Friday's Photo (Brothers & Sisters Edition)

At first glance, my kiddos don't look that much alike sitting side by side. Will was born with little to no hair and has always been thin as a rail. Avery, however, came out with a head full of jet black hair and is a chunky little monkey. Since Will is 3 & 1/2 now, and has that "boy"look to him instead of the "baby" look, it's hard to see them in each other.

But when you compare their baby pictures, something crazy happens. They look like the same kid! Same mouth, same round cheeks, same blue eyes and the same "What'chu talkin' bout Willis" (RIP Gary Coleman) look on their face.

See for yourself.

Will at 4 months

Avery at 4 months

So much the same on the outside, yet so different on the in. Both perfect in their own way. I adore those kids.

Happy weekend,
L

Friday's Photo (Father's Day Edition)

Instead of one photo today, I'm going to post several in honor of my husband. Since this weekend is Father's Day, it needs to be said that I think he's the best dad around, and that I'm the luckiest girl that's ever lived to have him beside me raising our children. I loved him before he was a dad, but since he's become a father, my love for him has grown past what I even knew was possible. It's moments like the ones in these photos that make it happen.



There are thousands more "little" moments in between. More wonderful times than this blog has room to hold. Funny thing about those little moments, one day when you look back and realize how quickly it's all passing by, you discover that they're actually the big ones. That they're the ones that matter most. That quiet time, when no one else is watching and it's just us and our kids, those are the ones that make a father a dad.

I love you, honey. Then and now.


Happy Father's Day!
L

Wednesday Wish List

The Wednesday Wish List is back! And on time too. (Believe me, I'm as shocked as you are.) I've run into a lot of fun stuff on the net lately, so I thought we'd make that the theme for today. Because with oil spills and floods and 100 degree JUNE days, we all could use a little fun in our lives. So, here we go...

First is the cutest little change purse ever. It's called the Kisslock coin purse, and I want it. It's simple, fun, and I love the colors. Forget the fact that I never have any actual change because Will takes it all to put in his piggy bank. I'll find something else to put in there. Like Xanax! I kid. (Unless you have some and then I'm totally not kidding.) Just kidding!.... Or am I?

And check out this Recycled Picnic/Market Basket. It looks like it will hold a ton of stuff, which is right up my ally. Something happens when you have children. You go from being able to carry those cute little purses to needing full sized luggage every where you go. I could get so many uses out of this basket. You could take it shopping, to the beach, or on a nice, little picnic. That is, if you are brave enough to eat outside in the 100 degree JUNE weather. (I'm not bitter or anything.)



When I saw these Florist Measuring Cups from Anthropologie, I immediately thought about my step mom. They look like something that she would have sitting in her kitchen. They are beautiful, playful, and practical at the same time. Love them!



Everything in the Etsy shop of 3dots is fabulous, but I was especially impressed with this Peacock tail 2 necklace she has listed. Loving the wood in this piece. It's the perfect size, and is cute and whimsical. Would be so adorable to compliment a simple outfit.



Did you know that one of my most favorite flowers is the hydrangea? I adore them. I also really love the idea of wallpaper, but don't like the commitment that it demands. If you've ever stripped wallpaper, you know what a pain it is. I've always been reluctant to put it up for that reason. Well, hold onto your seats, because today I discovered....are you ready for it?... removable wallpaper! What a concept! Not only did I discover that it exists, but look at this fun Hydrangea print removable wallpaper that I came across on Real Shopping. Lu-hu-huv it! Rob would never in a million years go for it, but now that we've got a girl, I have a better excuse to slap up something like this in her room. I'm sneaky like that.



A couple more days till the weekend. I'm holding on for dear life.
L

Friday's Photo

Trying out a new section on my blog. Go with me on this one. Every Friday, I'll blog a photo that I want to share. Forgive me, but 99% of them will probably be of my children. They're just too cute, so I can't help myself.




My aunt took this photo of Will, and I just love it. It nails his personality, and also captures the essence of how I feel about a few things too.

1. The feeling I get when my alarm goes off in the morning
2. My sentiments about baby corn
3. The look on my face when Will says, "Look Mommy, I got a booger for you!"
4. TRAFFIC
5. The face I give crazy women who try and humiliate me for nursing in public

Hope your weekend is filled with happy faces.
L

Wish List

It's been a long time. Too, too long since I've posted a wish list. And since things have been so serious around here lately, I thought it was high time I got back to sharing some finds with you and lighten it up a little. Also, since it's been so long, everything that I'll be showing you today are things that I've already purchased. I know, I'm bad. But, in my defense, all but one were gifts for someone else, so there!

