To Mother Nature, With Love

Dear Mother Nature,

This evening marks the beginning of one of the biggest snow storms this region has seen in several years, a snowstorm for "the record books" says one of the local weathermen. A gift of a white Christmas comes around only so often so I thank you for making the dreams of many come true this year. My daughter will undoubtedly enjoy the countless snowballs and snow angels she will make this weekend.

That said, I find the level of your generosity - a proposed 12-24 inches of snowfall - to be a bit alarming. While the landscape will no doubt be breathtakingly beautiful, the sheer volume of this could bring the city to a halt for days. Any other year this could be a good thing. Recently, though, we welcomed a new little lady to the family and have spent the last several weeks doting on her and her sister. As a result, I have gotten very behind on my Christmas shopping and a storm of this magnitude will seriously hamper any further progress and delay delivery of those gifts I have been able to squeeze in. In addition, my oldest daughter would very much like to visit Santa Claus this last weekend before the big day.

Aside from Christmas shopping, and even more importantly, I know of at least one friend who is very likely to be in labor this weekend and will need clear roads, warmth and electricity to deliver safely and healthily.

So, Madame Nature, I humbly request that you give a slightly smaller gift to this city so unused to large snowfalls and instead bestow the soft powder to those who need it most - the ski resorts. Thank you.

With warmest regards,

Megan

Halloween 2009

Aria as a Witch

Hilloween 2009

 

Aria & a very pregnant Mommy

Hilloween 2009

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Aria tries on Mommy's costume.

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Aria & Grandpa John

(photo courtesy of Carolyn Cason)

Aria & my 39-week pregnant belly.

(photo courtesy of Carolyn Cason)

Announcing Ani Kathryn Nelson!

Ani Kathryn Nelson

Born November 7, 2009 at 1:21am

8lbs, 4oz

21 1/4 inches

 

Proud Daddy holding Ani for the first time.

Mama & Ani a few hours after Ani's birth.

 

Aria & Ani

November 15, 2009

37 1/2 Weeks

This is what I look like this week, at 37 1/2 weeks pregnant. However big I look, I guarantee you I feel bigger. I have very regular Braxton-Hicks contractions (sooo not "false" contractions, let me tell you), skin so itchy and raw that I can't sleep, and lots of pressure and soreness in places I won't mention or describe. I am a poster-child for the pregger waddle and move at a rate of speed not unlike that of a turtle, and that's when I'm booking it. God forbid I make the mistake of getting down on the floor; getting up again is a struggle of mammoth proportions. My hands are swollen, my feet are flat. I'm done. Aria's Itsy Bitsy Yoga instructor told me that the mark of readiness for labor is when 30hrs of it starts to sound good. Bring it on, I say. Let's get this party started. Whenever this little lady is ready to make her appearance, I'm happy to have her and the sooner, the better.

You Know You're Very Pregnant When...

Facebook friends will have read many of these already, but for those less technologically inclined, I thought I'd post here as well.

You know you're very pregnant when...

...your husband has to help you get your socks and shoes on b/c you can't reach your feet (bring back flip flop weather!).

...the maternity clothes start to get too small in the belly.

...the lady that makes your coffee and that you see at least a couple times a week and has your drink memorized says upon seeing you for the first time this week, "Wow, that baby is getting big."

...people at the local street festival stop in their tracks to say "You look like you were ready to pop yesterday!" and then you have to explain that you in fact have a few more weeks to go.

...people stop making eye contact, instead approaching you with eyes firmly affixed on your massive belly and the greeting, "Hi. Has your baby dropped yet?"

...you lose your pen, look everywhere around you knowing you just had it, then stand up and see it fall out from under your big baby belly. Beware: This same thing can happen with cell phones, small toys and towards the end, the occasional book.

Family Portraits

 

"Mommy" by Aria

Chalk on Chalkboard

"Aria & Mommy" by Aria

Chalk on Chalkboard

Note that the toddler's self-portrait

is larger than the portrait of Mommy. 

Coincidence or is there a deeper meaning there?

"Daddy" by Aria

Chalk on Chalkboard

My Cuties

Can I have some wine with that cheese?

