Andrea Scher's Pregnancy Memory

My favorite pregnancy related memory actually happened long before Ben was even conceived. My now husband Matt and I had been dating for about six months when I laid my head down on the pillow to sleep next to him one night.

As I closed my eyes, I saw a flash of an image: It was like a photograph, one that I had taken, of Matt wearing a hiking backpack with a wee boy in the back. They were both squinting at me in the sun (looking impatient that I was taking another photo)... and I knew instantly that Matt was my husband and the little boy was our child.



It took two more years for Matt and I to marry, and despite our best efforts, three long years to conceive Ben. But through all of that time of infertility, through endless acupuncture appointments and doctor's visits, and through all the sadness and despair that came it, it was this picture, this memory, that I held onto.



It was the one thing that gave me faith that our boy was coming. I had seen him, and he was real.

From Andrea Scher of Superhero Journal.

Liz Fuller's Pregnancy Memories

When I was pregnant with my Sylvia, I watched the corn fields near our home grow just as she was growing in my belly. As they grew a little taller, my belly got a little bigger.

I was having a girl.



A true tom boy at heart myself with two boys at home, I felt scared to have a girl. I was worried I wouldn't know how to fix her hair. And bread, I didn't even know how to make home made bread! The endless list of traditional feminine skills I never had interest in learning began to suffocate me. I worried I would not be ideal for her. That surely this gender was misplaced into the wrong family, didn't the stork know I can't even twist together a respectable French braid!? I was concerned this little girl of mine would find me a big fat disappointment in the department of any and all things female.

The corn was getting taller and that meant she was coming soon. And I still had not learned how to bake bread! I remember being at the mall one day and selecting a first purchase just for her. A little red pair of shoes. It sounds silly for a little treasure like that to change my heart, but it did. I began to realize I had a lot to offer her, after all. That no matter who she would become or interests she would have, I would do what all mothers do best. Support her in her life. From astrology to fashion, arithmetic to nail polish I will guide her in her interests just as I do with my boys and their Bakugans.



Most importantly I will continue to work at being a good person, always refining my character as I lead these children by constant example.



My favorite moments during my third pregnancy were each and every time I thought of her. What she might be like and what her interests might be one day. What a privilege it is to be her mommy. And who knows, maybe one day she'll be teach me how to bake bread.

From Liz Fuller of Backward's Attraction.

Jennifer James' thoughts on Pregnancy

The very first time I met Gabrielle was at a Disney Mom Bloggers event last year. I was immediately struck by how stylish and beautiful she was. I mean, this woman can rock some clothes! It's amazing. I was also struck by how nice and generous she was. I absolutely loved meeting her and her presence stuck with me ever since. Gorgeous. Stylish. Mother of five. And unbelievably friendly. I love her!

Fast forward to August of this year and we attended the same event in San Francisco. This time we got to bring our kids and Gabrielle brought along Ralph, the sweetest kid on the planet. I had the chance to see Gabrielle as a mom this time and she is just as I had imagined: very cool, loving, affectionate, caring. Quite simply, Gabrielle is an amazing woman and mother.

A few weeks later when I heard Gabrielle was pregnant I was beyond thrilled! Pregnancy is such a lovely state to be in. I loved every moment of both my pregnancies and look back on those months with dreamy eyes. Save the early morning sickness, I felt the best I ever had when I was carrying my daughters who continue to sprout before my eyes.



I can only imagine how delighted the Blairs are to be expecting their sixth baby. Just being around Gabrielle and Ralph for a few days I know for sure how love dwells in their home and how generous they are raising their children to be. During the event Ralph allowed my oldest daughter to use his iPod Touch. He didn't put demands on her or even stand over her shoulder to make sure she didn't break it. My daughter was amazed. So many children she comes around are selfish with their possessions. That showed me, again, how amazing Gabrielle is as a parent. It showed.

