i thought being at home for the summer would lead to more frequent posting. quite the opposite. even though mariah now takes one nap that gives me 2-3 hours to myself, i spend it doing other things. my photography business items take over, as does cleaning, reading a good book or other’s blogs, or taking a much needed nap myself. not to mention our site was hacked twice now and inserting pictures is a big headache now for some reason.

i’m so enjoying being home with mariah. we have a nice little routine of getting out of the house every morning for a walk/run, playground, errands, zoo….etc. followed by lunch, nap and playtime. having the little pond right behind our house is great for those crabby moments. one lap around and she’s just fine.

i don’t know how i’m going to go back to work in august! leaving a four month old last year wasn’t hard at all. she mostly ate and slept and made cute faces and noises. now everything has changed. she’s soaking up information like a sponge and it already breaks my heart to leave her with someone else. i want to be the one who teaches her new words and colors and shapes and morals and obedience. maybe i’m just being selfish and my need for control is coming through, but maybe in this case that’s ok.

mariah had her 15 month check up today (a little late b/c i kept forgetting to schedule). we had to see a different doctor b/c i’m a slacker, but he was so impressed with her. he asked if she had 1-2 words other than mama and dada that we understood. we counted a few weeks ago and she had 30!!! she’s been rapidly adding to that every day.

he also said she’s doing very well socially and was impressed she didn’t cry or squirm during her exam. then she wow’ed me by not crying at the first shot, wimpering just a bit for the second, and then just a few tears on the last one. she’s never done that before!

she’s getting so grown up i can hardly stand it, but i sure do love it!

and for those of you interested in stats: 30 inches (30th percentile) & 24lbs. (65th percentile)

he may not blog here, but blogging is his second job. when big news hits, he spends some quality time like this:

nick created {htcsource.com} 3 years ago and it’s really starting to take off. he writes all about htc phones, operating systems and applications. for awhile he was writing for three other cell phone blogs and getting paid as long as he averaged 6 per week. sadly, that company was new and didn’t realize how long it takes a blog to get going and gain readers. just this month those jobs ended, but he’s picked up with another android blog where he writes less and makes about the same amount.

not only does he get paid to write and generate revenue from ads on his site, he gets to travel as well! this year he’s taken quite a few trips in order to get the inside scoop on phones and network: he was in vegas for CES (consumer electronics show) in january where he got to see WAY more than phones. a launch event in new york for sprint. and most recently google invited him to their big technology event and gave him a free phone!

speaking of free phones, nick has those quite often now. companies ship him phones to play with for two weeks. he then writes a nice long review of them and ships them back. last week he had five phones in his possession!

i love the extra money blogging brings in to our home, but more importantly i love that nick gets to do something he loves. he’s always been a technology geek and this is the perfect outlet for him. he gets to incorporate his web and graphic design into the job as well which is something he’s always enjoyed.

what’s a little strange to me is how he’s developed these online friendships with other cell phone bloggers. they have a weekly podcast to talk phone technology and chat during the week on google chat.  they even had meet ups at some of their events. meeting face to face for the first time after already forming friendships. funny how our world lets us meet that way today.

and what do i get out of all this? over the years i’ve learned more about phones than i could ever imagine. i’m now the go-to gal for cell phone advice in the office. nick has helped me become quite savvy when it comes to phones (and computers).

]]> http://www.nicknrachel.com/?feed=rss2&p=1304 1 http://www.nicknrachel.com/?p=1300 http://www.nicknrachel.com/?p=1300#comments Mon, 07 Jun 2010 02:37:59 +0000 admin http://www.nicknrachel.com/?p=1300 let’s pretend i wrote this last weekend. when it was actually our anniversary…

five years ago i married the man of my dreams. five years. the first little milestone. ok, maybe the second. year one is the first i suppose.

five years ago…

i was tan!  look at that picture. wow. my years of tanning beds are long gone. i should really see a dermatologist.

i had only left the country once before. nick took me to italy when we were engaged. now my travels include barbados, argentina, france, switzerland…

i was still a student who swore she’d never be one of “those people” who worked at north central right after graduation. God has a sense of humor. and i love my job!

the prices of homes were still incredibly high and we couldn’t predict the drop. we were celebrating our first anniversary as homeowners. now we’re here for the long haul.

we thought we’d just now be trying to have children. i never expected to get baby fever so soon. so glad we didn’t wait!

the plan was to take a 5 year cruise to celebrate. i couldn’t bring myself to leave mariah for that long considering i’d never even left her overnight.

instead we did dinner downtown and stayed in the W hotel. it was a wonderful night. just us. thinking back on the last few years and dreaming about what the next 5 might bring.

