Scarlett's Birth

When we had Simon, we used a birth center because I wasn't sure I was ready to jump right to a home birth (living in a townhouse with neighbors that could hear through the walls etc. ;)).  This time around, my midwife had started her own practice so we went with a homebirth.  All day Friday I had contractions on and off and just felt a little different.  Simon and I met up with friends and then I was super tired so we crashed at naptime.  That night we had dinner at some friend's house and they told us that playing guitar hero had put them into labor so we figured we would try it.  I was still having some contractions and just not feeling my best but we had fun and then headed to bed.

Around 2 am I awoke to a partial water break.  10 minutes later contractions kicked in and I knew this was it.  I woke up Peter and he began to make preparations to blow up the birth tub in our room.  Simon's birth took so long that we figured we had plenty of time to set things up.  Peter realized that he needed an attachment for the hose so he headed out to Walmart to get it before things really got going.  At this point I was starting to have to breathe through my contractions and in communication with my midwife.  Peter called me to tell me that Walmart wasn't open so we contacted some friends to borrow their attachment.  By the time he got home with it (and some coffee from Starbucks) I was having stronger and closer contractions.  Peter began to blow up the tub and then once he was ready to hook up the hose, the attachment broke!  Little known to me (I was concentrating on getting through contractions), he began to haul a 5 gallon bucket of water back and forth to fill up the tub.  What a good man!

Adele, my midwife arrived around 5:45 am and told me that I was in transition (a surprise to me since it was going so much faster than with Simon). I began to labor in our regular tub since the birth tub still wasn't full of water and wow, did those contractions hurt!  I honestly wasn't sure I was going to make it since it was way more intense than my labor with Simon.  I definitely remember thinking to myself "why didn't I just schedule a c-section??"  =)  Sometime after that a second midwife arrived (to assist Adele) and Bronwyn (the photographer) arrived too.  I do remember thinking "I am not sure I want all these people here" but at that point I was too focused to do or say anything.  After seeing these amazing photos (and some video), I am so incredibly thankful that Bronwyn was there!

Around 7 am, Simon woke up and came into our room.  Peter quickly ran him downstairs and turned on a movie for him cause there was no way he was going to be able to be with us.  After that I moved into the birth tub.

Things were still progressing quickly and by 8:39 am she was born!

Pretty soon after she arrived, I moved into bed and Peter hopped into the shower.  Then we brought Simon in (who, at this point had finished his movie and was playing in his playroom but starting to look for us).  I was so excited to see his reaction and introduce him to his new sister.

He was a little unsure at this point because he hadn't been with us for a couple hours but he was very intrigued and curious about her.

Peter took Simon on a quick errand to grab some treats and when they got back it was time to weigh the baby and take down her stats.  

Scarlett Lola Harrington was born on April 4th 2015.  She came in at 8 pounds 4 oz, 19 & 1/4 inches long.  She is perfect and we are in love.  We are already enjoying being a family of four!

So far, she has been a really great baby.  Simon is really taken with his little sister and enjoys being a big brother.  We feel so blessed to be given this new gift.

Joy

Shaving: The New At Home Facial

I know, I know, when you hear shaving and facial in the same sentence you probably are picturing something like this:

  Rest assured, that looks nothing like what I am talking about.

  To be honest, I have played around with shaving parts of my face for years.  I have noticed that makeup goes on so much more smooth and looks so nice when you have removed some of the peach fuzz.  And because I have blonde hair on my face, I never really bought into waxing it because it was still unnoticeable when it grew in (because of the blonde color).

  I didn't talk about it much with anyone because I figured estheticians and beauticians would laugh at me and tell me I was doing absolutely the wrong thing.

  Then I heard about this video (I already knew who the girl was) and I watched it:





 I felt so justified after seeing this video that I decided to go for it.  Now, she mentions a lot that people can see your peach fuzz and that's why you should shave.  While that is true, that's not the only reason for shaving your face:

  1. Seriously, if you use makeup on your face you will love how great it goes on when your face is hair free.
  2.  If you blend your makeup into your neck (and you should be doing that if you wear foundation), then it will not only feel the same but it will look different (the peach fuzz on your neck is longer than it is on your face - I can definitely see mine).
  3. Shaving your face is a huge way to exfoliate it really well!  Think about men and how they keep their complexion more smooth and clear (and youthful)  - well, they regularly exfoliate through shaving!  You will help clear up your skin and keep it nice and smooth.  It's a mini facial right at home.
  4. You don't have to do it all the time!  You can do this once or twice a week at most.
  5. No more paying for waxing that upper lip.  I have not waxed (or threaded) my upper lip for years because I know I can shave it quick myself.  Yes, ladies, you have a mustache even if it's blonde.  =)

