About this time last year, I had just been introduced to the idea of blogging. As I wandered through this whole new online stratosphere, I kept seeing one family written about, over and over - The Spohr Family. Heather Spohr writes about her life and family on her website www.thespohrsaremultiplying.com. As I began exploring the world of blogging, Heather and her husband Mike's world crashed in on them. Their exquisite 17-month-old daughter, Madeline Alice, passed away suddenly a year ago today.
The loss of a child is a pain no parent should ever experience. I would understand if the Spohrs chose to shut down their blog and just be, but they didn't. Heather continued to post, and I was captivated by her ability to express herself so beautifully and honestly in the face of such overwhelming grief. In Maddie's name, thousands of dollars were raised for the March of Dimes. In addition to supporting the March of Dimes, the Spohr family also formed an organization, Friends of Maddie, that helps families of NICU babies. Maddie was born a preemie and the Spohrs know what families of preemies need. The Spohrs are champions for sick babies, and I honor their efforts, and their gorgeous daughter Maddie, by donating. You can too, by clicking on this link: www.FriendsofMaddie.com.
Heather and Mike Spohr welcomed daughter Annabel Violet into their family this past January. I continue to read Heather's blog daily as she and Mike do all they can to make this world a better place for families. They are increasing the number of healthy babies like their Annie, while honoring the legacy of their Maddie. My thoughts and prayers go out to them on this wretched anniversary.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
March: The End, The Beginning
This day, 3 years ago, was my due date. March 31st, 2007 was the magical date that Rich and I were given in August 2006 when the doctor confirmed the news that the bun was officially in the oven. From that point on, only 2 dates stood out in highlighted marker, circled in red on my internal calendar. Our upcoming wedding (October 27th, 2006), and today, 3 years ago. I pretty much knew what to expect from our wedding day, although not ever being a bride before, one can imagine their wedding day. But March 31st, 2007 was a date that held a mystery that I could never have been prepared for.
While enjoying the holidays of 2006 as a newlywed and prego, preparing for my baby shower, and wrapping up work matters, I always had today's date looming in my mind. My crazy pregnant mind figured out that, when written out numerically, 3-31-07 could be seen as
3+3+1+0 = 7, and that, to me, was just cool. I was told by my mother-friends that most firstborns arrive late. In looking at my baby shower memory book, most people guessed that Luke would be an April baby. Being born on April 1st would be an interesting birthday, too, but something told me this little boy of mine was a March baby. Despite this feeling, Luke's due date prevented me from buying (or registering) for anything birthstone or astrology-sign related...24 hours could determine if his birthdate would begin with a "3" or a "4"...would he be a Pisces or an Aries? We just had to wait and see.
Turns out, we didn't have to wait until this day to meet our fella. At 4:30am on Wednesday March 14th, 2007, my water broke. Thirteen hours later, Luke Richard was born at 5:11pm. His birthdate will always begin with a "3", and he is a Pisces. He surprised us in Summer 2006, and he surprised us in March 2007. In true March fashion, he roared in like a lion (requiring me to have an emergency c-section) and was as soft and lovable as any lamb. March 14th will always be the day that Rich and I became parents. It is the most important day in our lives. Though not born today, the anticipation and love poured into March 31st will always make today an important date to our family too.
Back then:
While enjoying the holidays of 2006 as a newlywed and prego, preparing for my baby shower, and wrapping up work matters, I always had today's date looming in my mind. My crazy pregnant mind figured out that, when written out numerically, 3-31-07 could be seen as
3+3+1+0 = 7, and that, to me, was just cool. I was told by my mother-friends that most firstborns arrive late. In looking at my baby shower memory book, most people guessed that Luke would be an April baby. Being born on April 1st would be an interesting birthday, too, but something told me this little boy of mine was a March baby. Despite this feeling, Luke's due date prevented me from buying (or registering) for anything birthstone or astrology-sign related...24 hours could determine if his birthdate would begin with a "3" or a "4"...would he be a Pisces or an Aries? We just had to wait and see.
