art truth life

remember to point it down

1.30.2011

Posted by Shannon Marie

Along with all the other brand new experiences that come with the brand new experience of birthing a child come these little tidbits that no one ever bothers to inform you about pre-child bearing. It's learning these little tidbits that make the days and weeks (and onto years, I'm sure) that much more exciting (read: frustratingly necessary and seemingly bearable while possibly annoying).

For all you new or expecting Mamas, enjoy. It may be something you already knew or are just learning, but either way hopefully it'll give you a much needed giggle.

The sounds: How on Earth is it possible that such (g)astronomical sounds can come from such a teensy person? And how on Earth is it possible that every single person I know with children has failed to mention this little (only not little at all) piece of information. Not sure what I'm talking about just yet? Just wait!
The sleep deprivation: Ok, no new parent expects to get much sleep. I wasn't naive to this fact, but I was naive to the fact that not only would it be so strange to adjust to sleeping in 1-2 hour increments (3 on a really really lucky night when Husband is being particularly super sweet and snuggling little guy the whole time just so Mama can sleep -- it's only happened once...), but that it would be so difficult to fall asleep when it's the only thing that I want to do and my sweet son is alas sleeping soundly (soundly as in making so many sounds I can hardly sleep and then start to think about how soon it is until I must wake again and then Oh, Oh, it's time and I yet again forgot/was unable/tried (sort of) to actually sleep when he was sleeping). These kids are no joke! And neither is breastfeeding and whew I'm glad I got that out! And no one explains that no matter how sleep deprived you are, as soon as that sweet baby hits your arm hungry and knowing you are the only one that can satisfy him, you immediately forget how sleep deprived you are. It's just you and him -- and whatever junk is on television or your iPhone at 1, 3, 5, and 7am.
Holy thirstiness: I seem to remember something about this during our ALL day hospital class (which I promptly forgot as soon as the chocolate covered cherry pie that I rewarded myself with after said all day class hit my mouth) and I know that the BrestFriend breastfeeding pillow comes with a pocket for bottled water for a reason, but golly gee, who could have imagined that breastfeeding would leave your body thinking you had just run a marathon 8-12 times over each (and every) day! Parched is an understatement.
Boys pee (a lot) (and out of their diapers) (a lot): I'm sure girls pee just as much. At least that would tend to be logically appropriate. However, little girls, as we all know, don't have the "gear" that little boys do. Said gear, which to my surprise has now created a lovely "treatment" above/below/around the wall above/below/around the changing station. And the curtains, but we'll blame that on Husband. He was being paricularly brave while changing Harper (read: haha look at this, he's naked and cute and naked and um, honey he's peeing -- all over you -- and the curtains). Which brings me to my next point...
Point it down: So, we all reasonably expect that if we diaper correctly it will catch all of what it is supposed to. Not so. Not so. That is if you have a boy. During that all day hospital class, one of the things I actually did take away with me was the advice to always point it down. The nurse reminisced about her son consistently wetting through nearly every outfit she placed him in as he was actually peeing out of his diaper. Got it. Point it down. Not so fast. Remember #2? Well, let's just say my Husband and I's brains don't quite fire like they used to. And as logical and easy as it should be to remember such a simple idea is well, not logical or easy when you can no longer remember what day it is. Let's just say 3.5 weeks in, it's still absoulutely hilarious and simultaneously the most unfunny thing in the world when our little man wets an entire outfit because we can't manage to remember to "point it down". Maybe I'll post a sign above the changing station -- but laminate it first, because we all know what's going to happen next time we change the little guy.

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life changes

1.21.2011

Posted by Shannon Marie

To say that life can change in an instant would be an innumerable understatement. Let's start with the old adage "you'll just know when it's time." Labor has apparently gotten a rap for being, well, laborious. So much so that us lady folk are conditioned to think that our bodies will tell us when our little bundle is about ready to enter the world (even in those very early stages). I certainly had an inkling -- lots of Braxton Hicks contractions in the days leading up, some painful and regular enough to prompt an 11pm call to the doctor 2 nights before the real deal. But to say that I definitively knew would be another, well, overstatement. Truthfully, I didn't. The stories lady friends and family share lead you to believe that your contractions will at some point feel like every other woman's -- mine absolutely didn't. I'm not sure if I was being overly cautious (let's just say the idea of "thinking" you are in labor only to go to the hospital and be sent home is more than a nightmare in the making -- for me at least) or if I was in denial that even though I had been thinking he was coming, I could have actually been correct in my prediction and not just hopeful. Either way you slice it, I was indeed in labor and the only two people (one person, one furry person, errr dog) that had any clue were Husband and Stella. Waking up in the middle of a contraction isn't exactly how you picture labor beginning, but hello body, it's nice to know you have a mind of your own. Over the next hour, Husband began slowly packing things up -- the hospital bag was packed (except toiletries), so he was calmly walking around asking me what I still needed, wanted to wear, etc., all the while stopping every 6-7 minutes to help me up from where I lay on my side in the bed to lean on him through each contraction. After about an hour (and contractions that were getting no closer together mind you and no stronger), Husband had already started the car to warm it up, and I had managed to waddle around enough to put on some respectable clothing -- I kid -- it was sweatpants, no socks (in the beginning of January) and the only shoes that I could squeeze my feet into (and trust me when I say that gold Nine West flats aren't terrible flattering with sweatpants). Alas, I was still in shock or denial and not totally convinced we were having a baby. But, Husband, he knew, and thank goodness for it.

