Adventures

ODE TO SPRING BREAK

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coronadospringbreak

image via mister baker’s instagram

I love this time of year, when the weather is dancing between moody and bright, and the colorful wildflowers indigenous to coastal Southern California are in full blossom. It’s still too cold to bare shoulders, but thick sweaters have definitely been put away for the season. The days are being to stretch bringing with them hints of summer nights, and everything seems just a little bit more relaxed, as if the Earth herself has let out a sigh of relief that yet another harsh winter has been survived.

These days have been good to me. The baby is sleeping a little more regularly at night, and consequently, I have more energy. Thank goodness, because I was teetering on the verge of exhaustion and/or hysteria. Having the big kids home from school was exactly what I needed, and while we spent most days cozied up in our house playing card games and watching classic movies from when I was a kid, we managed to make one excursion to the beach while Babe’s sister was in town.

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We also took advantage of the fact that she stayed in a hotel with a rooftop pool, and enjoyed a fun afternoon of swimming and sitting in the hot tub. Just as we had suspected, our tiny guy is a real water baby! He was so relaxed and content floating around in the jacuzzi, and he looked mighty cute in his new swimsuit and sunhat.

Today was the day I had originally intended to return to work, and although I miss my students and my colleague something awful, I’m glad to have made the decision to extend my leave. Instead of rushing to ready myself along with the kids in preparation for a day of school, like a proper stay-at-home-mama, my morning consisted of making breakfast, packing lunch boxes, doing laundry, and nursing a baby. I made a lovely lunch for my sweet mister and me, got a bit of writing done, and even managed to take a nap.

I don’t plan on staying home for very long, but I do plan on taking full advantage of this time while it lasts.

THE 52 PROJECT – AN UPDATE

Posted on by Lynzie · 1 Comment

threesiblings
“a portrait of my children, all three of them”

Well, it’s been a busy few weeks over here. With everything that has happened recently – a nearly ten day hospital stay, a new baby, a handsome fiancé, and not a lot of sleep – my personal projects have fallen a bit by the wayside. I had the most noble intentions when it came to this portrait series, and it seems that at this point, I’ll just have to take what I can get and work with it as best I can. Which, not for nothing, seems to be a current theme in my life.

Emet has wanted a baby brother for as long as I can remember, and seeing how much he loves and cares for the newest member of our family is absolutely priceless. He takes his role as the oldest very seriously. Whether he’s reading to his sister, or fawning over our tiny guy, the love he has for his younger siblings is unsurpassed. Jade is over the moon excited about having a baby in the house, being the little mama that she is. The days since bringing our bundle home from the hospital have been full of so much love and so many tender moments, my heart can barely contain it all.

Did I mention that I’m not sleeping? I’m not sleeping. At most, I’ve gotten three consecutive hours since the baby was born. Whether I’m being woken by soft newborn cries, or the sharp sting of too much milk in my boobs (sorry, but it’s true), one way or another sleep escapes me entirely. Surprisingly, I haven’t lost my mind completely. I have somehow managed to get the big kids fed and off to school in the mornings, and to keep our house relatively tidy. Ok, the mister gets most of the credit for keeping the house tidy, so I guess what I mean to say is that I’ve managed to not destroy our house, which is kind of the same thing, right?

We’re beginning to find our rhythm, and I’m slowly climbing out from under the weight of all these thoughts I have swimming around in my head. I’ll be honest, it’s hard to spend so many months planning and visualizing one kind of experience only to have the exact opposite come to pass. And I’m a sentimental gal, meaning it’s far too easy for me to be swallowed whole by what ifs and whys.

Tonight was supposed to be our last date. We’d planned on seeing The Grand Budapest Hotel, and enjoying one last fancy meal together. The chances of us actually making it to the theatre to catch this film are slim, let alone getting out for a grown-ups only dinner anytime soon. We did, however, steal away to a favorite local spot for lunch today, and the baby slept through the whole meal. It sure felt like a date. A date chaperoned by the smallest, sweetest person I’ve ever met.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that even though I was caught completely off guard, and rather unexpectedly, I’m finding my way back. And I’m a better, stronger person for it.

PREGNANCY, INTERRUPTED

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handsmaxwanger

image via

There is a very fine line between life and death, one that isn’t always easy to recognize. What is easy, though, is taking for granted the gift of intuition. On February 16, I trusted my instincts over my reasoning and have been permanently altered as a person – and as a parent – as a result.

I can’t say exactly how I knew, only that I did.

The past two weeks have been incredibly intense, and I’m only barely beginning to be able to wrap my mind around the magnitude of it all. It is my hope that as I begin to distill this experience into words, that I will be able to have a better understanding of what I went through, and why.

When February began, I had a sense that it was going to be a busy month, but for very different reasons than what it turned out to be. And here we are, the first day of March, and it seems so surreal that I don’t still have a baby in my belly or a home birth to look forward to. Instead, I have a tiny guy to nuzzle and a sparkly ring on my finger, two of the greatest gifts this life has ever given me.

What surprises me the most about this whole thing is that I’m not sad, really, only nostalgic. Everything happened so suddenly, and I wasn’t exactly prepared. Thankfully, with the love and support of my precious family and dearest friends, I have managed to survive what is easily the most tragic and triumphant time of my life.

