Easter Photo Shoot

So, I'm that Mom...

I take too many pictures of my kid. I force her to sit in one spot for longer than she'd like and try to get her to look at AND smile (ha) at the camera. I try not to berate social media with pictures of her but since you're here - I figure you want to see them! So here you go...

A few of my favorites from our Easter photoshoot in the back yard:

Happy Easter, friends!

Taken For Granted

We bought a zoo!

Ok.. we didn't buy a zoo, but we did go to one. Overall, Lucy was unimpressed.

She couldn't care less about the lions, and tigers, and bears - oh my. Most of her day was spent with very few smiles. She was, however, very excited by the - wait for it - turkey.

The turkey. The one animal in the zoo that is not a typical a zoo animal. So, while I could have taken her to a field early in the morning to see one, this zoo turkey resulted in the face below accompanied with laughter, so I'll take it!

Seeing her eyes light up when she came face to face with that turkey for the first time just made my day. One of my favorite things about momming this little girl is experiencing her firsts right along side her. I absolutely love being there to watch her see new things, try new things, taste new things.

With each new Lucy experience, I realize that I take a lot of those things for granted in my life. I no longer get excited about the sweet taste of a banana, vacuuming is not funny to me, and paper is not incredibly interesting. These things, the smallest, the most mundane - these things are fresh, new, incredible to her. And that, I don't take for granted.

This little person who didn't exist 9 months ago, is seeing, feeling, learning everything for the first time.  She's come a very long way in a very few short months. Eight months ago, she couldn't hold her head up for more than two seconds. Now, she's mobile, pulling up on everything, eating solid foods, learning to walk, and absorbing more than I can even imagine. The only word I can think of to describe it is.. cool. It's SO COOL!

So these days, as I re-experience her firsts, I promise not to take them for granted. I promise to watch the dogs play fetch with laughter. I promise to find excitement in standing, walking, running. I promise to smile at the simple and marvel in the mundane. I promise to look at life through the eyes of a little one.

Happy Nine Months!

Dearest Lucy,

You are nine months!

Favorites: crawling, pulling up on everything, tissues, Darrin kisses, musical instruments, Curious George at the Zoo, your SEVEN teeth, clapping, watching people sing, Lucy/Mommy dance parties, cheerios, windows, Highlights Hello Magazine, Five Noisy Ducks

Very Much Not Favorites: too much time in the carseat, bumping your head, italian style turkey, being hungry or tired, being redirected

A look at your eighth month:

You are infinitely loved.

The Wonder of Pregnancy

Here's the thing, there is not a whole lot I miss about being pregnant. I did not enjoy it and I was not good at it. I spent 13 weeks on the couch in the fetal position, I had a very short stint of extra energy, and a very long stint of discomfort. I had the pregnancy feet of a hobbit and saw a number dangerously close to 200 on the scale. In hindsight, totally worth it and plan to do it again - but not right now.

exactly one year ago

Why do we put our bodies through the ringer and then do it again, and again, and sometimes again? The end result. The feeling of holding that little babe for the first time, the 10th time, the 10,000th time.  The feeling of watching her smile, making her laugh, and helping her grow into an amazing little human.

On Saturday, I spent a few hours showering a great friend with love and gifts in anticipation of the birth of her little babe. As I was sitting next to her, watching her open gifts, and explaining how to use some of them - I reflected on my pregnancy. I thought back to the time before Lucy, when I didn't know how to change a diaper, when I didn't understand the importance of scheduling, when I watched moms in public try to quiet their crying babies and thought, "my child will never scream in public." Ha.

Although it was a rough nine-ish months and it would be ok if I never felt some of the pregnancy side effects again, there are a few things I miss. I miss the sound of the first time I heard her heartbeat - and every time after that when I knew that she was okay. I miss feeling her move and watching her kick and completely roll over in my belly. I miss knowing she was growing into a healthy babe who would greet the world pink and screaming.

