Mylo's First Week!

Myles has inspired me to finally break out my big camera and not just take pictures on my iPhone. I'm having fun placing him in different types of light and capturing his many different expressions. My mom and sister gifted me these fun blocks to record his age as he grows, I took his one week pictures over the weekend. I said to Jenny today that time seems to be going at warp speed, hours pass and seem like minutes, it's really bizarre. I can't believe he's already 10 days old. 
I will post some more pictures of our daily activity around here tomorrow but for now here are a few of my favorite shots of Mylo from his first days at home. He is a very observant baby so it's been easy to get pictures of him with his eyes open. Isn't his little scowl the cutest? :)

A pretty photo...

Image via JKoe Photography

Myles' Birth Story


We welcomed Myles Patrick Hillis to the world on Saturday, July 20th at 6:19pm! He weighed 7lbs 6oz and was 19.5 inches long with blonde hair and blue eyes. I am excited to share some photos and stories about our new family in the coming weeks. I was hesitant to share our birth story because it isn't a very positive one but I so enjoyed reading other people's birth stories when I was pregnant that I'm putting it out there for those who are interested. In short, I had a very long and difficult labor that ended in a c-section, not exactly what I was planning.  We are both doing well now -- on the road to recovery.

Here is the longer version for those who are interested in birth stories:
On Thursday the 18th we went to our appointment with the midwives and I was already dilated 2.5cm so we were starting to get excited that he may arrive soon. Early Friday morning (around 2am) I woke up having strong-ish contractions, I got up and took a bath and was trying to decide if this was the real thing or if it was just more Braxton Hicks contractions like I had been experiencing for the past nine weeks. I spent the rest of the night dozing and breathing through the contractions. In the morning I started timing the contractions and they were getting stronger and closer together. Patrick and I walked to the cafe down the street to get some iced tea and they increased even more. We called our fabulous doula, Vanessa, and the midwives and headed to the hospital arriving around 3:00pm. By the time we got there I was dilated to 3.5cm and the contractions were very painful. Vanessa arrived and we started using all of the techniques that we'd planned on for a natural labor. For the next nine hours I walked, rocked, stood in the shower and soaked in the jacuzzi bath, breathing through each contraction. It was very painful (especially in my hips, yow!) but we had a good rhythm going and I was convinced that I was making progress and getting close to the end.

They checked me at 12:30 and I was only 4.5cm dilated, not even close to the end. At this point, with the help of the midwife and my doula, I made the decision to get an epidural so that I could endure the rest of the labor. This allowed us all to get some rest and prepare to start pushing but I wasn't allowed to eat any food. By noon on Saturday I was fully dilated and the midwife gave me the go ahead to start pushing. Although I was exhausted and starving I was excited to meet our little guy. After just an hour of pushing we could see the very top of his head and everyone was convinced I just needed a few more pushes to get him out...this lasted for a total of five hours! I was having severe mid-back pain all through pushing, likely due to his placement in my pelvis. The OB tried to use a vacuum to get him out but it didn't budge him and scraped his little head. Finally, after 27 hours in labor at the hospital, I was sent downstairs for a cesarian section. Unfortunately, the epidural was not working to fully numb me so I had to be put completely under with general anesthesia. When I woke up our wonderful nurse was standing next to me with our camera and a picture of baby Myles. I had to go for an MRI due to my back pain and then was finally able to meet my baby at around 9:00. The pictures that Jenny posted last week are just 30 minutes after I met him for the first time-- how Jason was able to capture photos that I looked even remotely good is a mystery to me, he is a magician!

Myles laying on the lights for his jaundice
Needless to say, our labor experience was not what I had hoped for and is still something that I'm working through. We spent five nights at the hospital recovering as I was in bad shape and Myles had jaundice that needed to be treated with lights. I am so thankful that we are both on the road to full recoveries and for all of the wonderful care that we received at the hospital. The nurses in particular were so incredibly kind and helpful to us as we learned how to take care of little Mylo.  I will post more later this week about how things have been at home but we have been incredibly lucky with breastfeeding (he has already surpassed his birth weight!) and thankful for all of the support from family and friends.


