[NAME: Jordan; BORN DAY: March 13 (nearly four weeks before her estimated due date); TIME: 10:22 AM; WEIGHT: 7 pounds, 11 ounces; LENGTH: 19 3/4 inches]
March 15, 2012
wee wardrobes: meet jordan
[NAME: Jordan; BORN DAY: March 13 (nearly four weeks before her estimated due date); TIME: 10:22 AM; WEIGHT: 7 pounds, 11 ounces; LENGTH: 19 3/4 inches]
March 9, 2012
words sans wardrobes: the sincerest form of flattery (only not so much)
If you’re a longtime reader of words & wardrobes, you know that when it comes to words or wardrobes, I’ll choose words over wardrobes every time. Do I enjoy coveting clothes, shopping for shoes, and hungering for handbags? Of course. But when I can sit in front of my computer and express myself by putting fingers to keyboard and generating one-of-a-kind content, all is right in my world. In the nearly two years since starting this site, I’ve used this platform to disclose personal secrets [these are my confessions], share my lifelong dreams [unwritten], announce life-changing news [another confession—if you can read between the lines], and even document that life-changing news [wee wardrobes], so when I see my published content (verbatim) elsewhere on the Internet (without my knowledge—or permission), I can’t help but feel like I’ve taken a punch to the gut.
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t come easily (if it did, plagiarism wouldn’t exist)—there’s a countless amount of labor involved in my editorial posts because when it comes to publishing my work, I want it to be perfect. I want to be proud to publish it on my site. I want to be proud to be the author. And I am, because my writing is always the culmination of years of education, internships, workshops, seminars, practice, work experience, hard work, and natural talent. It’s not something that I pull from the air. It’s not something that just ‘comes to me.’ And it surely isn’t something that I plagiarize.
Recently I discovered that another blogger (who follows my blog—and my Twitter account) has been copying content from my site—word-for-word. Interestingly enough, prior to encountering my own content thief debacle, I had read Beautifully Invisible’s I Think We’ve Been Plagiarized…Sort of: The Story of the Content Thief, but I didn’t know how to approach the situation because despite the rampant epidemic of content thievery, I was naïve and never thought it would happen to me. This blogger insists that there are three other bloggers with the exact same content and that her posts are taken from several different blogs and ‘tweaked’ to fit her blog. Ironically, the content posted in her ‘tweaked’ posts is identical to mine and instead of taking responsibility, she blamed me for ruining her blogging experience, which for a second had me wondering if I was living in some sort of alternate universe because I couldn’t figure out how I was wrong for her choice to steal my content.
I think that when it comes to written content, people think that because it’s not ‘tangible’ (like a blouse or a purse) it’s fair game to steal, “borrow,” tweak, or take in some other way. But many bloggers take pride in their editorial content (and I’m one of them, despite the fact that lately my posts have been more ‘wee wardrobes’ than ‘weekday wardrobes’) and are offended by those who can’t be bothered to write their own original content.
This blogger is still denying that she’s taken anything from my site and at first, part of me felt like a 2-year-old throwing a “Mine, mine, mine!” temper tantrum, but I quickly came to my senses, and a bigger part of me realized that I’m well within my (journalistic) rights to feel the way I do because it is mine. My published work is mine. Since June 2010, the content I’ve published on words & wardrobes has allowed me to express my personality, creativity, vulnerability, and sincerity, and because of that, I’ve been able to connect with readers, commenters, and other bloggers. And it’s mine. So, yes, right now, picture me on the floor, kicking and screaming, “It’s mine, mine, mine!”
Whew. But now that this debacle is finally over, I only have one thing to say: Thank God for copyright notices.
[IMAGE: Screenshot from Dictionary.com]
wee wardrobes: thirty-six (plus one)
“Get your bags ready.”
That’s what my OB said to me last week at my appointment.
And with those four words (in addition to four more words: “You’re a centimeter dilated.”), I suddenly went from, “I’m pregnant.” to “Oh my God, I’m going to be having a baby! Soon!”