Turns out, we didn't have to wait until this day to meet our fella. At 4:30am on Wednesday March 14th, 2007, my water broke. Thirteen hours later, Luke Richard was born at 5:11pm. His birthdate will always begin with a "3", and he is a Pisces. He surprised us in Summer 2006, and he surprised us in March 2007. In true March fashion, he roared in like a lion (requiring me to have an emergency c-section) and was as soft and lovable as any lamb. March 14th will always be the day that Rich and I became parents. It is the most important day in our lives. Though not born today, the anticipation and love poured into March 31st will always make today an important date to our family too.
Back then:
To now:
xoxo,
Momma Lioness Michele
Monday, March 22, 2010
3 years ago - Week One
Three years ago, Rich and I had just made it through our first week as parents. We were shell-shocked by it all: the extreme pain I was in after an emergency c-section, the extreme sleeplessness, the extreme neediness of this little creature who roared his way into our lives on March 14th, 2007. Our lucky charm Luke was just over six pounds when we brought him home on St. Patrick's Day 2007. Rich and I could have never, never imagined how such a tiny creature would change our lives so quickly.
Here's Luke on his Birth Day:
Hello, World!
Rich and I went from this:
The clueless couple on Baby Shower day:
February 17th, 2007
(Check out all of our loot!)
To this:
Kissing our bundle of joy on his one-week birthday:
March 21st, 2007
We SSLLOOWWLLYY adjusted to our new life, our new Luke-revolving world. It felt like those first days and weeks of figuring out what this tiny but LOUD dude needed were never-ending.
That time passed in what now feels like an instant.
Last Sunday we celebrated Luke's THIRD birthday:
My Baby is 3!
Our Little Dinosaur - He ROARS like his Momma!
Just as we felt the week of March 14th-March 21st, 2007, every day with this gorgeous, lovable, demanding Little Man is a surprise. As Luke celebrates his birthday, and Rich and I get used to having a three year old, we also adjust to the wants and needs of a pre-schooler. Every day is something new. We treasure this time, because we now know how fleeting it will be. And how could we not want to hold onto THIS for as long as possible?
MWAH!
Here's Luke on his Birth Day:
Rich and I went from this:
February 17th, 2007
(Check out all of our loot!)
To this:
March 21st, 2007
We SSLLOOWWLLYY adjusted to our new life, our new Luke-revolving world. It felt like those first days and weeks of figuring out what this tiny but LOUD dude needed were never-ending.
That time passed in what now feels like an instant.
Last Sunday we celebrated Luke's THIRD birthday:
My Baby is 3!
Our Little Dinosaur - He ROARS like his Momma!
Lemme at that cake!
We Love You, Son!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - BUON COMPLEANNO!!
Thank you for making us parents - you are the BEST!
xoxo,
Momma Lioness Michele
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Kyle Gets Cozy
*Our favorite furball, Kyle, turns 11 years old today! Happy Birthday, you handsome fella! xoxo*
One of the side effects of having a husband that regularly works overnight is being alone in bed at night. Some evenings, I miss my Babe and can't wait until he's home. I miss his warmness and being able to cuddle up to him. What I DON'T miss is Rich pushing his covers on top of me (he's always hot when he sleeps, I'm always cold - isn't that always the way?), him taking up most of the bed, and the snoring...Lordy, the snoring. When Rich is working, I take full advantage of having our bed to myself by sleeping on an angle with the heat cranked up. Having Luke sleep through the night in his crib is still a work in progress, so any night when Rich works and it's just me, and not me and Luke in bed, is a rare night.
