Author: Sarah

Oh, (Photo) Shoot!

Sarah Carolyn

In the past two days I’ve taken over 100 pictures of Carolyn and the dogs. (Digital cameras are a wonderful thing!) I needed good pictures for the Christmas cards, and we’re giving some of our family members a picture of Carolyn as part of their gift.

This is the picture I’m using for the gift photo:

What do you think, should I become a freelance photographer? Just kidding…it took about 40 shots to get this one, and then I had to fix up the color balance in photoshop when I was done. Apparently pink and lavender are hard for the camera sensor to deal with…which is too bad, since all of her clothes are pink and lavender!

I’ll post the Christmas photos after I’m sure most people have gotten the card. Those came out really well, too. The dogs weren’t so cooperative for the first try, when Denis was helping me. In fact, we really didn’t get one good picture out of that, so I did it on my own this morning. Both dogs. In the living room, where they don’t get to go normally. With silly hats. They were remarkably well-behaved and I got a few workable pictures. Here are a few out-takes from the first time. Molly is much better at posing for pictures than Murphy is…

Another Year Older

Sarah General

I turned 29 today. This will be my last year to be 20-something. Next year I will be 30. That used to sound so old to me, but it certainly doesn’t feel old. Heck, most days I don’t feel old enough to be a mom…

In honor of the occasion, Carolyn wore her teeny-tiny Mary Jane’s to church today. These shoes are so unbelievably cute – it should be illegal. I bought them to be part of her Christmas outfit, but I figure she ought to wear them more than once, right? I love this little pink velour dress, too.

Carrie bought me wool for my birthday, and Denis got me a drop spindle to replace the one that Murphy destroyed. I got all kinds of goodies from everyone today, and had a lovely day. Of course, my house isn’t clean yet, and the tree isn’t up yet, and I don’t even have all the gifts yet (that’s a long, sordid story for another day) let alone have them wrapped…but that’s ok. It will all get done eventually. We did manage to get the Christmas card photos taken. Let’s just say, Carrie was a lot more cooperative than the dogs were! One of these days I’ll have to post some of the out-takes…

The Sims

Sarah General

Yesterday I realized that my life has become a game of the Sims. When Carolyn is sleeping, I have to evaluate which of the following is my highest priority: going to the bathroom, eating, showering, sleeping or cleaning the kitchen. Socializing doesn’t even enter into the picture, and fun – well, I suppose catching odd moments at my laptop could be considered fun. (I’m doing that now instead of eating breakfast…hmm…)

Seriously, instead of showing those really silly videos* to kids in health class, they could scare them off of having sex for decades just by making them play a new baby version of the Sims. Instead of going to work, you have random crying baby alerts where you have to drop everything (including breakfast) to make the baby happy. I think there’s a part of the game where that happens already, but it’s only for three (Sims) days – this would have to go on for months instead.

(No, I’m not really complaining, because it’s all very much worth it. Plus, for the third night in a row, I got 6 continuous hours of sleep.)

*Yeah, those silly health class videos? I spent pretty much all of 5th and 6th grade thinking that dancing was foreplay and was the surest way to get pregnant based on one of those videos. (Yes, I was very naïve and too embarrassed to ask someone who might have corrected my misconception.) Imagine my horror when we moved up to Jr. High and had 7th grade dances!

First Concert

Sarah Firsts

Last night Carolyn went to her first Christmas concert. It was very odd for me to be in the audience instead of the band – although I did get to hear how we sound to everyone else. (That would be good, but loud. The mall is probably not the best venue for a band concert…)

I figured it was appropriate to dress her in one of her Christmas outfits. These will probably be her pajamas on Christmas Eve – I already had a dressy outfit and another backup playsuit-type-thing, but this was too cute to pass up at Target.

The one part you don’t see is the headband I went back to buy so I wouldn’t have to answer the “girl or boy?” question so many times…

Turning Circles

Sarah Carolyn

Dear Carolyn,

You did the cutest thing last night. I was getting ready for bed, and I put you in your cradle and wound up your mobile. For the first time, instead of looking at the white arm that connects the mobile to your cradle, you looked up. You didn’t just follow the animals with your eyes, you rolled your whole head around to look at each one. (You seem to be partial to the pink kitty – the doggies may never forgive you…) When the music stopped, you looked at the mobile, and looked at me, and the message was clear: “Make them go again, Mommy!” So I wound it back up and you watched them all over again.