I still can’t believe it. In a few short weeks, I’m going to be a mother of two. I’m going to have a son and a daughter. Sometimes it excites me. Sometimes it overwhelms me. Sometimes it frightens me because at one point, I only had to worry about not screwing up one child—now I have to worry about not screwing up two. I wonder if I’ll be a good mother to her (her brother already thinks I’m Mother of the Year, so I think I’m doing an okay job with him). I wonder if I’ll have enough love, time, and affection to give to both of them. I wonder if I’ll still be able to chase (and catch) my dreams. But maybe that’s just the anxiety talking.
My estimated due date is: Thursday, April 5, 2012. I am 36 weeks (and one day) pregnant today and have 3 weeks and 6 days (or 27 days) remaining. Yes, in less than one month, I will finally be holding my new daughter in my arms. Insert excited squeal here.
According to WhatToExpect.com, the baby is the size of: a watermelon, at 19 to 22 inches and 6.5 pounds.
So far, I’ve gained: 36 pounds. Sometimes I feel like I should have a WIDE LOAD sticker attached to my backside.
My sleep habits: continue to be pretty decent. I still feel tired most of the time, so I try to catch a nap during the day before picking Micah up from school.
My eating habits: suddenly involve a lot of bread. I’ve been eating croissants (with Nutella) and ciabatta bread recently, but I’m not sure if it’s a craving or just the fact that I naturally like bread.
My exercise habits: involve a tad bit of walking. I don’t want to overdo it, but at the same time, I don’t mind if it helps move things along.
My wardrobe: is something I can’t wait to get back to. I’ve bought a few things during my pregnancy (for my post-pregnancy wardrobe), but I made sure to get them a tad bit bigger so that I can fit them if the weight doesn’t come off easily or I can have them tailored if it does. When I started words & wardrobes, I never imagined that I would be taking a ‘maternity leave’ (and I thank my loyal readers for sticking around through this not-so-fashionable hiatus) so I’m just ready to get back to the groove of documenting my personal style.
The baby’s movements: hurt. Sometimes I feel like she’s going to kick or punch her way out through my stomach instead of coming through the birth canal. You remember those Kool Aid commercials where the Kool Aid Man would burst through the wall yelling “Oh yeeeaaah!”? Yeah. It’s kind of like that.
Micah: suddenly wants a baby brother. While we were out for ice cream last week, he saw a mother and her baby boy and said, “I wish I should have a baby brother.” So I said, “I’m sorry, Lovebug. I can’t change it. You’re going to have a little sister soon.” So his response was this: “Well, can you make it be a baby brother next time?” Next time? Ha. This is the last baby coming out of this birth canal, kid. A year ago I was a proud card-carrying member of the ‘One and Done’ club. I’m now a proud card-carrying member of the ‘Two and Through’ club. No mas.
I feel: like this is the calm before the storm. Part of me feels as if she’s never coming out. Another part of me can’t believe she’ll be here in such a short amount of time. It’s kind of surreal, I guess. Because of the way my labor with Micah played out (which I will be writing about very soon), I’ve become hypervigilant, watching for any sign of labor even though my due date is still four weeks away.
One thing I really miss is: not having people constantly commenting on my weight and body. Hearing “You look huge today” or “When are you due—tomorrow?” or “You bounced back with Micah—you might not be so lucky this time” or any variation of those comments does little to make me feel like the glowing pregnant woman I’m supposed to be. Yes, I know I’m enormous. I’m also pregnant. It kind of comes with the territory. Sigh.
One thing I really look forward to is: experiencing my baby’s birth with The Boyfriend. He has been absolutely phenomenal through this entire pregnancy and I’m more than excited that we will be doing this as a team. The hospital only allows one person in the room and I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side.
My ‘wee wardrobes’ Want of the Week is: a name for my soon-to-be-here daughter. Both sets of grandparents think we’ve chosen a name and just aren’t sharing, but the reality is, we really don’t have one. And I’m kind of starting to panic. We had a ton of names had she been a boy, but we’re truly stumped when it comes to a moniker for this little girl.
That’s what my OB said to me last week at my appointment.
And with those four words (in addition to four more words: “You’re a centimeter dilated.”), I suddenly went from, “I’m pregnant.” to “Oh my God, I’m going to be having a baby! Soon!”