to restore:

• return to its original or usable and functioning condition
• regenerate: return to life; get or give new life or energy
• give or bring back
• repair: restore by replacing a part or putting together what is torn or broken
• bring back into original existence, use, function, or position

i need all of those.

why?

maybe it’s being a mom. lots of people say being a mom changes how you take care of yourself. i focus on my daughter and her needs before mine. my world usually revolves around her.

maybe it’s nick working so many hours combined with motherhood. it left me drained. maybe it’s that when i have free time i spend it working on my photography business. website, blog, design, contracts, networking….. maybe it’s lack of sleep. or not taking vitamins. or the fact that my class is finished and work is slow.

it’s all of those combined i’m sure. i haven’t given myself time for myself. i think about it. i know i need it. but i don’t give myself any time. i need a pedicure, massage, bubble bath.  something to relax and bring restoration.

but honestly, those things might help momentarily at best. i’m finding that i rely my own strength too much. WAY too much. and no amount of quiet time, massage or bath time is really going to bring me back. i need to rely on God. i can’t tell you the last time i read my bible. i mean really read it. i get a daily verse on my phone every morning, but i just read it. i just see the words. i need restoration in Him in addition to all those nice girly things.

hopefully i don’t keep putting it off.

but today, i’ll record some milestones.  it’s slow at work and i might not remember to put them in the baby book this week since nick has been forced to put in 11 hour days and work weekends and the house is a mess.

**

mariah is walking!  she’d been taking a few steps independently since last week, but after 3 (5 max) she’d end up on her butt and crawl. now she’s going for it.

she’s walking around like a little zombie. her elbows are bent and her hands are open and straight in front of her for balance. she’s wobbly so her whole body shifts side to side. and she’s concentrating so hard that her face is all scrunched up. yes. a zombie. *note to self: record video*

she’s also talking up a storm. the usual babbling that most kids do, but i believe she does it in excess. i LOVE to hear her playing by herself talking and giggling away. sometimes there’s a cute little “ohhh” when she discovers something fascinating i guess. this morning she played with a stuffed duck in the car and i’d like to think she was showing him and telling him all about what was out the window. then she’d kiss him, giggle and “shake” him while saying “ah ah ah”. not sure what that means.

her current vocabulary: dada, mama, ball, kuck (duck), keykey (kitty), baby, gog (dog). i LOVE when she says baby. it’s long and drawn out and so sweet. “baaabyyy” melts my heart.

what i might love the most is that she understands what we say – which is tied to the memory i suppose. she has a fantastic memory and must be soaking up information like crazy. she remembers where a ball once was, that a particular magazine has a picture of a baby or dog, he knows what shoes are and that they go on her feet, that putting on a coat means “bye bye”…and she knows when we hide the pacifer. stinker!

last night i said, “mariah, it’s time to change your diaper” and she went to the changing table and handed me a diaper. genius!

we made monkey noises when reading a jungle book and now she says “ah ah ah” when she reads it.

**

um…i just thought of like 8 more stories, but i’ll spare you. i need to just save one or two good ones for their own entries. otherwise i might be writing all day.

rachel gray photography is here:

on the list of careers i’d love to have, photographer has been at the top for a long time (along with teacher and wedding planner and more recently professional organizer).  when mariah was born i was behind my camera more than ever and worked on fine tuning my technical skills.

then i discovered that professional photographers have blogs. remember {this post?} not sure how i didn’t know about that until last fall, but i’m glad i know now. i started following a bunch in my google reader and have learned more than i could have imagined.  i’ve poured over great works of art, learned technical skills and also learned how to start a stable photography business.

i know that by the time we have kid #2 (not yet, in a little while) i’ll need to stay home. i mean i’d love to stay home now, but i still make money. nick keeps telling me i should come up with a way to make some cash while i stay home. that got the wheels turning. once my wheels start turning, if i’m into it i go for it.

i was into it. i kept going……

i began building my portfolio, got a business tax ID number, decided on a logo and overall look of the company, figured out prices, continued to improve my skills, designed business cards, found a professional photo lab, built a facebook fan page, put up a simple splash page for my website…..

there’s still more  i want to do, but it can’t all be done right this minute. those bigger dreams will have to wait.

but i’m ready now.  i’m ready to launch!

while i’m home this summer i’ll be test driving the work-at-home-mom role. i can’t wait!!!

so spread the word. tell your friends. become a facebook fan.

i’m offering 50% off session prices and digital images while i get started so take advantage of it now!