Stress Relief



I have a few things that make me calm in stressful moments of life. "The Girl from Ipanema" is at the top of the list. Astrud Giberto's voice is just so soothing and mellow. I'm listening to this and the rest of the Getz/Gilberto album on repeat this week to de-stress as I finish up a ton of work and pack/prepare for our next adventure, a 10 day work trip in Maui. 

What works to calm you in moments of stress? 



Monday Motivation

I'm back!! Pictures and stories from Myles' first week of life are on their way! Thanks for all the sweet comments. :)

(Roald Dahl quote print form Etsy)

Friday Roundup

This vintage photo of Seattle's Green Lake, makes me want to bike there right now and jump in. Have a wonderful weekend. I'm headed to two weddings and then off to cuddle baby Mylo who's a whole 1 week old on Saturday. Teresa will be back to blogging next week!

Odd Royal Baby souvenirs 


 I knew Yoga Jones sounded familiar....This is for my sister, and anyone else who's binged Orange is the New Black and loved Nicktoons.

This is what a 19th century social network looked like.


Climb Japan's Mt. Fiji from the comfort of your own desk.

Remember Daria? How great would a live action version version starring Aubrey Plaza be? Here's a fake trailer by College Humor. I sincerely hope someone decides to actually make this into a feature.

Uh-oh, Naked Juice isn't as good for me as I thought.

Why Seattle summers are the best, according to an expert.

This Blueberry-Huckleberry Grand Marnier Tart is making me want to go berry picking. 

Sandlot reunion

Visiting the Gates Foundation

Beachy DIY projects from Design Sponge

Travel tips from the Everywhereist



image via






VMA's


So, amongst the hubbub of waiting on baby Myles and his arrival, this happened. Whoever thought we'd be nominated for Video Music Awards? Crazy! Jason shares nominations for best director, best cinamatography and best editing. The song is also up for best Hip Hop video, which is a voting category.  Shameless self promotion: PLEASE VOTE!!!  


Photo: Zoe Rain

Dont's for Husbands


This past weekend Jason and I had a GREAT time shooting Lauren and Bryce's big day. My favorite moment might have been the one you see here when Lauren gave Bryce a little wedding day gift.

Don'ts For Husbands was originally published in 1913 England and includes some great gems of wisdom like advising husbands not to laugh if your wife asks to drive and how to relate to your servants. According to reviewers on Amazon, some of it's relationship advice still rings true today. Either way, it made for a wonderfully funny wedding day moment! 

PS. There's also a Don'ts for Wives.

Images by JKoe Photography



Orange is the New Black


I just spent the last week waiting. Waiting for Teresa to go into labor, waiting for Kate Middleton to go into labor and waiting for Jason to get home from out of town shoots.  My solution to pass the time? Binge watching Orange is the New Black while working on wedding albums.

Have you seen it yet? At first, a show set in a women's correctional facility didn't sound appealing to me, then I heard Piper Kerman on The Moth and became intrigued.  The show is loosely based on her memoir of the same name which she wrote about her year spent in prison.

Also, the show is a product of Jenji Kohan, creator of Weeds, if you enjoyed that show, chances are you'll love this one too.


PS. Teresa will be taking a few days off to rest and get to know Mylo. She'll be back later this week or possibly next. 

Introducing...


Myles Patrick Hillis! Mylo for short. Born on Saturday, July 20th at 6:19pm. The happy family is doing great! Jason and I eagerly rushed over after shooting a wedding and got to pop in for a few minutes and snap a few photos. 


Mylo's arrival was a bit of an ordeal, but I'll let Teresa tell you all the story later this week. For now, they are resting and enjoying being a family of three! 





Friday Roundup

With all the heat, I though we all could do with a photo of snow. Jason snapped this while climbing a mountain in British Columbia a few weeks ago. He wasn't exactly in mountain climbing shape so we're all very proud of him that he survived! 

Meanwhile, back where it's warm THERE IS STILL NO BABY and life goes on. I've been going on lots of long walks with Teresa. Jason's been out of town all week too, but least with him he has a scheduled arrival time of 9:30 tonight. Not so much with the baby. 

So here we go, some fun things to keep those of us waiting for a baby entertained...

Good samaritans answer pizza request from a children's hospital window.

Wonderful news for Uncle Jesse fans everywhere.

Vote for our video!

