L+L

Whoa! What a journey this has been! It's been a whirlwind of love and passion ever since I met Luke. Life and our relationship seemed to be moving at a warp speed and got even faster once we got pregnant. Nothing has ever fit so perfectly and felt so incredibly right- yet totally out of my control. I know that sounds crazy... but I am definitely in the hands of a higher power. I've moved across the country, gotten pregnant and restarted my business in a new city- all within the last 6 months. Talk about stress!!! I've never endured so much change!!! Especially in such a short amount of time.  I'm constantly learning and am reminded that I need to let go, loosen up, and be patient and see what the universe has in store for me. And let me tell you, once I mastered this mindset, things have been happening... business is booming, my house is beautiful, I'm so much kinder to myself and I'm more open to giving and receiving love- which seems to be abound when there is a new baby on the way! Speaking of babies bringing love, below are some pictures from our baby shower, SO much love! A big, huge thank you to Jena for throwing the most beautiful baby shower. I love you, and it's also no big surprise that the universe has bequeathed to me a beautiful best friend and Godmother to my daughter that is also a wildly talented Event Planner!

Jena and Lindsey

Below you'll also find some baby beauty that I found to be very helpful curbing morning sickness and loving my growing baby bump. Enjoy!

Water // Kiehls's Creme de Corps // Belly Balm // Lavender Pillow // Yoga podcast + Mat 

The first trimester... a doozie. A couple of things that really helped were to drink an ABSURD amount of water, huff a lavender sachet I kept by my bedside and practice Yoga.  I'm not sure exactly how much water I drank, but I think it was twice as much as I was drinking before I was pregnant. That was the trick. I tried ginger, ginger soda, lemon/ lime water, crackers... all the stuff moms recommend... none of that helped me. In fact, it seemed to upset my tummy even more. I realized though... as the morning sickness got worse... that a lot of it was mental. I am constantly reminded of how stong and powerful the mind is.  My neighbor told me about some great free yoga podcasts to help get my mind right, relax and reconnect with my body. I practiced this one (Episode 28) every morning and it REALLY helped. I still do the same yoga sesh now, and it's great for my aching back. Also note* if your lower back is hurting you need to workout and massage your butt and backs of your legs- places a masseuse wont get to unless you tell them!!! Another soothing trick- raw lavender. One of my clients, who you might recognize from this instagram picture and yelp review, owns a beautiful lavender field in New York, Lavender by the Bay.  After her wedding she sent me an incredibly sweet thank you note and a little lavender pillow- unbeknownst to her I was pregnant and her little gift was so soothing and the perfect for me! Applying unscented lotion was also key in delivering a relaxing and nausea-free connection with my baby and my body, I really like using Kiehls's Creme de Corps. Almost to the day that my second trimester hit, I felt amazing! And so I reintroduced all my other scented lotions. My favorite right now is this super fab Belly Balm by Beaute Nouveau. I also just finished up their french lace milk bath and french lace cleansing milk. Totes an incredible experience in the bath... especially with some candles lit while listening to my rainbow relaxation meditation from my hypno birthing classes! Mmmm!!!! Now for some baby shower pics! Click to see more! 

flower crown making station Leslie and Theron- their baby girl is Sure to be Harlynn's BFF!!!!

Crowning Luke

My second cousin Jo

I allowed a couple of games! Here's my mom measuring my baby bump!

Forced flower crown wearing.... muahaha!!! You girls looked so cute!!!

Mommy at the bar... :D hehehe

After most of our guests left our guitarest totally had a jam sesh with our remaining guests!

A Big thank you to everybody for coming and giving such generous gifts to baby Harlynn!

After watching the business of being born, luke and I are trying to have a home birth with a doula and the midwives from Mother to Mother midwifery in San Diego. We're also going to be taking hypno birthing classes wih Lindsay from Bright Moon births. Some great reads are this book by Ina May on birth by midwifes and Origins, about how the first 9 months before birth shape the rest of our lives. Also, right now there's so much hype about vaccines, and this is a very factual book- simply titled the Vaccine Book.

Photos by Emily Taplin // Catering + Event design + Coordination by Jena Eiden