Thursday, February 28, 2013

Sugar and Spice

Raising a girl is a big job.

It's my duty as a mom to show Piper a positive example of what it means to be a strong woman. I want her to know that girls aren't just pretty little powderpuffs. We're more than dresses and hair bows and baubles.  We are smart, spirited, powerful, and courageous.

But those lessons can wait.

Because as it turns out: bows, bracelets and the world's smallest french braid may not be all little girls are made of...but they are pretty fabulous.

And there's nothing wrong with being fabulous once in a while. (Even if you're still in your jammies).







Get it, girl.

Monday, February 25, 2013

A Word with You- Ordinary

Ordinary.

See also:

Lame
Boring
Not special
Plain
Forgettable

At least in my mind...

I'm sure I'm like a lot of people in thinking that ordinary is a negative word. At best it means harmless or average, but even then, it still seems like a bummer of a concept. I mean, who ever says they want to be ordinary? No one I've ever heard. Most of us want to be extraordinary. The best! Famous, top-notch, notable, memorable, set apart, revered! And you don't become those things by being ordinary.

Or do you? 


Can you?


I've talked before about how I'm a type-a striver. I'm a believer that anything worth doing is worth doing well. (And for money, but that's another story for another day). So while I don't have to be the best at everything, I do at least want the chance to excel. But there are so many tasks in life that are necessary, but don't come with the opportunity for glory. Being a corporate cog, raising kids, keeping a clean house...so much of what we have to do each day is ordinary. Sure, we can do those things to the best of our ability, but rarely does everyday life present us with opportunities to be seen as anything really exceptional. 


Right? 


Or is that a lie? 

A lie that I've been tricked into believing... Life isn't a competition (nor should it be) but on the other hand- living well is something to take pride in. Or it should be! Somewhere along the line I've convinced myself that if no one is handing out trophies, then my efforts must be going unnoticed.

So what if we took a minute to recognize the value that comes with being "ordinary"? The world needs people that work more than they talk. People who encourage rather than boast. People that support others instead of promoting themselves. Being "ordinary" may not be a negative trait. It can mean that you're willing to put your head down and really get things done- regardless of who's watching. Or that you're humble enough to take a servant's role when the rest of the world is clamoring to be masters.


I'm not sure I want to live my life with one eye on the casket, but I do sometimes think about the legacy I'll leave when I'm gone. Do I want people to wax poetic at my funeral about what an extraordinary hip hop dancer, mommy blogger, Popsicle stick joke teller, or other fill-in-the-blank accomplisher I was? Well...yes. Part of me does want to be remembered as a unique and irreplaceable force of a woman (Dustin- go ahead and jot that down in case I die first. Or feel free to start referring to me that way in all future birthday cards). But the true measure for me? The way I'll know that I "done good"? Will be the ordinary. Did I love often? Did I listen well? Was someone, somewhere just a little bit better off each day because of something I did?


Sure, there's worth in being the best. Having a gift, honing a talent, and showing off a skill with pride. But there's also value in being part of the 99%. An ordinary, run-of-the-mill, neighbor, family member, friend and partner to others. God has given us each unique talents, and it's absolutely in His will that we use them...but for His glory. Not ours. He adores who He has created me to be, but He certainly doesn't need my spectacular design skills, my flawless way with words or my mind-blowing ability to guess what time it is without having seen a clock for hours, to accomplish His divine plan. If I'm lucky (or more accurately- if I'm obedient), He'll allow me be used by Him, and those gifts He's given me will shine...Shine light back to Him. And a little less attention on ME and WHAT I CAN DO might make me seem a bit more ordinary. And I'm learning to be ok with that.



--------------------------------------------------------------
Meg and I would love to have a word with you.  
Join the link up below to share your Ordinary thoughts.

Then stop by some new blogs and say hello!

Friday, February 22, 2013

Blurb it.

February has to be like, the shortest month of the year, right?

Oh- it actually is? Hmmmm, that explains it.

People often talk about how fast December goes, with all the Christmas craziness, but I've found the that January tends to fly by too. By the time the holiday frenzies wind down, it's time for my birthday. And we all know that's a least a week long event (or more....) Then it seems like Valentine's day sneaks up, and next thing you know, it's February 22nd, and you haven't ordered your blog book to memorialize last year.

