XOXO,
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Love is all you need.
And I LOVE this little face so much that it literally takes my breath away sometimes.
XOXO,
XOXO,
Monday, December 20, 2010
Your baby is an asshole.
Before you get mad at me, it's a line from Sex and the City. And no, I don't think my baby is an asshole.
Well, not all the time anyway.
But seriously? Having a baby is no joke y'all. They are like, SUPER needy, round the clock. I liken the new baby experience to a Wiley Coyote cartoon, where he gets an anvil dropped on his head by the roadrunner (which makes no logistical sense by the way, the roadrunner was way too skinny to carry an anvil, but that's a topic for another time). Anyway, he'd get the anvil to the head and be smooshed into the ground and then he'd peel himself off the pavement and little birds would be swirling around his head and there was an anvil shaped dent in his noggin.
That's pretty much how I feel everyday.
And I have an EASY baby. No, I don't have one of those babies that magically sleeps through the night or can already help me with laundry, but I do have a super sweet little girl who isn't colicky or fussy, who loves to snuggle all day and sleeps pretty well at night. Plus, I have a super awesome husband who helps do everything short of nurse her, which I wouldn't put past him if he thought he could.
However, the reality of child rearing is that even under such ideal circumstances, it's exhausting. I have no idea how single parents do it or parents of super fussy/colicky babies. Y'all are better women than I.
That said, it's the most amazing experience I've ever had and I love my little Sadie so much it actually takes my breath away. Since I've had her for 8 weeks now, I'm pretty much a baby expert, so here are some of my lessons learned to date:
1. Having a baby shines a whole new light on yourmom. I've been peed on, pooped on and barfed on daily since my little Sadie Bear came home. This kid is prolific in the bodily fluid category. And I did all this to my mom. Just know this: your baby will be a giant karmic kick in the ass for what you put your parents through.
2. You will make parenting choices you swore you never would. You know those proclamations you made pre-baby? "I won't be a short order cook" or "I'll never let my kid watch TV" or "I won't buy my kid anything with a Disney character on it".
Yeah you will. You'll do ALL of it and like it. You know that beautiful nursery I showed you a while back? It's essentially a very well appointed walk in closet for Sadie. Where does Sadie sleep you ask? Why right next to me in bed. Yep. We are thoseparents. Turns out that nursing a baby is kind of a round the clock job. And this mama didn't exactly love getting out of bed 4 times a night to lug my 10 pound bambina in and out of bed, so here we are, co-sleeping. I know, I know, you aren't supposed to sleep with your kid. But you know what? I LIKE IT. She likes it. And Mr. Val likes it too. So that's what we do.
3. Baby swings are little Christmas miracles, sent from Jesus. Our Fisher Price Papasan baby swing is the only reason my house doesn't look like a Hoarders episode. No joke, that shit is like baby crack. Or baby Valium, more precisely.
4. Being a mom makes you pensive. Since I've had Sadie, I've thought a lot about the many children who are not born into such loving families with parents that have the resources to care for them. I think it weighed heavy on my mind b/c of the holidays as I imagined all the little kids who don't wake up to food everyday, let alone presents. This has spurred Mr. Val and I to give back a little more, through charity and hopefully our own actions throughout the year.
5. LET PEOPLE HELP YOU. This is probably the best advice I got and the best advice I can give. If your wonderful Mother in Law asks if you want her to bring you breakfast/lunch/dinner, say YES. If your mom and stepdad buy you and your husband massages for Christmas and offer to babysit? Say YES. If your friends offer to come over and just hang out with your baby so you can bathe? Say YES. Your own psyche and your husband will thank you.
6. Get on birth control ASAP. I kid, but truly, this kid is adorable but we have ZERO interest in another for at LEAST 3 years. I told Mr. Val that I wouldn't even think about until then, but since he isn't sold on the idea of 3 sexless years of marraige, to the IUD I go.
Oh, and one last tip, try to have a kid as adorable as Sadie. It makes the 4 AM explosive poops much easier to laugh at.
XOXO,
Well, not all the time anyway.
