5 things you'll wish you knew about being pregnant

Both my little sisters and a couple of my friends all have had babies in the last year or so and I think they gave me a good  heads up of what to expect when you're pregnant. There's tons of good baby books out there, but who reads them before getting "knocked up?" Even if you did read baby books before pregnancy a few things might get left out, so I'm here to prepare you.

1) Morning sickness is a misnomer
You may get sick in the afternoons and in the evening, I even got sick in the middle of the night a few times. Morning sickness may continue your entire pregnancy too! My friend Mo's did, and I'm 8 months today and still get sick a few times a week. I suggest never letting your tummy get empty (hard to do, I know, when you're queasy) and also try eating protein rich snacks over the standard crackers/dry cereal. Sometimes plain carbs on an empty tummy may make you more sick. I eat alot of boiled eggs, yogurt, fruit and pudding cups, cereal and milk, dried fruit/ regular fruit with cheese, and cheese or peanut butter with my crackers.  I drink lemon ginger tea and take motion sickness medicine. Avoid drinking anything with your meals, strong smells, tight clothes, anything spicy, fried or hard to digest.Also don't go anywhere without snacks, water, a fresh shirt, tic tacs  or a mini toothbrush, and some plastic bags. I started bringing bags after an incident where I couldn't really pull over...I'll bet you can guess the rest. Yuck!

2) Start preparing early
By this I mean don't wait until you're 7 months along to stock up on baby items because waiting that long might make you frantic or cause nightmares like my sis mar had. Besides, it's alot easier to navigate baby aisles when your tummy is smaller, before you get huge with swollen feet and back aches... I started collecting baby gear at about 4 1/2 to 5 months along. Most of Belladonna's stuff is good to go, the bassinet is made up, we're going to install the cars seats this week and I started packing her hospital bag last night. There's diapers and baby shampoo, clothes, blankets and books all waiting. Our baby shower is probably just going to be a diaper party since I already have  most everything else we need.

3) Develop invisible earplugs
 Because once people, mostly complete strangers, realize you are having a baby they suddenly feel compelled to tell you horror stories or offer the most ridiculous unsolicited advice. My doctor says he wishes pregnant moms didn't listen to any of the craziness and old wives tales they hear, and my friend Liz said to ignore them. I've heard very, very,scary birth stories (4 day labor, failed epidurals, 30 stitches,etc..), been told to not travel to Denver because the elevation is to high, don't raise my arms up because the umbilical cord might get tangled, and was told to not ride a bike at all. 
           The worst is that no matter how you carry your little one someone will have something to say. Carrying big? They'll tell you must be ready to pop at any moment. Carrying small? They'll tell you to baby must be "too" small. My doctor also says that short women always want to know why they're so big, and tall/ slim girls like me want to know why their bump isn't ginormous like everyone says it should be. Who cares how big the baby bump is if baby is developing beautifully like mine? I just reply with a shrug and a "doctor says she's perfect, and I've always been skinny. Aren't I lucky?" or "I'm sorry to hear your birth/pregnancy was scary, luckily I've had no complications so far."

4) You don't need everything they sell
This means that you honestly do not need everything sold in baby stores. Maybe you have an unlimited budget and several empty rooms in which to store tons of crap, but most of us mortals don't need that much. My dear husband says that baby retailers think that being a  mom means you have "sucker" tattooed on your forehead. I live in a small apartment so we're going to co-sleep because it's easier for midnight breast feeding and space and use a bassinet for naps. You will need some basics, but beyond that don't buy the hype. If you can, ask real moms what they actually ended up using, and don't buy multiple items unless you genuinely need 2 of something.. I'm not buying grocery seat covers because germ wipes will work fine.  On the other hand, we have 2 cars so having 2 car seats will make life easier. Which is the real reason to buy baby stuff in the first place.

5) When pregnant, taking care of you IS taking care of baby
Do you sometimes feel guilty or selfish when you focus on you? DON'T. Healthy happy mom = healthy happy baby. If you're tired a nap is good for both of you. Don't be afraid to take a day off work when you need to, you have a lot going right now.When you are stressed your little one is exposed to stress hormones, and when you are calm baby is exposed to soothing, happy hormones. Manicures and pedicures are good for the ego, and good grooming helps to keep you both healthy. Massages and comfortable shoes help promote good circulation. Taking time to eat nutritious meals and snacks helps baby's development. I always have a granola or protein bar and some trail mix in my bag. Even if you are really busy you can always eat healthfully, especially now that every fast food chain offers salad, yogurt, fruit, veggie or wrap options. When you feel good about yourself you'll feel more capable and prepared to tackle mommy-hood.