Yep. That's where I'm going with this. I realized a few days ago when I looked at my bookshelf full of Blurb paperbacks, I never made The Big Book of Bowdenisms: 2012 Edition (working title...) No one is exactly clamoring to curl up with a hard copy of my blog posts, so it's not an emergency, but I still like to keep up with the memories before they start to pile up (recent documentation failures: Piper's first year, my second pregnancy...we're a little behind times here...) So I "slurped" last year's posts (the non-technical term for Blurb's process of automatically importing your blog) and started my book. I figured I'd get it ready, and wait for a good sale to roll around.

And lo and behold- the time is now! Blurb is hosting a 25% off sale this weekend.




My work in progress...


I'm pumped to have another year of Bowdenisms "in the flesh", but you can use the code to do just about anything. Make a blog book, print your instagrams, design a baby book....

But you have to hustle....



Thursday, February 21, 2013

Out of the Mouths of Babes

Anyone who knows me (or even worse...knew me as a child) knows the word "chatterbox" is at times an understatement. So it should come as no surprise that Piper is starting to talk up a storm. She's been saying a few words for a couple months now: uh-oh, hi, mama, dada, thank you (though it is a bit of a rough rendition), and "no, no, no, no, no" (she seems to prefer saying that one on repeat). Now her vocabulary is expanding to include: car, truck, sheep, shoes, boots, all gone/done (it's sort of a hybrid), baby, more, please, up and bye-bye. She's also learning people's names- starting with her daycare ladies Sue and Rose. But our favorite by far is hearing her say her name. About a month ago, on a whim I asked if she could say Piper and to our amazement, she did it! It sounds a lot like Bie-bo, but we still think it's the most adorable thing ever. (ever!)


Note: Please excuse the worst quality ever. Turns out using an iphone in the world's darkest dining room isn't exactly the best route for preserving memories. 
Also please excuse her getting all of her body parts confused at the end. She does know them. It's just a matter of if she feels like showing you she knows them.

In addition, I should note she's quite the animal impressionist. I'd like to say this comes from the Bowden side of the family tree, but either way: if you need a tiny performer to quack, baa, woof, hoot like an owl, and make an "ooh-ooh" monkey noise, you've found your girl.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Show Your Real: Rachel

It's happening! The idea is no longer an idea, it's a thing.

Today is our very first day of the Show Your Real series, and I'm delighted to have my good friend Rachel as our first guest writer. Rachel and her husband Jay were some of the very first people we met when we moved to Pittsburgh. Dustin and I were desperate for friends-for community- and after receiving an email from me basically offering to trade some of our Young Life skills for some instant friends, they accepted the deal. Rachel immediately welcomed us into her home with a smile and a heartfelt wave (hugging just isn't really her thing). And five years later we don't spend quite as much time on her couch, but I'm still very thankful she's part of my life. You can read more about her story, and her delightful kiddos on her blog A Heart In Progress.

And now...on with the show.


---------

Courtney (who, I think we can all agree, is all kinds of awesome), has set forth a blogging challenge.  Let's show our real.  ((gasp!))  Show our WHAT???  That's right, let's talk about actual reality.  How do we, as adults in various stages of relationships, parenting and/or work, get everything in the whole wide world done.  What does a typical day look like...what's typical?  Can we be honest about mistakes we've made?  Can we take credit for something we did well without brushing it aside?  I am honored to kick off Courtney's biweekly series of Show Your Real.  If you wanna be super trendy, hashtag #showyourreal on Instagram.  Did I just prove that I'm not super trendy by typing the word hashtag right before the #? Anywho...

I can't just jump right into how we make it through a typical day around here without addressing an elephant in the room...or rather, the spirited 4 year old who has stolen our hearts (and at times, tried to ransom them for a turn on the computer)  Jay and I have been married for 13 years and have 3 kids; Joe is 9, Bella is 7, and Trey is our 4 year old.  On Christmas Eve, 2010, when Trey was 2 1/2, he was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer.  Neuroblastoma, if ya wanna get technical.  Trey has earned his nickname, Young Warrior.  He has walked that fine line between life and death and fought his way back to us every time.  We've been told that his diagnosis is terminal, which makes me sick to even type those words.  We have no idea how long he'll be with us...could be years, could be months.  We just don't know.  From the beginning of this journey, we've been pretty transparent and open about all things concerning Trey's treatments and our life dealing with this.  If you're on Facebook, look up his page 'Pray (and more) for Trey'!