Odd hotel requests fulfilled... This is hilarious.

Alcohol free bar opening in London. I always love a good mocktail. Although, I wonder if they serve a wide variety of grape juice? That would be kinda weird.

Time tells us "How to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame"

Teresa, maybe you should DIY one of these while you're waiting for the baby.

Oh The Onion, you always crack me up. Whether it's combining Meg Ryan movies and current events or confused boyfriends, you gotta love fake news.

Finally, two things to be excited about if you live in Seattle:
1. Renovated movie theater with food, bar, comfy seats, and it's by my house!
2. Pay for street parking with your phone!



Mandela Day

I dreamed of Mandela's Africa by tsevisHappy Mandela Day!

In 2009 the United Nations ratified July 18th (Nelson Mandela's Birthday) as Mandela Day. The idea was for it to be a day to encourage people to take action to make the world a better place.  In honor of Mandela's 67 years of service, that you would give 67 minutes of your day today. 

From making a new friend with a different cultural background or volunteering at a school to donating things you don't need anymore or just recycling- the cause is really open-ended. 




So go, make the world a better place today!


I dreamed of Mandela's Africa, by tsevis, in celebration of Mandela's 95th birthday today.  

My Favorite Bubble Bath






We love baths at our house and I'm always on the hunt for great bath products that don't cost a fortune. I am loving this bubble bath that I found a while back at Whole Foods, Everyday Shea Lavender Bubble Bath. Most "natural" bubble baths don't actually foam very well but this one gives some major bubbles and is packed full of moisturizing Shea butter. The huge bottle is about $10 but well worth the price because you only need a couple of cap fulls for tons of bubbles. Plus it's made right here in WA state!

Patience

The baby is officially three days overdue today, which isn't that late considering my hospital will let me go two weeks before induction. Although I'm doing my best to soak up the summer sun in Seattle, each day is a lesson in patience as I try to enjoy these last days as a family of two and wait for our baby boy's arrival.

At the time I chose not to write about it on the blog, but we had a couple of preterm labor scares and I ended up in the hospital at 32 and 34 weeks along. Although my midwives advised me not to, I started to think the baby was definitely going to be early. I bought tiny clothes, got everything in order at work to leave at a moment's notice, and each day thought "Today could be the day!"....for about six weeks. But the baby seems to have his own plans and I'm so thankful that he is healthy and full grown.

The whole thing has given me a bit of anxiety but it's also been a great lesson in patience and releasing control.  I said to Patrick the other day that this is the most out of control I've ever felt in my life. I have no idea what day this baby will be born, what it will be like to be a mother, what the baby's personality will be like, or what our new family routines and schedule will be like. It's such a strange precipice to stand on and look out into the unknown as we step into a new phase of life. A lot about our lives is about to change and I keep reminding myself that the best thing to do right now is just take each day as it comes and try our best to treat each other well and embrace the unknown with patience and excitement. Easier said than done!

Was your baby overdue? My friend Amber gave me the great advice to do something fun every day that the baby is overdue to take your mind off it. Last night we got to enjoy a beautiful boat cruise on Lake Union to celebrate my mom's birthday (photo above). Any other advice out there?

Last Minute Wedding Advice

It's the middle of July and therefore, the height of summer wedding season. Here's some ideas and advice for those of you with a wedding on the horizon.

Are you feeling stressed out?  Remember, the point of all of your planning and preparation is to get married. Even if little things go wrong, enjoy it!

In the grand scheme of things, you'll spend YEARS of your life married (and it goes by fast!) comparatively, the time you spend engaged is fairly short. Soak it up, take pleasure in the anticipation.

Here's a list of wedding day tips & tricks I offered up last summer.

All you need is a pen to start this wedding shoe message tradition with your friends.

Here are few tips to help you enjoy getting your photos taken.

Worried about getting to talk to all of your guests? Try out this tip for creative mingling.

Finally, why it's worth it to pay more for wedding sparklers instead of using leftovers from the Fourth.



Image JKoe Photography

SEVEN



Well, somehow it's been seven years since Jason and I got married. I really can't believe it's been that long! I'm fairly certain that marrying Jason has been the best decision I've ever made. It's been a wonderful adventure. 