Going into labor at 1am certainly has its perks. No traffic! Easy parking at the hospital! On the way my contractions jumped from 7 minutes apart to 4 in what seemed like no time. On a side note, my math brain never quite grasped that when they said contractions should be 5 minutes apart for about an hour before going to the hospital that they could a) change so quickly and b) not be 5 minutes apart on the dot, but rather 5-7 or some variation, and you could still be in labor! Sheesh. That's one tidbit to retain for next time around.

I'll spare the details of the next 11 hours and fastforward to 12:52pm, when that precious little baby landed on my chest. All 6 pounds 7 ounces and 19.5 inches of him. He was (and still is) perfection. I think that's a right of passage that every new Mama just know her little one is perfect, but he truly was.

Fastforward another two weeks and here are some things I want to make absolute sure I never forget:

That first cry
The gorgeous, silky smooth, hair (once washed)
The handsome navy blue eyes
The baby smell
That first hour, just Husband, Harper, and I
The squeaks, oh the squeaks
The sleepy, dreamy, twitchy grins
The finger grasp
The way Husband looks at him
The way Husband looks at me

Harper, we are still in awe of the joy you have brought us and cannot wait to see what the future holds!

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a flat-ie, really?

11.19.2010

Posted by Shannon Marie

Growing up girls seem to go through all sorts of ups and downs when it comes to their looks and how they feel about themselves and how they compare to others. I'll spare you the PSA, but it's funny to think back about all the little things that you didn't like at one point or another and for most of us (I hope), those insecurities waned as we grew more comfortable with the women we were becoming.

Not the least of which is the bellybutton. One of the things that (unless you live in Hollywood, I suppose) just really isn't goin' to change. I can remember at some point realizing that I should be happy that I don't have (gasp) an outie! I can't remember ever being self-conscious about the particular part myself, but can certainly sympathize, especially when it comes to the 18 year (at least for me) right of passage: the belly button ring. Let's be honest, some people just don't have the button to be flaunting with all sorts of (tacky, I mean really, what were we thinking) jewelry. I certainly touted myself as one of those that could and (even though it was pierced crooked, yes, crooked!) wore my (tacky) jewelry proudly -- probably for longer than I should have...

You see, I'm sure at some point I thought about (or my Mom warned me about) the implications of what things would look like if (ok, when) I decided to take out the ring and I'm sure I ignored the thought (and my Mom). Oh, to be 18 again...

Flash forward 8 (plus) years and I found myself faced with the staggering (ok, total exaggeration) decision of when to remove said ring from said growing belly. I took it out much earlier than "necessary" -- i.e. what would have been recommended by the doc -- and decided that it probably wasn't going back in, well, ever. I actually can't remember the last time I bought any jewelry for it, anyway, and well, I just have this idea in my head that once I'm a Mama it just looks wrong! It's actually one of the only post-child changes I think that about. I will not be: wearing Mom jeans, flats for the rest of my life, cutting my hair short becuase it's more "manageable" or "letting myself go" anywhere but right back to the treadmill as soon as I can post-baby. Children change your life, sure, and I'm not naive to the fact that I will have less time and be spending money on other (and more important) things, but I'm still going to wear my heels and dress like a human being. No sweatpants at the grocery for me -- Stacy and Clinton would be so proud.

30 weeks in and I'm well, a little perplexed about my (now ring-less) bellybutton. Every woman complains about it and most likely dreads it and worries that it will stay that way, but it's another right of passage -- a pregnancy right of passage -- the bellybutton popping out. And, well, mine just hasn't. It certainly doesn't look anything like it used to but it's still very much not out. It's not an innie, it's not an outie, it's not an in-betweenie, it's a flatie? I still have time, but I'm just not sure it's planning on poppin'!

In the meantime, I'm just waiting (sometimes patiently, sometimes anxiously, sometimes nervously, always excitedly) for my little guy to come into the world -- and to see what this flatie has planned for the future!