And, just so you know that I'm not crazy, I realize today isn't Wednesday. But next week, the official Wednesday Wish List will be back in full swing. For today, however, it's going to be Thursday's List. Because I'm a crazy, wild rebel like that. Snap!

First up is a reversible pouch sling that I bought shortly before Sis came along. I knew that with a toddler and a newborn, I would need as many free hands as I could get, so I dove into the world of babywearing. Let me tell you, I'll never go back. I love having my baby close to me, and being able to get things done at the same time. And she really enjoys it as well. She often goes to sleep in there. (Especially when her daddy starts playing guitar, because for her, it's like a baby sedative. Pretty amazing stuff, really.) But, I digress. This sling has been awesome. It's so well made, soft and easy to use. If you are a fan of the peanut sling design, I would highly recommend trying the slings from BabyinaFishBowl. She has a ton of other great products as well.




Next is the Birthday Monster Tshirt from SpeckledSunshine. I bought this for Will's birthday, and he looked adorable in it. (You'll have to take my word for that though, because he was in one of his, "No, Mommy, don't take my picture" moods. ::::huge eye roll::::) The tshirt is super soft and washes up very nicely. I expected that the colors may run or fade, but he's been wearing it for a while now and it's still going strong. Anyone who has a messy toddler knows that is saying alot.




I bought a set of these Custom Photo Coasters for my step mom for Mother's Day. It's truly one of my favorite Etsy purchases ever. So beautiful, and the seller, patricia082173 was wonderful to work with. The packing was just as gorgeous as the coasters, and she even did a custom design on the from of the box for me. I can't say enough about these, and my step mom really loved them.



Here's another of my favorite purchases. I bought one of these Custom Photos of Vintage Cash Register Keys as a wedding gift for a friend of ours. The color in the print was AH-MAZING. The quality of the print paper was gorgeous. You just message the seller with the date you would like to appear on the print, and she'll take the custom photo for you. The turnaround time was very quick for a personalized order, and the couple we gave the gift to absolutely loved it. You could also purchase this for a graduation or baby's DOB. The seller, lilacpopphotograpy, also sells this print in sepia or black and white, and has a whole shop full of other beautiful work.




And finally is the Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History Print that I bought for one of my friend's birthday. I framed it alongside a picture of all the girls on one of our ladies nights out. I love the feel of this photograph, because the message is typed out on a vintage typewriter. The seller, RighteousLens, has a lot of other great pre-made vintage typewriter prints in her shop, (my favorite being the "You're so cool" print inspired by the movie True Romance) or you can do a custom print and she'll type out and photograph whatever floats your boat.



Tomorrow is Friday. I can hear the angels singing already.

L

Is There a War on Breastfeeding?

My girl and I went shopping this weekend. It was a typical June day in the South, steamy, 95 degrees, and the humidity was at about 8000 percent. But we ventured out anyway, because Momma needed a new pair of shoes and Sis needed some jammies with her big ol' 4 month old self in 6 to 9 month old clothes. (Lurve my chunky babe.)

She rode happily in her stroller, taking in all the scenery, while I tried on clothes and bought some makeup. (Seriously, she already loves to shop at 4 months old. She is my child.) About an hour and a half into the shopping trip, she got a bit fussy, so we stopped so I could feed her. We found a nice little bench outside, parked her ride and sat down to nurse. (Note: The outlet mall we went to is an outdoors rather than in, so walking from one store to the next is all outside.) She was nursing quietly, as I sat and watched shoppers stroll by. I didn't pay much attention to her, but I saw a woman pass, and looked up just as she turned and started coming back towards us. She approached me, and this is how our conversation went...

Her: You know, they have restrooms here for that.
Me: (Shocked, looking for words) Um, no thanks.
Her: Well, don't you have a blanket you could cover up with?

At this point, I'm gaining my composure and realizing that this is actually happening. When she first approached, I was so shocked, I didn't really know what to say.

