Goose said his feet were cold.
I told him that he knew where to find his socks.
He found them.
Happy 4th of July! May all of your plaid shorts find their rightful striped socks.
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“The scientist said it is a girl. The doctor said it is a boy. But I’m telling you, there is no winky.”
So said Q, our 4 year old.
And so shall it be…
The scientist was right!
It’s a girl!
Note how it says “still a girl” in the ultrasound. That’s because we hammered the owner of the ultrasound location in New Orleans until we were absolutely positive that it is, indeed, a girl. I have quite a few pictures like the one above.
And no, ya’ll were no help in keeping me patient until my scheduled ultrasound in July. But the speculation was awfully fun!
As it turned out, our baby daughter was apparently done with all of that speculation because when we peeked in on her that day? She had her feet almost behind her head in a stunning “All Girls! All the time!” move worthy of Bourbon street.
Stunning, indeed. We have a girl!
A girl with a sense of humor, as she seemed to be mocking our shocked expressions:
Oh. Mah. Gah. It’s a girl!
We can’t wait to meet you after all, baby girl. Your big brothers are already picking out matching princess dresses and knights’ armor. And yes, everyone gets a sword!
So… where is my etsy password because I have some dresses to buy!
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The greatest of Dads make even catching a Croaker seem like big game fishing.
Maguire, thanks for being the greatest of dads.
Happy Father's Day!
Love, Q, Goose, and Megan
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When we finally decided that we were done having babies (you know, before we found out that we were pregnant with our third. ahem.), I spent some time mourning the little baby girl that I would never have. Mourning is the best way I can describe it because it truly did feel like a loss.
I am a girl. That’s fairly obvious given the creation of babies in ze belly, but I’m not a girly-girl. Perhaps the girliest thing about me is that I have always wanted to have a girl. I’ve always had those little baby daughter fantasies.
Before we find out if this new baby is a girl or a boy, either of which I would be thrilled about (well, thrilled if it’s a boy, thrilled and terrified if it’s a girl), I feel like this is my last chance to capture these “what if it’s a girl/ what if I never have a girl” feelings.
A few months before I found out about our new baby, I was watching a movie that included a scene of a mother and small daughter taking a bubble bath together. With no warning, I found myself crying. The feminine tenderness of the image knocked around within an empty spot in my heart and left me breathless. I wanted that and had decided that I would no longer pursue it. Happily decided so, with no less than a heaping helping of relief, but it was a loss nonetheless.
We all give up on certain dreams throughout our lives, often for sound reasons, but we mourn the loss of their warm glow just the same. These dreams that have kept us company and occupied a bit of our imagination for so many years. For me, it was the image of my dream daughter peeking around corners of my mind any time I would see a little girl that reminded me of her.
My daughter. The one that exists in my mind has long dark, curly hair. Her eyes are almond shaped and deep brown. Her skin is the olive of her father’s. She is the one child of my three that looks more Lebanese than Irish. Who would have ever imagined that my Irish genes would put the beat-down on my husband’s Lebanese stronghold?
She is the mysterious princess that might not fit in quite so well while growing up but that all of the boys will clamor for when she grows into her own. She is a woman beyond her years from the moment she is born, yet full of mischief and light.
I celebrate my daughter.
I picture her in a sparkly princess dress at the age of three, yet wielding a sword and demanding that her older brothers obey her orders as their magical Queen. She is the peacekeeper and the troublemaker. We all bend to her will.
My daughter is the one that teaches my husband, Maguire, what true self-reliance means. She needs no one to complete her yet she invites the world in through her limitless gaze.
She is my daughter. And I may never meet her.
Or so I thought, until about a week ago. Now, suddenly, meeting that daughter seems like a possibility. For three more weeks or so, it will remain a possibility and I’m going to enjoy it. And if it ends up being a son? I will be beside myself with excitement because I know the joy that boys are and I am a boy-mama through and through.
Though I think I could get the hang of this girl stuff. For my daughter.