Okay, have I convinced you to at least try it?  If so, you do NOT use a regular razor - nor shaving cream.  Use an eyebrow razor which is made for dealing with smaller, finer hairs.  Also, the benefit of an eyebrow razor is that they don't cut you (at least not me - it would be hard to cut yourself with one of these).  To try it:

I started with a clean, dry face.  Shave in quick, downward strokes at a 45 degree angle (it doesn't work if you use it straight on).  You will probably have to play around with the angle some - I had to figure it out the first time.  Once done, rinse off with water (or a toner first and then water) and then follow up with a moisturizer.  You will love how your face feels afterwards!

Here are the razor's she mentioned in the video (although I just found some at Target that I have used.)



Try it at least once and give me your feedback!  Love it?  Hate it?  Indifferent?  I wanna hear!

XOXO

Joy

Big Changes Ahead!

We bought our first house!!!  AND, it's in Denver, Colorado!  Let me back up a tad and explain how all this went down....

When I married Peter I relocated to Boise, Idaho for the first 9 months of our marriage.  Then we relocated to Portland, Oregon for his job.  I never envisioned myself living in Oregon (and had never even been to Portland when we moved) but I did know when I married Peter that our life would be an adventure and I welcomed it.

Moving to Portland was a huge blessing and grace from God.  We were in a time in our marriage when we needed a fresh start and godly people to walk alongside us.  Both of those came when we moved here.  I can not say enough how instrumental Mars Hill Church Portland was (and Marc Driscoll) in growing our marriage and helping us through a rocky start.  We would not be where we are today if it hadn't been for both of those influences and we feel an enormous amount of gratitude.

Around the end of February (this year) we decided to start looking to purchase a home since our lease was going to be up soon.  I wanted to try to move before the baby arrived but as we looked we realized that was unrealistic  (since our lease was up in March) and so we decided to keep looking but extend our lease for a couple months.

  Obviously God had other plans for us because also around the same time we got word that there was possibly going to be new work opportunities for Peter in another state.  We were asked if we would be interested in moving to either Denver or Phoenix.  We were open to it and waited to hear.  Just a few days into March we got word that the contract had gone through in Denver and we were moving (as long as we wanted it!).

  This news came only weeks before I am due with #2!  Wow, everything big seems to come in pairs at least.  =)  We are ecstatic to announce that we are moving to Denver around the beginning of May!  This is a very bittersweet move for us.  It's sweet because we have lots of family around Denver and have never lived close to them as a family (plus, Colorado is just amazing).  It's also bitter because Portland has become near and dear to us as the place where we "grew up" as a married couple and started a family.  We have many close friends here who have walked beside us through difficult and wonderful times and it is hard to say goodbye.  It feels like the end of a chapter that has been good to us and I am sad to see it go.  On the other hand, we are excited for our new adventure and seeing what God does with us in Denver.

  I feel so excited that Simon (and baby) will be able to grow up knowing some of their cousins, Aunts/Uncles and Grandparents in a more close proximity.

  So, on top of all of this, we purchased our first home!  I haven't even seen it in person because I have not been able to fly to Denver (being big and preggo).  Peter went out there last week and walked through a bunch of houses.  We made an offer on two and got the one we wanted so we are thrilled to be moving into our own house.

  We can't wait for this new adventure to begin as a family of 4!  =)

JOY

Family Maternity Shoot

 One of my favorite parts of pregnancy is the maternity photos!  I have looked forward to getting these this entire pregnancy.  For me, it signifies a time when you feel most beautiful and womanly.  I try to do them before I hit that point where you just feel huge.  ;)   Just like hearing the heartbeat the first time heralds in the pregnancy, to me, maternity photos signifies the end being in sight and so those are my 2 things I really look forward to.
  I think pictures are so important and special because you will never get this time back again so having good pictures is really priceless.  Because of this, I called up Christa Taylor from Christa Taylor Photography.  She truly is amazing and makes me feel beautiful.  We had used her for our shoot with Simon and those are some of my favorite pictures so I knew we would get really great shots this time.
  She did not disappoint - not in the slightest. =)

I am so glad that we got to capture this special time of welcoming in this new little one.  We all love this baby so much already and are excited to become a family of 4 soon!

