Facelift

The blog needed a facelift; I'm happy with it for now. I'm seeking out a new blog title, but nothing seems to feel right yet. Any suggestions out here?

I'd also like to send the happiest of birthday wishes to my little bro! Hope you're having an awesome day. Oh, and welcome to your mid-to-late 20's - dude, you're getting oooooold. :)

Dancing Allergy Baby

Allergies. Boo. Cass is allergic to, or intolerant of, dairy and soy. Lately it seems like the teensiest bit of either sends him in an eczema attack. I believe the most recent culprit to be some crackers with darn soy lechitin (I am a bad mom and forgot to read the label; I then threw the packaging away before I could double-check. Double bad Mama. Lesson learned!)

See those red cheeks? Poor little eczema baby.

In other news, I've been busy researching pre-schools. Yep, pre-school. I think it's probably time for another edition of "Holy crap I can't believe my baby is big enough to almost go to school!" in which I say that sentence over and over again in my head while frantically googling cooperative preschools in Arlington, see the words "wait list" over and over again, and begin to sweat. Then, Cameron comes into the room to gently remind me that Cass is only one, he's got a late birthday, and we really do have plenty of time to figure it all out. Lather, rinse, repeat.

But seriously, I think I've calmed a bit on this issue. Truth be told, with Cass's birthday being in December, he will be closer to 3 than 2 before he can start most pre-schools, and by then we'll be on plenty of wait lists. lol. Wait lists for pre-school - let's add that to the list of "things I'd never dreamed of before becoming a parent".

In the meantime, I've started some reading and research on various education methods. Don't get me wrong - I strongly believe in the public school system. I am a product of the public school system and it served me very well. We're extremely fortunate to live in a part of our country that has outstanding public schools, with lots of options. But, I also recognize that all children are different. We each learn in different ways, and I'm not convinced that public education alone is sufficiently diverse to meet the needs of all children. So, while I know I have one really great option, I want to know what my other choices are.

I've always been interested in the Montessori method. I've been doing some investigation into Montessori at home, which is a philosophy that integrates Montessori learning methods with home organization. I get the impression that it's geared towards parents who have a strong interest in the methodology, but lack the funds to send their kids to a Montessori school (depending on where you live, they can be rather pricy). So, this week I created a cabinet in the kitchen just for Cass - he's really into digging around in the cabinets, but some of them are dangerous and off-limits, so he gets frustrated when he can't get into them. I thought that if he had a dedicated place with his own pots, pans, measuring cups and toys, he would feel like he had his own place in the kitchen; I think it will help him have some independence and ownership in a space that's mostly for adults. It's on his level and isn't locked, so can get in there anytime he wants to dig around and play.

Last but not least, the promised video. A few weeks ago, Cass started dancing. He dances to all kinds of things, from Dad's rock n'roll to Mama's folksy stuff to his Baby Einstein music videos. Here he is, dancing to the latter:

The sweetest thing

***Disclaimer: I don't have any current pictures today, for it appears as though I used all of them up in the previous post. But to make up for it, tomorrow I'll have a video.***

Playing with his big boy truck. Just before he could walk on his own, Cass would push this around the house for hours.

Lately, Cass has been acting like the sweetest thing you can imagine. When I come home from work, he runs, not walks, to the back door to give me a huge, winning, toothy grin, and then begs to be picked up so that he can give me a hug. He then immediately starts waving and saying "Hiiiiiiiii! Hi, hi, hi, hi". I am not exaggerating; this is actually what happens, and it's enough cuteness in one compact little space to break your damn heart.

When he wakes up in the morning, he starts to whisper to himself veeeery softly "da-da, da-da, da-da" while snuggling with his bear and blanket. When I finally get to the point of actual comprehension and walk over to his crib, his eyes light up and he jumps to his feet and says...wait for it...wait for it...that's right...

"DA-DA!"

Yep. We're both Dada. He then gives me a hug and a lopsided grin, and all (most?) is forgiven.

I've been trying for months to get those precious little syllables out of his mouth - "Mama". When we're getting dressed in the morning, I say "Mama thinks you should wear your Spiderman shirt!" When we sing songs at breakfast, I say "Mama thinks we should listen to the Beatles this morning!". When he points at me and says Dada, I point at myself and say "No, love, I'm Mama". And to this, he giggles and immediately replies "Dada!". <<sigh>> Despite this minor setback, I think we'll keep him; after all, he's super-duper cute and cuddly, whether or not he gets my name right.