I wish Gabrielle the happiest, healthiest, most amazing pregnancy on the planet. She deserves it because of who she is and the lives she touches. Plus, I can't wait to see how she rocks her maternity clothes!

From Jennifer James of The Mom Salon.

Laurie Smithwick's Pregnancy Thoughts

Bob and I had been trying to get pregnant for almost a year and it had finally worked. Somehow I convinced him to come with me to the OB’s office because, you know, he absolutely had to be there every step of the way. It turns out my OB/Gyn performs an early ultrasound at your first visit, just to confirm a “baseline” healthy pregnancy. So there we are, staring at the underwater outer-space forms on the tiny screen, with the OB decoding all the circles and clouds for us. She finds the baby’s tiny fluttery heartbeat and Bob and I laugh, thrilled, relieved and amazed. Then she’s quiet for a minute or two and finally says, “Okay, now I’m going to show you guys something that’s going to really freak you out.”

Bob and I look at each other. Really? Is she allowed to say things like that?

“See that circle? That’s your baby. And it looks great. And that cloudy area there is blah blah blahdy blah blah.”

“Oh get on with it please,” I want to say. “What are you trying to tell us?”

And then she points to something on the screen and says, “Do you see that circle there?”

I see it.

“That’s your other baby.”

At which point Bob and I explode into maniacal laughter that lasts for two weeks. No, seriously, every time we looked at each other we started to laugh. For weeks. Two babies.

Nine hilarious inflated months later, we become the proud, delighted, overwhelmed, underslept, blissful, and terrified parents of identical twin girls.

And seven years after that, looking back on that day in the doctor's office, I believe I can see a lesson: Learn to embrace the lack of control that having kids brings into your life.

Gabby, I know you don't need to learn this lesson -- you are the guru of acceptance. But it can never hurt to be reminded of just how very little control we have over even the most major events in our lives. And when that loss of control gives way to things like this:


...which can then give way to things like this:


...it's hard to miss it too terribly much.


Super humongo congratulations to you, Gab, and Ben Blair, and your whole fantastic gang. But the biggest congratulations of all go to Baby Six, who has no idea what a dream of a family he/she has landed him/herself in. Bravo to you all.

From Laurie of Leap Design and Kirtsy.

Practical Pregnancy Advice from Jenny the Bloggess

Advice for women who are too pregnant to function anymore:

Inevitably your husband will come home to find you unable to move under the weight of this gigantic fetus you are carrying and will want to know why the house is a mess and dinner isn't made and then you'll want to stab him because this is all his fault but you don't have the energy to find a clean knife.

And you'll want to explain how completely exhausting being pregnant is but men never understand so whenever Victor would say "How can you be tired? You hardly did anything today!" I'd respond, "I made someone's ear canals today. Inside my stomach. Without even using my hands. What did you do today? Paperwork? God, how exhausting. I MADE SOMEONE'S NERVOUS SYSTEM."

Then my husband would walk away, suitably impressed. Or scared. Either way he left me alone. And this is how you have a successful marriage.

from Jenny the Bloggess.

Hands On Small Business

We interrupt these lovely pregnancy-related posts to make a special announcement: Kirtsy and Microsoft Office Live have teamed up to host 100 Hands On Small Business sessions.

Seriously. One hundred sessions! And guess how much each session costs to attend? Zero dollars and thirty-free cents. That's right. All 100 sessions are FREE to attendees.

The 100 individual events will happen between October 5 and November 20, in 20 cities across the United States and Canada. You can find the list of cities here. Each session will be hosted and led by Kirtsy editors, Kirtsy founders and Kirtsy friends — who just want to get together to show all you entrepreneurs and small business owners out there some new (and maybe not so new) cool things that will help make running and promoting your company easier, smarter and definitely more interesting.

So if we’re coming to a city near you, please plan to join in on the fun! And bring your laptop if you have one. But don't bring any money. Because these sessions are free (did I mention they are free?).