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hiccup, hiccup

9.29.2010

Posted by Shannon Marie

Amid all the nursery readiness (read chaos) that abounds in our household these days, it seems as if little man has developed a case of the daily (read multiple times a day) hiccups. His little nudges (read soccer goal kicks) are also getting ever so much stronger with each passing day. He hasn't exactly adjusted to my sleep schedule yet, seeing as he likes to be most active around 11pm, which means just as Mama enters that wonderful first period of REM sleep, Harper fights back. Ok, ok, so apparently I haven't adjusted to his sleep schedule yet...wasn't sure if I could slip that one by (wishful thinking never hurt anyone).

With each passing week (each day, really), I grow (quite literally, just ask my clothing, it's fighting back, too) more and more excited about meeting our little guy. It's hard to believe it's less than 4 months away -- FOUR -- man, how time flies when you are having serious back pain, trouble sleeping, the craziest dreams imaginable (you really couldn't even imagine them), insane cravings for sweet tea (and a new repulsion to water, yes, water -- heartburn doesn't discriminate), and peeing far more frequently than you'd think is humanly possible fun!

On the nursery front, the bedding is in! It looks even more precious in person. Adorable. Simply adorable. (I reserve the right to use "girly" type phrases to describe said son's bedding -- and any other nursery item -- since he is still a baby after all, realizing that I should probably use something like adorably masculine, but that just sounds silly, doesn't it?). I have managed to avoid the explosion of creature paraphernalia they like to call nursery bedding and decor these days, and opted for a much more modern looking approach. After all, why on earth would you only want your child to learn one animal? Monkey blanket and sheets, monkey bumper, monkey curtains, monkey rug, monkey lamp, monkey, monkey, monkey -- no, thanks. It's made things a bit more challenging, since we can't exactly go to the store, pick out our animal of choice, and poof, nursery is decorated, but it's made it that much more exciting (and creative) (and story worthy), so I'll stick with my plan.

I have found one little charmer, though, and realized a new found affection for owls, so I suppose I am not completely opposed to animals in the nursery, just not on every surface...

Owl Shaped Pillow

And, the clothes -- and hats, oh, the hats. He will be nothing if not a stylin' little boy.

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the truth

Posted by Shannon Marie

As amazing as pregnancy truly is, it would be a complete falsification to pretend as if there are certain things about it which are less than ideal. Husband and I are very fortunate to be able to say that the ups by far surpass the downs, since things have been so smooth thus far. But, for those of you wondering how these crazy pregnant women running around seemingly only talking about maternity wear (and the lack of options), breastfeeding, nursery decor, childcare, and how often they pee can actually truly be that happy (it's kind of crazy, because I really am that happy), here are a few of the things I have been missing...

Good sleep and cuddling -- the truth is I'm enough of a heater; I don't need to cuddle with one...
How easy it once was to do something simple like get in and out of the car -- even at 5 months, I notice my muscles and back singing a much different tune than my brain...

And, as little as I really craved alcohol pre-pregnancy, there's just no denying how good some of my favorites truly are. Like:

Seviche's mango caipirinha (pronounced caipirinha? I still have no clue, so I usually just point and say "cuh...that one")
El Mundo's mojito
A crisp glass of white wine, with
Sushi -- the really raw kind

Not a thing on the list compares to the joy I experience every day when I feel my little guy swimming around, but I'm nothing if not honest. Pregnancy will do that to you...whether you want it to or not...

You just may find yourself talking to a complete stranger about maternity wear (and the lack of options), breastfeeding, nursery decor, childcare, and how often you pee -- the good, bad, and indifferent -- just wait...

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the nursery

9.01.2010

Posted by Shannon Marie

Husband and I had a bit of a conundrum when it came to the whole finding a place to put the baby after realizing we were having said baby issue. We had 2 whole floors of our house relatively (read completely, relatively just sounds better) unused. Stella and the junk that we have amassed enjoyed the upstairs occasionally (the former occasionally, the latter always). This wouldn't have been such a dilemma had the walls not been completely covered in wood grain (looking, of course not real wood) paneling, floors not been covered in carpet that had seen better days, and the entire room covered in said junk. So off to renovation land we went. I'll spare you the truly before pictures, since I'm really just too embarrassed to admit I let it look that way...

While it may not look like much yet, it's already come miles and miles and I couldn't be happier about it. My nasal passages will certainly be relieved from drywall dust and I get to decide how to accessorize this lovely little (first) find for the nursery.

Rye Crib Bedding

We have decided to splurge on only a few items in the nursery and this is decidedly one of them, but alas I fell in love, and it took mere seconds to imagine an entire room designed after it, and so the nesting begins...watch out check book (read debit card, do people really write checks these days anyway?)...

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