In fact, some days he's so darn lovey that I'm trying to find a way to bottle these moments so I can sprinkle myself with his cuddliness when he turns into a tantrum-ridden, snarling toddler. Or, when he becomes a teenager (no adjectives required) - whichever is worse. But for now, I'm reveling in the glory that is "Mommy-is-the-greatest-thing-in-the-world-and-I-love-her-I-love-her-I-love-her-and-want-to-give-kisses-and-hugs-all-day."

I'm freezing and dreaming of spring. This is from our visit to the Arboretum last summer. I'm hoping tomorrow gives us better weather! As an aside, I now realize why warmer weather is called "fairer" weather - it's because it's not fair to make it so mind-numbingly cold all of the time!

Happiest no. 1

Things that make me happy no. 1...

My Dad and Cass watching the snow fall the day after Christmas morning.

The start of our kitchen DIY renovation.

Baby steps here friend, baby steps. I'm planning to paint the walls (done), sand and repaint the trim, sand and repaint the cabinets (they are vintage metal cabinets - so very cool), hang curtains, maaaaaybe repaint the fridge, refinish the table and (finally) pull up the hideous fake marble laminate floors and just see what we find. Consequently, I've been pulling lots of inspiration photos from my favorite design sites.

I'm really into farmers and trestle tables right now, but I don't think Cameron's into paying for one (neither am I, to be honest!). They are pricy, but I think they are very classic, timeless furniture shapes that would fit into a variety of design schemes, hence worth the investment.

Not a bad start, eh? I know all of my inspiration photos have white walls, but I cannot do white walls. I might go insane. The paint is called "Burnt Nutmeg" or something like that. It's much brighter in the daytime, and makes me extremely happy to head straight to the kitchen first thing in the morning.

The cabinets and doors were stripped, sanded and repainted. The actual cabinets are painted white, and the doors have been finished with chalkboard paint. It was a lot of work, and I've only gotten 2 done so far, ha. I think I need to wait for warmer weather - this will be much easier to tackle on the patio.

Current yucky cabinets. Cute picture of baby monster.

My happiest little helper; swiffering the floor at Grandma's.

The promised list

Intentions. Resolutions are just that, no? Intentions to achieve a goal. At Chef Geoff's, we had a great VP who constantly drilled into our heads the concept of Measurable Goals. At each quarterly strategy meeting, our teams would present their initiatives for the next three months, and Chris would always ask - How are you measuring the success of this goal? For me, this was a new way of thinking about accomplishment. It's a presumably intuitive aspect of action management, but it can be much more difficult to integrate than you might think.

While I've done a pretty good job of defining various goals for myself in the next year (and beyond)(, I haven't gotten to the stage of analyzing their measurability and achievability. While I don't think that every goal needs to be measurable, I do think it helps to keep me focused. Some things are naturally intangible, though, although the achievement of those prospects are just as important.

The List.

1. To take better care of myself.

This is most definitively not a resolution to lose weight, dress better or change my physical appearance in any way. It's an effort to do exactly what I said - to take better care of myself mentally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually.

Motherhood means sacrifice, but it doesn't have to mean servitude to your child via neglect of your own self. I forgot a little bit of that this past year. I by no means forgot to embrace my own personhood, but I have started to let go of some of the things that I believe define who I am. I also don't think this change was completely instigated by the birth of Cass - so many things change, all the time. Work, relationships, budgets, family, and so many other imminent obligations can begin to chip away at who you are over time. I have come to realize that we all need to take a few moments each day dedicated to ourselves. Being the best me enables me to be the best mom, wife, friend and professional that I'm capable of being, and this year I intend to re-embrance the passions that make me who I am.

2. To be a better professional.

I have always prided myself on being a great employee. No matter what it was, I always wanted to be the best. The best = successful, right? Wrong. In event planning, that attitude doesn't get you very far. To achieve, you need to be really aggressive; while your toolbox of skills does apply, a huge part of success boils down to determination and the ability to demand what you want. While I'd consider myself a great saleswoman for my company, I've never really had the "go get 'em" attitude that is prevalent in so many successful event planners. It's totally a personality trait. This is why I hate event planners. But, I've also never been fully committed. It took me some time to let go of other interests before I could actually say out load - My Name is Danielle, and I'm Going to Be a Kick Ass Event Planner.

I'm fortunate to have a great boss who lets me take risks and tackle challenges, and who really lets me design my own "curriculum", you might say, for my job. I thought about this job long and hard before accepting it. It could have been 2 steps back, or it could have been 5 steps forward. Right now, I think I'm about breaking even, but the prospects for 2011 are amazing.

