Wet and Wild
The whale pool truly has revolutionized our summer experience.
Blog a la Cart
Month: July, 2011
July 18, 2011
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July 16, 2011
O.M.G.
*Sunny throws tennis ball high in air*
Her: OH. MY. GOD!
James: Oh my goodness!
Her: No. OH. MY. GOD!
James: Oh my gosh!
Her: NO! *exceedingly more annoyed* OH. MY. GOOOOOD!
James: Hey, look at the kitty!
Yeah, so there’s that.
July 15, 2011
Month 8
Racerback Hemp Tank in White and Micro Modal Dance Cami in Currant by be present
As of today, I am officially “full term,” meaning 36 weeks pregnant and thus within the window for delivery of one healthy little girl. This also means that the Cart household is on Baby Watch 2011. Every pain within the vicinity of the abdominal area has me demanding that James grab his phone and pull up the Contraction Calculator App. We may or may not have counted down to a bowel movement earlier this week, as I mistook gas pains for the work of labor.
James will never get those minutes of his life back. He’s rather displeased.
I’ve nailed down a doula, and we’ve been working on my birth plan. Thank goodness it does not need to be as elaborate and heavy-handed as the one I used with Addison. Many of my wishes are routine procedure for the hospital where I’ll be delivering in Vermont. That was not the case in Beverly Hills, and I am so looking forward to being in a more supportive and understanding environment this go-round.
I’ve also been learning more about Leboyer and very much hope that The Sesame Seed will be born in water. This of course assumes access to a L&D room with a tub (of which there are many, but apparently people like to get busy in November, because there are an inordinate amount of women due with babies this August.) Looks like we may be duking it out for a tub room.
While every Braxton Hicks sends me spiraling into flashbacks of Sunny’s birth, I am trying to not let the fear of the pain get the best of me. Just tonight, James and I curled up with Addison on the couch and watched the photography montage of her birth. I am never not blown away watching that experience unfold before my eyes, and when the movie transitions to live video of the first words I ever spoke to her, I am reminded of exactly why all that work, and pain, and struggle is worth it.
Because to hold new life in your arms is nothing short of awesome.
And I get to do that again, very soon.
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* Do you want to win the Racerback Hemp Tank that I’m wearing?!? Of course you do! Jump on over to Green Eyed Monster to enter!
**Photos: Courtesy of Kate Drew Miller Photography
As always, I cannot thank Kate enough for taking on this project with me. She rocks. Truly.
***Clothes: Courtesy of be present
Please, head on over to Facebook and ‘like’ the heck out of this awesome company. And if you’re on Twitter, why don’t you give ‘em a follow? And you can check out their whole line and subscribe to their newsletter by heading over to www.bepresent.com.
**** Click to see Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 6, Month 7 and deats on my partnership with be present.
July 14, 2011
On Pregnancy
While at a wedding a few weeks back, a good deal of conversation was had with various parties regarding The Sesame Seed.
At this stage, she has made herself quite visible and is an easy and obvious point of discussion.
I was chatting with one acquaintance who had his 9-month old son in tow. He and his wife are also both doctors-to-be. Babies, pregnancy, and childbirth were very natural, unsurprising topics as well as mutual points of interest for our conversation.
He commented that I must be at that stage in the pregnancy where I would be happy to have The Sesame Seed vacate the premises sooner rather than later, recounting his wife’s own discomfort and dreams of childbirth when she hit the 3rd trimester.
Let me just pause and say that it is a miraculously adaptive and genius biological trait that the 3rd trimester is so ungodly unbearable that women actually look forward to labor and delivery. We pray for that burning ring of fire just to end the misery of the achy cankles, the pea-sized bladder, and the constant pressure and pain of a watermelon sitting squarely between our legs, directly on our vagina, which is routinely punched and pushed by a human form.
Nice call, Evolution.
I responded affirmatively. I will be putting out an eviction notice come August 1st.
You hear me? You got two weeks, kid. Four, tops.
I then went on to say that I actually found little of pregnancy enjoyable and that I had been looking forward to her due date from the moment that blue positive line appeared on the pee stick in November.
