Another Epic Battle of the Mind

So, I did something crazy on St. Patrick's Day; something that took 3 years to accomplish and only minutes to erase.  More specifically, 3 years to grow and then minutes to cut.  We've talked about the Great Debate, but now there is another epic battle of the mind that seems to come along with motherhood.  Here are a couple photos of the aftermath of my decision:

Oh, the horror - ahhh!

It's amazing how long my beard was.... wait, what?!

Before getting pregnant, I had three personal goals:

First, I wanted to be in a regular exercise routine.  I took a Yogilates class (yoga + pilates) as well as a Zumba class (aerobics disguised as salsa/regaetón/hip-hop dancing).

Second, I wanted to give up caffeine.  I was able to drink a big cup of coffee, loaded with caffeine, right before bed without any affect to my sleep.  I figured it would make things a whole lot easier if I didn't have to cope with caffeine headaches along with the usual dose of pregnancy symptoms.  After two weeks of being an absolute crank going cold turkey, I kicked the habit.

And finally, I wanted to have long hair.  There is a stereotype that all women who have babies get "mom hair" which is short, unsexy, uncool, and lame.  Now, this isn't to say that short hair or women who are moms and have short hair are any of these things.  I'm just stating the stereotype.  For me, in my oh so naive mindset, I just wanted to stay clear of short hair so as not to fall into the dreaded grasps of the stereotype.  Needless to say, I have a much better understanding of why mothers choose to cut their hair short, and I found myself staring down short-haired strangers and friends to see how they styled short hair and made it look so good.

Let me preface the Big Reveal with a few explanations:


1. I've Been Jonesing for a Change.

Ladies (and guys too maybe?) - you know the feeling.  When you sit down and the stylist says, "what would you like to do?"  Your original intention was just to get a little trim off the ends but what comes out of your mouth is, "let's do something drastic".  That's what I've been craving.  I've had a few styles over the years:

Starter Hair

Platinum Toothless Hair

Brother Matching Hair

Dark Brunette Hair

Red + Blonde Hi-lights Hair

New Mommy Hair

2. Hair Can Lead to a Trip to the E.R.

Bears & Dogs - oh my!

What do the adorable little animal footies above have in common?  They are vessels for Hair Tourniquets (normally I would include a link to Wikipedia, but the article has some semi graphic pictures, so feel free to look it up on your own, but be cautioned that it isn't a pleasant experience).

What are these Hair Tourniquets, you ask?  Basically, Momma Hair gets stuck to clothing, becomes trapped in the footies of baby's clothing, baby slides their feet into the footies, Momma Hair gets tightly wound around baby's toes, and Hair Tourniquets are formed that have to get trimmed with razors at your local E.R. 

Resident Munchkin, ER Staff

No joke, this does actually happen (Brad dealt with these cases when he did a rotation at a pediatric emergency department).  Be sure to flip the footies inside out when washing, and remove any lint/hairs/threads before placing them on baby's toes.  Fingers can have a similar risk so watch out!

3. Growing out bangs is boooooooooooring.

Bang grow-out drama, ugh.

Nobody likes to grow out bangs.  You are forever trapped in a haze of awkwardness, punctuated with hair clips, bobby pins, headbands and hair in your eyes.  Why not create a compromise between your whiny bangs and your overly mature long hair by cutting your hair a bit closer to your bang length?  That way, everyone wins.

And now for the Big Reveal!

We first need the Before Photos:

Front, Side, Pony, yeah.

Special thanks to my AWESOME sister-in-law/stylist, Stacey, who worked her magic with a pair of scissors, hair dryer, and flat iron.

Front View...

Side View...

... and it even lulls babies to sleep!

 I opted for chopping.  Got any epic battles of the mind?  How did yours turn out?