You can find out all the info you need to know at the Hands On Small Business site. You can find out all about the awesome instructors. The excellent variety of dates.

So get ready, and get set to go save your spot on your favorite scheduled date.

We can’t wait to see you there!

Joslyn Taylor's Pregnancy Memory

There were all manner of magical happenings when I was pregnant with my girlies: the first kick, that sort of glowly, endorphin-drenched daze that perpetuated my second trimester, and of course the birth —oh my, nothing tops that moment when you finally meet your child after what feels like eons of waiting and hoping and wondering… But my most poignant memories were the moments spent with my oldest daughter Audrey while I was pregnant with her little sister, Millie.

I was acutely aware during the entire pregnancy that this was the end of an era with Audrey, she’d no longer be an “only”; we’d no longer be a unit of three. Everything was about to become bigger, rowdier, more complex (and I truly believed) infinitely more fun. But I wanted to be sure Audrey and I had plenty of time to savor each other before our family became four. We went on a few family trips, planned lots of special outings and adventures and, every. single. night. before bed, she and I would sit on the floor and do a little pregnancy yoga together. Mostly it was just holding hands and stretching, but it was sweet and quiet and we connected to each other and to the new life about to join us.

From Joslyn Taylor of Simple Lovely.

Stephanie Brubaker's Pregnancy Memory

During my first pregnancy (and unfortunately subsequent pregnancies as well) I experienced morning sickness the entire 9 months. As a result, I relied heavily on my husband to take care of meal preparation. At one point in the pregnancy my husband was required to leave town for an entire week to complete some work training at company headquarters.

This felt like an eternity at the time and he and I became very concerned about what I would eat while he was away. So, he did what any outstanding husband would do...he went grocery shopping and then spent 6 hours in our tiny San Francisco kitchen making meals for the entire week. He placed a few in the freezer for me to reheat and a few in the fridge to eat first.

I remember going to bed early that evening and occasionally waking up to the oven timer beeping, or sizzling food in the cast iron pan. I smiled to myself and then went back to bed feeling very loved. I count this as one of my favorite memories during our {almost} 10-year marriage.

From Stephanie of Stephmodo.

Karen Walrond's Childbirth Memory

Alex, photographed September 16, 2009.

I can't tell you how thrilled I am about Gabby's wonderful news. I've only known Gabby for a couple of years now, but in my completely unprofessional opinion, this woman is made to be a mom, isn't she? When I look at her, I always think of the mother in "Little Women" — her children are surely blessed to have her to look up to, and this little one on his (her?) way is no exception.

When Gabby asked me to share a story with you here today, I immediately thought of the day my daughter Alex was born. Alex's birth story is one of my favourite memories thus far in being her mom. It's a bit of an unusual story, since she came to us via an open adoption: in other words, we have a relationship with her birthmother. While her birthmother was pregnant, I was able to go with her to prenatal doctor's visits, and, bless her, she invited my husband and I to be present at Alex's birth. It was a really cool experience — I'd never seen a child born before — but it was actually what happened immediately after Alex was born that made the event absolutely unforgettable. And even though I suspect that most expectant mothers at the point of childbirth, are a little ...well, preoccupied, let's say, what with the whole in-the-middle-of-giving-birth-thing, I tell Alex's birth story to every expectant mother, in the hope that just maybe she might be able to catch a glimpse of what I saw, during the birth of her own child.

So anyway, to the story: the baby was born, and she was upside down in the doctor's arms, and he was cleaning all the birth gunk from her face and neck. At this point, I was sort of numb, and my first thought was that it was not possible that this little, tiny doll-like being was going to come home with us in a couple of days.

My second thought was that this baby was the most beautiful shade of cerulean blue I had ever seen in my life.

Alex's birthmother asked, "Doctor, why isn't she crying?"

The doctor replied, "I don't want her to cry just yet. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her throat. Just one second."

