baby sometime in the next 4-8 weeks. And finally, finally meet my son. The anticipation of this alone is driving me wild. Oh baby, this is going to be fun.
What are you thankful for today?
While working on my branding, I've posed the question "what kind of blog do I want to be?" a number of times, and I never really knew the answer! But I think that's okay. I'm sort of a mixed bag, and maybe it's necessary for me to write about lots of different things to generate enough content. I don't know. It's always been that way for me. I was never all business, I needed a little art. I love organized spaces, but my closet is definitely "organized chaos". Healthy eating is one of my top priorities, but somehow I find myself eating dessert daily (especially during pregnancy). The little part of me that's very "type A" loves a strict budget, my simplified planner, to-do lists, a clean car, sheets washed every Sunday and a meal plan I can rely on. It pushes perfectionism, it pressures me to do
more
, be
better
, work
harder
. I'm thankful for the part of my that's type A.
.
But there's another whole half of me that's wildly and unapologetically type B. This side shines through when I decide to throw my clothes on the floor and leave my dishes out overnight, but it's also the part of me that feeds on inspiration, that helps me let loose and create things. When I can abondon my to-do list and go on a date with my husband and not feel guilty, when I step away from work, take a break from my exercise routine, throw together a floral arrangement or paint canvas for the nursery and actually like what I come up with. It's the part of me that writes on this blog, and that loves to cook without recipes and that lets loose and drinks fishbowl margaritas on Friday nights. I like this part of my personality. I'm thankful for the part of me that's type B.
So in the spirit of keeping things interesting, this blog is also going to have a split personality. Yes, I am a wedding planner. I love writing about weddings and spending hours pinning bouquets on Pinterest. But I'm also passionate about true love, dreaming big, goal setting, and my family. A little bit about me, a little about weddings, a little about baby, and a whole lot of random in there. It took me a long time to commit to blogging because I didn't know what to write about. I was afraid of sticking to a particular "theme". But I realized today that I want my blog to be a reflection of myself, and the same for my brand. And not just myself, but the best, most authentic version of myself. After all, when you hire me as a wedding planner you won't only get budgets and timelines, you'll get flowers, spraypaint and lots and lots of e-mails filled to the brim with excitement and passion. So there's that, a little bit about what this blog is even about. Will you stick around?
It's been almost a month since I gave a proper update on how things are progressing with Baby Mo, and it's been hard for me to feel inspired in blogging lately. I think I may have hit my first "blogger's block". On Friday I sat down to write, and after I read it I had a honest moment of "oh my gosh, that is SO depressing! Do I really want to put that on the Internet?" I decided not to. But the long and the short of it is that pregnancy is HARD. Comparing yourself and measuring yourself against others is HARD. Feeling stuck and uninspired is HARD. I'm trying to remind myself that I'm doing my own thing, and my own thing is fun/great/perfect. I'm trusting that the passing of time will make things more clear.
So anyway, instead of writing about all of these feelings I'm going to write about the baby, because it's easier. I am 34 weeks along, which means that there are only six weeks until my due date! How is that possible?! Since my last update I've had 2 doctors appointments. The first was an ultrasound appointment. My doctor wanted to check the size of the baby. He was being really shy with his hands rubbing his eyes, but we got great news! At that point he was almost 17 inches and weighed over 4 pounds. A good size, but not so big that they needed to change my due date. Thank goodness! She showed me the sweet little hair on top of his head, and snapped a few photos of his abnormally long feet. I had to laugh, 6 and a half centimeters! Those are going to be some big baby feet. No wonder some of these kicks have been so startling! They also measured the health of the placenta and how much oxygen he was receiving. We are both healthy and I am so grateful for that.
Warning: Possible TMI in this paragraph.
On Thursday I started feeling really icky. The baby's movements had slowed down a lot and there weren't very many strong kicks and punches. I know he's getting crammed in there so I tried not to worry. But after lunch I started feeling feverish and had sudden extreme pain in my back and abdomen. I was lightheaded and feeling very off. I could tell that I wasn't going into labor because the pain was constant and didn't come in waves like a contraction. But nevertheless I decided to go to the doctor just in case. I was able to drive myself to the clinic but was in a lot of pain. Luckily they were able to get me into see a midwife right away and I didn't have to wait in the lobby. I was put on the non stress test for 20 minutes. The NST is just a simple Doppler that monitors the baby's heart rate continuously. He showed a good amount of oxygen and a steady heart rate even though I hadn't been feeling strong kicks. It was a huge relief. They also did standard check-ups and a cervical check so ensure I wasn't in early labor. Another huge relief, no labor for this girl. It turns out that my urinalysis came back that I had a UTI. Super bummer, but it explains my fever and back pain. They put me on antibiotics that I need up keep up for 7 days. Luckily I caught the infection, my midwife said that if I hadn't come in the UTI could've caused pre-term labor!
The baby list is slowly but surely coming along. The nursery is almost completely finished and we've checked a lot off of our big baby list.
I've been reading a lot! I finished reading Happiest Baby on the Block, which I really enjoyed. You can understand the basic principles fairly easily, but I enjoyed going more in depth on the techniques he suggests. I'm also about halfway through Natural Hospital Birth, at the recommendation of my childbirth educator. Love this one so far. It has practical advice for advocating for yourself during labor in a hospital setting and teaches techniques for avoiding unnecessary intervention. Isaiah is reading The Birth Partner. He just started but it seems like he really likes the information.
I'm through 4 of the 6 classes in our natural childbirth education series. I've said it before, but this has been the most useful thing I've done for myself during pregnancy. The instructor is so knowledgeable, down to earth, and the small conversational style class really jives with me. I'm thinking I'll post a re-cap of the most beneficial things I've learned, but if you're in the Traverse City area I definitely encourage you to take Jonelle's class!