He responded that he rarely hears women express such a sentiment, although he wished that he heard such candor more often as it seems not to be an uncommon feeling, but one that is taboo and unacceptable to convey outwardly.
I have encountered a number of people, especially fellow women (many of them mothers), whose jaws drop with shock when I speak such feelings. It’s just not done.
Women are supposed to adore being pregnant. We are supposed to radiate joy and light and shoot rainbows out of our asses, so filled with the miracle of life are we. Heaven forbid we discuss the unpleasantness of what growing an entire person entails. WE GET TO GIVE LIFE. IS IT NOT OUR MOST JOYOUS CALLING?
While I know that there are some women that do indeed enjoy pregnancy, women that glow, women that are radiant (lucky, bitches), I am not one of them. Far from.
Don’t get me wrong, I am beyond grateful every day to be able to experience what it means to bear and give life. I am awed by the thought of two hearts beating within me. I even find magic in those kicks that send my spleen careening into my small intestine causing ruckus flatulence or the burning urge to pee.
Oh, let’s be real, they cause me to pee. This is baby #2 after all.
DO YOUR KEGELS, LADIES. DO. YOUR. KEGELS.
I don’t think that the making of another human being in any way should be an easy task.
It’s not.
It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. It’s all-consuming.
And hell yes, it’s worth it.
But I shouldn’t have to pretend like it’s not one of the toughest things my body will ever endure.
No woman should.
Now if someone could go ahead and rub my feet, because, ya know, carrying around an extra 30lbs that rearranges one’s entire organ structure does a number on the legs. Oh, and a large chocolate milkshake would be grand. I’m eating for two after all.
See, pregnancy does have its perks.
July 13, 2011
My first born.
I get weepy just looking at that face. I don’t know how James and I got so lucky.
And we are about to double the magic.
And the chaos.
July 13, 2011
The best pool cleaning service The whale tale
Thanks to site TheFloridaPools.com this is how I will be spending the remainder of the pregnancy.
July 13, 2011
Wednesday, July 13th.
Today, Sunny has peed in the toddler bed, peed on a couch cushion, peed on the patio and peed in Mommy’s lap.
You can all tell how close someone is to being potty trained. And how very bright James and I are for allowing this diaperless wonder to run around our home in a swimsuit all day.
She also picked fresh mint from the garden, dipped it in the dogs’ slobbery water bowl and ate it. This resulted in gagging and the regurgitation of lunch all over the patio.
Oh, and she fed the dogs rocks. Which they then regurgitated onto the patio.
It’s now the patio of bodily fluids.
So, really, just another day chez Cart.
And finally, she commented, with much concern, “Mommy’s armpit messy.”
How nice of her to take note that I haven’t shaved in 7 days.
Life with a toddler is anything but dull.
July 13, 2011
Rope Bracelet
ANNOUNCEMENT: A select number of these bracelets are available for sale here.
I know, I know, MORE friendship bracelets. I can’t stop myself. I am a friendship bracelet making machine. My 9-year old self would be so proud!
I’ve been itching to make some Utility Cord friendship bracelets. Rather than spend over $100 on one of the designer versions I’ve seen around the Interwebs, I whipped up my own in under 20 minutes. Easy peasy.
Materials:
Utility cord
Binder clips
S hook
Scissors
Lighter or matches to burn tips of rope
Directions:
To make the purple and blue bracelets, I tied a Solomon Bar using the video tutorial from Tying It All Together’s YouTube channel. There are tons of beautiful knot tutorials over there. You could really go nuts experimenting with different kinds of cord and knot-tying techniques. To make the bracelet, I used circular binder clips instead of the rings pictured in the video so that I could attach the clips to one another. They serve as the clasp to the bracelet. After tying the full bar, I cut the line and burned the ends with a lighter to secure. Statement bracelets in under 10 minutes and for under $2. Not bad, eh?
To create the yellow S hook bracelet, I simply followed the tutorial from Honestly, WTF?. Easy and inexpensive, as well. I can’t tell you the amount of attention these received when I wore them to work! Far better than dropping $100+ on a trendy piece of jewelry – and impressive to be able to say, hey, I MADE THIS!
Photos: Ashley Weeks Cart