The doctors and nurses kept doing their thing. I wasn't nervous, because they seemed pretty calm. A few more seconds passed, and then, just as I was wondering if I should be nervous, the doctor said:

"Okay, she's going to cry ... now."

And Alex inhaled. She just took this great, big, huge, breath ...

... and she turned pink. First her arms, then her hands, and then her legs and her little face and chest. And as crazy as this may sound, I am absolutely convinced that we'd just witnessed Alex's soul, which had been waiting in the delivery room with us, flying into her body, and giving her life. Even more, I absolutely, unshakably believed, at that very moment, that this little girl was meant to be ours, and that had we not been waiting there for her — had her birthmom decided not to place her, or has there been another adoptive family in the room — a different soul would've entered her body, and she would've been a totally different person.

And then she started to bellow.

Anyway, Alex has proved me right every day since. She's just .. well, she's just like us, I suppose. She gets our senses of humour. We're such a tight-knit family. We're a team. We fit.

So, I guess the point of all of this is that when you become a parent, whether by giving birth yourself or via adoption, you have to believe that God, or Allah, or Fate, or the Universe or Whatever You May Believe In has a plan. Trust that the child you bring home is meant to be yours and yours alone. It has always been this way. It will always be this way.

Congrats, Blairs. May your family ... your team ... continue to grow as tight-knit as ever.

From Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks.

Lindsey Johnson's Thoughts on Pregnancy

Lindsey, with her third child, Babetta, born last summer.

Pregnancy is one of those things in life that no amount of reading or advice from family and friends can ever prepare you for adequately. The same goes for that first moment you hold your new baby fresh and warm from the womb.

Like many women, I have my share of funny stories about pregnancy woes. I have heartwarming moments that will forever be with me in my memory.

I spent hours talking to my belly with each of my three pregnancies. There were sappy professions of love and undying devotion to being their mommy. There were mundane descriptions of traffic along the Bronx River Parkway on my way up to monthly appointments. There was music played and hands pressing firmly into my fleshy belly in hopes of feeling the gentle (or sometimes hard) kick or poke from a developing limb.

Each pregnancy taught me a different lesson about life. My very first pregnancy ended in miscarriage at 10 weeks. That experience taught me not to take the fragile miracle of life for granted. It taught me to stop blaming myself. It taught me yearn for something more.

Over the past 5 years and three full-term pregnancies, I learned new things about myself. I'm stronger and braver that I ever thought possible. I learned patience and endurance.

I learned funny things. For instance, I will never be able to look at a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli again. Or drink another glass of strawberry flavored Tang. And that if I am going to enjoy a splash Frank's Red Hot sauce, I better follow it with a chaser of Pepcid AC and Mylanta. I also became a pro at peeing in a cup and massaging my sore sciatic nerves each night.

More than anything else though, I've learned that love knows no boundaries. Love is not divided between husband and subsequent babies — it multiplies, it matures and deepens, it blossoms and flourishes. I learned to appreciate and love womanhood and the divine roll we play as mothers and nurturers.

And it is all worth it....even on days like this.


Lilly, Fritz, and Babetta posing for our Christmas card picture...that we never sent.

From Lindsey Johnson of Café Johnsonia.

Amy Turn Sharp's Pregnancy Advice

Amy, Finn, and Joe on babymoon in Miami.

Congrats Dearest Gabby and Family
Pregnancy is such a wonderful time in a woman's life!
You are growing a human! YOU ROCK!
Life is amazing and mind blowing!
I LOVE that you are bringing another cool and kind person into the world!

Some things I remember about being prego:
*I never stayed hydrated! Drink Gabs Drink!
You have such a full life and I am sure you attend to everyone else first — but just try and remember to drink tons of water. It makes for a happy mama body and mind. Keep a pretty carafe with a small water glass by your bed and work space.

