I titled this blog Life because it's an update on my life as well as a little look into the newest life brought into the world and our growing family.
Photo: Arlene Easterwood
When I found out I was pregnant we were moving out of our home in Oakland, staying with my sister and looking for a place in Los Angeles. My husband had just got a job in LA and he took the position before we knew we were expecting. We thought it would be a great opportunity for the both of us, he's in design and as you all know, I've worked in Fashion and well, it would be amazing to live near manufacturers who could help me to grow this little business of mine.
Our last day in our Oakland home.
It took us what felt like FOREVER to find a place in LA but when we did, I was so unsure about moving. I was sick almost my entire pregnancy and being away from everyone and everything I knew was the last thing I wanted, but we took a chance and went with it. The chance we took wasn't at all what we expected. The job didn't work out well for our family as a whole and being somewhere somewhat foreign to us as our family was about to get bigger had us feeling uneasy and unsure about our decision.
We went back and forth on what we should do before the baby came and we both agreed, if this opportunity had came when we first got married and were both working, we'd enjoy our time in Los Angles much more. Without two incomes and any family around to help us with our little ones, we had little to no time or money to enjoy ourselves out there. I mean, what would we look like going to a club with our 3 year old and my pregnant self, haha! So we decided we needed to be back where we were comfortable.
Our last day in our LA home.
What did this mean for me and Mila James? Well, I had met a couple of people who I think can help me in the future but at the time, I just couldn't move forward with much of anything else because living in LA is paaaariceyyy and because I was too exhausted to do more than I needed.
We picked up and left once again to come back home. Brian got an amazing opportunity in SF and we took that as a sign that we needed to be closer to family while our littles were still little. As if moving from Oakland to LA then LA back to the bay area wasn't enough during my pregnancy, I also had to deliver the baby as we were in the process of moving! I have to give a huge shout out to my husband for moving us, unboxing and cleaning as much as he could to get our home baby ready within a few days!
Our new home.
Our little Nova arrived on October 25, 2017 via C-Section. For any inquisitive minds, I had to have a C-section due to complications I had before I could have babies. I knew going into motherhood that the only way I could get there is through the c-section route, so I feel incredibly blessed to have my babies, no matter how they entered the world. Of course, I wish things could go a different way because really, recovering from a C-section with two babies is NOT easy, but again, it's all a blessing.
Hoping to bring these blankies to the shop soon!
For some reason, this time around I felt much more scared going into the OR, which is odd because I've already done this before. It's just so weird to lay there while all these people are around you trying to get things done quickly and are so calm the entire time. Why can't I be as calm as them, haha! When Brian came into the room with me, I felt much better because of the familiar face and because I knew at that point it was GO TIME! Everything happened so fast but once I heard my little super Nova's first cry, my body sort of just melted and felt so much more calm. At that point, nothing else mattered. All the worrying and scary feelings I had went away. Hearing your baby cry for the first time has to be one of the best moments anyone could ever experience. It's unreal but so real.
After delivery and recovery, the next thing I couldn't wait for was Mila to meet her little sister. She was a bit hesitant at first, probably because everyone was so excited for them to meet, but she's growing to love her more and more. I love seeing Mila want to hug and kiss her baby sister, even though we have to remind her to be gentle.
First kiss photo by: Arlene Easterwood
This entire pregnancy left me feeling as though we were living out of boxes, add sick and exhaustion to that plus an energetic little 2 year old who turned 3 in the middle of all of that and you can imagine how I felt. I am just so happy that we are back to a place where we can drive over to family in just a short couple of hours, that we have two happy and healthy babies, and that our boxes are slowly going away and settling into a home is feeling more and more real.
Who knows what our future holds. Living in LA was something I've always wanted, I just think it came at the wrong time. Maybe, in the future, when our kids are older and I am back to work, LA will present us both with more opportunities and we can go back, or some other amazing city will bring us opportunities, who really knows. But no matter where the opportunities open up for the both of us, I'm just so happy that we get to try them together.
Photo: Arlene Easterwood