Sweet, beautiful, hilariously intelligent little girl made of more spice than sugar, if we do not meet, know that I somehow loved you anyway and will miss you.
PS- Since I may never be able to go shopping for a daughter, I did some virtual shopping for the photos in this post from Sweet Funky Vintage (they contacted me via twitter; it pays to @ me when I ask for recs!) and through Cool Mom Picks (I’m a fan of Kristen Chase and she pointed me toward their awesome Ultimate Baby Shower Gift Guide). I’ve linked each photo to where you can buy one for yourself. And no, I wasn’t paid for anything, so no disclaimers necessary. Be sure to tell them I sent you, though… just in case I do have that little girl!
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They call it being “in the bubble.” As a guest at Walt Disney World resorts, you are “in the bubble” from the moment you step into the line for your Magical Express ride from the airport to your resort, through the landscaping on the property, to the smell of the dungeons of the Pirates of the Caribbean, right on to the moment you step back onto your plane to make your way home.
It’s those special touches. The “We’ve got it covered” approach that meets you at every turn. The extra dose of magic that finds its way into everything from the towels to the soap to the carpet in the hallways.
It’s the Mickey.
Yikes, that’s a scary still frame after a long day. The video above was shot in my room at the Walt Disney World Beach Club Resort. By the way, that “towel” was actually a blanket.
Thank my lucky stars, I was fortunate enough to have spent the weekend at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, as part of the Spring Mom Blogger Mixer. Well, thank my lucky stars whose names happen to be Maria Bailey from BSM Media and the Social Media department of Walt Disney World.
For my having been singled out as a mom blogger, well, some pixie dust must have been involved.
I haven’t been to Disney World since I was 12, having grown up going to either Epcot or the Magic Kingdom every year prior as part of our annual trip to St. Pete’s Beach. Back then, Disney was a one day trip, where you chose one park or the other to tear through before heading back to your own hotel hours away.
My, how things have changed.
The resort culture that exists at Walt Disney World today is extraordinary. As a mom of pre-school age children, it is now the only way to do Disney, in my opinion. The benefits of spending your Disney vacation “in the bubble” (or on Disney property, from the resorts to the parks) for the duration of your stay, are immeasurable.
Our group was referred to as the “Magical Moms.” If that means that we were magically transformed into 9 year olds, then the term is spot on. Even the model-esque Lindsay Ferrier of Suburban Turmoil was reduced to a wide-eyed awe-struck babe. I assure you, it is difficult to be intimidated by even the most “successful” bloggers when they become a puddle of emotion and sparkles in the face of the world that Walt built.
The video above was shot during the Reflections of Earth presentation in Epcot’s World Showcase Lagoon. The mom bloggers you see are Lindsay from Suburban Turmoil, Beth (the one with the camera) from I Should Be Folding Laundry, Andrea from Mommy Snacks, and Emily from Mommin’ It Up.
There is so much more to tell you about the trip, not the least important of which being how I think I’m finally getting used to the idea of this new baby, but it’s time for us all to pop back out of the bubble until the next post.
More videos, more stories about the other bloggers (some of whom I know you’ll love, if you don’t already), and much more about the Disney experience to come.
Most of all, I want to share with you what I learned. You know full well that I don’t generally write reviews. But this was different, and for that reason, I ask that you bear with me and trust me. This trip to Disney changed the way I think of my family and my role as their mother.
For all of the fun times that I miss from being in my twenties, nothing compares to the joy that family life brings. Since this was a business trip, our families had to stay behind (understandably so, as we were completely booked). Let me tell you, I had to hold back tears for the whole first hour I was in the Magic Kingdom because I missed them so thoroughly. I was jealous of every mother that watched wonder spread across the face of her child as they stood in front of Cinderella’s castle. I sort of wanted to kick every dad that propped his son on his shoulders as they headed toward the Jungle Cruise.
Because I wanted to share the experience with my kids.
My life is nothing without my family. And the magic of Disney only highlighted that for me this weekend. For that, Mickey, I thank you.
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May 7, 2007 Pour Your Misery Down on Me
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