       Lastly, don't forget to look after yourself when baby is born too! If you are running on empty and don't stop to care for yourself how do you expect to be fully engaged in being the best parent ever? You don't have to be a perfect supermom but make yourself, your partner and your baby the big priorities. Don't forget to ask for help when you need it: you probably have a friend or relative who can watch baby while you take a shower or maybe someone can help you with cooking and light house work.

We've been featured in our first ETSY Treasury

Great News!! We've been featured in our first ETSY Treasury, Funlandia! Being recognized by a fellow etsian is an honor. I'm so proud of us :) I think all my hard work to improve my photos is starting to pay off. I can not stress how important clear pictures are in a online sales venue where the customer can't actually handle the merchandise prior to purchase. Along with worshiping an awesome photo editor Etsy application FotoFuze I'm learning how to use my camera beyond "point and click."

I have some lovely items that are simply sitting and waiting for me to get them stocked on ETSY. I am working to make more listings but I am pretty busy with getting ready for baby and gestation itself is very distracting. In the meanwhile I decided to offer a sneak peek of some
upcoming items...

Baby Shower

Listening to Aqua's new single " My Mama Said" and Pet Shop Boys, just a mix of their work from 1980's-now and synth- pop and goth rock like Cruxshadows and Beborn Beton

K... so it's rather obvious that I'm into "the dark side" but for Belladonna's shower I'm planning something more traditional with a modern twist. It's gonna be a couple's shower! Since Nate has friends and co workers who will attend it makes sense to include everyone: boyfriends, hubbys, kids, etc. I want it to be inviting and casual, with drinking and few/no games, just friends gathered to celebrate our procreation. The decorations will be pink, purple, yellow, green, baby pastels.

The setting will be early evening and we'll serve a full buffet dinner of southern style food. I'm still not sure what beverages will be served, but I'll offer both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. I've found it pretty easy not to drink too much because it makes me a bit queasy, but a little social lubricant won't hurt my guests. Nate is a fantastic cook and baby makes me tired, so he's going to make most of the menu with myself and Marcasia helping out. We don't really do store bought pre- made food so it'll be entirely homemade except for the cake.
Menu:
Fried Chicken
Macaroni and cheese
Cornbread
Black eyed peas
Deviled eggs
Greens
Pasta salad
Crudites
Cake and ice cream
I'm planning our fete for early January since it's a quiet month and the holidays will be over with. Of course I'll probably still be wearing black, since it's my go to color. Maybe an excuse to go shopping? We'll see :)

DIY and Cheap Goth Baby

I'm 20 weeks along and I just found out it's a girl! I'm very happy about that, even though I had started collecting some boy gear already. My only real issue is: baby's wardrobe. DH Nate hates pink, and I agree that pink is so over done. So far I mostly have yellow and green, but those colors are pretty ambiguous. Since I'm all about cheap I happily accept all hand-me-downs, but I've been looking for ways to spice up my little Bella-Donna's clothes. Hello DIY!!!
I wear black and white and purple, and my little girl's clothes are going to be based on a similar black, white and red theme. Just an overall goth/rocker thing. My sister Marcasia was aghast and said "I hope your not going to dress to dress you're kid in all black". Why not? Look, dark covers stains, plus my baby will stand out in a sea of yellow and pink. Recent studies show that newborns recognize black, white and red visually first. So I'm helping her developmentally AND style wise. Double bonus.

There are some great online shops where you can buy cool baby gear, but $20 per onesie is too much for something she'll barf on, crap on, and quickly outgrow. This site has some wicked gear. Inspired, I've decided to dye white onesies and hand stencil or draw skulls, zombies, and other dark themes. Also Walmart has $2 white onesies and black baby pants- totally cheap and easy. A tip for dyeing: I use dylon but be careful about the amount of material you are using because too much makes the black color more a navy. Also I leave my clothes in the dye for an hour longer than recommended, and rinse and rinse for baby. Cotton works best for dying, synthetics aren't really good next to baby's skin anyway.
I've been on the prowl for cheap items too:Here's an awesome and inexpensive tattoo art baby sling on amazon. It's only $12!


Here's my niece Nika wearing a custom hair bow I made, wouldn't matching mommy/daughter bows be so cute? Don't be afraid to make accessories! Beats pastel pink on the coolness scale.If you are a crafty mama you can try this easy no sew tutu tutorial. The $10 in material sure beat $36 for a purchased punk goth tutu, and this way the color choices are infinite. I made this insane tutu for a live theatre performance. YES, I'm a Renaissance woman. The top layers are based on the no sew tutu. Yes, that is Nate in the wig, our show was gender bending and cross dressed.


This picture is from Homemade by Jill: It's from a ridiculously easy custom wipes case tutorial. I love love the purple, but wouldn't a skull print or polka dot theme be cute too? You could even embellish it more with charms, bows, lace, etc. My diaper bag and changing pad are black, I got them for next to nothing at a local thrift shop. Carrying a pink teddy bear bag just isn't me. I told Nate, " I normally would never carry a pastel bag, so why would I change that for a baby"? You have to carry that thing everywhere, might as well reflect your sense of style. I also bought red fleece so I can make no sew fleece baby blankets. My girl is coming in February so the warmer gear the better. It's too easy! I just cut a blanket size square and snip the edges into fringe. You could even knot 2 layers together for a warmer blankie. When I'm not so tired and lazy I will make some baby hats too, and I want to make satin bonnets. I worship the Victorian inspired romantic goth look.

Hope this helps you to get inspired! Happy Crafting!!

Halloween and my anniversary

I'm exited about Halloween! It's my favorite holiday and as a "goth" it's even more better!
Costumes are the best! Lately I've been kind of not dressing as "artistically" but I went as a sexy/Hogwarts type witch complete with veil and mini- cape last year and my homemade hat is what inspired me to start making mini-witch hats. The color is off, it's more purple in real life.This is my first diy and only full size witch hat below:
I'm completely self-taught so I'm constantly in a learning process. My design hasn't changed much since I started "Syd and Marc" with Mar but my method has. I still like glue, but I'm experimenting with sewing as much as possible. It's cleaner and more durable therefore raising the value of each one, but each one is still as much a piece of gorgeous art as accessory . I'm also a perfectionist at hiding the ugly parts such as stitching and gluing eww those are gross when you can see them, it's when an item becomes a "practice" hat or practical model. I am always experimenting with new designs, and I have a tendency to start grabbing material and working alot. My method is to only sometimes draw out the design and list my supplies needed on paper when I need to work out something that I know is going to be tough for me to make. And then I craft!

Here's a picture of my home made light box and my craft studio:
I got the instructions from a couple of tutorial and guides online. Purchased light tents can cost $100 or more but mine cost tissue paper and a glue stick plus some fancy scrapbook paper and movable tape for background changes. I also crop the pictures when I'm done so you can see hat detail=good and not ugly light box=bad in my finished pictures. I can get a bit frustrated when my first attempts are crummy and I want to spend money I don't have on a photographer but my babe Nate tells me that I can do it myself. So I take a break and read more tutorials and try again. Some of my photos like my self portraits can be blurry, so next I need a tripod but I think my pictures are getting better and better . See how pretty my top photo turned out.

Fall means my dating and wedding anniversary's are coming around! Nate and my dating anniversary is October 3, we've been together 4 years. Our wedding anniversary is December 3 and we've been married for 3. Here's a couple of pics from our anniversary vacation 2 years ago when we drove many miles to an awesome, wonderful hot spring near Alamosa. Even though there was some snow around we still had an amazing time. We loved it so much we even talked about moving to the nearby area haha so we could visit the springs all the time. We should go back soon hmm hot spring. Last year we threw a small party and ate to much cheese, and I drank way to much boxed wine. I think the hot springs was more fun. That reminds me I have to start planning something special for this year.Here's a cute picture of us together, taken about a month ago. Sorry it's so tiny. I love my hubby so so much :)
He's been so encouraging and supportive of all my dreams and big plans... Right now we are side by side on our computers we each have one on our side of the bed. Yes, we're really into computers. I'm always reading, Nate's a gamer, and we both love watching movies.