Wha-laa!
The paper is different on each side giving it a unique look from every angle.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Mobile for sleepyhead
Joel made a mess of one of the string lanterns but I was inspired by the "nest" look. We don't have a mobile yet so we picked out card stock today and I went to town on making some birds for my little byrd.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
24 Weeks
BELLY UPDATE: "Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts her at just over a pound. Since she's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), she cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but her body is filling out proportionally and she'll soon start to plump up. Her brain is also growing quickly now, and her taste buds are continuing to develop. Her lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help her air sacs inflate once she hits the outside world. Her skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon."
All I think about is this moment I get to hold her. I've let go of the stress of gaining weight and focused more on the way I feel. School is frustrating & stressful & sometimes people make my head want to explode...but I find myself breathing slower and trying to practice patience. I am so grateful for the friends I have acquired and especially the ones that support me through this strange transition.
My closest friend, as cliche as it sounds, is Joel. He has been unbelievable. Friday morning we woke up and, ever so effortlessly, talked before school. Usually mornings consist of one of us milking the snooze button and the other stumbling throughout the house collecting whatever we need to accomplish our errands for the day. I sat eating a bowl of cereal and expressed how badly I can't wait to meet her. Joel, "me too baby." I told him in the same breath how scared I was to become overwhelmed in the beginning when she comes. The constant breast feeding and uncertainty. The fear of becoming depressed, a common symptom that runs thick in our family and many other new mommas. The fear of not being able to shower without peeking through the curtain every few seconds to make sure she is ok.
Joel is amazing. He just looked at me and told me he would do everything in his power to make sure I didn't get like that. "I will do everything I can to help you and give you the time you need throughout the day so that you can be you and do the things you want to be happy."
I went to my sociology class soon after and didn't think much of the conversation beyond it being an effective one JUST- Me worrying and him nurturing that worry.
Coincidently, my professor began talking about the Father's role in parenting. The traditional 1950's view that the father is the financial stability and disciplinarian of the household and those are his two essential roles. Then the more modern theories that a Father's role is essential in both gender's success throughout youth and especially into adulthood.
The Father's Influence: A study performed by Professor Norma Radin and her students at the University of Michigan along with a panel of distinguished social scientists chosen by the National Academy of Sciences were selected to also participate in these studies.
The more involved the father, the better developed the child intellectually and socially. The children are better socially and emotionally adjusted than children of noninvolved fathers and score higher in academic tests. The fathers roles were in feeding and changing (physical care), responsibility for socializing the child ( e.g. setting limits and play dates) power in decision-making regarding the child, availability to the child, and an overall estimate of his involvement in raising his preschooler. This study also expressed the importance of the working mother, two job households and equality in parenting roles. Children of father's who spent late nights out (even just 2 a week), work long late hours away from the home and display little responsibility for child-rearing were socially inept, displayed behavioral problems, and showed more anxiety.
I felt ease in knowing that Joel not only will display grounded and stable morals and values but display the support and selflessness that our child will have the gift of knowing/feeling/becoming.
The idea is that equal gender roles in the household are essential. Both display a calm effective way of communication while still exposing the child to conflict. It's okay to argue, perfectly healthy actually, but important to express effective methods. It made me feel at ease- as I know we will differ on certain aspects of childrearing. My biggest goal is to use the no "you" rule. Instead the latter, I feel...when...because.
Focus on:
the behavior instead of the person
observations and incidence rather than judgements
sharing ideas rather than giving
the AMOUNT Joel can process before stonewalling
-appropriate time and place (my biggest error zone)
All I think about is this moment I get to hold her. I've let go of the stress of gaining weight and focused more on the way I feel. School is frustrating & stressful & sometimes people make my head want to explode...but I find myself breathing slower and trying to practice patience. I am so grateful for the friends I have acquired and especially the ones that support me through this strange transition.
My closest friend, as cliche as it sounds, is Joel. He has been unbelievable. Friday morning we woke up and, ever so effortlessly, talked before school. Usually mornings consist of one of us milking the snooze button and the other stumbling throughout the house collecting whatever we need to accomplish our errands for the day. I sat eating a bowl of cereal and expressed how badly I can't wait to meet her. Joel, "me too baby." I told him in the same breath how scared I was to become overwhelmed in the beginning when she comes. The constant breast feeding and uncertainty. The fear of becoming depressed, a common symptom that runs thick in our family and many other new mommas. The fear of not being able to shower without peeking through the curtain every few seconds to make sure she is ok.
