Monthly Archives: May 2011

Samara will be four months old on Saturday, and I’m sitting here asking myself “How the hell did that happen?!” I feel like I was just in the hospital, giving birth. She is laughing, jumping and trying to stand, with some assistance, of course.

This girl is only four months old, and has already exhibited a fierce independent nature. She does not want to lay down, ever. She wants to stand at all times, and appears frustrated when she realizes that older people (than her) have to help to make this happen.

She’s teething already! Just like Ari, who had teeth by four months, she is an early teether. But, unlike Ari, she hates the frozen wash cloth. She does love her amber teething necklace that my friend Amanda gave her.

She’s sleeping in larger blocks at night. She’ll sleep from 8pm to 3am. I’m dreaming of the time that she actually sleeps through the night.

It seems like things are happening so quickly with her. When I had Ari, I was waiting for him to do something; smile, laugh, sit up. I would stare at him for days waiting for him to change. Samara, on the other hand, keeps surprising me by doing something new. The other day, I realized that she could laugh. I thought to myself “Oh, you laugh now? When did that happen? Apparently it happened today!”

Maybe it’s because I’m preoccupied chasing Ari around, making sure he pees in the toilet as opposed to on the floor and stopping him from murdering the cats.

Is this what happens with the second child? Does he/she essentially get ignored until he/she “does something interesting?”

Tell me, did your second kid start doing things “sooner?”

Last night I was washing my face, and I noticed a spec of dirt on my cheek. I scrubbed the area, but the dirt didn’t come off. It was then that I realized that it was not dirt, but a giant permanent dark spot.

I gasped, audibly.

“You do?” I asked, thinking he was just humoring me. “Where?”

In honor of Mother’s Day, I wanted to review something that celebrates the women who bore us. My dear friend Barbara designed a beautiful card called The Year You Were Born Card.

The Year You Were Born Card is a keepsake, which allows the recipient to fill in relevant information about what was happening the year their baby came into this world. Here is the New York City version of The Year You Were Born Card:

On the New York City Card, you can fill out information such as “A ride on the subway costs___” or “The cost of a slice of pizza ____”

The Year You Were Born Card also comes in cities (besides NYC) such as London, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco.

Barbara was born in Santiago, Chile to a Chilean mother and a Dutch Father. She traveled throughout her childhood, and collected passport stamps from all over the world. From an extremely young age, she loved writing and collecting letters. Her love affair with stationery had begun.

In 2009, after working in the New York Art World for many years for companies such as HBO and Giorgio Armani, Barbara had an epiphany; it was time to start her own company. That’s what led to the birth of Double Bravo Designs.

I asked Barbara about the inspiration behind The Year You Were Born Card. Here’s what she had to say:

My inspiration was the birth of my two children, ages six and three. Like capturing lightning bugs in a glass jar (or rather raw lightning bolts!) I felt a great urge to capture the life-changing swell of joy that came with the momentous occasion of a child’s birth. I feel that having captured the details of the city at that time and revisiting the card in the future will rekindle the joy of the occasion. I intend for these cards to be a family heirloom enjoyed by future generations.

Barbara With Her Son

For more information on The Year You Were Born Card click here.

Wil made this awesome collage for me for Mother’s Day:

Here are a couple of pictures of the artist and his daughter: