The Story of Eden’s Birth

by Ilana Saul Posted on October 16, 2014

Eden Saul

On August 29th, a Friday night, Mark came home from work with a sweet little bouquet from my favorite flower shop and announced that we were going out to dinner at a surprise location. We still had almost four weeks to go until Eden’s September due date, but I had been feeling pretty uncomfortable in the final weeks of pregnancy (plus, my doctor had told us that there was a chance she might arrive a little early), so it seemed like a good time to get in a last special dinner date together before bébé. Mark took me to Pace, an absolutely delicious and cozy spot in Laurel Canyon that we had never been to before. We dined on house-made pasta with seasonal, farmers market produce, and chocolate soufflé cake for dessert. Little did we know at the time that it would literally be our last meal together before baby!

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Oh Baby: She’s Here!

by Ilana Saul Posted on September 16, 2014

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I am overjoyed to share that Eden Eliot Saul arrived on August 30, 2014. She was almost four weeks early, but I guess she just couldn’t wait to join the party! She was a tiny little thing at 5 lbs, 9 oz and 19.9 inches long.

We chose the name Eden because this little girl is our own slice of paradise and Eliot after T.S., who is my very favorite poet. I’ve had the name in mind since around the same time I met Mark, when I was 15 years old.

The first couple weeks have been blissful and so full of love and also overwhelming at times. There have been so many moments when I start longing to be past this phase of middle-of-the-night-feedings and never-sleeping-for-longer-than-two-hour-stretches. Draining doesn’t begin to describe it. (At first I felt guilty for feeling that way too, but I’m pretty sure it’s perfectly normal!) But then I look at her little face and her tiny little toes and my heart is so full it could burst. And then there’s the feeling I get when I watch her daddy holding her. I’m so full of love for him too, and so grateful that I have such a wonderful partner to share this experience with. I’m a lucky mama indeed!

Anyway, I’m trying to find time for some blogging here and there (and hope to share our birth story soon), but for now you can also follow along on Instagram.

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Photos: Stephanie Todaro

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Skyping with the Baby

by Ilana Saul Posted on May 15, 2014

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Mark and I refer to ultrasounds as Skyping with the baby. That’s pretty much what it’s like when you think of it—getting to video chat with little Baby Saul from inside my belly! We had our 20-week Skype sesh this week, and everything looked healthy and just like it should look. (At 16 weeks, we only got to hear the heartbeat, which was more like a regular old phone call.)

They also confirmed the sex, which they were only mostly sure of at our previous visit… Continue reading →

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Hooray For: Real Flowers and Paper Flowers

by Ilana Saul Posted on April 28, 2014

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On Saturday, Mark and I drove a couple hours south to visit The Flower Fields in Carlsbad. They grow rows upon rows upon rows of ranunculus on 50 acres here. It’s really breathtaking! They’re open to the public for a couple months each spring, when the flowers are in bloom.

Then, on Sunday, I hopped over to Poketo in Downtown L.A. for a paper flower making workshop with Blooms in the Air. They host a ton of cool workshops at Poketo, just like this one. Unfortunately I had to cut out of the workshop early because I was having crazy morning sickness again yesterday (yep, still), but I was able to play around some on my own once I got home.

So… real flowers or paper flowers? I can hardly decide which one is prettier! Luckily that’s not a real question that any of us actually have to answer.

More photos from my weekend below… Continue reading →

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Parisian Love Locks

by Ilana Saul Posted on April 14, 2014

locks

Have you heard about the campaign to ban ‘love locks’ in Paris? When you walk along the Seine in Paris, all of the bridges are covered in padlocks with the names of lovers scrawled on them. The keys are thrown in the river to represent everlasting, unbreakable love. But it turns out the old bridges have been creaking under the weight of the locks, and locals have started a campaign to get them banned. Ha!

When Mark and I were in Paris on our honeymoon, we bought a love lock from a street vendor to take back home (because we heard they have to cut them off every so often to make room for more). We secured the lock to our balcony railing in L.A., and then threw the key in our beloved Silver Lake Reservoir. In retrospect, I’m sure glad we did it that way! And anyway, it’s kind of sweet to get to see our lock everyday.

Illustration: Mark Saul for Hooray Hurrah

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