Recap: July 2018

Whoops, I didn’t mean to go a month without blogging. I even had several drafts written up, but I just haven’t had the motivation to finish them up. I’ve reached the point of my pregnancy where sleeping is troublesome, so I’m often just… tired. After I come home from work, I have dinner, nap, and then waste time before bed time again. Then the cycle repeats!

More Baby Stuff

We took a birthing class in July! If labor didn’t already freak me out, now I’m still freaked out… but with more knowledge. Though in all seriousness, that was an amazingly informative class. (Spoiler alert: being in labor and giving birth is nothing like what TV and the movies make it out to be.)

That class also made me want to hire a doula. If you don’t know what a doula is, don’t worry. I honestly didn’t know until just a few months ago. They’re kind of like a non-medical labor assistant. They don’t do the medical things that nurses, doctors, or midwives do, but they do stay with you throughout labor and act as your support and advocate. They typically have a variety of techniques to help you cope with labor and get the baby in a good position, and if a decision needs to be made, they make sure you feel informed and confident with what you choose.

Oftentimes when I mention hiring a doula, people assume I’m having an at-home birth, which isn’t the case. Doulas can go to the hospital with you! They can also support you even if you choose medicated pain relief or if you need a C-section.

But anyway, since I was looking for a doula so late in my pregnancy, I wasn’t sure who was still available. Fortunately, the birthing class was taught by a doula who forwarded my request to a doula association. I ended up being contacted by 9 doulas, and we interviewed 6 of them last month. Choosing one and turning down the others was so hard! Honestly, if someone chooses to help women through labor, they are already amazing in my book. But! We have one now, and that already makes me feel a bit better about this whole giving birth thing.

Hobbies

The only hobby I worked on the past month has been toy/figure photography. Last recap, I mentioned that I started my new photography project: Tiny Teabox (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook). I started it with a buffer of photos I already prepared, but because I spent so much of June cleaning up our house and preparing for out-of-town guests, I didn’t get that many new photos taken. I ended up burning through the buffer I had.

So… I worked on taking more photos in July and also on making dioramas for backgrounds! Figuring out how to make tiny furniture has been pretty fun, and I like shopping for miniatures too. Everything is so small and cute! Plus, I’ve found that the toy community is really nice and supportive, so I’m really enjoying being in it.

I currently have a “kiss and cry” set for Yuri on Ice photos, and I have a basic living room set-up that is easy to change around. I plan on working on a Japanese festival set next, since I just got yukata outfits for my figures.

Anyway, starting on Monday (8/6), I begin working remotely until the baby arrives. Since I’m due later this month, there’s probably going to be a break on this blog while I’m dealing with that and getting settled into baby life. I will continue posting on social media though!