I don’t know what put it into my head to create a life-size stop motion video. Oh yeah, it’s because I think everything will be “real quick” and “super easy” and duh, it’s the only rational thing to do! That, and when you know stop motion artist, Trisha Zemp, and letter artist, Jill De Haan, you think, “well, I know the most talented people in the world and I know they can make straight up magic and this is a once-in-a-lifetime-video so….” While that is certainly true, I need to learn to TONE IT DOWN every once in awhile because man, just looking at this I get so tired because the truth is, it wasn’t real quick or super easy. In fact, I’ve most certainly learned to tone things down a bit more in recent moths, but you see, we didn’t make this video this year. No no, we made it last year when apparently I had a TON more energy and willingness to execute grand ideas.
But don’t let my current energy levels drag this on any further as Paul and I are thrilled to share some happy personal news:
I bet you never would have guessed, huh? 😉
Our Stop Motion Baby Announcement!
We made this during my 10th week of being pregnant last spring and were getting ready to release it when I miscarried at my 12th week. I talk about my experience here. When you miscarry you go through many thought processes and one of them is not knowing if having children is a reality that will happen to you. As much as it’s a kind thought to reaffirm the opposite to suffering mothers who would have been, the truth is, you just don’t know if it will happen and thus, the sentiments aren’t super helpful. That said, I came out of the experience hopeful.
When it happened, I took one day to recoup and then as if nothing had happened, I was off running again digging myself into working on our book (we’re on the second pass now! More of this soon!) and of course, everything else that goes into making Lars happen, not to mention well, life, and all the wonderful and terrible things that come with it.
For the brief moment I was pregnant last year I fully embraced it. I was truly excited for a life change. This time around I’ve taken on a more muted excitement, more of a “I’ll believe it when I see it” type of excitement. So, here we are at 19 weeks and it took me this amount of time to feel comfortable telling you! We’re (most likely, but who knows until it actually happens) having a baby in January! And yes, we’re thrilled!
Let’s talk about the video itself in case you’re at work and can’t watch it right away. Here’s the rundown: a special delivery bird drops off a special package
And whaddya know? We instinctively know what’s in it! And we’re happy about it! 
Jill DeHaan created the beautiful writing (that originally said October! but more on that later) that we projected onto large seamless paper. It took 5 of us to hand write/draw this flower scene and 24 Sharpies. I’ll be doing a follow-up post on the making of the video later this week. Stay tuned because it was pretty intense! 
And here comes baby in a baby carriage! Boom! There you go.
But, let’s talk about the event at hand: little adorable humans! I’ve now had a lot of time think about it this time around and have come to the conclusion that I won’t know about a lot of things until it actually happens come January. I want to start prepping, but until you know the sex, you can’t buy clothes, and until you have space, you can’t purchase bigger things so…I’ve done nothing more than read books and articles and look at a lot of apps telling me that my baby is the size of various fruits. BTW, this week I’m a sweet potato. Yum!
With all the craziness of our social media world, I’m still unsure how I’ll be treating life with a baby, but I do know that I will most certainly be addressing baby preparation because even though I’m sure it’s been addressed hundreds and even thousands of times elsewhere, I’m guessing you might be interested in seeing our take on it. But you tell me! I’d love to hear what you types of things you’d be interested in hearing about. I’ve taken a stab at looking for diaper bags and a preliminary search doesn’t produce many inspiring options, but perhaps I’m looking in the wrong places. Or what about bassinets or cribs? Are all the pretty ones in France? Any advice on where to start or websites to look at, I’m all ears! Mind you, our comments section is currently out of order, so please email me at brittany [at] thehousethatlarsbuilt dot com or dm me on Instagram with your thoughts.
I’ve already got a baby mood board blog post on the docket once we know the sex and can channel my efforts. As I’ve mentioned a number of times this year, mood boards help me to focus on selecting things that I want to live with so naturally, it’s the best place to start.
FAQs so far
How have I been feeling? Wonderful! Really wonderful in fact. The first trimester no food sounded appetizing except various versions on potatoes. There was a good solid 3 weeks where I had french fries for lunch every day. But I’ve since gotten over that and can eat a more balanced diet now. The second trimester has seen a surge in energy levels and appetite so I’m calling it a success!
What apps and books have I been using? Ovia Pregnancy and Pregnancy Plus. They all kind of do the same thing: tell you what size fruit you are and bombard you with ads of things you probably don’t need but they make it seem like you do. I do like to know what is happening at each stage of development and they were much better at it during the first trimester. I’ve also been referring to what seems to be the bible of pregnancy books, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, as well as Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, and Birthing from Within.
Where will you be posting about baby stuff? I’ll be doing some baby-related content here on the blog, tutorials for sure, probably some updates and round ups, but for a slightly more personal take on the pregnancy experience, I’ll be posting over on my new Instagram handle @BrittanyJepsen
Do I have a birth plan? Yup! We’re going with a midwife at a nearby birthing clinic.
When do we find out the sex? This week! Gah! Do you know what you want it to be? Yes! But Paul and I both think it’s going to be a boy. Ha! I need a girl to dress in head to toe florals and match with please!
Ok, that’s it for now. If you have more questions, feel free to email me or dm me at my new personal Instagram account @brittanyjepsen. Can’t wait to share more with you especially the making of this video later this week!
Video by Trisha Zemp | Lettering by Jill DeHaan | Set drawings by Lexi Nilson and Brittany Jepsen