But seriously? Having a baby is no joke y'all. They are like, SUPER needy, round the clock. I liken the new baby experience to a Wiley Coyote cartoon, where he gets an anvil dropped on his head by the roadrunner (which makes no logistical sense by the way, the roadrunner was way too skinny to carry an anvil, but that's a topic for another time). Anyway, he'd get the anvil to the head and be smooshed into the ground and then he'd peel himself off the pavement and little birds would be swirling around his head and there was an anvil shaped dent in his noggin.
That's pretty much how I feel everyday.
And I have an EASY baby. No, I don't have one of those babies that magically sleeps through the night or can already help me with laundry, but I do have a super sweet little girl who isn't colicky or fussy, who loves to snuggle all day and sleeps pretty well at night. Plus, I have a super awesome husband who helps do everything short of nurse her, which I wouldn't put past him if he thought he could.
However, the reality of child rearing is that even under such ideal circumstances, it's exhausting. I have no idea how single parents do it or parents of super fussy/colicky babies. Y'all are better women than I.
That said, it's the most amazing experience I've ever had and I love my little Sadie so much it actually takes my breath away. Since I've had her for 8 weeks now, I'm pretty much a baby expert, so here are some of my lessons learned to date:
1. Having a baby shines a whole new light on yourmom. I've been peed on, pooped on and barfed on daily since my little Sadie Bear came home. This kid is prolific in the bodily fluid category. And I did all this to my mom. Just know this: your baby will be a giant karmic kick in the ass for what you put your parents through.
2. You will make parenting choices you swore you never would. You know those proclamations you made pre-baby? "I won't be a short order cook" or "I'll never let my kid watch TV" or "I won't buy my kid anything with a Disney character on it".
Yeah you will. You'll do ALL of it and like it. You know that beautiful nursery I showed you a while back? It's essentially a very well appointed walk in closet for Sadie. Where does Sadie sleep you ask? Why right next to me in bed. Yep. We are thoseparents. Turns out that nursing a baby is kind of a round the clock job. And this mama didn't exactly love getting out of bed 4 times a night to lug my 10 pound bambina in and out of bed, so here we are, co-sleeping. I know, I know, you aren't supposed to sleep with your kid. But you know what? I LIKE IT. She likes it. And Mr. Val likes it too. So that's what we do.
3. Baby swings are little Christmas miracles, sent from Jesus. Our Fisher Price Papasan baby swing is the only reason my house doesn't look like a Hoarders episode. No joke, that shit is like baby crack. Or baby Valium, more precisely.
4. Being a mom makes you pensive. Since I've had Sadie, I've thought a lot about the many children who are not born into such loving families with parents that have the resources to care for them. I think it weighed heavy on my mind b/c of the holidays as I imagined all the little kids who don't wake up to food everyday, let alone presents. This has spurred Mr. Val and I to give back a little more, through charity and hopefully our own actions throughout the year.
5. LET PEOPLE HELP YOU. This is probably the best advice I got and the best advice I can give. If your wonderful Mother in Law asks if you want her to bring you breakfast/lunch/dinner, say YES. If your mom and stepdad buy you and your husband massages for Christmas and offer to babysit? Say YES. If your friends offer to come over and just hang out with your baby so you can bathe? Say YES. Your own psyche and your husband will thank you.
6. Get on birth control ASAP. I kid, but truly, this kid is adorable but we have ZERO interest in another for at LEAST 3 years. I told Mr. Val that I wouldn't even think about until then, but since he isn't sold on the idea of 3 sexless years of marraige, to the IUD I go.
Oh, and one last tip, try to have a kid as adorable as Sadie. It makes the 4 AM explosive poops much easier to laugh at.
XOXO,
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
10 pounds of heaven
I apologize for the accidental blogging hiatus, but I was unavoidably detained giving birth to my 10 lb. daughter.
Yep. 10. Whole. Pounds.
I want you to drink that in for a moment before I recount her birth story and note that I am not a big woman. My license says I'm 5 foot 4 whilst reality says that I'm 5 foot 3 when the wind blows straight up from the ground. My normal weight is between 120-130 lbs., depending on what time of year it is here in Chicago and how many bratwursts I'm currently shoving down my gullet. In short, I'm a small fry. This makes my 10 lb. baby story all the more surprising/terrifying/cautionary.