I'm making some great steps within the walls of the Mead Center, but I know that I need to push myself and break outside of my comfort bubble. I need to learn to network well, and be a better salesperson for myself. I'll be taking the plunge and finally joining ISES this year. I want to start an event planning blog. I wan to look more into event education; I'd love to be able to teach part-time someday, and the DC area is a great place for both education and teaching.

Along these same lines, I want to make growing Cameron's photography business a bigger priority. Have y'all seen some of his new work lately? His portraits? They are a.m.a.z.i.n.g. I know that the two of us together can be a powerhouse, if only we can harness our energy into maximum productivity. That's really darn difficult with an extremely active one-year old, but he's not getting any younger, and it's not going to get any easier, so we just need to light a fire under our butts and get it done. I know we can, though. CWP's income from iStock doubled in 2010 - how's that for a measurable goal?

Really, this year is about learning to achieve my potential. Nothing teaches you more about yourself, and your relationship with your partner, than pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood. NOTHING. It's so cliche to say that, I know, but it's cliche for a reason - it's nitty-gritty true. Having Cass has made us both want to be better, and to achieve more. We want to be the best role models we can be for our child. We want to give him as much as we can, and not (just) material things - experiences, knowledge, humor, travel - those will shape him more as a young man than toys or clothes or other physical items. And as I said before - when I'm at my best, I'm able to give at my best (or better).

Re-focus. That's my word for 2011. What's yours?

Farewell 2010

If there is one thing I've always hated about the concept of the New Year, it's resolutions. They are trite and repetitive, and I've always felt as though I'm setting myself up for failure by creating unrealistic expectations of what I can achieve in 365 days.

But then, the universe slapped me in the face.

It went ahead and handed me 2010 - a year that brought me so very many blessings and challenges and lessons that it's hard to follow-up a year such as that and claim that getting everything you want without learning a million things about yourself isn't possible. 2010 was special.

Cassian gave us a full year of smiles, babbles, snuggles, hugs and kisses. He is the definition of joy. Parenthood is hard, no doubt. But it's about a bajillion times more rad than it is hard.

We got hitched :) Four years, one dog, two cats, a baby and about 3,483,247 belly laughs later, Cameron and I made it official. We enjoyed a lovely ceremony officiated by our best friends, and attended by our closest loved one. It was perfect for us. I had imagined my wedding for so. many. years. But here's the thing about weddings - they're aren't just about the bride, no matter how many times she's dreamed of her big day. So, while I might have imagined my wedding, I had little imagined our wedding. Suffice it to say, the latter exceeded my expectations immensely. It was a perfect day. Like parenthood, marriage presents its difficulties. But, as Cameron likes to remind me - "you married this guy". Yes, yes I did - a promise is a promise is a promise, and I wouldn't change a single thing.

Other notable events:

- I landed a great new job as the Special Events Manager at a local theater. I love being back in a theater. I love working 40 hours and being home more with my family. I love my new job.

- Cameron more than doubled his photography income over 2009. He also worked tremendously hard to define his style, and he and I have gotten much closer to defining the CWP brand.

- My wonderful mother-in-law, Pamela, moved in with us for 11 months. It gave she and I the chance to get to know, respect and appreciate one another in a way that many women do not get to know their mother-in-laws in the first few early years of marriage. It also gave Cass the chance to super-bond with his Gammy. Pam moved back to Utah in December, and while we are so happy for, and proud of, her, she is missed daily.

- I saw my own family more in 2010 than I have in yeeeears. I am certain this is due to the presence of Cassian, on both our parts, but still...it is lovely. I miss them every day, and love getting to see my parents, brothers, grandma, et. al. with more frequency.

- My best friend Pilar and my dear friend Lauren both got engaged to wonderful men. They will both make beautiful brides this fall. We have a photo to reshoot sooner than later :)

2010 presented it's trials as well. My family mourned the loss of my extraordinary maternal Grandfather. Grandpa Swick was special; he had a long, beautiful, full life that he shared with all he loved, and that is what I choose to remember. I like to occasionally drink an Irish Coffee in memoriam :) We also said good-bye to Erin's father Jim who, to be honest, passed too soon. Jim was a wonderful man, and I was blessed to know him for so many years. This year the Buchanans taught me a lot about faith, and resilience, and love.

Farewell 2010. I laughed, I cried, I loved, I lived. It was a great year.

And so, despite a renewed faith in the improbable, I still detest resolutions. I do, however, like goals. And lists. Oh, I very much like lists. So for 2011, I'm presenting a list of moderate, reasonable goals I would like to accomplish. The first item on that list is to maintain this blog with a lot more frequency. And so (hopefully) this week you shall read my 2011 to-do list.

'Till then...