Housewife Life

I recently came across some articles about dealing with Baby-Fever that made me go "Hey I do that too!". It helped to not feel quite so crazy. So in case any of my readers are dealing with the same issues, here are the links!

http://offbeatfamilies.com/2011/01/babycrack
http://offbeatfamilies.com/2013/08/waiting-to-have-baby

Nothing is really helping me TOO much. I guess looking at my bank account is kind of an eye-opener but that makes me feel more guilty than anything. "Oh, I should be saving for Baby and look I have $150 in the bank I can't even feed myself". I'm currently unemployed (did I mention I quit my job? I think I did) and I think my Baby-Fever might be a big reason I'm having trouble motivating myself to really look for work. Simply put, I don't want to work. And I know that's probably the case with many people but when I think about my life's ambitions, it really is to be a "homemaker". I want to stay at home with my kids and teach them and play and learn from them every day. I'm going to apply for library school this fall as being a children's librarian is the only other thing I can consider besides that and would be something I would love to continue to do after my children are passed a certain age. I used to desperately want to be a social worker or therapist, which is why I got my bachelor's in psychology, but it's more and more obvious to me that what I really want is to devote my energy and focus to my children. I could see myself in a part-time librarian job as that's something I'm also passionate about and don't want to totally lose a sense of my self when having children but until I can go back to school, I'm totally uninspired job-wise. ((I am incredibly privileged that The Ginger has a job that is getting us by and that my parents are letting us move in with them so we can save money. Just wanted to state that I realize how incredibly lucky I am not to just have to take any job or stay at a soul-sucking job because I need to.))

I wanted to go a little into the feminist implications/debate of my wanted to stay at home with the kids but I'm super tired. And basically, I do what I want, yo. Smash the patriarchy, etc. These are the essential things I need to stay home and teach my kids.

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Newborn Photography

simplyrosie.ca

Victoria Ford

Katie Evans

I have to say, I spend a ton of time looking at newborn photography. As a photographer, with a photographer father, obviously the pictures of my baby have to be AMAZING. People have really great ideas online. If you see the kind of photography I/my dad do, newborn stuff is NOT it. It's so soft and beautiful and sweet. HOW could I trust the pictures of my baby to someone outside my family?! But also, it's not our specialty and so how COULD I trust it to us when it's not what we do?

jamadophotography.com

Amy Boring

Anyways, look at all these amazing pictures. They're SO FREAKING CUTE. There are a lot of really cliche, gimicky pictures of babies that I realllllyy hate. Babies are almost always cute, don't get me wrong. But c'mon, this isn't Anne Geddes. Your baby doesn't need cowboy boots on. That just looks silly. Simple backdrops and props always look the best. A plain heart garland wrapped around the hospital cart is so much more beautiful than a crazy outfit or a football. In my opinion.Your baby can't fish, or play football, or do ballet. Your baby is gorgeous in some natural light with none of those silly extras.
And THAT is what I have to say about THAT. Enjoy some of my favorite baby pics that I've found!

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Montessori and C-Sections

Hello Friends. Its been awhile! I've quit my job so no longer have constant interactions with children, leaving me feeling pretty bummed. I've been pretty obsessively looking up everything baby. I generally try and avoid parenting 'styles' as they seem super yuppy-ish generally. But I've gotten very interested in the Montessori

way of raising children. I came across this picture (left) from How We Montessori and it really intrigued me. Why is that baby on a bed??? Why is there no crib?! The Montessori way of thought is don't do for the child what the child can learn to do for herself. The idea of not having a crib is to foster independence and self confidence. The child doesn't see their surroundings through the bars of a crib, they are present in their environment and as they grow to be more mobile, they are able to explore their environments without the need of the parent to be the one to dictate when and where the child can explore their surroundings. Montessori also has several really interesting different mobiles to aid in development. The Little Red Farm has a great list of all the mobiles and the purpose of them all, as does How We Montessori which is where the below image is from.

I think these are some pretty cool aspects of the Montessori school of thought. Do I plan on following it to the letter? Probably not. Limiting yourself to only following a certain way is just not for me. But I'm really liking the lack of a crib.

Onto the second part of my blog. C-Sections. I watched this trailer after reading a lot about natural childbirth. Nearly one half of plus size women get c-sections. HALF! These statistics have dramatically increased in recent years, not due to more plus size women but due to the doctors wanting a faster, more efficient birthing center. (Source) Did I just source this like a freaking research paper? Sigh. I guess this is my life. Anyways. Natural birth options are not even given to women or doctors try discourage it as much as possible. I'm currently trying to lose a lot of weight, in part to get more ready for having my own baby. I really want it to be natural and if possible, a water birth. I think they seem such a beautiful experience, one that I'd love to share with The Ginger. Also, I'll admit, not quite so up close and personal with my butthole. As in, no one can stare at it because it's under water! And the birthing experience can be much more guided by the mother, something that is deeply important to me. I can have a lot of anxieties. Most people who know me know this. Obsessing about not being able to have a natural birth and not being able to breastfeed and both things I often panic about. They may seem kinda silly things to be worried about. At least you get a baby, right? Well generalized anxiety rarely makes sense. I've got a ways off until they're really things I have to worry about and yet they're still constantly on my mind! I'm not sure if research is making me more informed or making me more panicky? Ah well.