* Yoga pants are your BFF!
(Old Navy size up last a long time.) Rock out as much non maternity as you can. Buy pieces you can wear after the baby too. I like a caftan! I love a tunic. Liz Lange tight black long sleeve tees! Dresses really are so simple when pregnant. You always look chic though gal. I can't wait to watch you guide us through your mama wardrobe!

* Shoes. I like a wedge when I'm knocked up!
I give up the heel. I bring out the the trusty guns. My feet are also size 11 now. Eeeks! Like Paris Hilton! They were 10's two boys ago.

*The wish for Freedom.
We are free to do what we want! The issue with motherhood I have found is sometimes other mothers can be a bit critical of each other. I wish we all would just support each other more. We make the best choices for our families and babies and issues from breastfeeding to labor to attachment parenting to sleep techniques and we should never be questioned. We need to rally around each other as women! Go LADY POWER!

*Rest is paramount.
With a large family, you should carve out time on your calendar now to have some help that is designated for you NOT working and JUST Sleeping! Schedule sleep! Take care of you! But have fun too! Everyone should take a wee weekend away before the baby comes no matter how many kiddos you have. Ask for help when you need it. Really. Ask for help when you need it.

*Document it all.
How many of us loved this blog this year? OH MY! I was guilty of not allowing anyone to photograph me while pregnant with my boys. I wish I had not been so silly in retrospect. Take photos of your beautiful body! You should use your awesome house DIY projects as props! Belly shots on a rocker or by your new family table?

*Don't be stressed if you can't journal or write down things because your so busy!
Everyone does things differently! My second son does not even have a proper baby book! We instead make mix tapes of music that mattered to the boys, write letters to the future when we can, use flickr and blog the family now. I make up new traditions each year! Just go with the flow. Find what works for you!

Life is so amazing. Oh yeah — BABY NAMES!!! How fun is this? I must go before I get the FEVER myself!

From Amy Turn Sharp of Doobleh-vay.

A Little News

photo of Ben Blair and me making out (sheesh! get a room already.) by Candice Stringham.

Friends. I'm expecting a baby.

Yes, this was planned (I can't believe you even asked that! Just kidding. I would totally ask it too.) — in as far as you can plan such a thing. And we think we're super lucky. When we shared this news with Ralph, Maude, Olive, Oscar, and Betty, they were shouting and dancing and hooray-ing around the room. We feel the same way. What's happier than the thought of a new little person joining our family?

I'm sick. Pregnancy sick. Which is strikingly similar to a deep and abiding flu. But we're very excited all the same. And we're trying to celebrate this likely-it's-our-last-pregnancy as much as possible (we're thinking this is the end of the line for us as far as baby-making goes).

As part of the celebration, I've reached out to dear friends and bloggers to help. I've requested pregnancy memories and pregnancy advice from the 4 corners of the blogosphere and I'll be posting the responses here all week.

One last thought: even though this was planned, it has somehow still come as a bit of a shock. How will we manage another baby? Who are we to think it's okay to bring 6 persons into this crazy world? There's something that seems unfair about the whole thing — considering couples that can't conceive at all. These sorts of thoughts have been on my mind a lot — and most likely I'll address them in a future post.

But today, I'll just be happy. And feel blessed that I get to be a mother.

Anorak

Look how happy these Anorak magazine covers are. So fantastic. I've never seen a copy in person, but I just requested an issue — here's hoping the contents are as exciting as the covers. Do any of you subscribe?

Darlybird Giveaway

Hello Friends! Get ready to do some shopping. I've got a $150 gift certificate to Darlybird for one lucky winner. You already know Darlybird is the go-to spot when you're looking for an eclectic and charming collection of gifts, homegoods and happy little objects. Where else can you find things like a velvet ruffle purse, a necklace made of wool, and this gorgeous leather bracelet? Plus, Darlybird totally gets that spending has slowed for just about everybody — and they created the bargain-priced Recessionista Collection in response.

