My Writings. My Thoughts.
walking smartie pants
// April 12th, 2010 // No Comments » // Mariah, Motherhood
i’m not one of those moms who writes monthly letters to her child. and sometimes i feel guilty about it. i should be recording the milestones and sharing wonderful words of wisdom with her that she’ll look back on and read with tears in her eyes. but then i remember that monthly (and later yearly) letters are NOT a requirement of motherhood and i take a million pictures to help jog my memory, right? besides, as a a working mom i barely even have time to write a few blog posts a week some weeks and my book club book is being neglected.
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.
follow friday: decor8
// April 9th, 2010 // No Comments » // follow friday
every morning i look forward to seeing the feeds in my reader from {decor8}. it was one of the first decor and design blogs i started following. holly becker is the founder and editor and has been compiling art, design and decor posts since 2006. i love seeing what she and her current guest writer post. it keeps me in the loop as to what’s fresh and in style – and i frequently need that reminder!
the big LAUNCH
// April 5th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Uncategorized
i did it! it’s official!
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!
working mommy woes
// March 29th, 2010 // No Comments » // Motherhood
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.
allow me to brag
// March 28th, 2010 // No Comments » // Photo of the Week
i had a fantastic photoshoot today with amanda and bj and their two little boys. i’m learning SO much as i build my portfolio. and this shot makes me proud. i’m not usually one to be proud of photos being the perfectionist that i am. but this one – i am.