]]> http://www.nicknrachel.com/?feed=rss2&p=1284 1 http://www.nicknrachel.com/?p=1282 http://www.nicknrachel.com/?p=1282#comments Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:19:41 +0000 Rachel http://www.nicknrachel.com/?p=1282 rough morning today. mariah is starting to cry when i leave her at daycare. i mean, she gets over it pretty fast because by the time i’m around the corner she’s usually done. today it took her a little longer. (i waited and listened – why do i do that to myself?)

she also needs lots of snuggles before i leave her. well, she needs snuggles even when i’m playing with her or even near her – she melts my heart.

and because she melts my heart and needs me (and sometimes wants me more than daddy) i have a hard time leaving her at daycare some mornings.

this was one of those mornings.

and as i drove i away, i got to thinking. thinking about all the things she’s learning. her new words: ball, duck (kuck), bubble. how she knows how to kiss baby dolls. how she lifts up her shirt to find her belly button when you ask her where it is.  and the fact that she took 5 steps in the kitchen this weekend.  i was thinking about those things because i’ve found out that she’s learned all of them from daycare. i think we teach her, but then i discover they’ve been working with her on it, or they’ve been playing with babies and finding their bellybuttons.

that’s what school is supposed to do, right? teach your children?  but i want to teach her. i want to be the first person to see her discover a bellybutton and take steps on her own. *sigh* i thought being a working mom was hard before. now she’s learning so much and i get to see it second hand. i’m not even with her enough hours in the day to teach her things. we get 45 minutes in the morning and an hour and a half at night. (i’m not counting our car rides, because what can you do from the front seat of the car really?)

it’s one of those days when i want to stay home SO BAD.

hopefully it passes like it usually does.

right now many of the posts are about new products and designs which i like to look at both for the graphic designs AND the photos that are placed on them. most of the products are on letterpress. i drool over letterpress and i can’t wait until my business cards and marketing materials can be that luxurious.

what i’ve found particularly helpful as i start things up and jump into the professional photography world are the posts about branding. they give readers a sneak peak into companies that are re-branding. not only do we get to see some of the products, we get to hear a little bit of the story behind the brand.

luxecetera helps me dream. i dream of letterpress and a thriving business that is branded perfectly. *sigh* one day…

living in minnesota means shoes are not worn in the house. so in our teeny little entryway are a dozen or more pairs of shoes to trip over. we put together some IKEA as is pieces for a make shift shoe rack a long time ago. last year for valentine’s day we purchased the shelf, vase and photo to try and spruce things up a bit. but  it was time for a change.

so we finally purchased the HEMNES shoe cabinet from IKEA to help cut down on the clutter. i’m in love with how it looks. hiding all our shoes is fantastic!

my handyman working hard.

final result. clutter free.

some music is so relaxing that you imagine yourself on a beach, or in a steamy bubble bath.  or it might just help to create a calm and peaceful feeling. i’m moved in this way whenever i hear enya. i can always unwind when listening to enya and i find myself picturing calm skies or ocean waves, but usually i find myself thinking about rolling green hills since i know it’s celtic music.

does anyone else see their own personal music video play out that correspond to the lyrics of a song? i certainly do. and i’d like to think i’m not crazy for doing this. in high school when mtv actually played music videos, i was a fan (shhh…don’t tell my mom). i dreamed of being a back up dancer – but that’s a whole different post. anyway…i see my own videos play out when i hear a song. you should see what i’ve put together for taylor swift’s love story. if i could actually produce and direct it, i’d be rich.

wait. are music video producers rich?

but the most amazing way music can transport you is the when you go back in time. a song you haven’t heard in ages plays and you can see yourself exactly in the spot you heard it for the first time or you remember that school dance or sleepover.

on friday i walked into a co-worker’s office and heard a song i know i haven’t heard since high school. i was instantly back in daniel porter’s red carpeted bedroom. i could see his large “stereo system” in it’s cabinet and guitar cord poster on the wall. i sat on the bed, he sat in a chair – was it a desk chair or just a chair? i can’t remember. and we talked. and talked. and talked.

the song was by burlap to cashmere. you know the one that goes something like “dickety, dickety, die, die, die. dickety, dickety, die”.  (don’t quote me on that)  i had to ask my coworker who sang it because i was drawing a blank while i sat in daniel’s bedroom. daniel was the first to introduce me to the band. and many other bands. i’d grown up listening to contemporary christian music and then transitioned into boy bands and rap (don’t judge).  i had no idea about any other type of music. daniel opened my eyes. he opened my eyes to all kinds of things. family dynamics, outside the box ways of thinking, a different perspective  on christianity. not only was i taken back to his room, but i left my coworker’s office thinking about what a wonderful friend daniel was. funny how music can bring so much back.