Oh, and you did another wonderful thing last night, too. You slept from 10:30 to 5:00. I think you might have even gone longer than that, but I’ll admit to encouraging you to wake up at that point, because I really needed to nurse you. Sorry. Can we try for that again tonight? I’d really appreciate it!

Love, Mommy

Things I’ve Noticed

Sarah General

Since I’ve started going out and about with Carolyn – mainly shopping – I’ve noticed a lot of things. Like the fact that most people are really nice and helpful. I’ve had more people run ahead to open doors for me in the past three weeks than in my entire life. Today, at the food court at the mall, a gentleman asked if he could carry my tray to a table so I could push the stroller more easily. I’ve even had people wave me ahead of them in line.

People, this is holiday shoppers we’re talking about – these people are the reason I generally stay as far away from the mall after November 1st as I can. But you know what? They’re actually nice, deep down inside. Oh, wait, maybe they’re just being nice because my baby is the cutest baby ever? I suppose that’s fine, I still get the fringe benefits!

(Oh, and one more shopping trip ought to finish off the holiday gifts. All except Denis, that is – I have no idea what I’m getting him yet…)

I Hate Shoe Shopping…

Sarah General

Among many other things, one of the apparently permanent changes pregnancy has left me with is bigger feet. Not wider feet, mind you, but longer feet. How this happened, I have no idea. All I know is, none of my old footwear fits anymore, including the brand new pair of boots I bought last winter. Ask me how I found this out. Go ahead, ask.

Yeah, see, it snowed today. Real snow, that stuck to the ground. And I thought, well, boots are always a bit big, right? So they should still fit, they just won’t be as big. Nuh-uh. The walk to and from the mailbox at the end of my driveway was rather painful. But my choices are those or the Birkenstock clogs I bought while I was pregnant and desperate for footwear – unfortunately, those won’t work for the snow.

So guess who’s going boot shopping this week? I hate shoe shopping almost as much as I hate bra shopping. Both leave me thinking mean and evil thoughts about the people who design these things – obviously not women – and feeling quite awful about myself, because I can never find anything that fits.

It’s Beginning…

Sarah General

…to look a little bit like Christmas around here!

Remember my list of things to do? I’ve made my gift list and checked it twice, and today I put in a gigantic order through Amazon for about 75% of the gifts. (I love the internet!) I think I can get the rest of the shopping done this week. (I think I can, I think I can…) If I can just have everything wrapped up and under the decorated tree in my nice clean house before my birthday next Sunday, I’ll feel like things are under control. (Note that this requires cleaning the house, too…)

We’re going to go look at some artificial trees tonight. I’m not sure I want one, but it might be the best option at this point. If we don’t find a reasonably priced nice one, though, we’ll just have to get a real tree tomorrow. And I’m going to get out the candles for the windows and the train set for the mantel tonight. The neighbors are going to think we’re Grinches if we don’t start decorating soon!

Show Business

Sarah Music

Today Carolyn went to her very first show. I played piano for a musical revue put on by Cobblestone Arts Center, and she came with me to the rehearsal last night and the performance this afternoon. Thankfully, she slept through everything!

I’m considering accompanying the high school musical (they’ve asked me), but it’s a much bigger time commitment, so I haven’t really decided yet. Somehow, I doubt Carrie would sleep through all those rehearsals – especially since she’ll be a bit older and more mobile – so I’d probably need to arrange for someone to watch her.

Incidentally, this is the first piano I’ve played for anything more than personal enjoyment since June – I stopped playing at church around then. It felt good, but it was much scarier than it used to be.

Holy Christmas, Batman!

Sarah General

Is it December already?!? That means in the next 24 days I need to:

  • Find time to remember who on earth I’m supposed to get presents for.
  • Find time to figure out what to get them.
  • Find time to buy gifts – preferably online.
  • Find time to buy a tree.
  • Find time to find a free corner of my house to put up the tree. (The pack & play lives where the tree used to go.)
  • Find time to find the decorations to put on the tree.
  • Find time to decorate the tree.
  • Find time to wrap gifts. (Is it the 24th yet?)

See the trend? It’s all about time, which seems to be in short supply lately. Can I hire someone to do all that? Because really, all I want is a clean, decorated home with all the presents already wrapped and under the tree so I have the time to do what I really want to do: really enjoy Carolyn’s first holidays. I want to take her to see Santa, let her stare at all the pretty decorations, and bake cookies so the house smells like Christmas should. I know she won’t remember it, but I will.