I have no inclination as to what this month shall bring, but I’m thinking it’s going to be a good one. And if I’ve learned anything at all from all of this, it’s that my gut feelings are usually spot on.

In that case, I say hello to you, March! Show me what you got.

A MOST SPECIAL BIRTHDAY

Posted on by Lynzie · 1 Comment

birthdaydonut

courtesy of my favorite instagram account

Today, we celebrated 35 years of Mister Babe Elliott Baker, the most lovely human of all.

Actually, the celebration started Friday, with a leisurely date night. Just the two of us, we enjoyed an incredible meal, found this great jacket for the birthday boy, and caught a very late showing of Wolf of Wall Street. Even though I slept for more than two of the three hour film, it was our first trip to the movie theatre since 2012 and I loved every second of it. Plus, I’d already seen it (I’d like the thank the Academy for that one) so a nap on the lap of my love was pretty much perfection.

In spite of yesterday’s royal SNAFU, we managed to get ourselves good and ready to have this baby by finally ordering all the supplies for the home birth. The nesting hormones have kicked in at full throttle, and I’d have reorganized my entire house if it weren’t for this foot of mine. Why oh why did I have to break my foot? I’m still searching for the lesson in this one, though I have my theories.

We had intended to go to the museum today, but learned last minute that it is closed this week for installation! Instead, we spent the day having spontaneous adventures that included donuts for brunch, and you just can’t go wrong when your day starts with donuts, am I right? The kids and I made sure the guest of honor felt positively spoiled, and I mean, I couldn’t have had a better time if it were my own birthday. Which is convenient, seeing as today is my half-birthday.

Isn’t that cute?

A FOND FAREWELL

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fall_apart_together

image via

I always get a little nostalgic at this time of year, don’t you?

In looking back at all that has happened in 2013, from where it began to where it is ending, I am just so stupidly grateful. This has been the hardest, loveliest, most surprising, and most rewarding year of all, a year that has taught me about surrender and acceptance.

Most of all, it has been a year filled with love, more love than I ever could have imagined, and not for one second do I forget how incredibly fortunate I am to live such a magnificent life.

The blessings of the past twelve months have been many, but none so exciting as the expansion of our family. The unexpected gift of this baby and all of the transition that has transpired as a result, these are the kinds of things that I simply did not plan for and probably never would have. Which makes the fact that they kind of just happened all the more divine.

Forever, I shall remember 2013 as the year of happy accidents.

A LITTLE PROJECT

Posted on by Lynzie · 2 Comments

lattice_wall

One thing I’ve never been good at is taking pictures. I’ve attempted to teach myself photography on more than one occasion but really I just haven’t been committed enough to the process and so my photos never seem to get any better.

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My mister says that if I want to take better photos I have to take more photos and so yesterday, I did. With the fancy camera in my hand, we set out for a little walk through the neighborhood.

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Oh, this neighborhood. Beautiful homes on beautiful streets, and lots of families with kids. Emet and Jade are especially happy about the fact that friends from school live just a few doors away, a most serendipitous coincidence that has provided many a playdate, not to mention a pretty sweet carpool situation. Thanks, Kacey!

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I’m a sucker for finding the beauty in the everyday, it’s a practice that helps me to stay balanced. I often ask myself why I don’t just try to capture these things on camera, and really the answer is because I’m lazy.

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But, lo! I have been inspired by yesterday’s adventure and the images that resulted from my being brave enough to just give it a go. Honestly, most were pretty bad, but still. You gotta start somewhere, am I right?

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What I’m trying to say is that I’m going to teach myself how to shoot decent photographs, so I don’t constantly have to ask this handsome guy to do it for me.

SHAKEY GRAVES

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shakey

A while back, my mister and I discovered an Austin, TX based musician called Shakey Graves. It was love at first listen. Last year, while in Austin for a wedding, we got to see him play at Stubb’s and it was just perfect.

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Tonight, he’s playing at Soda Bar here in San Diego, which means I got me a hot date with my love!

shakeygraves.com // @shakeygraves

DOWN BY THE BAY

Posted on by Lynzie · Leave a comment

missionbay

image courtesy of mr. baker’s instagram feed

I’d post a recipe, but mostly I’ve been making cocktails for dinner, and I wouldn’t want you to get the wrong impression.

So, Campland!

Yesterday, we were invited to spend the day celebrating the birthday of Emet’s baseball coach, so we packed a cooler full of beer (and a bottle of plum tequila, ahem) and joined our friends at their campsite for an afternoon of fun. We’re excited to return next month for a whole week of beach camping shenanigans, including taking one of those fancy boats out for a spin around Mission Bay.

Have I mentioned how much I love summer?

ON GOING WITH THE FLOW

Posted on by Lynzie · Leave a comment

smoothsea

image via

I woke up today, bright eyed and bushy tailed, with elaborate plans involving a drive to LA, sharing a long overdue bottle of wine with one of my most lovely friends, and a drive back home with two very special pint-sized passengers in tow. But within an hour of rising, all of my plans changed.

Now, I’m no stranger to last minute snafus. Which is not to say that I’m an expert at living in the moment, but rather that I have grown accustomed to unexpected developments, and have learned to see them as opportunities as opposed to obstacles. It has been my experience that when things go awry, if you allow space for the Universe, the Universe usually responds with something better than what you were expecting.

Which is exactly what happened today.