Posing at the Park

Aria has never posed for a picture in her life...until now. Suddenly last Thursday everything changed. No longer was she too busy running and moving and jumping and spinning. She saw me with the camera, I asked her to stop and smile and...SHE STOPPED AND SMILED!!! I couldn't believe it. Just look at these beauties! Gorgeous pics of a beautiful girl and not at all blurry from the camera's inability to keep up with a zooming toddler. We were at the park and she was loving the motorcycle-bouncy-thingy, so proud she could make it move and shake and climb up it herself. She was happy to show off. Here are a few of her cheesiest, cheeriest moments:

I love that grin!

Our Little Artist

My mom is amazed at Aria's artwork and often tells those she knows about what a burgeoning artist we have on our hands. I've been told others don't always believe that Aria can draw faces at 2 (when are they supposed to start drawing faces?) but it's true. For weeks, all the images she drew were similar - faces with eyes, ears, cheeks, hair, chin, etc - and she'd tell you what and who she was drawing as she did it. Here's one example:

Faces by Aria
June 16, 2009

And another earlier version of her faces:

Aria's Chalk Drawing of Shelby
March 26, 2009

Favorite Moments of the Summer

Aria's First Caterpillar
May 2009
We saw this caterpillar as we were waiting for friends on the Hill.
I explained we had to be very gentle with it so Aria let me put it on her arm, then calmly watched it crawl on her, so interested and quiet.

Our First Backyard
July 2009
This was taken only days after we moved to Takoma from the Hill.
Aria and I were outside playing with bubbles and
enjoying the space and freedom a backyard affords us.

Aria's Big Finish
July 2009
This is the same day, as indicated by the outfit.
Aria was singing and here is performing her "big finish" as we call it.

Shadows
August 2009
Aria and Mommy out for a walk on a sunny, hot August day,
admiring our shadows.

Silly Sad Faces
August 2009
Aria and Daddy pretending to be sad.

I'm Not a Silly Girl. I AM ARIA!

So she says. I beg to differ.

Um, honey, you have a little something on your face.
August '09

She picked her own outfit that day.
July '09

Trying on Daddy's gear.
June '09

Teasing Mommy.
Such a twinkle in the eye.
April '09

Second Time Around, Together

Aria and I went to a birthday party today. Our little friend, Grayden, just turned two and to celebrate all the moms and toddlers and some of the dads from our circle met at the park for a big playdate and snacks. It was sooo nice to be back on the Hill, with lovely playgrounds and friendly, familiar faces in wonderful abundance.

It's such a good feeling to be able to get together with other people that are in the same stage in life...and we very much are. As we sat at the table feeding our toddlers (all within a couple months of turning two) grapes and chatting I began looking around and noticing that of the seven mothers there, five are currently pregnant with their second babies and one had a baby less than two weeks ago. And that was just those that could come to this event; there are more in our circle that are expecting. We'll all have our babies in much the same spread as last time, too, within 4 or 5 months of each other.

Unfortunately, they won't all grow up together; some have already moved from the Hill - ourselves included - and others are talking about it. DC is a transient place and no one seems to stay for long. But these kids are forever linked by the times they spent together as babies and toddlers and the moms will long remember the commeraderie enjoyed during playgroups and nursing classes and chance playground meetings. And hopefully in the process, a few friendships have been forged that will withstand the distance.

Aria & Mommy Meet Obama

This post is dedicated to Joy, who has been patiently waiting for a new post for oh, so long.

In my list of Great DC Moments this one ranks near the top of the list.

As with all great stories, it all started with a trip to the DMV. After a long walk and a long wait and a not-too-shabby photo, we emerged from the non-descript building with my updated license and big appetites and started searching for the nearest something edible. Southwest DC, where we were, is an up-and-coming area and the food joints are not as plentiful as in some areas of the District. But it was lunchtime and the starving toddler would not be ignored and pregnant Mommy was getting slugglish. Following the path of professionals toting carryout lunches, we made our way to the nearest restaurant, a Subway. One look at the line told Mommy that neither she nor her cranky toddler would survive it. The only other visible option was the Five Guys (the DC almost-as-good version of In & Out) next door, still with a long line but not nearly as long as Subway's and with fresh, yummy french fries, grilled cheese for the little one and a veggie sandwich for Mommy. Oh yeah, they serve burgers too.