We blitzed past my October 27th due date with zero progress. No dilation, no effacement and no "dropping" on the part of the baby. I grumbled my way through the 40 week appointment, mad at my own body and my apparently lazy baby. The doctor agreed we'd go one week past and go from there. I got to the 41 week appointment and same story, in fact, I think my cervix was actually getting more closed at this point and I could hear Sadie laughing at me from inside my uterus. The doc agreed that it was time to induce so we set up an induction date of November 4th.
We got to the hospital around 10:30 PM on November 4th after my "last meal", which consisted of an Italian Beef, Cheese Fries & Chocolate Cake from Portillos. (Don't you dare judge me...I was about a thousand weeks pregnant.) They set me up in our L&D suite and began the medieval torture that is modern day obstetrics.
I was started on a low drip of Pitocin, which from her on out will be referred to as "The Devil's juice". I also was given a Foley catheter, which is a fancy way of saying they shoved a water balloon up my cervix and blew it up and yes, that is every bit as unpleasant as it sounds.
Let me tell you a little something about Pitocin. It sucks. Once the contractions kicked in, it was like a freight train was driving through my ladybits over, and over, and over. The contractions were massive from the get go and came one on top of another for what seemed like forever. I labored until about 4 AM until I just couldn't take it anymore and opted for the sweet release of drugs. The world's greatest anesthesiologist came to my rescue and gave me an epidural with such precision and quickness that had my husband not been holding my hand I would have kissed him. With tongue. I forgot his name due to the MIND NUMBING PAIN I was in, so in my mind he shall always be Dr. Kissyface. Because I literally wanted to kiss his face.
With the Epi in place I was finally able to sleep which we did as much as you can when you have an ever expanding water balloon in your nether regions. Early that morning they came in to check me and I'd dilated to 4 cm and effaced to about 60%. All of this was encouraging, however to make a long story short, it was the furthest I would get. They let me labor until about 4:00 PM until they lost Sadie's heartbeat. Let me just say, this had to have been the scariest moment of my life. It's never a good sign when 6 people in scrubs come racing into your hospital room and start prodding you, probing you and saying things like "STAT". Luckily they found her HB again but they switched off my Pitocin and Mr. Val and I looked at each other knowing exactly what was coming.
The doctor came in and yammered on about whatever for what seemed like forever but the only words I heard were "C-section". I wish I could tell you that I handled myself with some dignity here but the truth is that I was terrified and completely broke down. Like ugly, hiccuping, sobbing breakdown. I shooed everyone out of my room and just cried like a baby on Mr. Val. Not because I had some burning desire to shove an apparently hostile child out of my loins, more due to the lack of control. I was scared for me, scared for her and just really didn't want my body sawed in half.
A new anesthesiologist arrived and I could tell he recognized right away that I was beyond hysterical. Bless his heart, he upped my epi with enough drugs to tranquilize a rhino and into surgery I went.
I cannot tell you how incredibly bizarre it is to be awake while your body is being cut into. All those little tugs and pressures were so strange. I was shaking like a leaf the entire time, I thought just out of fear but it turns out I also lost a lot of blood which didn't help matters. They had to cut through the placenta to get to her AND use a vacuum to get her out, which made the grossest popping sound when she finally did come out. But she came out safe and sound which is all that matters and after a few frantic moments of me begging to see her, I finally heard her cry, the most wonderful sound I'd ever heard.
I'm not going to lie, recovering from a c-section is rough and caring for a newborn is essentially like hitting a brick wall at 80MPH. But it is a truly awesome thing to look at your child and see yourself, your partner and all your dreams and love in that little face. So without further ado, I give you:
Sadie Joan, born November 5th, 2010 at 10 lbs. 1 oz. This was my favorite picture from the hospital, I love that we are just checking each other out like, "Hey! I know you!"
And now, almost three weeks later, here is my little Sadie Bug:
I can say without hesitation I've birthed the cutest kid on the planet. She looks just like her daddy and I think my heart may explode with happiness every time I see them together. I will be posting more regularly again now that I am starting to get the hang of typing one-handed while my little munchkin spits up on me.
