Resistance is Futile

Posted on May 3, 2006 by Natalie

Ever since that cold, harsh sponge-bath he was subjected to in the hospital, Porter has welcomed baths with about as much excitement as would a cat. Luckily for us, newborns only have to be bathed every couple of days or so – something that we have routinely stretched to the edges of the “or so” part. Likewise, it is practically a two-person job to change his diaper: one to hold the bottle in his mouth, and one to change the diaper. The dude just hates being cold.

We have managed to get better at minimizing his agony during diaper change time [which partly came out of necessity of trying to get one diaper off and the other on in record time to reduce the opportunity for the pee shower], and finally he seems to be coming around to the bath idea as well.

Pensive
Pensive
Finding His Happy Place

Playing Along

Resignation

New Chapter

Posted on April 16, 2006 by Natalie

Today officially marks my 42nd week of pregnancy, and the time has finally come to put everyone out of their misery and find out if this child is a boy or a girl. I will be induced first thing tomorrow morning, and with any luck, we will have added a new addition to our family by day’s end. Everyone will be notified once the magical event occurs. I promise.

I would have liked to say that the last two weeks have been relaxing and quiet – preparing us for the impending chaos that a newborn will bring – but, life just doesn’t work that way. Instead, it continues to go on at it’s regular pace – especially with a 2-year-old. Additionally, the waiting game that my pregnancies have bestowed require a special effort of patience and understanding – something that everyone handles a little differently.

So, as this chapter closes and a new one begins, I look forward to starting a life as a mother of two, and can only imagine the lessons, love, frustration and joy that will come from this new adventure.

Happier than a bucket full of clowns.

Posted on April 6, 2006 by Natalie

The Happy Couple

Salon Girl

Posted on April 4, 2006 by Natalie

One of things Stella inherited from her father (aside from her worship of the alimighty enchilada and the need to explain the most obscure details of any given situation) were two gigantic side-by-side cowlicks square on the crown of her scalp. They caused her to have an Alfalfa-style hairdo until she was, roughly, a year old. (The covergence of these two swirls caused the hair to collide in a way that forced the hair straight up.) As she got older, and her hair got longer, the weight finally allowed for her to no longer resemble one of the Little Rascals.

Instead, the affect is that the majority of her hair now grows forward, causing her bangs to start somewhere around the back of her head. Think sideways comb-over. This most unfortunate of hair growth patterns will, I am sure, drive her into therapy by the age of nine.

I never had any intention of giving her bangs, but somewhere along the line I realized that Stella had a rare disease that caused her hair to grow in a mullet-like syle, with bangs naturally forming and reaching all the way back to her ears. Again, I blame her father for this.

It is time I face the facts: my daughter is follically challenged.

Once I was able to come to terms with the reality of the situation, I made the decision to seek professional help. Just the look on the hairdressers face said it all: you have a long road ahead, but I will be with you every step of the way.

Salon Girl