As we stood waiting for our food two teenage boys and their dad started running back and forth from their table to the window, straining their necks to try to see something. As all others seemed to be acting normally, I paid them little mind other than the brief glance toward whatever they were looking at (I saw nothing). Quickly, however, the hubbub grew and soon people were screaming in excitement outside. Suddenly, 30 or 40 photographers, cameramen and microphone-thingy-guys were flooding backwards through the doorway of Five Guys. And then it becomes clear: President Obama, who is known in DC for his love of Five Guys, is here. He walks up to the counter and places an order (no, I do not know for what - he had a very large bag when he left) and then proceeds to wander around talking to the customers.

Obama orders his burger(s).
The guy in front - Security; the guy next to him - Press.

Working the Crowd

Soon he spots Aria and comes over saying, "And who is this pretty little girl?"

"This is Aria," I say.

"Does Aria like to dance?" he says, munching on some peanuts. Aria was wearing a pink tutu skirt.

"Aria loves to dance," I say. Aria stared intensely, not moving a muscle, as she always does when meeting a new person.

President Obama giggled, munched another peanut and moved on to the others standing nearby, first a guy, then a bug-eyed woman nearly coming out of her skin and saying "Will you take a picture with me!?!?" (he graciously did). I took the opportunity to place Aria on the top of the trash can and capture these images.

Aria & Obama

Obama & Aria

A short but exciting exchange for Aria and her liberal-minded mommy. President Obama left a few minutes later to more screams of excitement from the sidewalk outside, waving as he drove away.

Mommy & Aria after meeting President Obama

Random thoughts on this brief run-in with the President:

- He's taller than I thought.

- I still think it's creepy to ask a politician to hold your baby, but it did cross my mind for a second or two...would've made a great picture.

- The Secret Service were remarkably low-key and nowhere near as noticeable as the press.

- I really hope there is a picture published in the paper with Aria and Obama; I'd love it for her scrapbook (let me know if you see any!)

Aria Performs

Aria's demonstrates her singing ability with an
exuberant rendition of the Hokie Pokie.




Aria dancing to Dada's Hokie Pokie serenade.

An Artist Emerges

I love to paint. I was a fine art minor in college and studied a lot of art history. My favorite place to go in DC (before they took it down) was the Rothko exhibit in the modern wing of the National Gallery of Art. I took Aria there a few times pre-mobility and she is regularly exposed to other exhibits around DC (though I admit I'm not sure how much she takes in these days now that she literally runs the entire time we are there...). I have looked forward to days when we can sit at a table drawing or stand at side-by-side easels painting some awe-inspiring coastal view.

We introduced Aria to crayons some months ago now and she loves to color and draw. For Christmas Grandma Janie gave Aria an easel and she uses it multiple times daily. It has a chalkboard, a dry-erase board and paper, but until recently we'd only tried the paper and crayons. This was both an effort to draw out the newness of the easel and it's many features and a little bit of stalling on my part, not sure how much "art" (read: mess) I could handle at this age and in our small space. Last week we broke out the dry-erase markers for the first time, which she loves; I love that they wash off skin quite easily (we'll see about the clothes). We've also pulled out paper and paint brushes and water and practiced painting with no color. She's very interested in that process.

Today, though, I was up for a challenge and being a bit bored with the typical cold-weather routine, decided to embrace the impending toddler mess and try finger paints for the first time. I admit that I've been a little intimidated by these thus far, having visions of multi-colored walls and baby and books and mama and rug and floor and ceiling (i know, i know, she can't reach it...but she could throw it...) each time I've considered using these in the past. Today was different. Armed with a much-too-big smock and drop cloth, I carefully opened 4 jars of finger paint and set them on the cloth.

Side note: I had NO IDEA that finger paint was gelatinous! Is this common knowledge? I have no memory of using anything like this before. Was I deprived as a child? Or is this a new development in finger paint technology? I may have pulled them out a bit sooner if I'd only known. Anyway, back to the story...

Our Studio
(Thanks to Carolyn for providing the paints and canvases!)

Pulling out one sheet of finger-painting paper at a time, Aria and I sat down on opposites sides of the drop cloth and slowly began experimenting with the paints. Now, I am not a neat painter. I am messy, with little drops of spattered paint falling like rain all around me in the art studio. I like to get it on my hands, clothes, etc, and to really experience the paint. In my mind, it'll wash off eventually, so no worries. Aria, on the other hand, has not enjoyed any foreign matter on her hands/fingers. She will get the tiniest speck of something on the very tip of her finger and will point it at us and ask over and over and over to get it off until we comply (or at least pretend to if we can't actually see anything). So, she was a bit wary of the fingerpaints and started off slowly, just the tip of a finger dipped into color then wiped off on the paper over and over again. She watched me, though, and after requesting a few apples and letters and bananas, she began to get into it and eventually was painting with gusto. Her favorite finger to use was the thumb. She dipped each thumb into a jar of paint (one on each side of her for different colors) and instructed me to do the same with my thumbs. Yes, it had to be the thumbs. She would then say "Ready, Set, GO!" and we would paint with passion for several seconds, using up the paint before starting the entire process over again.