XOXO,
Yep. 10. Whole. Pounds.
I want you to drink that in for a moment before I recount her birth story and note that I am not a big woman. My license says I'm 5 foot 4 whilst reality says that I'm 5 foot 3 when the wind blows straight up from the ground. My normal weight is between 120-130 lbs., depending on what time of year it is here in Chicago and how many bratwursts I'm currently shoving down my gullet. In short, I'm a small fry. This makes my 10 lb. baby story all the more surprising/terrifying/cautionary.
We blitzed past my October 27th due date with zero progress. No dilation, no effacement and no "dropping" on the part of the baby. I grumbled my way through the 40 week appointment, mad at my own body and my apparently lazy baby. The doctor agreed we'd go one week past and go from there. I got to the 41 week appointment and same story, in fact, I think my cervix was actually getting more closed at this point and I could hear Sadie laughing at me from inside my uterus. The doc agreed that it was time to induce so we set up an induction date of November 4th.
We got to the hospital around 10:30 PM on November 4th after my "last meal", which consisted of an Italian Beef, Cheese Fries & Chocolate Cake from Portillos. (Don't you dare judge me...I was about a thousand weeks pregnant.) They set me up in our L&D suite and began the medieval torture that is modern day obstetrics.
I was started on a low drip of Pitocin, which from her on out will be referred to as "The Devil's juice". I also was given a Foley catheter, which is a fancy way of saying they shoved a water balloon up my cervix and blew it up and yes, that is every bit as unpleasant as it sounds.
Let me tell you a little something about Pitocin. It sucks. Once the contractions kicked in, it was like a freight train was driving through my ladybits over, and over, and over. The contractions were massive from the get go and came one on top of another for what seemed like forever. I labored until about 4 AM until I just couldn't take it anymore and opted for the sweet release of drugs. The world's greatest anesthesiologist came to my rescue and gave me an epidural with such precision and quickness that had my husband not been holding my hand I would have kissed him. With tongue. I forgot his name due to the MIND NUMBING PAIN I was in, so in my mind he shall always be Dr. Kissyface. Because I literally wanted to kiss his face.
With the Epi in place I was finally able to sleep which we did as much as you can when you have an ever expanding water balloon in your nether regions. Early that morning they came in to check me and I'd dilated to 4 cm and effaced to about 60%. All of this was encouraging, however to make a long story short, it was the furthest I would get. They let me labor until about 4:00 PM until they lost Sadie's heartbeat. Let me just say, this had to have been the scariest moment of my life. It's never a good sign when 6 people in scrubs come racing into your hospital room and start prodding you, probing you and saying things like "STAT". Luckily they found her HB again but they switched off my Pitocin and Mr. Val and I looked at each other knowing exactly what was coming.
The doctor came in and yammered on about whatever for what seemed like forever but the only words I heard were "C-section". I wish I could tell you that I handled myself with some dignity here but the truth is that I was terrified and completely broke down. Like ugly, hiccuping, sobbing breakdown. I shooed everyone out of my room and just cried like a baby on Mr. Val. Not because I had some burning desire to shove an apparently hostile child out of my loins, more due to the lack of control. I was scared for me, scared for her and just really didn't want my body sawed in half.
A new anesthesiologist arrived and I could tell he recognized right away that I was beyond hysterical. Bless his heart, he upped my epi with enough drugs to tranquilize a rhino and into surgery I went.
I cannot tell you how incredibly bizarre it is to be awake while your body is being cut into. All those little tugs and pressures were so strange. I was shaking like a leaf the entire time, I thought just out of fear but it turns out I also lost a lot of blood which didn't help matters. They had to cut through the placenta to get to her AND use a vacuum to get her out, which made the grossest popping sound when she finally did come out. But she came out safe and sound which is all that matters and after a few frantic moments of me begging to see her, I finally heard her cry, the most wonderful sound I'd ever heard.
I'm not going to lie, recovering from a c-section is rough and caring for a newborn is essentially like hitting a brick wall at 80MPH. But it is a truly awesome thing to look at your child and see yourself, your partner and all your dreams and love in that little face. So without further ado, I give you:
Sadie Joan, born November 5th, 2010 at 10 lbs. 1 oz. This was my favorite picture from the hospital, I love that we are just checking each other out like, "Hey! I know you!"