This by far, has been our busiest year. I feel like we've been gone as much as we've been home. We spent time in New Zealand, Australia, Solomon Islands, Ethiopia and Tanzania and a handful of different states and Canada, not to mention COUNTLESS airports. 


We changed our look a bit, I'm no longer blonde, and Jason managed to grow facial hair. 



This year has flown by. We've gotten to work on some wonderfully creative projects, with people and organizations we absolutely love. But we've also really pushed ourselves to our limits with the amount of work we've taken on. I'm thankful we get to spend long hours working together or it wouldn't be worth it. 


Here's to another wonderful year with you Jason, and a non-work related vacation. 




Seattle Spotlight: The Fainting Goat Gelato


Possibly my favorite food as I wait for baby to arrive (two days late and counting) in this summer heat is GELATO. I can't get enough of it and we have a quite a few great gelaterias to choose from in Seattle. My favorite is just 8 blocks from my house (is this a good thing? I can't decide) in Wallingford and has the fun name, The Fainting Goat Gelato. My favorite part about ordering is that even a size small includes two flavors. The FG uses only organic milk and high quality ingredients and has a rotating selection of flavors-- including half a dozen delicious dairy-free sorbets. I'm addicted. Anyone want to grab a gelato this week? Until baby makes his arrival my schedule is wide open!

Monday Motivation

Great advice from Richard Carlson via pinterest. 

In other news, it's Jason and my wedding anniversary today! Celebratory post to come tomorrow.  Teresa bump watch continues as well...no baby yet. 

Friday Roundup

Happy Friday! No, I haven't had the baby yet, but the official due date is this Sunday so I'm keeping my finger's crossed for this weekend (however naive that may be!). I'm also waiting with baited breath for the royal baby, maybe our little ones will share the same birthday :)

Hope you enjoy the weekend!

This website will come in handy for me in the next week or so. (via Cup of Jo)

This made me laugh out loud, 30 signs you're almost 30.

Amazing hammock bathtub.

20 awesome one-afternoon craft ideas.

Gorgeous mediterranean inspired home in Portland.

This looks so delicious. Wait so does this. Did I mention I have a sweet tooth?

Creative and original wedding invitations.

Fascinating spoken word poem about breastfeeding in the UK.

Great tips for the return to work after maternity leave.

If you're in Seattle, this weekend is the first yoga at the Sculpture Park for the summer and the Urban Craft Uprising!

(image from this incredibly cool treehouse)

Mojito Magic

It's really summer. I biked to the store in a tank top yesterday evening to get limes to make drinks tonight. Mojitos might be my favorite cocktail. The combination of mint and lime is always so refreshing. 

This time, I tried this recipe, which starts by making a mint infused simple syrup. Which, at first sounded a bit complicated to me, but it was the easiest thing-boil water, add sugar, let mint leaves float in it for awhile. Anyone can do it! 

And while we're on the topic of drinks, what did you think about Teresa's "ghosting" post today? I need to try this. 

Ghosting

Would you ever leave a party without saying goodbye? A recent article in Slate captured my attention with the concept of "ghosting" or just disappearing from a party without all the traditional fanfare surrounding farewells to those in a large group. I've heard this concept called the "Irish Goodbye" when we lived in Ireland and I kind of love the idea.

"Goodbyes are, by their very nature, at least a mild bummer. They represent the waning of an evening or event. By the time we get to them, we’re often tired, drunk, or both. The short-timer just wants to go home to bed, while the night owl would prefer not to acknowledge the growing lateness of the hour. These sorts of goodbyes inevitably devolve into awkward small talk that lasts too long and then peters out." 


Hydrangea Season

This is our first summer living in our little rental house in Wallingford and I'm totally in love with the giant hydrangea bush in our front yard. I've been clipping the gorgeous bundles and making bouquets to give to friends and neighbors and place all over my house. My neighbor also brought me over some lavender yesterday to "calm the nerves" as I wait for baby to make his debut. Between the sunshine, flowers and fresh seasonal food, this is a great time of year to be waiting for baby.

Wedding Wednesday: A New Name

Did you change your name when you got married? Will you? It's no longer a given that a new wife will take her husband's name when they marry.

For me, although I loved my maiden name and that connection to my family, I'd waited my whole life to get out of the end of the alphabet and was thrilled to move from W to K! Also, professionally, since Jason and I work together and our brand is based on our name, it definitely made since for me to make the switch.

For every couple the pros and cons stack up differently and I'm always intrigued to hear how other couples approach the concept of changing names. When I heard the beginnings of this story, I knew I wanted to blog about it. It's a unique twist on changing names and includes some great tips for couples who are going in a more non-traditional name change route.

Meet Meredith & John, when they got married, they both took a new name. Here's the story straight from Meredith:
After I got engaged to my husband John, we began discussing what last name I would want to use. I was pretty attached to my maiden name and we briefly considered him taking my name but, realizing that my husband and father would then have identical first and last names, decided this would be too confusing. Neither one of us were very fond of his last name, though. John never felt like he had the same connection to his father's side of the family as he did his mother's. After some discussion, we decided to both change our last names to his mother's maiden name - Clarke. We thought it would be great to both go into our wedding day with our original last names and then be announced as Mr. and Mrs. Clarke for the first time together.
The logistics of this, though, turned out to be a giant headache! Being consumed with wedding details (and having already booked a honeymoon cruise in our original names), we didn't legally change our names until after we were married. For John, it was relatively simple, though somewhat time consuming. He simply had to mail in a legal name change form to a judge and have them process it (we were living in Northern Virginia at the time and the process is different depending on where you live.) It took a couple months and a phone call to the county court to actually get the form but at the time we weren't in a hurry.
For me, though, things were a little trickier since the name I wanted to change to did not match my husband's last name on the marriage certificate. I was able to get a new social security card relatively easily (which, looking back, is a little worrying!) John and I went together in person, showed someone our marriage certificate and his legal name change form, explained our situation, and both got new cards. No biggie. My driver's license was only slightly more challenging. I showed the same information to the woman at the DMV counter who had to get approval from a manager in order to process my request.
That was back in early 2011 and I hadn't thought much about it again until this year when I decided to finally renew my passport.  And then the real headache began. First, I was told I had not provided adequate information for a name change. When I tried to explain my situation, I got put on a call list for the office that was directly in charge of processing my passport. The person I spoke to could not provide me a time frame when I could expect the call. At the time, I was about 3 months out from an international trip, so was getting fairly anxious. When I hadn't heard from them after a week, I began making frequent calls to the office. On about the 5th call, someone finally informed me that I would need to have a legal name change in order to get my new passport.
Very luckily, I was able to go to a county courthouse in my area and receive a name change form in about 45 minutes. I got my passport about a week after mailing it in and am now ready for my trip! But I learned some valuable lessons about the easiest way to go about changing your name. Here are my quick tips:
*If you and your fiance(e) are thinking about doing something non-traditional with your names after marriage, look into all the legal stuff well in advance of your wedding date/honeymoon travel date.
*If you both want to change your last names, have the male change his name legally before the wedding date and include the new name on your marriage certificate.
*If the husband wants to take his wife's last name, make sure that a marriage certificate will be enough for all of his legal name changes (this wasn't the case in Virginia but could be in other states).
*Plan for any imminent travel accordingly. Make sure you know how long the process of changing your name will take and decide whether to travel under your old or new name.
*When turning in my legal name change form for my passport, the State Department required that the address on that form match the address I was applying from. If you'll be moving at some point in the name change/marriage process, take that into consideration!

Thanks so much Meredith for sharing your story!

Questions for Meredith? Or anyone else want to share their name-change (or not change!) story? Leave a comment!

Pregnancy Cravings

One of the most common questions that people (strangers, coworkers, friends) ask me is if I have had any strong pregnancy cravings. I can't say that I've had any bizarre or interesting food addictions -- I've more INDULGED than craved.

I've always had a sweet tooth but usually I try to keep it under control. Before I got pregnant I was all, I'm going to stop eating sweets when I get pregnant because it's healthier for the baby--- HA! Instead I feel like it's one of the only things that's kept me going these past nine months. In particular: gelato/ice cream and donuts. I've been eating so many Mighty-O donuts that Jenny had a big tray of them at my baby shower instead of cake!

I guess I shouldn't be surprised that I've gained 40 lbs! At least he'll be a summer baby so I can work it off in the sunshine. What did you crave during pregnancy?

(Mighty-O donut image)

A Beautiful Video...



I always love watching my friend Rosanna print and love how this captures it! Enjoy.

Hunter & Fox + Bunch Magazine Present: Iron Curtain Press from Hunter&Fox on Vimeo.


Monday Motivation

Friday Roundup

Happy Friday and happy last day of work to Teresa who's starting maternity leave. No sign of baby yet and I really want to meet the little bugger so I've started googling different things for her to try to induce labor! Like this. Some of the things I've found, I don't think she'd want to try, but I do see a lot of long walks in our future.

In efforts to help my quest for a cute bike helmet, a friend sent me this. 

Normal Barbie

Have you seen Sad Cat Diary?

Wedding Trends

Llamas!

Sandlot style

Finland sent Will & Kate a baby box

Not into the summer blockbusters? Check out this list of new indie flicks.  Anyone want to go to a movie with me?

I was really excited when my new iPhone case arrived in the mail this week.

Naturally whiten your teeth with strawberries

Pretty Free Fonts

Moonrise Kingdom engagement shoot 

What will the song of the summer be? 

3 year old artist

Nick Kristof is back at the NY Times! And yes, I realize I'm a huge dork that this is something I'm excited about...

Photo @zoerainphoto








10 Days!


Happy 4th of July! 10 days from today is my due date, so crazy! I'm feeling tired, a bit anxious and oh so ready to meet our baby boy. This is definitely a lesson in patience! Hope you enjoy the day celebrating, summer has officially arrived.

Seattle Summer: Outdoor Concerts


If you're going to be in Seattle this summer I would highly recommend checking out Salish Lodge's summer concert series, Music on the Green! Patrick and I spent my birthday at Salish Lodge last year and loved the gorgeous views, luxurious rooms (all with jacuzzi tubs and fireplaces!), and delicious brunch menu. This summer, in celebration of the Lodge's 25th anniversary, they are going to be doing a concert series with fabulous local artists like Kris Orlowski and the Maldives



It's only $95 and includes two concert tickets, picnic dinner, a bottle of wine, blanket/tote and views of Snoqualmie Falls. They are also offering concert goers exclusive discounts at Salish before and after each show so you can make a night of it if you want.  If I wasn't going to be toting around a newborn all summer I'd totally be there. 

Wedding Wednesday: Lantern Interlude



At Chris and Angela's wedding last month, they did something that I'd never seen before and LOVED.  

Their wedding was at The Great Hall at Green Lake, where the ceremony and reception are in the same room as is common at many wedding venues. 


Instead of funneling everyone into another room for a cocktail hour while the room was turned around, the bride and groom lead their guests a block down the road to Green Lake, a beautiful park in Seattle, where they released paper lanterns.


It was beautiful and so nice to get outside and walk around in between the ceremony and reception.

There was one tiny hiccup, when a lantern got caught in a tree and the fire department was called, but the situation ended well with a bridesmaid photo shoot. 

But if you do try this, I'd recommend doing it a bit farther away from trees!

Butter Nail Polish






Have you ever used Butter nail polish? I heard it was worth the price and picked up the lovely color to the left, Trout Pout, a couple of weeks back. I'm really hard on my nails so usually I'm having to touch them up every day or so. Along with the Butter top coat, this brand has definitely been one of the more resilient that I've tried...and still cheaper than a manicure!

What are your favorite nail polish brands? I'm looking forward to actually being able to paint my own toenails again in the coming weeks-- 38 weeks pregnant is no joke!

Bike!


I ordered a bike and it arrives today! I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve.  I'm planning on working from my living room all day so I can stare out the window eagerly awaiting the impending delivery.

I've thought about getting a bike for years. It's actually really silly that I don't have one. We live in a perfect area of Seattle for biking. Everything I could ever need is within biking distance of my house and here I am driving everywhere. After a short ride to Green Lake on Sunday, probably the first time I was on a bike in at least five years, I pulled the trigger. I went with this Critical Cycles Dutch Style in cream. I'm excited to pick out some fun accessories. A basket for groceries, etc. 

Are any of you bikers out there? I'm looking for recommendations for where to get a cute helmet! Also a safe one, my dad would want me to have a very safe one. 

Monday Motivation

Print available on Etsy.