Trade Show Preparation and...I Wish I Could Make Up a Story Like This One

I had about less than four hours of sleep last night but this time it was NOT on account of the children.  No, this time it was all about the photobooks.  Last week, Nicole and Georgia, two lovely sister models and I went to Dos Lagos to take some phots for some pictures I need for the tradeshow this week.  With completed photos so nicely presented in one of Nicole's gleaming little CD covers, I got online last night and made my 'Lookbooks' for the show.  You know, so when people come by they can view a lovely catalogue of my designs close-up and also beautifully worn?  At any rate, here is a preview of some of the amazing photos (I'll get to my point in a bit):

Serendipity fascinator.  Hair by Georgia Syrengelas and photography by Nicole Long

Diaphanous headband.  Love her smile!

Ingenue headband

Efflorescence necklace

Fetching decorative headpiece



Halcyon circlet crown

More designs at twigandsparrow.com





I needed to download a bunch of these photos into a lookbook via Shutterly.   Boy I tell you, it takes a heck of long time to arrange, edit, and perfect these little books.  Maybe some of you can master these with a baby in one hand and a laptop in the other, but not me.  I have not developed photos of my kids since Ariadne's first birthday.  Just so you know, she'll be four in two months.  Speaking of developing photos (is this just sooo 2008 or something?), I could not resist the temptation to print out these lovely little gems that Nicole took of my little one a couple of months ago (she modeled some of my earlier designs):

Georgia Syrengelas did her hair...I never even considered ever curling my daughter's hair! 

If you feel that you have nice touchy-feely, warm-fuzzy feelings right now, don't continue reading.  If you are a mommy, you'll appreciate this one.  Just goes to show how far a mommy's love for her children can really, really go.  Sigh, here it is...

Baby is crying.  A lot.  She doesn't even eat any of her breakfast.  I watch her for a minute to see what is going on.  She is 'bearing down' to try and poo.  Uh oh, con-sti-pa-tion.  I go through my usual constipation protocol:  warm water, orange juice, the good ol' tummy rub (clockwise direction please!).  She is still crying.

No wait, now she is screaming.  By this time the older two are coming over to see what is going on.  I take baby's diaper off hoping that her hard stool (yup) will not interfere with her diaper and make it stuck there.  Ouch.

That's when Ariadne says 'I see the ca-ca!'  I turn baby over, and my butt hurts just looking at this.  Her poo is lodged partly out of her anus, and the poor poo-poo hole is stretched painfully out.  Yeah.

Doctor is called and he proceeds to tell me what to do.  The funny thing is that he is so non-chalant about the whole thing as he gives me the following directions:

'Get a pair of gloves, if you want'.  (why would anyone opt out of gloves, I ask myself.)

'Get some vaseline'.  (I knew where this was going when he mentioned gloves)

'Lubricate the outer ring with vaseline and try to pull out the stool' (you mean I can't just push it back in???)

Hang up phone.  Go upstairs with bare-bottomed baby.  Get towel, tissue (sorry, no latex gloves in the house, go figure...because well, you know, everyone has a pair of those lying around, right?  Riiiight???)

Lay baby on floor.  Stick finger in vaseline and proceed to lube.  Grab tissue, pull out stool, which, by the way, is harder than a rock. 

At this point, I am pushing down on baby's lower abdomen too.  Why?  I dunno really, but it felt like I was helping my infant daughter give birth to a hard shit.  Not fun.

I could feel that she had more, so I kept trying to take out more.  Finally, it all came out.

The crying immediately ceases.  Baby gets up and starts playing like nothing happened.

I am sweating like a midwife after a baby is born.  The kids continue playing together.  Wow, it takes one stubborn turd to bring kids together and foster sympathy.  Wow.

I felt guilty because today was the first day that baby got dropped off at daycare.  And this is where the reality of the trials of motherhood and work and trying to balance it all come into play.

Countdown to the tradeshow:  three days.  It is crunch time, and mommy has to go back to the drawing boards and workbench to finish samples and get life going.  Baby is all better and happy as a clam playing with her siblilngs at daycare.

(Yes, this is what I have to tell myself in order to keep the machine of life humming and running)