And now, almost three weeks later, here is my little Sadie Bug:
I can say without hesitation I've birthed the cutest kid on the planet. She looks just like her daddy and I think my heart may explode with happiness every time I see them together. I will be posting more regularly again now that I am starting to get the hang of typing one-handed while my little munchkin spits up on me.
XOXO,
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
She's late, she's late for a very important date.
My baby is a squatter.
I am officially one week past my due date and I'll be honest, I'm not handling it well. I had a doctor's appointment on Monday where they confirmed that I've made ZERO progress at all. Luckily, my doctors office is very understanding of crazy pregnant women and said I could pick my induction date which is tomorrow! Tomorrow evening Mr. Val and I will check into the hospital to have a baby. That has to be one of the most surreal sentences I've ever typed.
I'm not going to lie, I'm a little freaked out. But I got my meltdown out of the way on Monday and now I'm just excited to meet my little princess. I'm hoping that all I need is the kick start and that I can deliver her but if not the most important thing is that I hold my healthy baby girl by week's end.
One cool thing about the induction date is that I will likely deliver her on Friday, which is my late Grandmother's birthday. When we were deciding on a name it was either going to be Sadie Elizabeth or Sadie Joan, after one of my grandmas. We decided on Joan who is my Mom's mom. Now it looks like my sweet Sadie will have one grandma's name and the other's birthday, which I think is pretty cool. A little nod from my Grandma Betty in heaven perhaps?
Anyway, we are just counting down the hours now and I'm in full on nesting crazy mode. Cooking, cleaning and getting ready to meet this wonderful little person that we are already so in love with.
XOXO,
I am officially one week past my due date and I'll be honest, I'm not handling it well. I had a doctor's appointment on Monday where they confirmed that I've made ZERO progress at all. Luckily, my doctors office is very understanding of crazy pregnant women and said I could pick my induction date which is tomorrow! Tomorrow evening Mr. Val and I will check into the hospital to have a baby. That has to be one of the most surreal sentences I've ever typed.
I'm not going to lie, I'm a little freaked out. But I got my meltdown out of the way on Monday and now I'm just excited to meet my little princess. I'm hoping that all I need is the kick start and that I can deliver her but if not the most important thing is that I hold my healthy baby girl by week's end.
One cool thing about the induction date is that I will likely deliver her on Friday, which is my late Grandmother's birthday. When we were deciding on a name it was either going to be Sadie Elizabeth or Sadie Joan, after one of my grandmas. We decided on Joan who is my Mom's mom. Now it looks like my sweet Sadie will have one grandma's name and the other's birthday, which I think is pretty cool. A little nod from my Grandma Betty in heaven perhaps?
Anyway, we are just counting down the hours now and I'm in full on nesting crazy mode. Cooking, cleaning and getting ready to meet this wonderful little person that we are already so in love with.
XOXO,
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Who says blue is only for boys?