Me: It's 95 degrees out here. I'm not covering her. She'll burn up!
Her: Which is why you should just take her into the restroom where it's cool.
Me: (Angry now) Seriously!? You must be one of those women who think God gave us these things for men to gawk at.
Her: (Stumbles a bit) NO, I breastfed all three of my children, but I had the decency to do it in the restroom while I was out in public.
Me: Yeah, I'm not doing that. I'm not ashamed to feed her. She's going to eat right here. If you're offended, don't look!

She didn't say another word, just turned on her heel and walked off in a huff. I was stunned. I was beside myself. My hands were shaking, I was so angry. I didn't understand why this woman wanted to humiliate me and make me feel dirty for breastfeeding.

What made it more confusing to me is that this incident occurred one day after a good friend of mine told me of the struggle she is having with her company after returning to work from maternity leave. She went back to the office last week after 3 months of leave, and was promptly asked by management to write down all of her pumping times so that they could keep track of how much time she was spending doing so. At the end of the week, during her review, they also asked her not to store her breast milk in their fridge anymore because "someone complained." She told me that she was certain she knew who this complainer was because, get this, he called her AT HOME AFTER WORK HOURS and told her he was anti-breastfeeding. Come again?? He said to her, "Why can't you just give her formula?" and suggested that since her baby is sleeping through the night and she goes all night without feeding, it shouldn't be much different going all day without pumping or nursing.

So, I tell my friend to write any and everything down that happens from now on with her company where pumping is concerned. This guy is obviously an idiot, and her company seems to be doing everything in their power to discourage her or make it harder for her to continue the breastfeeding relationship with her daughter.

Imagine my surprise when I fire up the internet this morning and find that many of my favorite blogs are buzzing about this article written by Rabbi Shmuley stating that breastfeeding can drive a wedge between couples. I started reading the piece and the more I read, the more hot my face became. I thought about my friend and her co-workers rude comments to her. I had a little flashback to the disgusted look of the woman waving her finger at my nursing. Then, I got to this part of the article, "Furthermore, I said, her obsession had turned one of her most attractive body parts into a feeding station, an attractive cafeteria rather than a scintillating piece of flesh," and my head exploded. He, just like the woman at the mall and my friend's co-worker subscribe to the idea that God gave us breasts for the satisfaction of men. It's not only insulting and maddending, it's flat out wrong.

He goes on to say, " Obviously, breast-feeding is not the same as carrying on an extramarital affair. But when a mother gives her breasts to her son and takes them away from her husband, the effect on the marriage can feel the same," suggesting that a woman feeding her child can give her husband the same feelings as if she is sleeping with another man. Say what!? Okay, yeah. Wow. Loss. For. Words.

He says that if a mother is tired from waking to breastfeed the baby, that she'll be too tired to be intimate with her husband. Rabbi Shmuley never once mentions that getting up, mixing formula and washing bottles in the middle of the night also requires that you be awake and therefore would leave a mother just as exhausted.

He advises that women should cover up while breastfeeding in their own homes to save their husbands from having to see them nurse. Because, God forbid that he actually see breasts for what they are, a source in which to nourish his offspring. Obviously there aren't any men out there who would look at this act taking place, and actually have MORE love for the woman who has carried and given birth to his child and is now providing food for them. Not only is this article insulting to women, it's highly insulting to the fathers who the rabbi paints as being so shallow they can't see past breasts anything other than sexual play toys for their arousal.

The article also states that "breast-feeding is usually the best thing for a baby." Apparently the rabbi missed this article, because now more than ever, the evidence shows us that there is no nourishment for our babies that is superior to mother's milk.

I said on my blog not too long ago that we need more support when it comes to breastfeeding, and these three examples are exactly what I was talking about. My friend's co-worker, the woman at the mall, and the rabbi all attempt to shame and sabotage the breastfeeding relationship that many mothers fight so hard to establish and maintain. Whether it be from ignorance or something else all together, that is the result.

But what I love about breastfeeding mothers is that we will not let them win this battle. Nature and science is on our side in this one, ladies. Don't ever let anyone make you feel dirty or shamed for nursing. Whip those boobs out and feed your babes as you see fit. The real men out there will love you more for it, not in spite of it.

Cheers,
L

And The Rain Came Down

It's been over two weeks now since The Rain That Changed Our City showed up on our doorsteps, and sent many of our lives into a complete tailspin. I capitalize, because it was that big and deserves those letters and emphasis. When a city gets more rain in two days than it normal receives in 3 months, that warrants big letters.