Wishing you all a Happy Hair Day,

~M

The Great Debate

I am writing this post looking for your feedback.  I'm curious, very curious.  And I'm not just looking for feedback from mothers-to-be, or just women for that matter.  Instead, I'd like everyone's input on this one, because I believe this topic can be discussed through generations, as well as across genders.  Now, I'm not referring to the actual Great Debate, but this can be a universal topic to discuss - sorry, couldn't resist the pun.  What I'm instead bringing to the discussion board is staying home with your children, going back to work, or finding something in between...

Naptime

I resigned from my job a short time ago.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVED my job.  I worked for Language Services Associates (LSA), which is a language service provider - connecting you with translators or interpreters for a variety of projects and needs.  I specifically found independently contracted interpreters to match them with different clients' needs like hospitals, courts, insurance companies, government agencies,... services that English speakers use every day and the use of interpreters helps Limited English Speakers access as well.  It was awesome.  I should also clarify that I do not interpret.  When I've explained what I do in the past, some people have made the assumption that I am an actual interpreter, but this is not the case.  I speak Spanish fluently (though I'll admit I've lost a bit over the years), but am not an interpreter.  I'll leave that difficult task to the professionals!  In my four years working for LSA, I had so many opportunities to grow and experience new things.

2008 Holiday Party
(Me - yes, I am a brunette!, Sarahlyn, Stephanie & Lynn)

2009 DVTA Conference - Philadelphia, PA
(Patricia, Patty, Latifa, Irma, Stephanie & Me)

2009 New York City ATA Conference
(Vickie, Patty & Me)

2010 Holiday Party
(Me, Patty; Lynn, Stephanie & Noël)

2010 London Trip/Conference
(Stephanie & Dan)

2010 London Trip/Conference
(Stephanie & Me)

2010 Denver, CO ATA Conference
(Armando & Me)

2011 Holiday Party
(Noël, Nicole & Me)

I also worked with some very great people (as you can see in some of the photos above).  People that went on ski trip weekends, stayed out late dancing, laughed at my Castilian Spanish accent, gave me advice, guided me, and some who became my very close friends and confidants.  I learned so much about different cultures, countries, and each new project made me realize how big the world is, and how language and communication are so important.  

That being said, my priorities have shifted a bit these days.  Had I told myself five years ago that I would be staying home full-time to raise my son, I would have been shocked.  I was a career woman with goals and dreams and ambition.  Staying home would mean I had given up.

And yet, now that I hold my little guy in my arms, that is not what staying home means.  For me, staying home is seeing my son grow and learn and being a pivotal part of his development; pouring into him everything I can so that he can learn from my mistakes and experiences; speaking Spanish with him so he might breeze through Spanish class like a native speaker; meeting up with other moms and their children so that he can learn from the wisdom of other mothers and make friends... What does the future hold for me?  Once he (and maybe a sibling or two) get going to school, I might go back to the business world.  Or maybe I won't.  Having children is a brand new experience for me, so only time will tell.  All I know is that in this moment, staying home feels right.

Tummy Time with Mommy

This is not to say that parents that go back to work aren't doing great things for their children.  Every parent determines how they balance work, children, and life in general.  In our situation, Brad and I decided that he would work full-time, I would stay home full-time, and that's what works for us.

Here is where I want to know your feedback.  Are you a stay-at-home mom/dad?  Did you go back to work after having a child?  Are you single or married without children?  Have your children grown and moved out of the house?  Whatever your experience may be, tell me what your opinions are on the debate between staying home or going back to work (or maybe working part-time).  If you are of a different generation, what was it like when you were having children?  What was the expectation of men and women?

This was a great debate for me.  There is still a part of me that worries that I'm not cut out to be the Super Mom that I expect of myself.  And yet, another part of me knows I have other friends that stay at home, and there is an entire community of parents who stay home that I can lean on for support.  This is a new adventure that has been both challenging and exciting.  I see other moms (and dads) that stay home and it is very inspirational.  God has greatly blessed us for it to be possible for me to stay home full-time, and I am enjoying this new chapter in my life.  Not to say it doesn't get frustrating and I think about calling out sick some days, but that happened with my working life, too.



So what are your thoughts?  Please leave comments below!

~M