Here is the long overdue post about Sadie's nursery. I knew right away I wanted to do a blue/red nursery, regardless of the baby's gender. I think my obsession with this color combo stems from my obsession with "The Wizard of Oz", since Dorothy is wearing kick ass ruby slippers with a cornflower blue gingham dress. The room took a decidedly girly turn though, with lots of vintage touches and feminine fabrics. I absolutely adore this room...it's pretty and feminine without the usual pink/purple suspects which is nice. I've caught both Mr. Val and Jake just sitting in this room a few times, which is just about the cutest thing ever. So, without further ado, I give you "Casa de Sadie":
Although Mr. Val and I never really sat down with a "budget" for the nursery, we actually wound up doing it all for a pretty reasonable amount of money. Mr. Val pretty much lets me do/have whatever I want, so I wanted to try to be somewhat restrained. I must preface that we saved a significant amount of money on the crib set up, since my father & stepmother bought it & the mattress and my husband's mother & stepfather bought our linens. So here are the details:
Paint: Valspar "Simply Seafoam" & supplies - $50
Rug: Overstock.com - $165
Glider: used/gift - FREE
Crib: Graco Lauren (gift) - FREE
Crib/Glider Fabrics: Waverly "Seafarer Stripe" in Crimson & "Mini Muse" in Sorbet (gifts) - FREE
Throw pillows for crib/glider: Etsy $15/$20/$15
Vinyl Wall Decal: Etsy - $50
Curtain Rod: Ikea - $10
Red Ticking Stripe Curtains: Amazon - $40
French Market poster: already had - FREE
Strawberry Photograph: Etsy - $25
Frames for wall art: $8-10 at Hobby Lobby
Skeleton Keys: Pottery Barn - $30 for set
Ribbon: JoAnn's - $1
Dresser: Craigslist - $65
Paint/supplies to refinish dresser: $30 at Home Depot
Hardware for dresser: $20 at Hobby Lobby
Wall shelves: Ikea - $30
Bookshelves: Craigslist - $85 for 3
Lamps: Target - $15-30
Changing pad/tray: Land of Nod (we are still waiting for the tray) $129
Changing pad cover: Caden Lane - $16 (sale)
So, I don't have the patience to add that all up, but I know we did a pretty kick ass job for the money. Using some creativity, elbow grease, re-purposing objects we already owned and accepting hand-me-downs & gifts enabled us to create this beautiful room. Now the only thing missing is our beautiful baby girl!
XOXO,
Although Mr. Val and I never really sat down with a "budget" for the nursery, we actually wound up doing it all for a pretty reasonable amount of money. Mr. Val pretty much lets me do/have whatever I want, so I wanted to try to be somewhat restrained. I must preface that we saved a significant amount of money on the crib set up, since my father & stepmother bought it & the mattress and my husband's mother & stepfather bought our linens. So here are the details:
Paint: Valspar "Simply Seafoam" & supplies - $50
Rug: Overstock.com - $165
Glider: used/gift - FREE
Crib: Graco Lauren (gift) - FREE
Crib/Glider Fabrics: Waverly "Seafarer Stripe" in Crimson & "Mini Muse" in Sorbet (gifts) - FREE
Throw pillows for crib/glider: Etsy $15/$20/$15
Vinyl Wall Decal: Etsy - $50
Curtain Rod: Ikea - $10
Red Ticking Stripe Curtains: Amazon - $40
French Market poster: already had - FREE
Strawberry Photograph: Etsy - $25
Frames for wall art: $8-10 at Hobby Lobby
Skeleton Keys: Pottery Barn - $30 for set
Ribbon: JoAnn's - $1
Dresser: Craigslist - $65
Paint/supplies to refinish dresser: $30 at Home Depot
Hardware for dresser: $20 at Hobby Lobby
Wall shelves: Ikea - $30
Bookshelves: Craigslist - $85 for 3
Lamps: Target - $15-30
Changing pad/tray: Land of Nod (we are still waiting for the tray) $129
Changing pad cover: Caden Lane - $16 (sale)
So, I don't have the patience to add that all up, but I know we did a pretty kick ass job for the money. Using some creativity, elbow grease, re-purposing objects we already owned and accepting hand-me-downs & gifts enabled us to create this beautiful room. Now the only thing missing is our beautiful baby girl!
XOXO,
Friday, October 1, 2010
Just call me Grace.
I should preface by saying that I wasn't the most coordinated gal to begin with, but pregnancy has really brought out the klutz in me. I walk into things regularly and spill at virtually every meal. I'm not really sure what that's about, perhaps some clever quirk of evolution to prepare me for the tornado of boo boos & spills that children bring?
I really outdid myself last night though. Our otherwise perfect dog Beans has a nasty habit of splashing water EVERYWHERE when she drinks. I walked through the kitchen to kiss Mr. Val and slipped in a puddle of said splashy water and went down HARD. I somehow managed to defy the laws of physics/gravity by simultaneously doing the splits and hitting the top of my knee on a cabinet. Being the uber tough broad that I am, I burst into hysterical tears right there on the floor. Poor Beans was scared shitless and ran upstairs to shake in the corner while Mr. Val scooped me up and did his best Florence Nightingale impression.
