it's not what you think

Before my family starts calling me after seeing the picture in this post, let me say that this is not a recent picture (do you think I'm that crazy). No, this is my pregnant belly from over a year ago when our second baby girl (at the time we did not know she was a she) was swimming around, growing and growing. Just a bit of nostalgia on this crisp Tuesday morning. Seeing this picture made me think about what a strange yet completely natural experience pregnancy is. For a brief moment in a woman's life she is actually physically inside herself - nurturing herself as her baby develops into a being who will become completely separate and independent of her. Perhaps I'm ruminating on the subject since Laela is now nine months old and I see her need me less and less each month. She's crawling, feeds herself, holds her own bottle... motherhood is full of intensities of love and beauty, but it's also very heartbreaking too.

love me do

I am thrilled to report that the latest Marissa B. jewelry collection, Love Letters, is being very well received by customers! The Little Sparrow necklace (now available in 14k gold) is swiftly becoming popular as a mommy necklace and the Secret Admirer necklace (also available in 14k gold) is a concept that's catching on fast. One even sold as a best friend necklace. Personally, I wear mine with my initial facing out and Hero Hubby's initial closest to my heart... awwwww. Seriously, though - the best part is I get to know the story behind every order - each initial represents someone special in my customers' lives and I'm thrilled that my product is being chosen to reflect their happiness. I'm grateful that I can provide something that brings joy to its wearers!

changes

 

Since becoming a mother, I've noticed several small, but dramatic changes in my approach to life. I'm not talking about the big changes (more on those in a later post). Just a few seemingly small ways in which I do things differently now. Here they are - you might find some are ridiculous "issues" to have in the first place, but we all have our hang-ups, right? Please don't judge... but feel free to laugh!

I'm fearless when it comes to killing bugs. And I mean big, juicy awful bugs that previously I would just barely manage trap under a cup and wait for Hero Hubby to take care of. Now they just get squished by moi - sometimes without a tissue... eek.

I'm no longer superstitious in my mother's basement. It used to be, even up until a few years ago, that I still carried the paranoia that a trapped soul would devour my own if I lingered too long in the basement. Not quite a fear of the dark, just a creepy feeling every time I went down there. My mother's basement is not out of the ordinary - it's just a silly hangover from my youth. Present day? I could care less. Go ahead, ghost, take me away from my nagging children.

I love doing the dishes. Prior to my lovely brood, washing the dishes was not an activity I rated high on my "likes" list, nevermind my "loves" list. My how things change. Doing the dishes is like a zen state - a form of meditation. No one will interrupt me, lest I enlist their help.

Very small things make me happy. This one is almost in the category of big changes. Never before had I elated at discovering the Market Basket circular in the mailbox every Wednesday morning, nor did I think twice about the delight found in taking more than three sips of a steaming hot cup of coffee. It is said that it's the little things that make all the difference. Right now I understand that more than ever. Ah, the little things... like getting to write an entire blog post (almost) uninterrupted.

the baby list

Maybe there's something in the proverbial water, but so many of my friends are expecting their first babies in the very near future! The baby topic is something I am rather current on, especially the "gear" parents find themselves knee-deep in once their tiny package arrives. Ever tending toward the minimalist approach, I have found a handful of products helpful essential to my daily baby rearing routine. Clothing and diapers aside, here's my bare-bones baby list:

puj tub
baby bjorn
mountain buggy
calma bottle
skip hop diaper changing
skip hop farmyard mat
bloom coco lounger

have a restful weekend

Good morning, dear readers, and what a good morning it is in our house! Baby no. 2 (aka Laela) has finally slept through the night, giving her mum and dad a much needed night filled with consecutive hours of slumber. I wanted to create a long post of all our Labor Day weekend plans, but my little alarm clock did not wake me up at 3:00am (yes I have been blogging in the wee hours). So, I will be crafting a heavy dose of sparkly things for you over the weekend and will post again on Tuesday. I hope you have a restful weekend!

motherhood

Today I am already nostalgic for baby Laela's infant-hood. It was no so long ago that Violet was a snuggley ten pound-er with shiny, unblinking eyes that would stare up at me from a swaddle of blankets. These days she is talking, drawing, running, dancing... everything an energetic toddler does. The snuggles are rare and the unblinking stares, fleeting. As I gaze at Laela asleep in her moses basket, I know it won't be too long before my tiny baby becomes a little girl and races off to keep up with her big sister.

the uniform

No, I'm not talking about some CSI-esque television show.  I'm speaking of the fashion feint motherhood plays on a woman's sense of style.  You've all seen it and maybe even are wearing it right now.  The Uniform comes in two ghastly iterations: khaki pants, t-shirt, and sneakers or faded and pilling yoga pants, t-shirt, and orthopedic looking flats (or in colder months, Uggs).  There are some good points to The Uniform: You can wear it five times a week and no one notices; it's comfy; makes you feel maternal; you blend in perfectly with the other moms standing in line at - (name any discount retail chain).  The Uniform is so ubiquitous that not only will no one notice if you wear it five times a week, in fact, no one will notice you period.  Looking comfy and maternal reminds men of their mothers. You're also a wife. You used to be a girlfriend. Once upon a time you were a hot date.  Get the picture?

The good news is wearing kitten heels does not make you a bad mother and your children don't care if you're wearing a spicy lip gloss and eyeliner.  You're still Mum - they won't forget.  Maybe it's time to shake things up a little bit. With a few updates you can liven up your look, feel better about yourself and remind your man of the sexy woman he married.