Last Thursday, we got slammed with snow. Rich worked all night (lots of car accidents and downed power lines for FDNY to deal with in a major snowstorm) and Luke was asleep in his crib after a full, fun day. I headed for my empty bed, assuming I would be the only one in it. Kyle, our dog, faithfully followed me upstairs and settled down on his bed in our room. After about a minute of total and complete peace, Kyle got up and began pacing. This would normally make me nervous, especially when Rich isn't home, but I knew what the problem was. Kyle, in all of his pit bull glory...is afraid of wind. Seriously. The blowing of the wind freaks him out. He panics, and I imagine that he thinks the wind is out to get him. He will pace around our bed and then lay down on the hardwood floor next to Rich. It would almost be comical if it wasn't so pathetic.
So Thursday night was a tad windy. As in, 50 mile-per-hour winds blowing the snow around. Kyle was out of his mind with concern. His problem was now my problem, since he was making me very aware of his fear with his non-stop pacing. Kyle must have sensed my willingness to ignore him, because he then put his front paws up on the bed, very close to my head, and began to shake violently. Did I mention Kyle is 80 pounds? Yep, 80 pounds of dog shivering in fear, inches from my head. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't ignore that. Pushing him off the bed did nothing as he would just prop his paws back up and shake again. It was mucho dramatico, but I knew he was actually afraid, and I did what I had to do to get some sleep. I lifted his back paws up and hoisted my 80 lb.-pussycat-in-a-pitbull-body onto my bed. Kyle used to sleep on our bed before Luke came along, but has rarely been on it in the past three years. I think the combination of the thrill of being up on the bed again and the knowledge that he was next to his Mommy finally calmed him down, and the shivering and frantic panting eventually stopped...although the wind certainly didn't. Kyle cozied up next to me and we finally fell asleep.
My spacious bed was suddenly filled with a big ol' hairy, frightened dog. My chance to have the bed to myself was over, at least until Richie's next overnight. But I didn't mind too much. Kyle's snoring reminded me of Rich. And Kyle IS my first baby. So it was almost like having Rich and Luke in bed with me. While I may look forward to my nights alone in bed, I'm happiest when we are all together.
Me and Kyle on our bed, the weekend before I had Luke
Rich, newborn Luke and Kyle-with-glowy-eyes
xoxo, Momma Lioness Michele
One of the side effects of having a husband that regularly works overnight is being alone in bed at night. Some evenings, I miss my Babe and can't wait until he's home. I miss his warmness and being able to cuddle up to him. What I DON'T miss is Rich pushing his covers on top of me (he's always hot when he sleeps, I'm always cold - isn't that always the way?), him taking up most of the bed, and the snoring...Lordy, the snoring. When Rich is working, I take full advantage of having our bed to myself by sleeping on an angle with the heat cranked up. Having Luke sleep through the night in his crib is still a work in progress, so any night when Rich works and it's just me, and not me and Luke in bed, is a rare night.
Last Thursday, we got slammed with snow. Rich worked all night (lots of car accidents and downed power lines for FDNY to deal with in a major snowstorm) and Luke was asleep in his crib after a full, fun day. I headed for my empty bed, assuming I would be the only one in it. Kyle, our dog, faithfully followed me upstairs and settled down on his bed in our room. After about a minute of total and complete peace, Kyle got up and began pacing. This would normally make me nervous, especially when Rich isn't home, but I knew what the problem was. Kyle, in all of his pit bull glory...is afraid of wind. Seriously. The blowing of the wind freaks him out. He panics, and I imagine that he thinks the wind is out to get him. He will pace around our bed and then lay down on the hardwood floor next to Rich. It would almost be comical if it wasn't so pathetic.So Thursday night was a tad windy. As in, 50 mile-per-hour winds blowing the snow around. Kyle was out of his mind with concern. His problem was now my problem, since he was making me very aware of his fear with his non-stop pacing. Kyle must have sensed my willingness to ignore him, because he then put his front paws up on the bed, very close to my head, and began to shake violently. Did I mention Kyle is 80 pounds? Yep, 80 pounds of dog shivering in fear, inches from my head. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't ignore that. Pushing him off the bed did nothing as he would just prop his paws back up and shake again. It was mucho dramatico, but I knew he was actually afraid, and I did what I had to do to get some sleep. I lifted his back paws up and hoisted my 80 lb.-pussycat-in-a-pitbull-body onto my bed. Kyle used to sleep on our bed before Luke came along, but has rarely been on it in the past three years. I think the combination of the thrill of being up on the bed again and the knowledge that he was next to his Mommy finally calmed him down, and the shivering and frantic panting eventually stopped...although the wind certainly didn't. Kyle cozied up next to me and we finally fell asleep.