Then I started to panic because baby Sadie, who moves so much I swear there is a 2nd baby in there, stopped moving. This caused me to cry even more because I convinced myself I'd knocked my precious baby unconscious. Mr. Val made several very compelling arguments as to why it was highly unlikely that I'd given her an in utero concussion, but asked if I'd like to go to the hospital just in case. I gave it some thought but then realized that turning up to the hospital and saying, "Hi. I slipped on a patch of black ice in my own kitchen and now I think I've given my fetus a head wound" would probably have earned me a trip to the psych ward, I decided to just go to sleep instead.
I woke up this morning to Sadie's daily Judo chop session and a serious bruise on my knee and ego. Needless to say I think I can officially rule out a second career in ballet.
XOXO,
I really outdid myself last night though. Our otherwise perfect dog Beans has a nasty habit of splashing water EVERYWHERE when she drinks. I walked through the kitchen to kiss Mr. Val and slipped in a puddle of said splashy water and went down HARD. I somehow managed to defy the laws of physics/gravity by simultaneously doing the splits and hitting the top of my knee on a cabinet. Being the uber tough broad that I am, I burst into hysterical tears right there on the floor. Poor Beans was scared shitless and ran upstairs to shake in the corner while Mr. Val scooped me up and did his best Florence Nightingale impression.
Then I started to panic because baby Sadie, who moves so much I swear there is a 2nd baby in there, stopped moving. This caused me to cry even more because I convinced myself I'd knocked my precious baby unconscious. Mr. Val made several very compelling arguments as to why it was highly unlikely that I'd given her an in utero concussion, but asked if I'd like to go to the hospital just in case. I gave it some thought but then realized that turning up to the hospital and saying, "Hi. I slipped on a patch of black ice in my own kitchen and now I think I've given my fetus a head wound" would probably have earned me a trip to the psych ward, I decided to just go to sleep instead.
I woke up this morning to Sadie's daily Judo chop session and a serious bruise on my knee and ego. Needless to say I think I can officially rule out a second career in ballet.
XOXO,
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The only love letter I've ever written to a girl.
Dear Sadie,
Hey Bruce Lee, it's your mom. I thought it was time we had a chat, since your relatively peaceful gestation is drawing to close. Since we'll be meeting each other soon, I wanted to give you a heads up about this wonderfully strange world you'll be stepping into shortly. So here it is, a Cliffs Notes if you will about us, you and life as I see it:
Your Mom & Dad:
The first thing you should know about us is that we love you more than anything in the world, except perhaps the Bears (your daddy), cheese (your mommy) and wine (both of us). We loved you from the second we knew you were coming, when all you were to me was a second pink line and nausea. We'd dreamt about you even longer, when you'd appear, what you'd look like & whose features would echo in your tiny face and personality.
We talked about what we wanted for you (college, faith, family) and what we didn't (video games, pressure, a stint on reality TV) and how to make it happen. We talked about who you'd laugh like, who you'd look like and what you'll think of us. We hope that you love us, at least until you're a teenager at which point we realize you'll probably think we're totally lame. Hopefully, by the time you are 22 and eating top ramen in a crappy apartment you'll realize that we were pretty kick ass and swing back to loving us. Just know we'll always be here, waiting for the moment you realize how cool we always were.
Your dad:
All you need to know about your dad is that he is the best man you will ever meet. When I told him you were coming, he set about doing all the things he'd always promised to do to take care of you. He went back to graduate school so he can give us the best life possible. He worked his ass off for a promotion at work. He kissed you through my belly everyday. When he found out you were a girl, I watched him fall in love with you before my eyes. He talked about all the things he wants to teach you, mostly things like the Chicago Bear song, how to kick a soccer ball & the entire Bruce Springsteen discography. I know you'll be a daddy's girl because he won't have it any other way.
The rest of your family:
Get ready kid, because you are getting a whole heap of crazy, loud, Italian/Mexican/Jewish/Catholic/Irish/British/American style family love. You know all those muted noises you've been hearing through the cozy safety of my uterus? That's your family. I will warn you, they are crazy. But as you'll find out, all the good ones are. You are being born into a world full of people who love and adore you already and who will never let you down. If there is one thing I want you to know baby, it's that in this life, family is everything and you are getting the best one ever.
