Announcing.....!!

....the arrival of our new baby girl:

Marlowe Grace
Born July 17 at 4:12am.
Weighed 7 lbs 15 ozs.
21 inches long
Beautiful and healthy


3 days old

My sister and Grace made the midnight journey from Burlington/Bellingham WA to be at the birth as they both did to be at Evanie's birth. Marlowe beat their arrival by about 30 minutes but I'm so thankful they came and spent the first day with us.


Second day, cuddles with my girls.


Third day, more cuddles. We're going to keep this tradition alive to infinity.




Sister chats. Evanie loooooooves her sister.

The only "just been born" picture we got of Marlowe on our camera is the one with Diana and Grace. Due to the speed of Marlowe's entry into the world, taking pictures was not front and center on anyone's mind and all hands present were quite busy. I'll write more about her arrival in another post. Today, I just want everyone to know that she is here!

Hair NO More

I'm a hairy girl.

It's a sad but true fact of my life. During pregnancy this transforms into Saskwatch like hair growth. It just grows. And grows. And because I already feel obese and stretched and anything but feminine, I don't keep up with it as well as I should. It's shameful. So in the past 3 weeks I've gotten my upper lip sugared (with a free coupon) and my eyebrows threaded for $5.

My mantra is "DOWN with the facial hair!"

The sugaring was a fun experience. I mean about as fun as one can make the experience of yanking out hair by the roots. There was music and the lights were dimmed and a fountain. The fountain actually made Evanie pee her pants but...can't have it all easy now can we. It hurt but then she packed this nasty green mud on my lip and it was cool and soothing and took away almost all of that tell tale glowing red that screams, "Hey I'm a woman but I grow hair on my lip like some sort of freak!" Not a bad experience overall.

But sadly I'll never go back because it would have been $30 without the coupon and I can't justify it when it's something I CAN do myself at home. Even if it sucks.

My eyebrows were the next battle to be won and again, I just didn't want to do it myself. My eyes water and I never do as good a job on the left as the right because it just hurts more and I get them uneven and have these crazy pelts for eyebrows so it takes long and I have to trim them and I usually trim them too short and look like I've been weed-whacked for a couple of weeks after.

Enter Grunhilda.

I was told a local East Indian woman threads eyebrows for $5 so I called her up and went to meet her the very same day. The procedure took place in her home in a comfy black chair, some Bollywood soap opera playing quietly in the background. Her English was broken but good and we bonded over the fact that we were expecting babies within a week of each other. (She was WAY smaller than myself just FYI.)

On the table were cotton balls, tissues, a string, and a small scissors. Not too threatening. I laid back and relaxed.....only to be attacked in the face with a razor!!! Imagine a tiny lawn mower zipping back and forth over your face-THAT'S what it felt like! I was sure she was just randomly cutting me with a razor blade but I was too worried about my eyes getting sliced to even dare open and confirm that she was a mad woman with knives! So instead I practiced my birthing breathing and tried to imagine I was sunning on a beach somewhere with ripped abs.

After slicing my face repeatedly from my cheekbones to my hairline on the right side of my face (I know I'm hairy but seriously, my eyebrows do NOT go up to my hairline!) she said I could open my eyes and sit up. As soon as I sat up, a stream of wet literally poured down my face and my first thought was "I'm BLEEDING!!" but in fact, my tears had just pooled in my eye sockets and went cascading to the floor when introduced to gravity.

She showed me a mirror and I was shocked and surprised to find both that my face was unscathed AND she had uncovered the nicest little eyebrow my face had ever seen. It was amazing! But my delight was quickly destroyed when I realized that this sexy little eyebrow was being chased by a badger-like eyebrow on the left and I was going to have to go back under the "knife" or look like a mutant.


Not my eyebrows, but aren't they pretty?

Repeat on the left what happened on the right. I survived. And my eyebrows looked/look amazing!!

She then asked if I would like my upper lip done as well and I quickly assured her that I had just gotten them done but began stammering because she just stood there looking at my lips with this pity written on her face. It went like this:

"And now I do your lips too?"

"Oh no no no, I just got them done a week ago so they're fine. Thanks....I mean...well maybe there's the odd hair that needs to be....er.....I should, I'll clean this up at home.....I guess, yeah, they probably need some uh....but...."

"I do it. For you it is free."

"Oh. Um. Er. Thanks. Yes. Er." (I TOLD you I'm like a Saskwatch!)

So she razored, I mean threaded my upper lip as well. Thank the Lord Almighty I had just had the main patch harvested and there were only a few stragglers to clean up.

Again she went from my nose to my chin....was that really necessary?

Then she stepped back and I saw her eyes begin the "roam about" on my body and she offered, " I also do arms and more..."

I clutched my hairy arms and ran away. Away from the cotton balls and the tiny little scissors and the harmless looking little thread.

But sadly, I'll go back. Because it was only $5 and she was really good and I lived. I'll just have myself a little pre-threading drink next time.


Also not my abs. But aren't they pretty too!

On the Verge

I feel that I am right on the verge of becoming a more diligent blogger. I can feel it; it's going to happen. (It's either that or gas, but SOMETHING is coming!)
My reasons for this optimism are as follows:

• I have lots of nonsensical things to share with the world at large. Because we all know that the (entire) world at large goes charging to my humble blog at each new update.