My spacious bed was suddenly filled with a big ol' hairy, frightened dog. My chance to have the bed to myself was over, at least until Richie's next overnight. But I didn't mind too much. Kyle's snoring reminded me of Rich. And Kyle IS my first baby. So it was almost like having Rich and Luke in bed with me. While I may look forward to my nights alone in bed, I'm happiest when we are all together.
Me and Kyle on our bed, the weekend before I had Luke
Rich, newborn Luke and Kyle-with-glowy-eyes
Best friends share the couch...
...and the yard
xoxo, Momma Lioness Michele
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Working Girl
The title of this post instantly brings to mind 2 thoughts:
(1) Melanie Griffith on the SI Ferry, headed into NYC and
(2) umm...shall we delicately say...a lady of the night? Are prostitutes still called that?
ANYway, I briefly was a Working Girl a few weeks ago, and I was neither Melanie Griffith nor a "professional" - though now that I think about it she did look pretty whorish in the scenes when she wasn't wearing white sneakers with giant-shouldered business suits. Hmm. I digress, let's get back on track here.
What I mean is, this week I got a chance to do something fun and different and get paid...again, not in THAT way. Ahem. Minds out of the gutter, people!
This week, I was given the chance to step out of my SAHM role and work outside my home. I am being very specific here because I want to make it very clear that being home with a 2 year old IS work, ALL THE TIME. However, this week I got to leave my sweats at home, slap on some make-up, and head into the Big Apple. Oh, one more thing - the make-up part? I actually bought new mascara for this week, since I hadn't used my old one in a month (why would I?) & I was betting it was pretty gross inside that tube. So, hello - not only did I wear mascara, but I actually bought a new one. Win-win for me! That is what brings me excitement these days. So you're probably getting a better handle on how thrilled I was to be out and about 3 nights in a row this week, in the greatest city evah!
The first 2 nights I participated in a workshop sort-of program with 11 other women. We eventually found out that it was sponsored by L'Oreal. What I got paid to do was sit with other chicks and talk about skincare, make-up and haircare. We also spoke about the term "beauty" and what it means. We talked about why we buy what we buy, and we analyzed magazine ads and TV commercials and discussed what grabs us and what bothers us about them. It was a long project - 6 hours total (3 hours, 2 nights in a row) and what we spoke of was really eye-opening to all. I see the ads and commercials, but I never really thought about how they affect what I buy, and how much is soaking in. And the airbrushing - Dear God, the airbrushing that goes into these ads! Most of them might as well be showing mannequins wearing make-up, that's how fake many models look.
And us real women notice that, not-so-slick Marketing Peeps. FYI.
It was a funky mix of women, some were fellow Stay at Home Moms, some were true Career Women, and the rest a mix of what's in between. We had no problem stating our opinion, and we had a great time interacting. We all got along so well that the moderator put together an online group for us as a way to stay in touch, which was way cool of him. We walked away from this workshop with the opinion that those who market skincare, make-up and haircare still have alot to learn in terms of what us real-life gals want to look like. I was happy to be a part of spreading that awareness. I was also happy to make $350 for hanging out with some terrific women and talking - Holla!