Even though we've been (at times, brutally) honest, there are misconceptions lingering about our lives.  When we meet someone who has been following Trey's journey, but does not know us personally, they often talk to us with the sympathetic head tilt.  Do you know the tilt?  These folks have such sadness in their eyes as they talk to us because they think that we are languishing away, crying all day, holding on by a thread.  Which is not true.  Other people that know us personally think that we're in denial because we're NOT hiding in bed all day, gnashing our teeth and tearing our robes.  This is not true either.  The truth is; we're not in denial and we're not consumed with sadness.  Do I have moments when I think that this surely can't be real, there must have been a mistake?  Sure.  Do I experience crushing sadness/fear/anxiety?  Absolutely.  But, Jay and I decided right from the beginning (as in, in the hallway at the hospital right after hearing the diagnosis) that we were going to rely on God, His will, His plan, His strength.  Trey has cancer because we live in a broken world and awful things happen even to sweet, innocent babies.  God did not give Trey cancer, rather He allowed Trey's cancer for reasons that we may not fully understand while we're here.  But, our reality demands that we handle the situation and keep moving forward.  Hiding under the covers won't make it all go away.  Shaking our fists at God in anger won't shrink Trey's tumors.  What we do understand is that God is good, He keeps all of His promises. Our whole family has been incredibly blessed over the past 2 years.  God has provided in might ways.  If you were to see Trey today, you'd never even guess that he's sick.  It hasn't been an easy journey and it's not nearly over (Praise God!), though we know it will get much more difficult.  Our response to people's misconceptions is that we will not grieve for what we haven't lost.  Trey is here today, so we will celebrate today.  Our "normal" may have changed, but Trey, Joe, and Bella are all incredible, Jay and I are closer than ever, and we're going to revel in that!*


*I realize that one paragraph is hardly enough to cover the range of emotions or reactions or faith issues that encompass living with a terminally ill child.  If you want to learn more, don't be afraid to ask.  Seriously, anything.  How does one discipline a sick child?  What are his treatments like?  How do Joe and Bella cope and fare having a brother who gets "all the attention"?  I'm open...


Whew!  Still with me?   Now onto the nuts and bolts.  Our days vary greatly from one to the next and it takes serious team work to Get. It. Done.  I am so thankful for my husband and we make a great team, if I do say so myself.  And I just did!  Our strategies are simple, yet they save us time and sanity!

Get things done ahead of time!  I know!  It sounds too simple!  I would rather sacrifice 15 minutes of sleep at night to get things done any day rather than wake up earlier or not wake up earlier and run around in a panic.  Each school night, Jay and I make the kids' lunches together (awww, cute!), go through folders and book bags, make sure everything is signed, put away, library books packed, instruments set out.  The kids set out their clothes (including socks and shoes) the night before and cannot go downstairs until they are completely dressed...Oh!  How many mornings we have suffered through the last 5 minutes before leaving for school screaming and yelling to move faster and get your shoes on!  Having them get ready before coming downstairs has saved a lot of tears and tantrums. The kids do better, too.  Trey has treatments at the hospital every Monday, so on Sunday night, I pack up the laptop/DVDs/toys and put the bag by the door.  Easy peasy!  Whatever we have on the schedule for the next day gets as prepped as possible the night before. I even cook my breakfast sausage all at once, usually on Sunday, and then just heat it up in the mornings. Anything to save a few minutes in the morning and make things more pleasant!

Be friends with binders.  I love binders.  They don't necessarily help get us out the door any faster, but they they sure do contain the endless clutter that comes with all these people.  Joe and Bella each have a binder that gets filled everyday with the school papers they bring home to be recycled later once the binder is full.  Why don't I just immediately throw them away?  Oh, because I worry about odd things like what if, what if, they need to go back to a particular paper and I threw it away???  In my mind, disaster.  I have another binder that I keep all the odds and ends papers that don't really have a home...my Ulta and JoAnn's coupons, permission slips, invitations, etc.  Oh, yet another binder for the kids' church papers and projects.  Even more binders to organize all of Trey's medical stuff.  Binders, binders, binders! (My love of plastic bins and labels deserves its own post, fo rizzle)

Start at the end! I have always, always, always worked my schedule backwards in order to be somewhere on time. (and I am strangely passionate about being on time) Here's what I mean: The kids have to be at in their classrooms ready to go by 8:45, so we have to leave our house by 8:30, teeth need to be brushed and jackets on at 8:25, breakfast on the table by 8:10, Jay gets up and ready at 7:50 (he really is Super Dad, because he gets breakfast ready while I get myself ready), kids get up and ready at 7:30, I get up at 7:15 to eat breakfast and get ready.  See?  I started with the destination time and worked backwards to get it all done. And there's even a few minutes built in there to accommodate the unforeseen...toothpaste dribbled on a shirt, missing headband, riveting episode of Sponge Bob...ya never know.