Joel is amazing. He just looked at me and told me he would do everything in his power to make sure I didn't get like that. "I will do everything I can to help you and give you the time you need throughout the day so that you can be you and do the things you want to be happy."
I went to my sociology class soon after and didn't think much of the conversation beyond it being an effective one JUST- Me worrying and him nurturing that worry.
Coincidently, my professor began talking about the Father's role in parenting. The traditional 1950's view that the father is the financial stability and disciplinarian of the household and those are his two essential roles. Then the more modern theories that a Father's role is essential in both gender's success throughout youth and especially into adulthood.
The Father's Influence: A study performed by Professor Norma Radin and her students at the University of Michigan along with a panel of distinguished social scientists chosen by the National Academy of Sciences were selected to also participate in these studies.
The more involved the father, the better developed the child intellectually and socially. The children are better socially and emotionally adjusted than children of noninvolved fathers and score higher in academic tests. The fathers roles were in feeding and changing (physical care), responsibility for socializing the child ( e.g. setting limits and play dates) power in decision-making regarding the child, availability to the child, and an overall estimate of his involvement in raising his preschooler. This study also expressed the importance of the working mother, two job households and equality in parenting roles. Children of father's who spent late nights out (even just 2 a week), work long late hours away from the home and display little responsibility for child-rearing were socially inept, displayed behavioral problems, and showed more anxiety.
I felt ease in knowing that Joel not only will display grounded and stable morals and values but display the support and selflessness that our child will have the gift of knowing/feeling/becoming.
The idea is that equal gender roles in the household are essential. Both display a calm effective way of communication while still exposing the child to conflict. It's okay to argue, perfectly healthy actually, but important to express effective methods. It made me feel at ease- as I know we will differ on certain aspects of childrearing. My biggest goal is to use the no "you" rule. Instead the latter, I feel...when...because.
Focus on:
the behavior instead of the person
observations and incidence rather than judgements
sharing ideas rather than giving
the AMOUNT Joel can process before stonewalling
-appropriate time and place (my biggest error zone)
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Baby Shower Decorations
As posted below, Avery found these string lanterns on an adorable website and thought they would be cute for the shower. None of the original attempts survived. Joel, with his brilliant self, suggested that the yard was the issue and brought home a spool of paper twine. It was thick and really hard to work with but I decided to whip up a mixture of Elmer's glue, corn starch, & water and soak the twine in a pyrex glass bowl. I liberally lubed up a 12" balloon with petroleum jelly and began wrapping it around the top and weaving it into itself. The first balloon popped and I just hung my head for a solid minute. I decided that it was a perfect time to practice this "motherly patience" I'll be needing- so I tried AGAIN and was very methodical and persistent.
I hung it up and sprayed it with Krylon clear spray paint. This morning I hesitantly peeked into the living room, where I hung it to dry overnight and lo and behold...
I also had a crochet spool that I used for embroidery and it was a success! This one came out wild. It's all about the string.
It is beyond messy and there is a lot of preparation and clean up. But the result is worth the work. I love them and look forward to making more tonight with Joel!
UPDATE: HERE IS WHAT JOEL DID!
He combined both of the twine and string. So SMRT.
I love how organic they look.
UPDATE: HERE IS WHAT JOEL DID!
He combined both of the twine and string. So SMRT.
I love how organic they look.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
23 weeks, 118 days to go
As with all occasions in life, when you are hit with a change - music always speaks to you like never before. I listen to songs and dedicate them to the "little bean", as Adriene calls her. I recently uploaded all 3000 songs onto iTunes from my external hard drive. I sat for hours two days ago listening to music I haven't heard since I lived in Asheville. I made a playlist for her to listen to and I sat with the laptop on my belly and let her enjoy Songs:Ohia, Cinematic Orchestra, Bohren, Adam Faucett, Future Islands, Russian Circles, Thou, and some cheesy old school 80's love jams from a mix that was made for me (and lots n lots more).
"Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb."
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