Scenes from the Nest

mommyeverafter — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 22:18:46 +0000

Three things you should know about me:
I love feathers (yes, you already know that, but I am just further emphasizing my love for all things bird.)
I love my family. (which, I mean, duh.)
I love photos.
More accurately, I am obsessed with photos.
I love taking pictures. I love looking at pictures. I love reminiscing over pictures.
So yes,
feathers, family and photos.
And, it is on my happiest of days that I am able to combine all three of these treasured things.
Last month, I had the distinct pleasure of doing just that.
My husband, my daughter and I shared the best afternoon we’ve shared since my daughter’s very first afternoon on this earth.
I exaggerate not,
when I say that I still get butterflies in my belly when I think of this most special day;
Our day at Little Nest Portrait Studio.
You see, it was not until my little birdie was ten months old that we decided to take her for professional photos.
Much like her mama, my girl loves posing, mugging for the camera and playing dress-up,
so we figured that it was time for some of her most delicious,
model-y moments to be captured on film.
And so, after seeing many fine examples of the gorgeous, unique, texturally rich and vibrant photos from other Little Nest photo shoots, we decided to migrate there for our first professional photo endeavor.
And oh, how glad I am that our little posey birdie led us to this most special of Nests.
I could go on and on to you about how beautiful the studio was,
how kind everyone was to us,
how amazing their backdrops were,
how much time they spent with us, listening to our story in order to capture exactly what we wanted to from our shoot;
Believe me, on
and
on,
I could go.
But, I think that these photos speak for themselves.
Yes. That right there? That’s my girl.
You have never before seen a photo of her.
I have kept it that way on purpose.
Yet, now, I can’t help but to share these works of art.

That is the smile I’ve written about,
the eyelashes that make me weak in the knees,
the dress that was mine, that I wore as a child,
the necklace that my Poppop bought my Mommom on the 60th anniversary of their very first date….
all captured perfectly,
beautifully,
richly,
for us to treasure forever.
I can tell you right now that I will never, ever forget that day.
I will always remember how Alison, our incredible photographer, created color and light right before our eyes.
I still smile when I think of how my daughter struck pose after pose after pose, smiling non-stop,
like a real, professional adult model.
I still feel immense pride when I see my daughter referred to as a free spirit, two words that I hope will define her throughout her life.
I will forever treasure the images of my husband feeding his little dear her very first bites of cupcake.

With the help of Alison and the amazing studio,
our family made memories–
made magic–
all within the sanctity of our own little nest.
So, really there are four things you should know about me:
I love feathers. I love birds. I love nests.
I love my family. I love the way that my daughter crawled around and whipped her head around to strike a pose, lifting her arm in the air above her head, her eyes twinkling with light. I love how my husband sat in my baby’s cupcake crumbs and told her how much he loves her.
I love photos. I, most especially, love these photos.
And,
I can’t wait to return to that most special of Nests, the Little Nest, for more afternoons of magic,
and modeling
and pure wonder.

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Hot Shots, Part Deux

mommyeverafter — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:46:21 +0000

Yesterday, my daughter had her 4-month-old check-up.
This meant getting her weight,
measuring the circumference of her head,
having the doctors and nurses ooh and ahh over her cuteness,
and,
of course
shots.
Now, I went into the appointment feeling like an old pro.
We had been through this before.
Except, this time, it was a different nurse.
So, when I asked her if she was gentle,
and she looked at me like I was crazy,
I decided to leave it at that.
Two little pricks,
a few big “wahhs”
and it was over.
What a trooper.
And my baby didn’t do so bad, either.
But, the vaccinations were not the most memorable part of the check-up.
Not by a long shot.
Do you remember how I told you about my daughter’s snuggle nest?
Oh, beloved snuggle nest, how I miss thee.
You see, my daughter has now grown out of her (our) favorite sleep station.
I guess the fact that she was able to roll out of it became a bit of a problem, as well.
It’s not like I cried when I had to zip up the nest and put it into storage, OK?
Or, so what if I did?
I’m not admitting to anything.
Well, do you also remember how I told you that my daughter was moving into her crib?
Yeah, well, that hasn’t quite happened, yet.
We’ve tried.
Oh. How. We’ve. Tried.
But, she doesn’t seem to love it in there.
I don’t seem to love her in there.
My husband and I had a little fight about it.
He said she needed to be in her crib.
I said I needed to be in her crib.
He said no way.
I said I’m climbing in.
He told me I was going to have to pay for a new crib when I broke hers.
I said thththththththththth (which, in case you didn’t know, is the sound that comes out when you stick your tongue out of your mouth and blow).
We were at a stale-mate over our bed-mate.
And so, we decided to compromise by having her sleep in our room, in the porta-crib.
Before you go wagging your fingers,
let me explain myself:
I know I’m the one who just posted an article on the importance of raising an independent child. Trust me. I want my daughter to be as independent as can be.
Except for when she cries.
She cries,
and I melt .
Literally.
Melt.
Melting even writing about it.
And so, clearly I had to ask the pediatrician.
We needed his help.
He asked me for how many minutes I would be able to let her cry.
I told him zero.
He told me to try ten.
I told him OK.
I had crossies.
But, fortunately, he continued.
He explained to me that I will not be hurting her by letting her cry, nor will I be spoiling her by consoling her and letting her fall asleep by my side. He explained that, even if she cries herself to sleep, she will not become a delinquent, sociopath or monster. He also assured me that she wouldn’t think I was abandoning her.
“I guess we have to do it,” I accepted his advice. “She really has grown out of her nest.”
“Yes,” he explained. “And now, she will be able to fly.”
And then, I cried.
On the inside, at least.
He articulated it more beautifully than I could have imagined.
I had kept my daughter by my side for four months, swathing her in the safety and sanctity of her little nest (o-snuggles).
The time has come for her to learn to soar.
The time has come for me to learn to let her.
And so, my daughter walked out of the office with two hot pink band-aids, a new plan of action, and a lollipop,
which she so generously gave to me.
So, we both shed some tears yesterday,
but I think we’re each better for it.
And I hope, that even at this very, very young age,
my daughter knows that it is more than OK for her to soar,
that her feathers are there for her to fly with,
and that, no matter how far she goes,
her little nest will always, always, always, be right here,
waiting for her,
when she lands.

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Scenes from the Nest

Hot Shots, Part Deux