Leave a comment to enter. I'll pick a winner on Monday, September 28th. UPDATE: Rachel of Darlybird has generously offered a 20% discount on purchases to Design Mom Readers. Fabulous! Just use the code DESIGNMOM at checkout.


Plus also. Here's a little related blogging history. Darlybird was my very first Giveaway sponsor back in the day. Which is awesome. Here's the (longish) story:

In November of 2006, I hosted my first Giveaway. I had been blogging for 4 months. I was watching my stats and knew I had about 200 readers a day. But I had very few comments. So I conceived of a contest where I would get a company to sponsor a prize and I would have people enter by commenting. I realize this happens all the time on thousands and thousands of blogs today, but at the time, no personal blogs that I knew of had done such a thing. Maybe they'd given away an object from their house as a semi-joke, but that's it. There were no sponsored giveaways except on corporate blogs and sites. And even those were fairly rare. The point being: my little giveaway was the first that I'd seen.

I contacted Darlybird, who I had already posted about earlier, and let the owner, Rachel, know about my plan to encourage comments and promote her shop at the same time. She got on board asap with some great prizes. And I posted the giveaway with much apprehension. Would anyone enter? Would there be cheating? Was this a bad idea?

But it worked! About half my visitors left a comment. It's fun to read them in retrospect. A few were suspicious: Is this a blogroll trick? they asked. Others were delighted with this new concept — GirlconQueso called me the next Oprah. It was amazing. Even more amazing: within the month, personal blogs all over the place adopted the same model — copying and pasting instructions from my blog, or adapting their own. And the giveaway scene was born.

I've been told my Darlybird giveaway was the first sponsored, comment-to-enter giveaway on a personal blog. I have no idea if that's true or not. But it would be interesting to know. At this point, it's hard to even remember blogging before giveaways. : )

Yay for Darlybird and giveaways!

-------------------

Update: Congratulations to Nellie! You are the lucky winner. Have a fabulous time shopping at Darlybird.

Mormor Kitchen Series

In another life, I will have a kitchen that's all white with a little bit of blue. And I will fill it with things like this from the Danish Mormor Series.

Tossed & Found

This is my latest project inspiration book. It's called Tossed & Found, by Linda and John Meyers.

Like the best project books, this one is crammed full of clever ideas and pretty pictures and clear instructions. As I do with pretty much all project books, I responded to about 75% of the ideas with a sort of meh reaction — maybe they don't hold personal appeal for me, maybe they require more effort than I'm willing to expend. But the projects in the book I love, I really LOVE. And I also can't get enough of the sketch pages.




This dresser doesn't show well in my photo, but in the book, it's easy to see how awesome it is. I want.

Put together by a husband-wife team (which is always inspirational) — the wife is a former graphic designer/art director, the husband used to head out displays for Anthropologie.


Maybe my favorite thing in the book. They converted an old school boombox to work with their iPod. For sure I'm going to copy this.




This chandelier makes me super happy. If you will build this for me, I will pay you.

Periwinkle Bloom

The photo styling in this line of children's clothes by Periwinkle Bloom is perfect. Makes me want to buy one of each.

Baby Shower

Katie sent links and photos to the beautiful baby shower she threw for her friend, Rachelle — and I just had to share. So lovely. You can find Katie's post about the invitations here. And her post about the party here.

Soy Underwear

Apparently, they are made of soy by-products. And come as a 3-pack in a compost-able burlap bag. Thoughts?

Jay-Z and Alicia Keys

No doubt you've seen this already, but I keep watching it over and over. So good. Makes me miss New York.

Jay-Z - New Music - More Music Videos

Mama K's Play Clay

Ooooh. Look how pretty Mama K's Play Clay colors are. And the scents sound absolutely delicious — chamomile, lemongrass, geranium — mmmm.

Thanks for the link, Genevieve.

Jane, The Pink Robot

Go here. Press the play triangle. Then press any letter key. You will be rewarded. (Possibly, your children will like this even more than you do.)

Thanks for the link, Eliza!