I still can’t believe it. In a few short weeks, I’m going to be a mother of two. I’m going to have a son and a daughter. Sometimes it excites me. Sometimes it overwhelms me. Sometimes it frightens me because at one point, I only had to worry about not screwing up one child—now I have to worry about not screwing up two. I wonder if I’ll be a good mother to her (her brother already thinks I’m Mother of the Year, so I think I’m doing an okay job with him). I wonder if I’ll have enough love, time, and affection to give to both of them. I wonder if I’ll still be able to chase (and catch) my dreams. But maybe that’s just the anxiety talking.
My estimated due date is: Thursday, April 5, 2012. I am 36 weeks (and one day) pregnant today and have 3 weeks and 6 days (or 27 days) remaining. Yes, in less than one month, I will finally be holding my new daughter in my arms. Insert excited squeal here.
According to WhatToExpect.com, the baby is the size of: a watermelon, at 19 to 22 inches and 6.5 pounds.
So far, I’ve gained: 36 pounds. Sometimes I feel like I should have a WIDE LOAD sticker attached to my backside.
My sleep habits: continue to be pretty decent. I still feel tired most of the time, so I try to catch a nap during the day before picking Micah up from school.
My eating habits: suddenly involve a lot of bread. I’ve been eating croissants (with Nutella) and ciabatta bread recently, but I’m not sure if it’s a craving or just the fact that I naturally like bread.
My exercise habits: involve a tad bit of walking. I don’t want to overdo it, but at the same time, I don’t mind if it helps move things along.
My wardrobe: is something I can’t wait to get back to. I’ve bought a few things during my pregnancy (for my post-pregnancy wardrobe), but I made sure to get them a tad bit bigger so that I can fit them if the weight doesn’t come off easily or I can have them tailored if it does. When I started words & wardrobes, I never imagined that I would be taking a ‘maternity leave’ (and I thank my loyal readers for sticking around through this not-so-fashionable hiatus) so I’m just ready to get back to the groove of documenting my personal style.
The baby’s movements: hurt. Sometimes I feel like she’s going to kick or punch her way out through my stomach instead of coming through the birth canal. You remember those Kool Aid commercials where the Kool Aid Man would burst through the wall yelling “Oh yeeeaaah!”? Yeah. It’s kind of like that.
Micah: suddenly wants a baby brother. While we were out for ice cream last week, he saw a mother and her baby boy and said, “I wish I should have a baby brother.” So I said, “I’m sorry, Lovebug. I can’t change it. You’re going to have a little sister soon.” So his response was this: “Well, can you make it be a baby brother next time?” Next time? Ha. This is the last baby coming out of this birth canal, kid. A year ago I was a proud card-carrying member of the ‘One and Done’ club. I’m now a proud card-carrying member of the ‘Two and Through’ club. No mas.
I feel: like this is the calm before the storm. Part of me feels as if she’s never coming out. Another part of me can’t believe she’ll be here in such a short amount of time. It’s kind of surreal, I guess. Because of the way my labor with Micah played out (which I will be writing about very soon), I’ve become hypervigilant, watching for any sign of labor even though my due date is still four weeks away.
One thing I really miss is: not having people constantly commenting on my weight and body. Hearing “You look huge today” or “When are you due—tomorrow?” or “You bounced back with Micah—you might not be so lucky this time” or any variation of those comments does little to make me feel like the glowing pregnant woman I’m supposed to be. Yes, I know I’m enormous. I’m also pregnant. It kind of comes with the territory. Sigh.
One thing I really look forward to is: experiencing my baby’s birth with The Boyfriend. He has been absolutely phenomenal through this entire pregnancy and I’m more than excited that we will be doing this as a team. The hospital only allows one person in the room and I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side.
My ‘wee wardrobes’ Want of the Week is: a name for my soon-to-be-here daughter. Both sets of grandparents think we’ve chosen a name and just aren’t sharing, but the reality is, we really don’t have one. And I’m kind of starting to panic. We had a ton of names had she been a boy, but we’re truly stumped when it comes to a moniker for this little girl.
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