It started on Saturday. It was the first day of May, and it rained all day. Not only did it rain all day, it rained hard all day. By the time that night approached, we were watching images on television that none of us ever thought we'd see. We watched this video of a portable classroom float down an interstate-turned-river full of stranded cars. Our eyes were glued to the coverage on TV, fixed on the weather. The rain wasn't slowing down. There was more to come. This didn't look good.



Sunday, we woke up to more news. There were roads beginning to flood all over our city. Reporters urged us to "stay inside and don't leave your house unless it's absolutely necessary." So, that's what my little family did. We stayed inside and kept our eyes on the local news until our power went out around 10 that morning. Over the next 8 hours, Will and I played every game he owns, read books and put puzzles together. All the while, it continued to rain. Our friends who still had power called us throughout the day with updates and reports. The message was always the same, "This is bad. This is really bad." One friend called to tell us that they just watched their fence, kiddie pool and doghouse get washed down the creek (which was now more like a roaring river) behind their house. We couldn't fathom what was going on. We were still without power with no time line of restoration in sight. Finally around 6pm that night, we decided to drive to our friend's house (very close by), so that we could watch the news and use the internet. That's when we really started to realize the scale of this storm, and the damage that it would do. We watched as people were rescued and evacuated from their homes. We saw roads, homes and cars flooded beyond our belief. Never before had any of us witnessed anything like this. It was historic. It was heart breaking. It was scary.







The next morning, the sun came out, and all that was left was the devastation that the rain left behind. We could not reach our office. The roads leading to our business were flooded and police had the area barricaded off allowing no one entrance. We wouldn't be allowed to return to work for 4 days.

The street leading to our office

Our basement was filled with 3 feet of water, and the brand new hot water heater we had purchased a couple months prior was submerged somewhere beneath. I'm not going to go into how stressful and inconvenience it was for our basement to flood. I won't share all the details of pumping all the water out, discovering a broken pipe, buying another new hot water heater, and finally having hot water restored after 6 days of quick showers at friends' houses. It was a pain. It was a headache. But in the grand scheme of things, compared to what others in our city and community have lost, it's so insignificant, I feel ashamed for even mentioning it.

That day and in the days following, we watched television news reports that were airing without commercial interruption. I teared up as I saw images of the beautiful Opryland hotel, now a virtual swimming pool. It wasn't just that some of our most beloved landmarks were now under water, it was the memories I have tied to them that stung the most. This is where Rob and I had our first date.

The Grand Ole Opry took on water. The place where I sat in the audience and watched Willie and Waylon and many others legends, and got chills because, "Wow, I'm at the Opry having this moment."


This is the go-kart track that is among Will's favorite places in the world. Just last summer, I stood on the sideline waving to he and Rob as they sped around the track. Will smiling with the biggest grin I've ever seen, and me snapping away with my camera trying to capture the moment.



But the most gut wrenching images were these. People's homes destroyed. Families left with no where to live. You could drive around and look at their lives sitting on their front lawns. Their memories and treasures scattered around in the grass, wet and dejected. Most do not have flood insurance to cover the damages. We didn't know we needed it. Tennessee never floods, right?


So, we're rebuilding, and moving on, and pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps. We're helping our neighbors, we're donating our time, we're opening up our homes, and we're giving what we can. And when I say we, I mean, Nashville. Because that's just what we do here. I don't know what has been more incredible to witness, The Rain That Changed Our City or The People Of This City Who Cannot Be Changed By The Rain. I'm proud to be a part of it all. Proud to be a member of this community.

It is going to take time, work, money and lots more sweat and tears to get back to where we were. But we will do it. And we'll be the better for it.

My family and I have been blessed beyond belief. We still have our home. We still have our family and our friends and a job to go to every day. Some do not. And as saddened as I am by that reality, when I lay down next to my kids every night, and breathe in the sweet smell of their shampoo, I find my safe place, all is right with the world.

May you all find your safe place to land,
L


Opportunities to help:
Hands on Nashville
Middle TN Red Cross
Nashville Flood Relief


**Disclaimer** Many of the images above were not photographed by me. There was an incredible group on Facebook than banned together to share information and images with each other, and this is where I pulled those images. If you would like to see all of the photos, go here.