The 3rd night of my working week, I worked with a dear friend of ours that owns a catering business. I helped out at a cocktail party by passing around the yummies. It was fun to be in a party atmosphere - I haven't been to a cocktail party in ages! The party people were always happy to see me heading towards them with a tray of deliciousness, and I didn't even mind the clean-up. I feel like I'm forever cleaning up, and this time I was getting paid to do it. I know I'm "paid" at home with my family's love, and Rich takes care of us financially, but I was happy to go home that night with some good ol' cash!
So, I was a Working Girl, again. Temporarily. It was fun. I was happy for the change of pace. But I missed this face too much, even in those brief hours, to think I am ready to give up this SAHM gig I got going on right now:
xoxo, Momma Lioness Michele
(1) Melanie Griffith on the SI Ferry, headed into NYC and
(2) umm...shall we delicately say...a lady of the night? Are prostitutes still called that?
ANYway, I briefly was a Working Girl a few weeks ago, and I was neither Melanie Griffith nor a "professional" - though now that I think about it she did look pretty whorish in the scenes when she wasn't wearing white sneakers with giant-shouldered business suits. Hmm. I digress, let's get back on track here.
What I mean is, this week I got a chance to do something fun and different and get paid...again, not in THAT way. Ahem. Minds out of the gutter, people!
This week, I was given the chance to step out of my SAHM role and work outside my home. I am being very specific here because I want to make it very clear that being home with a 2 year old IS work, ALL THE TIME. However, this week I got to leave my sweats at home, slap on some make-up, and head into the Big Apple. Oh, one more thing - the make-up part? I actually bought new mascara for this week, since I hadn't used my old one in a month (why would I?) & I was betting it was pretty gross inside that tube. So, hello - not only did I wear mascara, but I actually bought a new one. Win-win for me! That is what brings me excitement these days. So you're probably getting a better handle on how thrilled I was to be out and about 3 nights in a row this week, in the greatest city evah!
The first 2 nights I participated in a workshop sort-of program with 11 other women. We eventually found out that it was sponsored by L'Oreal. What I got paid to do was sit with other chicks and talk about skincare, make-up and haircare. We also spoke about the term "beauty" and what it means. We talked about why we buy what we buy, and we analyzed magazine ads and TV commercials and discussed what grabs us and what bothers us about them. It was a long project - 6 hours total (3 hours, 2 nights in a row) and what we spoke of was really eye-opening to all. I see the ads and commercials, but I never really thought about how they affect what I buy, and how much is soaking in. And the airbrushing - Dear God, the airbrushing that goes into these ads! Most of them might as well be showing mannequins wearing make-up, that's how fake many models look.
And us real women notice that, not-so-slick Marketing Peeps. FYI.
It was a funky mix of women, some were fellow Stay at Home Moms, some were true Career Women, and the rest a mix of what's in between. We had no problem stating our opinion, and we had a great time interacting. We all got along so well that the moderator put together an online group for us as a way to stay in touch, which was way cool of him. We walked away from this workshop with the opinion that those who market skincare, make-up and haircare still have alot to learn in terms of what us real-life gals want to look like. I was happy to be a part of spreading that awareness. I was also happy to make $350 for hanging out with some terrific women and talking - Holla!
The 3rd night of my working week, I worked with a dear friend of ours that owns a catering business. I helped out at a cocktail party by passing around the yummies. It was fun to be in a party atmosphere - I haven't been to a cocktail party in ages! The party people were always happy to see me heading towards them with a tray of deliciousness, and I didn't even mind the clean-up. I feel like I'm forever cleaning up, and this time I was getting paid to do it. I know I'm "paid" at home with my family's love, and Rich takes care of us financially, but I was happy to go home that night with some good ol' cash!
So, I was a Working Girl, again. Temporarily. It was fun. I was happy for the change of pace. But I missed this face too much, even in those brief hours, to think I am ready to give up this SAHM gig I got going on right now:
xoxo, Momma Lioness Michele
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Me & My Mac: We're Ba-ack!
