A letter to my daughter on Mother's Day.

Dear Adelaide,


You are the reason I can now celebrate this holiday! Last year on Mother's Day, I was about 5 or 6 weeks pregnant. We knew you were in there and so we treated the day as we should: I was a mom from the moment I found out you were on your way. Your daddy treated me to some fabric from the local fabric shop and I had great intentions to make slings for you. They never got made, but it's just as well because you love your Moby wrap. (I will make something from that fabric, though! I will!)

This year, though, is my first real Mother's Day. You're really here, my girl, my sweetie, my love, my daughter!

Each day I wake up with you next to me, smiling and cooing, my heart grows a little bit more. I never knew love like this. Loving your daddy is one thing (a really wonderful thing), but my love for you is bigger than the sun and deeper than the ocean and more than all the stars in the sky. It goes on forever and ever and is truly unconditional.

Living each day with you, I'm able to see the world in a new light. I see you staring at a leaf and I am able to see it through your eyes. The way the cats yawn, the way the steam comes out of the iron, the way light plays shadows on the ground: it's all new when I imagine how interesting and fascinating it all must seem to you. I've always found pleasure in the little things in life, but now even more so because, without even trying, you help me to recognize the importance of noticing all those little things.

Oh Adelaide! I want the very best for you in life! I want you to be so happy! I want you to be confident in your beauty (in and out) and your talents and your dreams! I want you to trust in the good in people. I want you to reach and reach and reach for that which you want. Anything is possible. Your daddy and I will help you to live your best life. You are definitely helping us live our's.

Thank you for making it possible to celebrate this holiday. Being your mother is the absolute best thing I've ever done. I love you like crazy, baby.

Love,

Momma

Wishing you a happy mom's day.

To all the mothers in my life, I wish you a day of wonderful memories - those in the past and those that are yet to be made.

I hope you have a relaxing day, or at least some time in the day in which you can reflect on how wonderful this journey has been for you. Being a mother is truly a gift, and I hope you view it as such! I know there can be many difficult times during your mother-journey, but ultimately the good moments outweigh the bad. Take a second and relive in your mind's eye some of the good times. I know I already have some, even though I'm just beginning.

And if you are a mom in my personal life, know that I appreciate you. Happy Mother's Day!

[via]

A day of Bradley babies!

Saturday was SO much fun. All the moms + dads + babies from our Bradley class (minus one set and the teacher) got together at one of the parents' houses in the late morning and early afternoon.

Except for one mom and her son, I hadn't seen any of them since September, when our Bradley birthing classes ended. I'd kept in touch with a few of them via Facebook, and of course we emailed our birth stories to everyone as they happened, but it was so so so good to see everyone in person and meet each of the little babies.

The oldest baby was almost 7 months, and Adelaide was the youngest at just over 4 months. She wasn't the smallest though - that little chunkster. :) Along with being chunky (though not the biggest by 5 pounds), I'd have to say that she was the most chatty of the group. Which surprised me, because although she can be pretty vocal at home, especially lately, she hasn't really "talked" much when we're around other people. Maybe she sensed that she knew them? I don't know, but it was pretty darn cute.

As for the moms, each of us that was at this get-together was able to use what we learned to accomplish what we wanted: a drug-free natural childbirth. Some at the birth center where I gave birth, some at hospitals. And that other mom found out at the hospital that her baby was breech so had to have a c-section, unfortunately.

Kevin and I snapped a few pictures, but this first shot (only) comes from another mom. She was snapping away throughout the gathering and caught this gem of my little family. I am definitely going to get this printed out and framed. I'm thinking of putting it in our bedroom and replacing a photo calendar from 2009. A much-welcomed replacement! My heart melts every time I look at this!

We thought it would be pretty cute to get all the babies together in one shot. I don't remember who suggested we put them in a circle, but I absolutely love how this turned out! Isn't Adelaide so cute with her blue dress (a $2.50 steal from JCPenney!) and white leg warmers ($2.00 socks from target with the feet cut off - no sewing!)?

And of course all the Bradley moms and their babies together. Thank goodness Kevin kept clicking, because with this many babies (and moms) it's hard to get a perfect shot! I think this one is pretty good though!

And all the Bradley dads! (Without planning it, almost all the dads, except two, lined up in the same order as the moms!)

I love this shot of my two favorite people!

We stayed outside because it turned out to be such a beautiful day. Perfect weather and perfect company. It was a potluck. If you had a girl, you brought something sweet. If you had a boy, you brought something savory. We brought a yogurt + jelly + whipped cream pie that is always a hit. We spent a lot of time talking about what the past few months has brought us, shared stories, let our babies hang out together on sheets on the ground, and really enjoyed each others' company. Even Kevin, who was dreading this get-together really loved seeing everyone (as I knew he would!). We will definitely be getting together again!

Caught in the rain.

Yesterday Adelaide felt rain for the first time. Kevin was walking her around the yard and was way up in the front near the street talking to a neighbor when rain came suddenly. I was in the house and ran out to the porch to look for them, and saw Kevin taking his time carrying Adelaide back to the house.


In true new-mom fashion, I called out for him to hurry because I was worried she'd freak out with the sensation of rain falling on her, or that she'd catch a cold.


Of course she was fine. Just chillin' in her dad's arms. She must have felt safe, because she didn't flinch at all.


I can't wait for the days of raincoats and galoshes and jumping in puddles!

Eastering.

I hope everyone enjoyed their Easter. We didn't do anything fancy, just hung out with some family for a few hours in the afternoon/evening. We hadn't seen Kevin's family in a little while so it was nice to catch up. I'm sure Adelaide looked huge to them after not seeing her for a while!