Aria with paint-covered hands
in her huge (but very protective) smock

All in all we had a great time, with minimal mess. The few drops on the clothes and floor have washed up easily. I learned that "art" can in fact be art and not just mess for Mama to clean up. Aria learned that it isn't always bad to have messy hands. And though it may be a bit premature, I don't think it's over the top to say that I think we've seen the birth of the world's next great artist.

Our Collaborative Masterpieces
(My parts are swirly, Aria's are vigorous lines)

Meg's All-Time Favorite Picture of Keith

From now on I'll publish the occasional historical picture depicting our favorite moments or scenes.

To date, this is my favorite picture of Keith. We were newly engaged and driving cross-country, turning a 1500-2000 mile trip into one well over 4000 miles. We traveled the northern states and stopped at Monterey's magnificent aquarium, the rocky beaches of Oregon, and Yellowstone National Park, to name a just a few. Here we were walking along a path over the natural pools at Yellowstone. Keith dropped down for a closer look and I caught the moment, the vivid orange pool a perfect color for my handsome guy.

Keith at Yellowstone National Park
August 2002

Potty Time!

Today Aria went pee-pee in the potty for the very first time! We are so proud of her!

With the help of Elmo (Elmo's Potty Time) and Prudence (Once Upon a Potty) we've been talking about the process for a couple of weeks and trying out her potty every day. Today was the first time she actually used it!

Congratulations, Aria Grace!

Note: To preserve Aria's dignity now and in the future there will be no pictures of her potty time. To preserve what's left of our dignity, we will also not take photos of her pee-pee or poo-poo (or if we do, we won't post them here. =P)

Inauguration 2009

Independence Ave running along side Capitol...

See the crowd in front of us and far in the distance.

Crowds.

More crowds.

Still more crowds.

Keith in front of the Rayburn House Office Building, across from the Capitol.

Aria's in the stroller, asleep.

The celebratory couple.

You can just make out the crowds through the trees. We could hear the cheers.

President Barack Obama's Inauguration Speech 2009.

We warmed up, grabbed some burgers (yes, mine was veg) and watched the swearing in
on the floor of Good Stuff Eatery on the Hill.

Michelle Obama on one of several big screens at Good Stuff.

Throngs returning from the Capitol.

Life with Aria Is a Blur

Running through our local coffee shop

When Aria was born I didn't immediately realize how early one's personality begins to show. I now know that a baby's uniqueness can display itself the moment she is born - from how hard she cries to whether she is awake and alert and watching her surroundings or sleeping peacefully for hours. Does she sleep in one spot or spin in her crib? Does she lay or sit quietly on a blanket on the floor or squirm and scoot and wind up half way across the room before she can even crawl?

Mirrortime in Mama's apron

Rocking in the rocking chair in Mama's apron

Aria cried passionately and watched intently and rolled over the very first night she was born. She hasn't stopped moving since. I often look with wonder and awe at a baby that can be placed on a blanket on the floor while mom makes dinner or straightens up or has a cup of coffee. This was never my girl. And while it's exhausting at times, it's also exhilarating and creatively challenging and just plain fun.

Running through the house is a favorite pasttime...
up and down the halls, over and over again,
giggling and laughing and screaming all the way.
Playing hide and seek and peekaboo,
she loves being chased.

Spinning in Mama's apron

An attempted closeup

Our life, in pictures, shows Aria on the move. And that's the way it is; keep up or she'll leave you behind. She has her moments of quiet play and loves to read, but still the mind is always going. "Play hard, live big" seems to be her motto. And while I do occasionally yearn for a portrait that is not blurry from movement (or a quiet cup of coffee), these too show precious moments of our girl in action, passionately committed to whatever she's doing without concern for who might be looking. This is real life, lived large.

More interested in seeing how the camera works than in being the object of the photo.

Long, uncrowded walkways and brightly colored aquariums full of fish and turtles, oh my!
The DC aquarium is an active toddler's dream.