Soooo....it's been awhile since I've blogged. I think of blogging often, but somehow get around to doing it less than I want to. The December holiday craziness didn't help AT ALL, and thankfully that is over for another year. As things were settling down, my Mac decided I wasn't going to blog for a little while longer, and followed through on that decision by blowing itself up. On New Year's Eve, this little bitch o' mine sent me 2 giant middle fingers and closed up shop. I know why, too.
You see, I pushed my Mac too far this past December. I tried to do as much of the holiday stuff as I could online. I had anywhere from 2-10 windows open at all times, comparing gifts, prices, etc. My poor Mac was pushed to its limit, and gave me all it had, but then gave up the fight. I blame myself.
You see, I pushed my Mac too far this past December. I tried to do as much of the holiday stuff as I could online. I had anywhere from 2-10 windows open at all times, comparing gifts, prices, etc. My poor Mac was pushed to its limit, and gave me all it had, but then gave up the fight. I blame myself.
My Mac was simply showing me who's boss. That I may be the one who pushes the buttons, both literally and figuratively, but the Mac, the Mac is truly in charge around here.
I've learned the lesson, my dear Mac - and yes, have now started sweet-talking it - anything to keep it running smoothly. Momma hears ya.
But this lesson didn't come cheap, financially or mentally. After my husband heroically restored the hard drive (I have no clue how, I just thank God and the dude at Best Buy that worked him through it), we found that we lost about 2 months of information. Some fantastic internet buddies - especially Adam of www.dadarocks.com - gave me information on trying to restore what we lost, so we'll try those recommendations. The thought of not recovering lost photos of a friend's wedding, Luke's first airplane ride, his first trip to Florida and Halloween (of course this is the only year I didn't have professional shots done, so I have very few photos of my little Horsie) breaks my heart. And makes me pissed off that I didn't do more to preserve them. We're addressing that now, by backing up more on the external hard drive and burning CDs of photos, but the damage is done.
And the Mac? Well, this lil darlin' of mine gets shut down for its beauty sleep every night. I don't push it to work too hard for too long anymore, and I make more effort to preserve what is precious. Hmm...a full night's sleep, not being overworked, and taking care of what is loved? Turns out, what is important for my Mac is important to me too. Speaking of what's important to me...
xoxo, Momma Lioness Michele
Friday, December 4, 2009
Baked
You thought this post was gonna be about some crazy pot-smoking related adventure, didn't you? Sorry, wrong type of blog for that! I almost titled this "One 'L' of a Cookie" - still confusing, right? Let me explain...
What I meant was - sometime in the week before Thanksgiving, we baked. Chocolate chip cookies...er, I mean cookie.
That's right. I molded Luke a giant, massive, tremendous cookie in the shape of an "L". He recently learned how to spell his name, and I wanted to reinforce this.
It's the size of his head!
OK, that's bull. We were having a great time and I wanted to make something special for him. He thought the big L cookie was pretty cool. Then I told him that the cookie was all his, he could actually eat his giant L chocolate-chip cookie. I don't think he knew that it was actually edible. He kind of lost his mind when he realized it was all his. He looked like this:
Which, of course, makes it all worthwhile. Until the sugar high Luke got from eating even a corner of this monster cookie faded, and he crashed. Hard.
Still worth it though. Look at that smile!
What I meant was - sometime in the week before Thanksgiving, we baked. Chocolate chip cookies...er, I mean cookie.
That's right. I molded Luke a giant, massive, tremendous cookie in the shape of an "L". He recently learned how to spell his name, and I wanted to reinforce this.
It's the size of his head!
OK, that's bull. We were having a great time and I wanted to make something special for him. He thought the big L cookie was pretty cool. Then I told him that the cookie was all his, he could actually eat his giant L chocolate-chip cookie. I don't think he knew that it was actually edible. He kind of lost his mind when he realized it was all his. He looked like this:
Which, of course, makes it all worthwhile. Until the sugar high Luke got from eating even a corner of this monster cookie faded, and he crashed. Hard.
Still worth it though. Look at that smile!
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