Ooh! And I made Adelaide a sort-of Easter outfit! I'm incredibly excited about it because I haven't made many clothes for her (in fact, just one other dress that she doesn't fit into yet), and they look so freakin' adorable on her. You know that saying "the clothes make the man"? Well, this baby makes these clothes!

[Here's Adelaide sporting her new outfit: pants and hairband made by me. The adorable ruffly top is from Babies R Us.]

[The pants, made from scratch. I just used a pair that she fits into now and traced them onto the blue fabric, leaving room for seam allowances. It's not a stretchy fabric though, and I didn't make the waist quite big enough so it was a PAIN to pull up over her bulky cloth diaper! She probably won't wear the pants again, but I'm saving them anyway!]

[And a closeup of the bunny face. I hand-stitched it onto the pants. Two french knots for the eyes and a little "x" for the nose. So cute! I recycled a stained white tee for the bunny.]

[I LOVE this picture of me and Adelaide. She is so beautiful to me!]

[And here is Papa Brown with Adelaide. He was such a proud grandpa. She did really good with him and so helped me relax a little bit and not have to hold her the entire time.]

[She grabs everything, and here she is checking out the wind chimes that hang down from the willow tree.]

[Here is my nephew, Adelaide's cousin. He was the only easter egg hunt participant, but he had a blast anyway. Maybe next year Adelaide can try to hunt some eggs!]

[So happy that he found the big blue egg with extra treats in it!]

[Kevin and the little man drumming. Little man LOVES his Uncle Kevin because he's so goofy! Kevin made the big pow-wow drum as a gift for his dad, and headed up the djembe that he's playing for his brother who's off at college.]

[Adelaide fell asleep on Papa. It's amazing how babies can sleep so crooked and be so comfortable. Kind of like cats, huh?]

So that was our Easter, minus the screaming baby the hour-long drive home. Although she absolutely loves being around people, she gets overstimulated and we pay for it later. It was nice, though, to see family and show off our precious girl. And like I said, she did so good with Papa (at least until she came back inside and saw me, then she remembered that she wanted me to hold and she started crying!)!

Adelaide [4 months]

Dear Adelaide,

You are now four months old. Can you please stop growing? My mama-mind is in disbelief with the fact that you have been here a whole four months already. I looked back at some pictures your dad had on his phone the other day and gawked at your teeny tiny newborn self, when you were so small! I already miss those days (and sleepless nights) and wish I knew then to enjoy them a little more, but they are kind of a blur. Thank goodness for pictures and videos!


This week you had your 4-month appointment at the doctor's. This was a big day because you got your first vaccinations. We're giving you your shots on a delayed schedule, and we're spreading them out. This time you got your first two shots, and you were a champ! Two nurses came in and did them both at the same time: one in each thigh. You cried for maybe 2 seconds, then you stopped and smiled at one of the nurses! And then you only got fussy because we had been there for a while and you were getting bored. It made me feel so good that you didn't cry too much, because if I had the choice we would have delayed the vaccines until you were much, much older. But since I have to go back to work, we are required to give you the vaccines now.


You are 14 pounds 15 ounces (just shy of 15 pounds!) which puts you in the 79% for weight. You are 25 inches tall (over 2 feet!) which means you are in the 78% for height. Everyone loves your rolls on your arms and legs and I've even heard that Gigi and Papa Savoie (your great-grandparents) count them when they see pictures of you!


This has been an exciting month for you as far as development goes. It's so exciting for me as your mama to see you grow and learn how to do things and be a person. This month you rolled from your tummy to your back, but I think that was just a coincidence. I think I laid you down on your tummy in just the right way so that it was super easy for you to roll over. You haven't done it since.

But you have taken to rolling from your back to over to your tummy. You only do it when you're naked though! I think it's much harder for you to figure out how to kick your legs over and roll when you're wearing your bulky cloth diapers. But you'll figure it out soon, I just know it. Every night after your bath we give you a little bit of nakey-time, and you love it. You're vocal and active, and you roll, roll, roll!


You also giggled for the first time last month (on August 8th), and you've giggled a handful of times since then. Mostly for me, but you finally giggled once for your daddy this week. It's the most precious sound! We love hearing you giggle, and I can't wait until you're laughing at everything. We goof off a lot in this family and I know you'll love watching mine and your daddy's silly antics!


You're reaching out and grabbing everything! It's awesome to see you look at something and watch your hands slowly reach out for it. And most of the time, whatever you grab goes directly into your mouth! You suck on your fingers all the time, but you haven't got a favorite (no thumb-sucking for now).

Soon you will have teeth. You've got two little tooth buds on your bottom gums. The doctor said the teeth can cut through in as soon as a couple of weeks, or it could take a couple months more. All I know is that you're gnawing on everything and drooling like crazy!

Adelaide, we love you so so so very much! Time with you keeps getting sweeter and sweeter. You are our joy every day and we cherish the time we spend with you. When your daddy and I see little girls doing cute things (like when we go out, or videos we see on the internet) we get really excited to think about what kind of girl you will be. I think you'll be our sweet nature girl since you really love being outdoors. Only time will tell!

We love you so much!
Love, your mama

Tina Fey's Prayer for her Daughter

This is extremely hilarious (found here). I bolded the parts that I especially liked or that made me laugh out loud.

***

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches.

May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty.

When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer.

Guide her, protect her
When crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.

Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels.

What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit.

May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers.

Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short – a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day – And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait.

O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.

And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back.

“My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.