• I have energy for the first time since last November and I am accomplishing things at a high rate of speed around here which means that any day now I will run out of things to do, fix myself a cup of tea, and become a proper blogger. Or have a baby....

• I am planning to purchase a new camera that will make it easy for me to take decent pictures and this is going to inspire me to be that mom I've always dreamed I'd be. You know the ones, they create AMAZING homes with $2.50 and a tin can, plan spectacular birthday parties using nothing but bread crumbs and tissue paper, take fabulous photos of each precious moment with their impeccably dressed, adorable children, have devotions at 5am, are stylishly dressed in every season without ever going into a store, are slim and tan...you know the types. That will be me soon and I will then post it all on a well maintained blog with handcrafted giveaways every third day just to make the "world at large" feel gross about themselves.

• I have about 8 posts circulating in my head at this very moment. All with pictures and stupendous wit. They're going to make you pee with laughter. (Hey don't mock, I do daycare and whilst tuning out the noise I have imaginary conversations with adults and plan blog posts. A mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do!)

• Daycare is about to end for the summer and I'm certain I will accomplish 2 years worth of projects in those two months. Or have a baby....
  

• I just feel it ok. I have a feeling. I feel it. Stop being skeptics.

Stay tuned for the new me. We'll call it CW 4.0.

P.S. What exactly does the world "at large" mean?

P.S. I don't have my (life changing) camera yet, hence no pictures. Plus I haven't put on make up or done my hair or actually gotten properly dressed yet. I'm not discouraged, CW 4.0 is right around the corner!!

Lost in Translation

Funny conversation between myself, Evanie, and her friend, a 4 yr old E:

Evanie: Mama ah-wanna-eata-soooooup.

Me: You want soup for lunch?

E: No she said she wants shoes.

Me: I don't think she wants to eat shoes.

E: Evanie do you want to eat shoes?

Evanie: Ya ah-waaaanna-eata-soooup!

E: Do you mean MY shoes?

Evanie: Ya!

E: (very worried) Carolyn she says she wants to eat my shoes!! I don't want her to eat them!

Me: I'm certain she won't eat your shoes.

E: Evanie do you want to TAKE my shoes?

Evanie: Ya!

E: Now she wants to TAKE my shoes! I don't want her to take my shoes. They're my NEW shoes!

Me: This is getting out of hand.

In all fairness to the poor 4 year old, Evanie DOES try to claim everything of hers because she thinks the 4 year old is THE standard in all things interesting and cool. So it is completely in character for Evanie to claim and demand her clothes, her food, her toys, and her barrettes. But in this particular instance, I think there may have been a bit of a mistake.

34 Weeks

I have been pregnant for 34 weeks- might be a good time to put out an update about it. My poor second born is already getting the shaft and it's not even finished baking.

I'm already pre-frustrated at the fact that it will have the typical second born baby book. The empty one. I sincerely don't WANT that to happen, I just know it will. I've heard they make "baby book" calendars...does anyone happen to know of a good one? It opens up a slight possibility of baby #2 getting the odd event or milestone recorded. I'm open to any and all suggestions!

So here are the preggo stats at 34 weeks in:

• cravings -nada, but I've lost the will to say no to sugar and chocolate
• energy - finally finally back at 7 months. I kiss the makers of Innate Iron!
  
• heartburn - an ol' buddy
  
• headaches, sciatica, pinched nerves, wheat sensitivities, or nose bleeds - NONE!
• leggings - my daily uniform
  
• current pillow count - four
• watermelon jokes count - only 1!! (my 'oh so funny' sisters don't count)
• bathroom trips - about 50% when compared to my first pregnancy! Thank you so much little peanut!
• sleep - meh....
• movement - crazy! Easily twice as much as Evanie. And strong! Little stinker makes me gasp.
• weight - 19 lbs and counting
  
• Braxton Hicks - constantly since 20 weeks
• vivid, awkward dreams - 100s. So not cool.

Things I've done to prepare for this birth and this baby.....well....writing this post is pretty much step one. Nice.

Actually, now that I think of it, this week I've tried to stop gritting my teeth through the Braxton hicks and breathe and relax instead. That's a step. And I've been reading a book of birth stories to get me into the right head/heart space. So I guess this post is Step 3! Yay, look how prepared I am!

I even have a slightly out of focus 34 week picture.



I'm not the pregnant person I once thought I would be. I always imagined I'd have this ethereal glow, I'd be incredibly in tune with my body and my unborn, and I'd feel fully feminine and maternal.

But this is not my experience.

I find myself viewing my pregnancies as something to cross off 280ish days on the calendar. I wish I were more "glowing" and "ripe with life" but I just don't feel that way. I'm very grateful, it is 100% miraculous, and I genuinely anticipate meeting the precious life God is forming....and that's as ethereal as I get.

With Evanie I was afraid I would be as detached from my child as my pregnancy but that fear was obliterated in powerful tsunami of love for my little girl the instant she was born and I held her wet little body close. So I'm not concerned this time. I'm eager to meet this person who is going to so thoroughly imbed itself in my heart, I will become its mother in a single instant. I can't wait.