Thanks for turning in again, Dear Readers.
Stay gold!

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The Stockpile

HERE IT IS. My stockpile. Yeppp. First, I'll tell you what everything is, right to left, top to bottom!
Purple hat: From Savers! $3. Around 6-12 months
Owl hat: From Gymboree. $10. 6-12 months
Hug Bandit thermal onsie set with pants: From Carter's. $5. 6 months
Camera onsie: From Target. $3. 9 months
Dog/polka dot onsies: From Wal-Mart. $10. 0-3 months


As you can see. I have a collection. I have a variety of sizes and some things for boys and girls (or both!)
So. That's my little secret stash!

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Plus Sized Mama

  Every time I think "Okay, I could have a baby now. Things are perfect but we could make this work", I remember my weight. While on my honeymoon I saw a TV program about pregnant fat women and all the problems they have to overcome. So I got it into my head that there is NO WAY I should have a baby at my weight. I was sure that I needed to lose at least 100lbs before I even started to try and losing that amount of weight could take me years and years and years. Very discouraging.

  I recently ran across a blog called Plus Size Birth. It deals with all the issues that plus size moms have to deal with, including stigma from doctors and plus size maternity clothes. It also discusses how 'babywearing' items, such as the one shown, often don't fit plus sized people. So they give links to ones that do!
I still would like to change my diet so I'm healthier, but I'm less afraid that my weight is a Go to Jail card when it comes to pregnancy.

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"Baby People" and Waiting

This post I'll be talking about "Baby People" and waiting till the time is right.

I realize that I'm defiantly a "Dog Person". When people come over to my house, I seem to obsess over my dog. I constantly talk about her and say how cute she is and talk about all the cute things she does. This leads me to believe I'm going to be one of those "Baby People". You know the ones. There seems to be no other topic for discussion than their child? I know, I know, I sound horrible. Of COURSE they love their child, why SHOULDN'T they talk about them?? Well, for people without children, conversations about explosive diarrhea and every facial twitch your baby has can be kind of... gross? Boring? I'm worried I'm going to be one of these people who seem to forget all other topics of conversation once I have a child. My mom says she made a conscious effort to not talk about me as a child constantly. I wonder if that's all it takes? Making up your mind not to talk about your child all the time? Or maybe you just get friends who have kids and they don't mind...


Now on to talk about The Wait. The Ginger and I said before we got married that we would wait at least a year after getting married to try for a baby. We just celebrated a year a few weeks ago but during that time, we've also realized how much we enjoy just being together. I love him so much and the time we have together is so wonderful, I don't really want to end it so soon by having a baby. Of course having a baby will be a wonderful amazing experience. It will also be a lot of work. And it will never be just the two of us again. I want to maximize the time we have together before adding another little person to our family. It is a hard wait. My parents are getting older, my dog is getting older (Both of whom I want to be around a good long time when a have a baby). I'm really impatient to have a bebe, but at the same time I want to wait.

In the meantime, I'm just going to stockpile a ton of baby clothes.

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Widdle swhirts!!

Gentle readers, I know it has been months since last I posted.  You would expect that during this hiatus I was no longer able to contain my obsession and secretly threw away my birth control pills in order to facilitate the bringing about of a baby. Alas. This is not the reason. I have started work at a daycare as a preschool teacher ans am therefore SMOTHERED by children daily. I also realized I adore my husband (I guess at some previous time I must have already noticed this as we are, in fact, married) and I just wanna hang out with him and have a good time. And my dog would be crazy jealous.
All this SHOULD be leading up to me telling you I'm closing this blog as my baby obsession is over! Well... A few days ago one of the teachers I work with handed me a baby she was carrying around (it's a daycare; these things happen) and I went sort of gooey. I thought that was the end of it until The Ginger and I went to Target.
We saw this onesie. For those of you who don't know me at all, (hello creepy stalkers?) I'm a photographer. Mostly film. Loved this onesie and this conversation ensued:
Me: OMG WE HAVE TO GET THIS WHAT IF BY THE TIME WE HAVE A BABY THEY DON'T EVEN MAKE THINGS WITH FILM CAMERAS ON THEM ANYMORE GAHHHH SO CUTEEEEE
The Ginger: *looks over at me with a bored look as he had put it in the cart the moment I picked it up*

In conclusion, let the baby clothes stockpile begin!

**EDIT: I just realized I haven't referred to my husband as 'The Ginger' previous to this post. So... yeah, that's my husband**

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