My Birthday, My Baby, and … (I can’t think of another B word … Bordeaux?)

Tonight was supposed to be my birthday date night. We were going to drop 3 month old Elowyn off at Church for babysitting, go out to eat, and go ice skating in The Woodlands. But, poor Elowyn is sick. At first it was a mild fever and fussiness. Due to her excessive drooling and sucking on her fingers, I initially …

Thanksgiving, Christmas, Black Friday, and Zombies

This was my first year hosting Thanksgiving at our house, and as such, it is also the first time I undertook the roasting of a turkey by myself. Of course, I’ve made chicken, pot roast, porch chops, and things like that before, but they don’t quite prepare one for pulling an 8 inch featherless neck out of the cold slimy …

How The World Looks From Here: Elowyn Lenore, Born August 26, 2012

BEFORE (August 25): I felt absolutely horrible, was very swollen (look at my face!!!), and in a good deal of pain the day before she was born. I had a feeling I was going to go into labor soon, so I painted my nails blue (my favorite color) and snapped one last picture of my low, low, belly. AFTER (August …

Why Does God Let Babies Die? Miscarriage, SIDS, and Infant Illness

Miscarriage may seem an odd thing for a mother to ponder after giving birth to a healthy, pudgy, baby girl. And yet, I am confronted with it. I feared miscarriage throughout my pregnancy, even having nightmares about losing baby Elowyn, and here I am blessed with a tiny, gurgling, kicking, and constantly hungry miracle of life. Two of my dear …

God vs. Pitocin: Do I Lack Faith If I Induce Labor?

A number of dear friends have voiced concern regarding my plan that (unless labor commences naturally beforehand) I’ll be having an induction on Thursday morning. They react with statements such as, “Elowyn will arrive when she’s ready,” and “You should wait for God’s timing.” Firstly, I’m 100% certain Little Miss Elowyn has no idea what is going on. As far …

Sadness & Joy, Loss & New Life, Memories & Looking to the Future …

Today is very emotional and nerve-wracking for me. This afternoon is my last doctor appointment before Elowyn is born. Unless I go into labor naturally pretty soon, we will induce on Thursday. While I’m excited … no … thrilled at the prospect of holding my baby girl and introducing her to her daddy and the rest of our family, the …

My Bucket List

My fellow bloggess, Leslie Carter, recently challenged her readers to make a bucket list. I’ve always thought of a bucket list as a before-you-kick-the-bucket-to-do-list … which … technically it is. But in this case, it’s just an epic to-do list I hope to complete before 2013. Anyway, I suppose one never knows when one is going to “kick the bucket” in …

Guard Your Heart: When To Kill A Facebook & A Friendship

Having worked in the entertainment industry and media for over a decade, I have a diverse group of friends. Creative people tend to have creative beliefs and often enjoy creative behaviors. My Facebook page – which I often use for networking – is a microcosm of the diverse and artsy world in which I live. There are liberals, conservatives, Buddhists, …