then i was teleported again this morning. dave matthews. don’t listen to him much, but i was no longer in my jetta, i was in my gray 199o subaru legacy that i shouldn’t drive on the freeway because it might break down. it was a summer night, windows down, music blaring on the way to laura’s house. *sigh*

i wonder what song will take me away next?

can you believe it? mariah turns one in twelve days!  it’s flown by. i miss those itty bitty newborn days, but i love seeing her little personality, hearing her sweet voice, and getting slobbery kisses.

these are the invites i made for her party in two weeks. i found cheap notecards at target on clearance and added the paper to the front. the nice cursive is nick’s.  mine’s still stuck in fifth grade – the last time i used it. i hand wrote the information on the inside which took quite some time, but it adds a more personal touch i suppose.

i’m going to attempt making tissue paper poms to hang from the ceiling and bake up something yummy. hope those both turn out ok.

i can’t remember exactly how i came across this photographer’s blog because i add new ones to my reader CONSTANTLY to help me find inspiration. however, i’ve been pouring over this one over the lasts few days.

{davina} is a wedding and portrait photographer located in charlotte, north carolina. gorgeous photos of couples in love and on their wedding day. some of the emotions she’s able to capture blows my mind and certainly makes me want to improve my own photography skills and creative eye.

i’ve been reading through her {women and business} series to gain insight into the photography business. i’m finally taking the leap into the professional photography world (more on that another day) and i want all the insight i can get. these interviews with women, mostly moms, who took their passion and made it a career are inspiring me as i get started.  once i save up a bit, i might need to buy one of her {kits} to teach me some of her own methods.

this is a great blog for photographers to follow for business tips as well as for those of you wanting some beautiful photos to peruse through.

while he’s been in pain every time he moves positions and i really do feel bad for him, there’s a little part of me that get’s excited because it means i win at yoga. but that little part is quickly shut down when i have to do the rest of p90x alone. and then it’s silenced again when i am the only one who can chase mariah around, pick her up, put her to bed…..all nick can do is sit still and hold her or lay on the floor and play with her.

yesterday, he did our taxes (for WAY too long) while standing at the fireplace. he needed to keep ice on his back per the chiropractor’s recommendation, so he got creative:

a baggie of ice attached with one of the p90x bands!  it worked i guess.

today it’s heat on the back and he seems to be doing better.  a trip to the chiropractor will need to happen again since he can’t straighten his back. i hope he gets better soon so i’m not doing all the work around here.

this commercial was on during the olympics last weekend and nick and i laughed out loud the entire time.  hilarious if you ask me!

oh wait, it is a big deal.  i want to be back to at least my pre-pregnancy weight (i’m stuck at 10lbs. to go) and i’d LOVE to be the same size  i was when i got married. and it’s totally possible.  i just have to put in the effort.  i need a plan.  i need motivation.

i think i found the solution.

the plan: {p90x}.

i look at it this way. it’s just 90 days. that’s it.  not a “lifetime commitment”, although i’d like to continue working out moderately after these 90 days. it’s different from jillian michaels’ 30 day shred because this workout has variety. 12 different workouts.  jillian was making me do the same thing for 10 days before moving on to the next thing. not my cup of tea.

not only do i have the workout to get me going, i asked nick to join me. nick and i have never worked out together. i  do the lose weight thing at a gym normally. no need for him to do that one – he’s got no weight to lose. he does the train for a marathon or 250 mile relay race and then stop working out until the next goal.

but this time he’s joining me. p90x can be tailored for fat moms like me who need to shed pounds AND can work for skinny dads who want to look beefy. (beefy? hmmm maybe not the best word choice)

anyway, we’re both committed. for 90 days.

so far after two days i’m getting a bit competitive and i’d like everyone to know that i’m beating him. ok, maybe i just know how to pace myself, but i can keep going when nick is collapsed on the floor. therefore, i win.

i’ll spare you the jiggly before photos of myself for now. once i look like this ripped lady i’ll show you how dramatic my transformation was but i’ll give you some warning to prevent any vomiting.

this time my plan will work. no more writing about how i’m starting something new or unhappy with my weight. this is it. i’m going for it!

he bought me an orchid! i’ve been wanting one for years, but afraid to buy one since i’m a plant killer. this one is gorgeous and is the perfect addition to our home, so i need to take extra special care of it. apparently the kind i have is the easiest to grow indoors. *whew*

after i gasped at the orchid on the table, i opened a bag with a garlic press inside. i had told him surprises and presents for me can be simple things “like the garlic press we need”. he said a garlic press isn’t a present. not the kind he wants to give anyway. but he gave it as a joke.

