Why Not?

 I've become that mother. That mother that constantly talks about her own child. Who knows, deep down, that she has other interests, but is so excited with every burp, smile and genius act that I feel compelled to share it with the whole world (consider this an apology to all my facebook  friends for my frequent Gracie-related status updates) That won't stop here I'm afraid. She is the most brilliant, beautiful child I have ever met. I may be a bit biased, but I'm sticking to my guns.
 One of my favorite things about her is that she is undeniably already a goofball. I mean, she didn't have much of a chance to be anything otherwise, given what she had to work with. She is constantly doing silly things and once she realizes she's made you laugh- she does it again. Over and over again. 
       She is also already unimpressed with her parents. I'm not sure how we can be an embarrassment to her at 9 months, but I'm rather proud of it. For example, tonight, while she was taking a bath with Andrew, she sneezed. While face-planting into the water. The sound that it made alone was enough to send us into a fit of giggles. I can't do it justice in words- ask Andrew for a demonstration.  But the icing on the cake was the look she shot us- like "Really Mom & Dad? You're laughing at the combination of my weak neck muscles, my gargantuan and unfortunate head circumference & a poorly timed sneeze? That's funny to you?" I love that you find us a little bit ridiculous Gracie. I know I won't love this when your are rolling you eyes and slamming doors at 16...but for now- it's just plain adorable. 

    It also amazes me what new things I find to be relevant and important now that Grace is around. Andrew & I were watching (and I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it) that horrible reality type game show "Bank of Hollywood" today. If you haven't seen it, the premise of the show is that since we are in a recession, a panel of 4 judges- including winners like Candi Spelling & an obscure member of the Pussycat Dolls- will hear out your plea for money and determine if they want to give you "their" money or not, based on your pitch. The show is mainly trash, but it has it share of heart-wrenching moments as well as absolute ridiculousness. 
     Today, it caused me to feel physically ill. A woman went on, asking for an outrageous sum of money (I think it was around $18,000), so she could get her EIGHTEEN year old daughter a boob job. The daughter was then asked if she would rather have the money right then, for the surgery, OR have the money placed in an investment fund that would be released to her at age 25 so she could make a down payment on a house. She chose...boobs (as well as instant gratification) Really? It made me so sad. Now, I'm not a feminist.. and I'm about as insecure as they come. If offered a free boob job- I'm not sure that I'd be able to turn it down. (Although I'd take the down payment first, IN A HEARTBEAT, if offered) But there are a lot of qualities that I value about myself- most of which go far beyond my physical appearance. It worries me that in our society the value of cup size outweighs the size of your heart, or your brain or a myriad of other important, beautiful qualities. It petrifies me that Grace might not be able to find beauty in the way her nose crinkles when she smiles or how her eyes quite literally light up when she is happy. That she may not value intelligence or wit. I want to protect her from ever feeling less than perfect- but I know, being female, that a day will come when she is less than satisfied with what she sees in the mirror. I just hope that we can give her the tools to look past that and find satisfaction in so much more. 
   Oh and for the record- even the "Bank of Hollywood" had some sense. The girl is still boob-less & obviously miserable. I would say I hope she learned some valuable lesson-- but that's just naive. 


  So, in closing my first post, I hope you come along with me for the ride. I hope you read this and I make you laugh. And think. I know babies aren't everyone's cup of tea- but I promise I do have other things to talk about. I hope this makes me better at keeping in touch with my far-away friends and family. I hope I make it past one post- but no promises :)