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At My Finest

Yesterday evening, I received a text from a local acquaintance informing me that she’d received an email from Vine.com with me in labor all over the content. Yes, you read that correctly. In labor. As in about to squeeze a human being out of my vagina.

Obviously.

That statement was not in the least bit shocking or embarrassing. There have been photos of me in labor on the Internets since May of 2009, and I was merely concerned that the photographer who snapped those pix was getting properly credited.

(Fortunately, yes, she is).

I’ve written about birth photography before, but as a reminder, we had a birth photographer present for Sunny’s arrival and she did the work for free in exchange for my permission to use the images to promote her work. So, four years later, some snaps of me (and a series of other women who I assume had a similar arrangement) are pictured in Vine’s recent newsletter about what to pack in your hospital bag.

I was about to make some sarcastic crack in my text reply to Tracy that I was “so glad to be pictured at my finest all over a heavily subscribed national newsletter.” But I paused, recognizing that I actually do think that those images capture me, maybe not at my finest, but certainly at my strongest, at my most powerful and brave. Why poke fun at documentation and a life experience that is some of my proudest, most important to date (and I imagine it’ll be that way for life)?

You can click on the pic below to see the full guide and array of other images from Sunny’s birth used within it. Inspired once again by these photographs, I took a pause to revisit the full experience and was again humbled and awe-struck. I will always be grateful for this photography. It never ceases to amaze.

ALL THE FEELINGS!

First Wendy Davis shows our country what it means to be a total badass. And I was on the brink of tears as I explained to Sunny this morning that one brave, brilliant woman stood up and did something remarkable for all women (and people) yesterday. And that we don’t need superheros when we have people like Wendy demonstrating that human beings have the power to stand and talk without food or a potty break for 13 hours while protecting something they believe in. Sunny agreed that she did sound like a superhero (I assume mostly because of the no potty statement – because, damn, I agree – and I’m going to hold off on my diatribe about the kindergarden-esque “rules” for how a filibuster works because, what the fuck?) but regardless, I was so moved to be able to share Wendy’s heroic story with my own children, a reminder that one person has the power to do quite a lot. That we all can and must be active players in the political process. She inspired many to do just that last night.

And now DOMA and Prop 8 are trashed.

I’m just sitting at my desk, weeping. America, you surprise me sometimes.

I was prepared to be disappointed. I was prepared to be frustrated.

And now I’m just brimming with all that hopey changey goodness that creeps in every once and awhile, and I delight in what this means for my daughters, for their peers, for the next generation that will be a part of a country, still imperfect, but making strides toward something better.

ALL THE FEELINGS!

I’m cyber-open-mouthed kissing everyone, seeing rainbows, and rocking my pink kicks with pride.