This World:
I'm not going to lie to you, this world can be a scary place. It's loud and bright and full of danger. I want you to always keep your wits about you as you walk through it. That said, this world is a wondrous place. It's full of life and laughter and oceans and mountains and buildings and music. I hope you explore it with gusto and never stop trying to find the beauty that exists here. There is sadness here too, which makes the beautiful things stand out that much more. I hope you listen to Mozart. And the Rolling Stones. I hope you read Shakespeare & David Sedaris. I hope you go to Paris. And Wyoming. And the ocean. And anywhere else your heart desires. And I hope that no matter where you travel, a little piece of you always thinks of me & your daddy when you think of home.
So what else is there to say really? Not much, except that I can't wait to meet you and watch you find all this out for yourself. My only advice to you is to always say please and thank you, always try new foods before you decide you don't like them, try not to swear too much and always leave your heart open for the possibility of love. Oh, and try not to hurt mommy too much when you decide to come out, OK?
XOXO,
Hey Bruce Lee, it's your mom. I thought it was time we had a chat, since your relatively peaceful gestation is drawing to close. Since we'll be meeting each other soon, I wanted to give you a heads up about this wonderfully strange world you'll be stepping into shortly. So here it is, a Cliffs Notes if you will about us, you and life as I see it:
Your Mom & Dad:
The first thing you should know about us is that we love you more than anything in the world, except perhaps the Bears (your daddy), cheese (your mommy) and wine (both of us). We loved you from the second we knew you were coming, when all you were to me was a second pink line and nausea. We'd dreamt about you even longer, when you'd appear, what you'd look like & whose features would echo in your tiny face and personality.
We talked about what we wanted for you (college, faith, family) and what we didn't (video games, pressure, a stint on reality TV) and how to make it happen. We talked about who you'd laugh like, who you'd look like and what you'll think of us. We hope that you love us, at least until you're a teenager at which point we realize you'll probably think we're totally lame. Hopefully, by the time you are 22 and eating top ramen in a crappy apartment you'll realize that we were pretty kick ass and swing back to loving us. Just know we'll always be here, waiting for the moment you realize how cool we always were.
Your dad:
All you need to know about your dad is that he is the best man you will ever meet. When I told him you were coming, he set about doing all the things he'd always promised to do to take care of you. He went back to graduate school so he can give us the best life possible. He worked his ass off for a promotion at work. He kissed you through my belly everyday. When he found out you were a girl, I watched him fall in love with you before my eyes. He talked about all the things he wants to teach you, mostly things like the Chicago Bear song, how to kick a soccer ball & the entire Bruce Springsteen discography. I know you'll be a daddy's girl because he won't have it any other way.
The rest of your family:
Get ready kid, because you are getting a whole heap of crazy, loud, Italian/Mexican/Jewish/Catholic/Irish/British/American style family love. You know all those muted noises you've been hearing through the cozy safety of my uterus? That's your family. I will warn you, they are crazy. But as you'll find out, all the good ones are. You are being born into a world full of people who love and adore you already and who will never let you down. If there is one thing I want you to know baby, it's that in this life, family is everything and you are getting the best one ever.
This World:
I'm not going to lie to you, this world can be a scary place. It's loud and bright and full of danger. I want you to always keep your wits about you as you walk through it. That said, this world is a wondrous place. It's full of life and laughter and oceans and mountains and buildings and music. I hope you explore it with gusto and never stop trying to find the beauty that exists here. There is sadness here too, which makes the beautiful things stand out that much more. I hope you listen to Mozart. And the Rolling Stones. I hope you read Shakespeare & David Sedaris. I hope you go to Paris. And Wyoming. And the ocean. And anywhere else your heart desires. And I hope that no matter where you travel, a little piece of you always thinks of me & your daddy when you think of home.
So what else is there to say really? Not much, except that I can't wait to meet you and watch you find all this out for yourself. My only advice to you is to always say please and thank you, always try new foods before you decide you don't like them, try not to swear too much and always leave your heart open for the possibility of love. Oh, and try not to hurt mommy too much when you decide to come out, OK?
XOXO,
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)