XOXO

Joy

Pregnancy Fave's

Hey girls,
  Not too many more weeks of pregnancy to go here and I thought I would compile a little list of the things that are getting me through.  I hope you are all having a great week and enjoying this amazing weather!  It always surprises me at how much I am affected when the sun is out and I know that I will be very sad to see the rain return.  =)

Snack

Chocolate protein smoothie:
Almond milk (or water)
1 scoop of Orgain Protein Powder (found at Costco)
Optional add ins:
1 frozen banana
Peanut butter
Frozen strawberries

Protein is so important when you are pregnant so having protein powder on hand is really helpful.



















Velour Victoria Secret Tracksuit

Peter got me this suit to wear home from the birth center when I had Simon and I LOVE it.  It is so comfortable and has so many wonderful memories.  I love that I can use it this time around as I get ready for #2.  I do wear it now all the time when I need something comfy to relax in.  =)





Manna Shimmer Lotion

  I actually found out about this lotion by getting a sample in my Glam Ipsy Bag!  I love mixing it with my foundation for a nice, overall glow.  It looks pink but does not add a pink tinge on your face when you wear it.  The glow it produces is soft, subtle and beautiful.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Lotion

 This is the lotion that I have used through both pregnancies now and I love it!  It's budget friendly, smells nice and feels great.  So far it seems to work for me.  

XOXO

Joy

Will the real Lash Serum please stand up?

Alright girls,
 We've all seen it, all these different serums claiming to give you amazing, holllywood lashes.  How do you know which one to try and which will actually do what it says?  It can be hard to pull the trigger on any of them when there's only so much room in a budget.
About a year ago, I wrote a post about attaining eyelashes that look false - all without false lashes and without paying for eyelash extensions.  To read about it, here it is.

  Over the course of the last year I have branched out and tried several lash serums that all claim to do the same thing:  longer, thicker, darker lashes.  Here is a list of the ones I tried:

-Citylash
  Review: This did a fairly good job and I noticed that they did seem to thicken some.

-Rejuvalash
   Review: This was a total scam where they automatically charge you the next month for more unless you cancel it and I did not notice any significant changes whatsoever.      

-Rapidlash      
  Review: It was okay and did seem to help somewhat at lengthening.
   

After trying these other serums I once again went back to Revitalash.
I have to say, I was amazed at the difference.  It stands on it's own when it comes to serums.  I got the fastest, most notable results and my eyelashes are definitely darker, longer and thicker since going back to it.  I can not sing it's praises enough. It is worth every penny and I will definitely be sticking with it from here on out.







I hope this helps!  Enjoy those lashes.  =)

XOXO

Joy

Babymoon

Peter and I have been wanting to take Simon on vacation to a beach where it's actually warm, so we finally did!  I was so happy that we managed to squeeze in a trip before the baby comes because I really wanted some time for us as a family of 3 since that will soon be changed.

We picked San Diego because Peter wanted to do a couple (okay, 3) Spartan races at the same time and we had heard that San Diego is amazing.  Let's just say that it did not disappoint - at all!

 When we first arrived, we stayed at an apartment in San Diego  (that we found off airbnb.com).  Peter did his first race on our first full day there so we were pretty ready to settle into vacation mode after that.

At Daddy's first Spartan race

Relaxing after the race was over

Peter and Simon napped in these cabanas 

Beach boy

Coronado Beach

 After a few days in San Diego, we moved to a condo right on the beach in Oceanside where we spent the remainder of our time.  The day that we switched places, we decided to hit up the San Diego Zoo which was so fun!  It is huge and so colorful with all the foliage and plants everywhere.  Simon loved it.

Checking out the polar bears

Peter showing off our "rock game" that we made up

Our usual breakfast spot - the deck right off the master room

Yes, they have playgrounds right on the beach!

So many beautiful sunsets

Simon and a friend doing pull ups at a Spartan race

Daddy's second Spartan race

Lots of rock throwing

30 weeks!

I am so thankful that we were able to go on this trip and enjoy this time before baby comes.  Can't believe we are only weeks away from being a family of 4.  Part of me is so ready and part of me is so nostalgic about my time with Simon.

Did you ladies take babymoons?  I want to hear your stories!  This was our first one and I loved it.

Hope you all are having a fantastic week!

XOXO

Joy