But the thing I miss the most, the wonder. When we thought every day about what she might look like, sound like - when we thought about who she might be. I miss talking about names and stressing about whether her name would fit her personality. I miss bringing home onesies and picturing her wearing them. I miss the few hours after my water broke but before my c-section when I felt more nervous and excited than I had ever been. I miss that time before we knew her, when we couldn't wait for her to join us in life. I miss that.

Things I'm Loving Lately

reflecting on bringing home baby

signs of spring in Texas

teeth!

a crawling babe

family kite festing

celebrating babies and birthdays with these beauties

Here's to life, love, and friendship. May it always be enough.

International Women's Day

Happy International Women's Day!

On this day, I am reminded of the woman I want to be, the woman I want to teach my daughter to be. Today, and all days, may we be confident, kind, intelligent, independent, driven, caring, funny.   Today, and all days, may we be strong women.

#pledgeforparity

The Commercial That Is Rocking My World

Happy Monday! 

I'm pretty much obsessed with this commercial! It has absolutely nothing to do with android but that's okay. It's wholesome, cute, funny, and nostalgic. Also - I love the message...

Be together, not the same.

T is for Tutu

 Because everyone should wear a tutu on Saturdays!

Studio Photography - Session Two

So I'm two weeks behind but here are my thoughts from the second studio photography class...

Class Two:

one light source

two light sources

three light sources - key, fill, effect (background)

• Learn your apertures: 1.4, 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, 32, 45, 64, 90, 128, 180 (woo! I did this by myself without looking at my notes!)
• Class session focus: Multiple light sources
• The core properties of lights are Intensity and Direction
• Intensity: conform your light to the aperture you choose, use settings that I want and crank up the lights to make it work
• Direction: can control the direction of light and can control form of the model (shadows)
• Key Light: the light source that the other lights must respond to 
• Secondary Lights: All other lights that must wait until key light is determined
• Fill Light: Controls contrast ratio (determines shades of gray on model)
• Effect Light: Extra element (Background lighting)
• Lighting the human face - we won't photography a person straight on because people have asymmetrical faces
• Broad Side of the face - the side of the face you can see
• Short Side of the face - the sliver of the face you can see
• Broad Side lighting: gets rid of texture and makes faces look rounder
• Short Side lighting: adds texture
• Should light from above eye level

When One Cup Isn't Enough

It was 7:32am. I was brushing my teeth and watching my daughter play in the mirror. Then, I heard it...

The sound of a blow out. 

I held my breath and waited, not totally positive if that's what I heard. Then...

I heard it again. 

I spit out my tooth paste, picked her up, and carefully ventured upstairs. It was too late. Two diapers, nine wipes, a new changing pad, and a new outfit later - she was clean. Little did I know that this was the first of the invasion of Gastro-saurus. A very mean bug who would attack us for the next six days.

Momming is hard work. It's far from a 9 to 5, more like a 6am to 6am (twenty years from now). There are no 15 minute breaks, no lunch hours, no paid vacations. I can't turn off my email push notifications and I have a serious open door policy in that I go to the bathroom with the door open.

The day normally starts with one cup of very strong black coffee. Usually, around 9:00am I determine whether a second will be needed. Now that my fiery little eight month old is on the move and into everything, a second morning and sometimes a third afternoon cup is required.

Some days are a breeze, babe is happy, pups are playful, naps go well, and all is right with the world. Some days are not. The not days test my parenting patience. On the not days I look forward, even more, to J coming home from work. The not days usually result in the words "Do you need a break?" followed by "yes" and an hour spent alone at target, coffee in hand.

I need that hour. I need to be alone, to not be the caregiver, to have some time to myself to think on the day. I need to zone out and look at really cute housewares, I need to reflect on my parenting failures and successes, I need to buy that dress, and who am I kidding.. I need to shop in the kids department.

I need a minute to miss Lucy. I need to wish she was with me, riding in the cart. I need to smile when I think about something she did that day.  I desperately need that moment to say, "I better check out if I'm going to make it to kiss her goodnight."

The not days may be hard and very very long, but at the end of them, when I am watching her sleep on the monitor - I always feel the urge to wake her just so we can spend a little more time.