Week 20: Second Sonogram

We got to see you today. You were posing for your senior picture with your little cheek resting on your fist.  We saw your heart pumping away and we even saw you open your mouth like you were yawning (taking after your mother who loves to get her beauty rest!). Daddy held my hand through the whole sonogram; it was so good to have him there by my side... to experience it together. Of most importance to me was hearing that you are healthy, but second on the list was getting the confirmation that you are indeed a GIRL! Honestly, we both would have been shocked to hear otherwise after the 90% chance given at the first sonogram. 

Even though Daddy claimed he was holding on to the 10% chance that you might be a boy, I think he's warming up to the idea of having a sweet little girl (now that he has thought about it and realizes he can still teach you golf, track and volleyball). He did have to swallow his pride and admit to his best friend and his brother that they were right after all. I think they both knew that he needed a little girl dressed in pink to soften him around the edges and melt his big heart.

And trust me little one, that's what you are already starting to do!

Week 19: Artfest

We've completed a second successful year at Artfest. Not only is it about exploring creativity and letting go of your inner critic, for mom and I this weekend is about spending quality mother/daughter time together. I truly cherish the fact that I enjoy spending time with my mom. There are so many people who I know who struggle with their relationship with their parents, and I feel so blessed that when my mom decides to come for a week, I honestly can't wait for her to get here and I am sad to see her leave.

At Artfest, we took all three day-long classes together. We had to plan our supply lists and determine who would bring what, and we talked countless hours on the phone planing our projects ahead of time so we wouldn't be completely stressed during our classes. I'm so glad that art is something we have in common, something that allows us to enjoy the simple things in life and reflect on our thoughts and feelings. We've always had our own artistic avenues; for a long time my mom's was quilting and now it has moved on to collage, journaling and assemblage. For me, it has been my photography and scrapbooking. But despite our own interests, we have always had an appreciation for the other's work and talents. 

I hope that this is something I can share with my daughter some day. I know she may not have the exact same interests as me, but I hope that art will provide us an avenue of common interest and self expression. I know the bond between mother and child is a wonderful thing whether you have a boy or a girl, but I feel so blessed to know that I will have a daughter to share my passions with and who will hopefully enjoy looking through one or two of my scrapbooks!

One of my good friends from Dallas, Candice, also joined us for Artfest this year. She added such a fun, spirited element to our whole weekend, from looking up info on her iphone for us to telling us stories on our long drive to and from Port Townsend. It was such a treat to be able to share this creative experience with my lovely and beautiful friend. 

Candice was one of my first friends to see me pregnant, and I think I even grew bigger during the week that she was here!