You turned ten on May 15 and here we are on June 1. Time flies so quickly I can hardly believe it.
Just over a decade ago I was a 200 lb woman about to give birth to a 10lb 3oz baby.
I remember overhearing the nurses at Grace Hospital, talking amongst themselves right after you were born. A ten pounder! they said excitedly. I was too groggy to realize what this meant, but I know now that I should have been given a special medal for birthing someone of your girth.
You head was so big you had to be hoovered out of me. That’s okay. I forgive you, but please remember that when I ask you to clean your room.
When we brought you home from the hospital we didn’t really know what do to with you, so we did the only thing we could think of: take photos. Daddy thought it’d be funny to lay you down on the floor next to a ten-pound watermelon for scale.
It’s been a long time since you’ve been my baby. These years have gone by so quickly. The days are long and the years are short.
I brought you to my photo lighting class last week to act as my model for some studio portrait-taking practice. I’m glad I did. As I look at the many photos from that day I can still see traces of your baby face. It’s a face I’ve been looking at for a long time, with as much worry and love that a heart can muster.
You are an immensely likable person Emma. You are kind, patient, generous, and keen to try new things. You’re fun-loving, big-hearted and goofy. (I wonder who you get that from?) Our portrait-session reminded me that we should have more one-on-one time together. For some reason it doesn’t happen as often as I would like.
I promised myself I wouldn’t write too much in this space because I don’t want to embarrass you too much (I’ll save that when the boys start a’callin’) so I will leave it at that.
There’s a special place in my heart for you – my first born girl – and I love you very much.
There was a recent Twitter-based discussion which I thought deserved a few more opinions.
Imagine this scene. You’re pushing your child on the swing. You give him/her a big push, the kind that has you walking under the swing while the kid (presumably still in the swing) is overhead.
There is a special term for this.
I’ve always called it an underdoggie. Easterners seem to call it an underduck. What is it where you’re from?
One thing that caused me to roll my eyeballs in my pre-child days was labelling, as in, crazy people waving their label-makers around and using them as weapons against chaos.
Then, guess what, kids came along, school started, and we started losing stuff. Suddenly the Martha army didn’t seem so loony. THEY HAD A POINT AFTER ALL.
I’ve tried products from two different label companies over the past year or so and wanted to share the info with you. Please note, each sample pack was sent to me gratis, although I was under no obligation to write anything about them.
1) Mabel’s Labels have a cult following in the momosphere. I had the opportunity to meet the co-founder Julie Cole last year. She is hip and gorgeous and a smart lady who has a keen understanding of what it means to be a mom and the need to keep track of stuff. :)
We’ve used Mabel’s bag tags and have had success with their other labels too. (They come in a variety of sizes). I can’t tell you how many times they’ve come in handy. I’ve labelled our SIGG water bottles (they are $$ and I never want to lose one), winter gear, boots and shoes, pencils … man, I even stuck a label on Emma’s recorder the other day. EVERYTHING HAS BEEN LABELLED. My one complaint: their clipart-like selection of graphics is a little ho hum. And then there’s the font. I’m a font snob. I wonder why designers of children’s products seldom venture into bold territory that isn’t already covered by Comic Sans.
2) Oliver’s Labels are four-colour labels. The labels themselves have the same stickability and wear as Mabel’s (which is, in a word, excellent). Label design is a little different (although my font issue is the same) and they’re okay, but I’m looking for something a little more contemporary. What sets Oliver’s apart is their online lost and found system. Labels have a tracking code which, if found, connects the lost item to you item via your email address. I think that’s pretty cool.
So there you go. Have you tried either of these products? Or do you have a label-maker of your own? Or maybe you think labelling is only for disorganized Martha wanabees? :)