We really do have a good thing going over here, though there are a few spots that I could use some help...

I need more SLEEP!  I average about 5 (broken) hours of sleep/night and that's just not enough for this Momma to keep her happy face on all day.  But!  When night falls, I fight going to bed!  I watch reruns of Friends that I've seen probably 100x, I read (though, to me this is really a non-negotiable), I browse the endless realms of the googlebox.  Then, I beat myself up thinking that aside from keeping everyone fed, I didn't really accomplish much...though, that could be the lack of sleep talking.  It's a vicious cycle.

I need a shower.  How's that for showing my real?  It's not like I never shower, it's more like I'd like to shower more often...ya know, like during all the hours I'm not sleeping.  I could make a lot of excuses, but the bottom line is that I don't always make time for just 'me' (plus, it takes a long time for me to do my hair and I just don't wanna)...I do the best with what I have and just keep moving through the day.

So, there you have it.  That's a glimpse into my real.  I can't wait to read about other people's real!!  Check back in with Courtney for future installments.  Thanks for reading!  And let me know any suggestions you may have for more sleep or frequent bathing...


Show Your Real is a bi-weekly series of guest posts centered around the concept of authenticity. The goal is to encourage each other to expose the reality of our lives- good and bad- and to foster a sense of community that goes beyond the often suface-cy interactions of social media. We invite all of you to participate! Please comment, link, and hashtag to spread the showyourreal love. If you would like to contribute a guest post in this series, please email me! 

Friday, February 15, 2013

Show Your Real: A big idea

When I started writing about the idea of “show your real” it was just some messy pictures of my house, and attempts to share some honest snippets of what motherhood looks like for me. But the more I started thinking about it, the more the concept of authenticity, of lowered barriers, of communities built around being real with one another began to resonate with me, and grow within my heart. It stopped being a fun feature I wanted to occasionally include, and started feeling like part of what my mission should be for this space I call Bowdenisms.
So much of blogging is self centered. Look at me. Listen to me. Praise me. But when done right- it can become a forum to connect the opposite way. To minister into people's lives. To open a door and let love and wisdom pour out. But not just my wisdom (Thank God). Show Your Real is expanding, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share this idea with you...

You know you have a good idea when you feel proud. You're puffed up and happy and can't wait to share.
But you know you have a Godly idea when you're humbled. You're stunned and honored and can't wait to be used.

Now, I've had my fair share of good ideas in my time, but I'm not always first with the Godly ones.
A few years back, a relative stranger told me after a five minute phone conversation that I was "obviously a prayerful woman". To this day, Dustin and I laugh about it, knowing the only thing that comment proved was how obviously little he knew me. Spiritually isn't my strong suit. Blessings don't flow out of me on the regular. But they say even a blind squirrel gets a nut once in a while, and I'm blessed to know that my God doesn’t see me as a blind squirrel- in fact- He sees me as a creature worthy of being used in His plan. So I'm going to do something completely out of character: get out of the way, so He can move.

So the idea- this big Godly idea- is the Show Your Real series. I envisioned a regular feature of guest posts here, where women (and maybe the occasional guy or two!) from all different stages of life can speak their truth and inspire us with their real.


When formulating the concept for a series, and thinking about who to include, God put on my heart some of my very best friends...and some girls I only barely know...and some women I have absolutely no business emailing. Picture an eight grade trumpet player inviting the senior prom queen to her birthday party. That’s pretty much what I was doing...

*My real: I actually did play the trumpet in eighth grade. But that’s another story for another time.
But I put my insecurities aside, and I wrote. I shared my idea, my goals, and my heart. And I asked them to be a part of this vision. And to my delight, they responded. And a ton of them said YES. (even the prom queens!)

(I may not have all the wisdom in the world, but if it is a talent to recognize truth in others, then I could be a contender. Just saying...)

I could not be more thrilled for the series we have lined up...