The nursery is really coming along, it's practically done! We got the rocker and ottoman shipped last week and Isaiah surprised me and had it all set up when I got home. It's perfect! The changing table has a pad, the diaper genie is in place, the car seat is installed, the co-sleeper attached. I still need to hang some artwork and decorate the shelves but it's very close to being done.
I also figured out what I'll be wearing during labor (this in white) and ordered my robe! I have my diaper bag too, which I'm obviously very excited to pack. :) I'm looking forward to our next appointments and classes. The last 6 weeks will be jam packed with preparations. Tonight I have pre-natal yoga, childbirth education class Tuesday, Wednesday we have a routine check-up, Saturday is our day long Childbirth Education class at the hospital. At 36 weeks we have our hospital tour and another appointment, and from there we'll have weekly checkups and a breastfeeding education class in May! Pretty crazy but I like being busy while I'm waiting.
Things to do:
Safety: Check smoke alarms & install CO2 monitor, replace fire extinguisher & plug outlets, etc.
Hem drapes
Wash clothes & sheets
Order diapers & wipes
Pack hospital bag
Pick up supplies for postpartum care
Clean out the car & install baby mirror, shade & car kit
Fill out Munson's "5 Wishes" Form
Test the car seat in the middle seat
Interview daycare options
Put together newborn first aid kit
Create "he's here" template e-mail with contacts
Write the birth plan copy to give to hospital staff
Organize post-partum meal plan
Learn infant CPR
Choose a "going home" outfit for baby
Pick up un-purchased registry items
Okay, longest baby post ever! But it's helpful for me to write it all out. I'm still hoping to get everything ready by 36 weeks, which gives me two weeks to knock out that list. We can do it!
Stepping into your fears and choosing action is hard. It's scary. At least for me. But it's even harder to let go of action, when it's necessary, and trust that life will work itself out. When I don't think logically about why I'm acting a certain way or doing something "productive", I end up feeling out of control and throw myself into mindless tasks to distract myself from the real fears. I'm getting ahead of myself a little bit, but stick with me.
Transition has never been easy for me, but I always do it, I always choose action. I made the move to Seattle from Minnesota when I was 18. I took a chance and moved again to the East Coast, where I happened to meet my husband. We decided to move to the same city after falling in love, we got married and moved again to "settle down" in Traverse City, Michigan. We aren't afraid to take chances, make changes and sacrifice comfort in order to live our best life. I do my best to look at long term goals, which is why I'm so passionate about budgeting, having patience with my business and sticking it out through the "junk". When life throws a curveball, I don't handle it too well. When the offer for my dream job was taken back unexpectedly, I was devastated and cried in bed for 3 days (that's a story for another day).
This fall, we were thrown another curveball when we found out we were expecting a baby. It's time for another transition, a big step into parenthood. I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared. When we found out we were pregnant (like most people I assume) we were shocked, excited, nervous, and a million other things. I didn't even cry (which is unusual). Immediately (as in 20 minutes after I took a pregnancy test) we adjusted- changed our mindset and focus and started loving this baby like crazy. I remember asking Isaiah to just "take a deep breath and stop thinking about the details". Meanwhile, I was mentally re-working our budget, figuring out which room would be the nursery, wondering when I could ever quit my job, worried about never being able to plan weddings full time, questioning if we were too young or too newly married to have a baby, if I was strong enough to be a mom... worry, fear and doubt. I was saying one thing and acting a completely different way.
The next morning I went out and bought a bunch of books and started reading about pregnancy. I made an appointment with the doctor. I drank a green smoothie, I went to the gym and I bought pre-natal vitamins. I budgeted and figured out what it cost to have a baby, I called my insurance company, I bought 5 more pregnancy tests. Essentially- I entered complete spaz out mode. I was 5 weeks pregnant. My body still felt like mine. I was scared to death. Scared of what would happen to our new marriage, scared of loosing the baby, worried about money. I can't even tell you how fast my mind was spinning & swirling. This was a territory that was completely foreign. What I didn't do was stop and breathe, and pray for our son. I didn't pray for our marriage, or for peace. I worried.
One thing I can say for sure is that I am so thankful that a baby takes 9 months to grow. I've needed these months to adjust and prepare my heart, house & mind for raising a child. As you know if you've been following my blog for a while, I've been focusing on preparing for a baby. I've been reading the books, buying the stuff, trying to keep my body healthy, going to the doctor, budgeting, being as responsible and over-prepared as I can be so that when he makes his debut I can focus on loving him with all of my energy. Meanwhile I've been so scared of what motherhood will be like. Will I be a good mom? Can I handle a marriage and a baby? What about work? Is there going to be enough money? Will my business take off? Am I ever going to have any friends? What if he gets sick, or I have postpartum depression, or I can't breastfeed, or this, or that, or whatever? I've been hanging onto my fears while doing all of the "actions" that should be calming and comforting, but they aren't. Something isn't working, something has to change.
Today I'm making the choice to let go, and choose peace. I'm deciding to trust that everything will work out perfectly, because it already has. There isn't enough room in this blog for me to list all of the blessings and love we've been the recipients of lately, specifically in the time we've been married. We are so lucky, with so much ahead of us, and I am choosing to be peaceful. I'm still going to struggle with worrying, but I'm hoping and praying that peace will be an overwhelming presence in my life so I can love my family better. I had a pretty major freak out the other day and wildly explained to Isaiah that if I didn't "worry about and plan for all the scary things, then they would happen". Always the voice of reason, he explained that I could plan and prepare all I wanted, but worrying wasn't necessary. We will be good parents, we love our son. He is healthy, nothing will go wrong. I'm so thankful for a supportive husband and family. Happy weekend, friends! If you read this, thank you. It was good to let it out.
