This year Mother’s Day meant much more to me then in the past and so I thought it would make it the topic of this weeks Love It! Hate It! column. I know I said I’d keep the baby posts to twice a month but this isn’t really a baby post, there is a little bit about the baby in here but it is more about family! So read on to find out what I did on Mother’s Day this year!
Love It!
1. Technology! With David being away but having access to internet and wifi we have been able to video chat several times a week and it is awesome! We typically use Google’s video chat through Gmail and it works great. I was able to download an app (Vtok) that let’s me chat from my iphone through gmail and it let’s me video chat too! I know there are plenty of video chat apps out there but this one is familiar to us already and keeps things simple. So why am I enamored with this app and technology this week? Well on Mother’s Day we were going to take out the boat and my Dad noticed a leak on the boat. So I video chatted with David and sent him a video of what we were seeing. How awesome is that, I was video chatting my hubby from the boat while he is in Italy! Man I love technology!
2. Family Support! As I said above I was on the boat for Mother’s day but today was even more special or scary in my eyes because I was taking it out without David for the first time. My Mom, Dad and brother Alex came with me and were so supportive with going out. I was pretty close to wussing out because the wind was a little more then I was used to plus I was scared to dock the boat in the wind. They each manned a spot on the boat and on the second try I got the boat back in the slip with no issues but plenty of help from my family! It was great to have that family support to push me to do something I was a little bit scared of but no fear they were backing me up! Now they can’t wait to go out on the boat again and I feel more secure knowing I can do it!
3. Little Kicks! Being a first time Mom I haven’t been sure what is the baby moving and what is just my body. I know I felt the first kick sitting in church during prayer time the day before my last OB appt. Just a tiny bubble pop to let me know everything was fine. Since then I’ve thought I might be feeling something but I’ve never been 100% sure. That is until this weekend, Mother’s day weekend, when my little bean has decided to let me know it’s definitely in there! No longer just popping bubble feelings this feels like little jabs or kicks. It’s pretty awesome and I think the fabulous cake at Jill and Paul’s wedding really set the bean off! I’m noticing more and more kicks and fluttering feelings now. It makes me so happy to see my baby again this week for our next sonogram. I know Daddy can’t wait for more photos!
Hate It!
1. Seasickness! So with all the excitement of being on the boat little Miss Sadie Mae got sick all over the boat while we were out. Poor thing was paying the price for getting into a bag of dog food and gorging herself. I think the pitching waves on the water were too much to take on her already upset stomach. Thank goodness for my Mom and Dad cleaning up the boat while I headed us back to the docks. Sadie Mae dined on rice for dinner that night!
Melissa Arlena is an award winning lifestyle newborn photographer in Charlottesville and Richmond, Virginia who has earned her Master Photographer Certification from NAPCP in maternity, newborn and family photography. Her natural and simple work has been featured in magazines and online blogs worldwide. She has been named Best Maternity and Newborn Photographer in Richmond and Charlottesville, VA in 2023.