Can I say that again? I COULD NOT be more thrilled. I mean that with my whole heart. Truly, there were nights I couldn’t even sleep because I was so geeked about this. I don’t know exactly what will unfold over the next few months. I don’t know what each post will hold, or what each writer will share.

But I know, I KNOW you are going to be blessed. I am going to be blessed.

Please come back on Tuesday for the official launch of the series. It's gonna be real.

Oh- and this:

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Real love

If real love is cleaning puke out of a bathtub, then Dustin really loved me this week.

He loves me with a caretaker love, a companion love, and a romantic love. And I love him back with an imperfect, everything I have love.

It's not always pretty, and not always sweet- especially when we find ourselves (MYself) loving with a teenage "what am I getting out of this?" love. But: there IS always love. Messy, real, waning, waxing, last-forever love.

Thankful doesn't do it justice.

Happy Valentine's day, my one true love.
xoxo
Court

*Note: The Bowdens struggled with a bout of the stomach flu this week. But don't worry; we (and the bathtub) survived.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Controlling Closet Chaos

There's not a TON to do to get ready for baby #2. I mean sure, we need to mentally prepare for bringing another human into this world, and then raising said human for the next several decades. But other than those small details, we're pretty much set.

And now that we know it's a girl, there's not much to buy. (Dustin argues there's nothing left to buy, but that just can't be true. But the nesting urge doesn't go away just because we've done this before. So if I can't satisfy that need with baby gear research and registry scanning...at least I can organize the stuff I already have. And whoo-boy do we have a lot of stuff. Commence- project baby clothes organization.


So...here's where we started: 


I had bins, and I've been trying to keep things separated by size. But with Piper constantly amassing more clothes (yes...I blame her...who else?) it's a bit of a losing battle. I knew for a while I needed to get on top of it, but once we found out we were expecing another little one, I had even more motivation to corral the clothes. We pulled the bins out of the Piper's closet and set them up in the guest room/future nursery...and then...we waited. I figured we needed to know the gender of the next baby before we bothered to organize things. We've tried to keep things as gender neutral as possible, but in glancing through the piles, it seems we've taken a turn for the girlie. If we were having a boy this time, there were going to be a lot of things taken out of the rotation. Fortunately for our storage space (and wallets) we found out we're having a girl!

So the next free night we had, I set up Mt. Onesie in the living room, turned on The Bachelor and went to work. A scant two hours later, we had turned this hot mess:



Into this stack of beauty:


It just makes your heart happy, doesn't it?

I made piles for each 3 month increment, and organized all the items by type (short sleeve, long sleeve, pants etc.) Once we knew how much we had in total, we planned out the space in the bins. The newborn pile stayed out to be organized in the baby's dresser (more on that later), clothes that still fit stayed in Piper's closet, and the rest of her outgrown clothes got some contained homes while they wait for their next use. 


It's not a complicated system, but I think that's why it works. Clear bins are helpful to remind what's in each, and to show how much room is available. I added some quick homemade printouts to mark each stage, with a couple extra labels for special items (With the next baby being born in the opposite season as Piper, I decided I'd rather have all the Christmas items, swimsuits etc. from the first year separate, rather than in with specific sizes). I just used tape to apply them to the inside of the bin, so we can shift as our collection changes and shifts. Easy peasy.

The three main bins fit right inside Piper's closet, which is so convenient. I keep the largest size on top, so as she grows I can either file away the most recent cast-offs, or pull out the next size as needed. (Yes, we're missing a 12 month bin...but now worries- when she's done of those we'll just rotate our labels a bit).


The additional bin lives at the top because we access it much less frequently.


And while we're at it, I wanted to take you on a tour of Piper's closet. I remember before Piper arrived being a little lost as to how I was going to keep all these things organized. Organizing tiny onesies isn't rocket science, but I was thankful whenever someone shared what worked for them. So here's our system:


 We're fortunate that this closet came with shelves and multiple hang bars. It's not exactly what I would design if I were starting from scratch, but we're taking advantage of it and making it work the best we can.
A quick lay of the land? 
Top left: dresses.
Bottom left: jackets and skirts
Top right: folded items
Bottom right: A spot for her hamper.
The "closet system" (I say that very loosely) has evolved over time. When Piper was smaller and outgrowing sizes much faster, we hung more items, and kept things separated by size with little hanging labels. Now that she's in sizes for a bit longer (or at least not spread out over so many size ranges) we haven't used them much.


I know from experience in my own closet that I'm not the best at hanging things up (ok, I might be the worst). So I new I'd want as much room for folded items as possible. So we bought a cheap organizer that hangs from the closet bar, to create cubbies for all of her tiny little duds.

This flexes a bit seasonally, as categories take up more or less space depending on the weather, but here's the current breakdown:
Top to bottom on the left: pants, long sleeve, short sleeve.
Top to bottom on the right: pj's, sweaters & cardis, hoodies.
(and for those who are curious- the paper chain hiding in the corner was a handmade gift from Meg during my first pregnancy. Each ring represents a week from 1-40, and has a bible verse of encouragement.)

The left side of the closet is mostly hidden, so we use it for bulky items that we don't access much like off-size coats (that woudl take up a whole bin on their own) and Halloween costumes. (Come on...with me you know that deserves a special spot!)


But if you can believe it...that's not all. In addition to the closet, we have some things stored in a dresser as well.

Right now it's a mix of clothes and various baby items, but as Piper grows and (someday) learns to dress herself a bit, we may change things around to give her access to more things.


Top to bottom on the left side:
socks;
shoes; 
cloth diapers from our early days.

I love that the top two drawers are shallow. It's prefect for little baby items that would otherwise get lost in a big drawer. I'm sure the shoes won't work like this forever, but it's nice to have them lined up neatly, vs. piled in a heap on the floor of the closet. (yes, that's my backup plan). 



Top to bottom on the right side: 
bows and accessories;
extra blankets and sheets (and some febreeze);
extra diapers, wipes and changing pad covers.

So there you have it. The ins and outs of our storage strategy for our little one. Hopefully it was helpful to someone...and if not- maybe you at least feel less alone if you ever find yourself knee deep in baby socks. And as your reward for making it through this entire post- a copy of the labels, should you find yourself wanting to sort through your own version of Mt. Onesie.

Download the labels here.

What about all you other organization gurus-  Do you have tips for storing kids clothes? Any advice as we go from one to two little wardrobes to keep track of?

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Style: 9 to 5

One of the best parts of attending Influence last year, was meeting some fabulous ladies. And near the top of that list of {many} (very) fabulous ladies is Shannon. She has her own bl

For real....she's a power house. She works full time (at some schmancy job in DC I only barely understand),  writes her own blog, runs an etsy shop full of handmade stationary, raises her (adorable) two year old son, and is currently growing a brand new human...from scratch!! Seriously....how?! 

Oh- and if that wasn't enough....she co-founded this little ditty:





What's that you ask? 
Well...this:

Told you....fabulous

I'm thrilled to be featured this week, showing of my "work duds" (warning...they probably look like your weekend wear)...



Go check it out...(if you promise not to make fun of my attempt at "modeling". Try as I might...I'm pretty sure I'll never be a fashion blogger.)

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Little Mister or Little Miss: The Reveal!

Sooooooo.....

Did you appreciate the cliff-hanger of all cliff-hangers
I didn't mean to torture you by keeping the gender a secret. I try not to flatter myself into thinking anyone cares about our little goings-on that much...but it turns out you are all pretty excited about the next baby B...which makes me even more excited! So thanks for letting me extend the mystery an extra couple of days while we let the news soak in. And now it's time for....


Get your guess ready...The big news after the jump!


Monday, February 4, 2013

A Word with You: Ordinary

Last month was our first "A Word With You" link up, and it was a great success. It forced me to write...plus I got to read other great posts on the subject, and continue the conversation with a larger group. If you missed "Direction", check it out here (scroll to the bottom to see all of the participants.) And if you missed being a part of it- you've got another chance this month!

Our word for February :: Ordinary

Again- no rules, just write something that ties in with this month's word in some way. On Monday, February 25th, we'll host a link up so that you can share your with us!

Feel free to spread “the word” on twitter and instagram: #awordwithyou, and grab a button for your sidebar:

bowdenisms
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.bowdenisms.blogspot.com" title="bowdenisms"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrVF_GwuBWABTxKmvl7PyEuvX0DGmtjWxMUcuMTBuyoRnNC6l02XSXeNtE-lXW2OH4FCxRXf88zeObylM_7ggLCwk0WmWXsVE03aZ_jEPh6RiAI8sJw8JkjORk8b4S1D6BXHaHEGadAFSa/s220/awordwithyoulogo2.jpg" alt="bowdenisms" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Friday, February 1, 2013

Little Mister or Little Miss?