then he tricked me into thinking the orchid was leaking water. i went to check…and pearls were hiding in the pot! a freshwater pearl bracelet!

that night he surprised me with dinner at {mission american kitchen} downtown. decent food, but probably not worth the price. we’d never been before so i was excited, but had better food elsewhere. not sure we’ll be back.

the last surprise of the night was to see RENT. i had hoped that’s what we were doing. i saw ads on bus stops a few months back and had given nick {the info}, but didn’t know if it was enough of a hint. guess it was!

the show was incredible. i laughed. i cried. i sang along in my head to every song. my only regret is that we didn’t get there early enough for closer seats. but it’s a very very minor regret.

my favorite actor was harley wood who played roger. his voice was phenomenal! i may need to check out a show with his band {far from falling} that plays in the area. but the other actors were all pretty good. remember paris bennett from american idol a few years ago?  she was in the chorus and her mom played joanne. those two ladies can SING! the only one i didn’t like was the guy who played collins. eh. he was just average compared to the rest of them, but still good.

the show is playing through the end of this month. if you like RENT or rock music and theater, you should see it. {website here}.

so yeah, nick wins. i just bought him a pair of shoes and a wallet. next year i’ll have to plan dinner and the date. hmmm….  good thing i have an entire year to prepare.

normally it’s not that bad. nick has some pants down there and my old ballet leotards and skirts made it to the floor with everything. usually it’s like this:

oh what? you can’t tell a difference?  hmmm…..yeah, it usually doesn’t look very good.

i started with the purses. those were over there in the right corner.

i hung six small 3M command adhesive hooks.  on the wall behind the door.

then viola! all purses in plain sight. they might actually get used now.

next, it was time for the shoes.  i purchased this over the door rack from target for $7.99

viola! shoes off the floor.

i also had room to add belts and pashminas. i have to let you know that these are NOT all my shoes. the shoes in my closet are normally the “off season” shoes or shoes i wear very little. my everyday and most common shoes are down by the garage door. (those before and afters coming soon)

remember the before?

now it’s bare.

ok, not really. that black box contains clothes i have faith i’ll fit into again one day. and the stool i now need to access my purses and shoes since i’m only 5′2. and soon the dirty clothes baskets will return. they were out for laundry day.

when she was first born i was high on some new mommy chemical or something. even though i was feeding every 2.5-3 hours, i could keep going. i mean, there may have been something in the fact that we had visitors and help for 2 straight weeks and i took lots of naps. but she was a perfect angel. the world’s easiest baby. all my fears of being able to be a good mommy were gone.

then after our travels to italy around 2.5 months, things got a little tricky. sleep through the night was now hit or miss for the first time. but at {3 months} things seemed to click. then at 4 months with the start of daycare, pneumonia, and teeth it got ugly. 6 months i think was happy (kind of a blur). from there it was up and down weekly daily.

between colds and sickness every month, lack of sleep at daycare, teething, tummy aches from grown up food, learning new skills…. sleep has been rare. then i get crabby. then i write posts like {this one}

but then she catches up on sleep, gets over a cold, the tooth breaks through and we see our easy baby again. and i feel the joy of motherhood.

she told us a BIG story at the dinner table saturday night. something that included “poof” and her hands on her head and then behind her ears. we kept trying to figure it out and keep her talking. “is mommy’s hair poofy?” “did you poop?” finally she picked up some food, put it behind her ear, brought her hands out and said “poof”. OH! she was telling us about her magic trick!

today i noticed how much her hands had grown and it put things into perspective. during these happy moments i need to treasure them and drink them in so i can hold onto them in the rough moments. because she’s growing up too fast to get stuck in the hard times.

next time she’s screaming for two hours in the night, i need to think back to her cute little magic trick story.

there was nothing good on tv, so nick and i were on hulu catching up on SNL digital shorts. we came across {jizzed in my pants} which we’d seen before, but watched again anyway. *warning* it’s highly inappropriate. grandma: do not watch it! while i think it’s funny and all, i think it’s funnier because when i first saw it i thought he was saying “shizzed in my pants”. it would not be as naughty if he was pooping his pants. poop is MUCH funnier.

after watching it i again decided to figure out how to send the suggestion for “shiz in my pants” to SNL. but nick shot that idea down saying i needed to make it myself. then we did a little youtube research to see if it had already been done.

it has been done.

and so well!

i almost died of laughter.

pooping will always be funny. always. no matter how old you are.

but just so you know, it’s not as funny the second time around.