People say that finding out the gender of your baby is one the last great surprise left in life. Now, usually the people saying this are using it as an argument that you should skip the gender reveal at the ultrasound, and wait until the baby is born to find out if it’s a boy or a girl. But I firmly disagree. If you're pregnant, I don’t mind if you want to wait to find out (ok...I actually do kind of mind....I’m nosey, and impatient....But I at least understand if you want to wait) but I’m not doing it. Science has made it possible for me to get an extra 20 weeks of planning in...and I’m taking it. Plus, I think the whole surprise argument is a little weak. I mean...I’m going to be the same amount of surprised at 20 weeks that I would be at 40, just less distracted. And as for the idea that waiting to find out makes the birth experience that much more magical? Not buying it. I was overjoyed to meet Piper, even though we had known she was a she for months already. And I don’t think any parent responds to the delivery announcement of “It’s a.....!!!!” with a “Big deal...We already knew that." Finding out the gender of the baby is magical- no matter when, and no matter how. So, while I totally respect the old-fashioned way, I also totally admit that patience just isn't my scene. And I doubt I'm the only one, right?

So let's make the most of our little mystery...and play a Baby Bowden #2 guessing game:





Sure, there's only two options so we could just flip a coin, but isn't it more fun to put stock in random suspicions of folklore wisdom? Here's where baby B 2.0 lines up on most popular wives' tales:



Sounds pretty straight forward (and utterly confusing)....but let’s discuss:
  • carrying high- Kinda? I guess?? “carrying normal/average/in a non-descript way” wasn’t an option. So I went with high.
  • baby’s heartrate is fast- we’ll see if that changes at the next appointment.
  • face is long- so a horse walks into a bar....
  • feeling moody- I feel big, ok?!
  • craving salty- see: grilled cheese, salad, mac and cheese. (but don’t kid yourselves, if pressed, I can eat an entire pan of brownies. And by “pressed” I mean, “If I’m in the presence of brownies”.)
  • morning sickness: rough- nuff said.
  • feeling clumsy-  ok, not particularly. But you can’t really describe yourself as graceful. I’m a bit more scatterbrained and forgetful, so I factored that in here. Clumsy of the mind, I guess.
  • skin is oily- Gross. Let’s not discuss.
  • prefer sleeping on my right- but that’s mostly because I’m usually trying to hide my phone or book light from Dustin so he can actually sleep.
  • headaches are rare- so thankful that I haven’t had one since I’ve been pregnant. This might be the only clear (non) symptom I have (that still doesn’t mean anything!)
  • hands are dry- It must be a boy, right?! It couldn’t have anything to do with the fact it’s the dead of winter?
  • hair is thin- This might be the only other actual useful clue. With Piper, my hair didn’t fall out at all the entire time I was pregnant. Not a strand. This time? I shed like normal. Which is to say- a lot. You’d think that would mean the baby’s gender is different this time, but apparently thin hair points to a girl...So who knows. I think the most likely cause is me forgetting to take my vitamins too often. 
  • Chinese chart says girl- Some people swear by this. (even some non Chinese people!) But I’m not convinced. If you google it, you can find about a hundred different versions of the chart, and most conflict a little. I’m going with this one, because it’s on a website called “moms who think”. Can’t be wrong, right?! (For those of you who want to know the nitty gritty- I was 28 and it was October. With Piper I was 27 in February, so this chart guess her correctly.) 
So that settles right? Clear as mud. I honestly don't have a gut feeling one way or another, but even if I did, my track record is pretty much 0%. (I was sure....sure...Piper was a boy. So sure. And so wrong.)

And for those of you who need to "see the baby" to make your guess...here is my 19 week belly pic from this past weekend: 


So what do you think? Should we dig out all our little pink onesies? Or start stocking up on the blue?



Leave your guess in the comments!!!
...and to satisfy you "it's so much better to wait!!" people out there? We've got the perfect compromise- we'll leave you in suspense until next week!

(For the record, Dustin and I didn't find out the gender right way this time. Something about an ultrasound exam room at 7:30AM wasn't feeling super magical and romantic, so we chose to have the technician write it down for us so we could open it later as a couple. So if you're hating the suspense....I feel your pain. It's like waiting Christmas morning- hard, but worth it!!)