Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Phashion Phorward Phoebe

I've realized that there is nothing like a newborn when it comes to challenging your fashion sense. Those of you who know me and my own personal style (or lack thereof) can attest to the fact that I'm pretty low-key: earth tones, comfortable fabrics, Birkenstocks or Crocs, that kind of fare. My favorite t-shirt is 9 years old, heather grey and falling apart at the seams. Well, as the picture below shows, I think it's safe to say that my daughter will have decidedly different tastes...
Yes, folks, it's a bright orange onesie tank-top with a bright pink skirt (attached only to the front, mind you) with bright little flowers all over it. I know it sounds awful, and it looked a little awful when we opened it (it was a present from my mother-in-law), but I have to admit, once Phoebe was wearing it, it was much cuter than I thought. Look out: I'll never be able to judge an outfit on the rack again. If something looks remotely cute, Phoebe will have to try it on!

The good news is that I can now have the best of both worlds: comfort for myself, and cute outfits for Phoebe. I'm convinced that my fashion sense is beyond help, but now, through the magic of reproduction, I can live through my daughter! Don't worry, friends, as soon as she's verbal, she'll have a Mom that will listen to her fashion requests (within reason - no visible thongs until you're paying your own rent somewhere else!)










Wednesday, July 16, 2008

What's in a Name?

It seems that Matthew and I inadvertently took an old family tradition to the next generation in naming our daughter. Oddly enough, in attempting to avoid one tradition, we perpetuated another. You see, Matthew's family has a tradition in which a new baby's name includes some derivative of a grandparent or great-grandparent's name. Our niece Charlotte gets her middle name from her Great-Grandma Rose, my sister-in-law Elizabeth gets her middle name from Grandma Lois, and so on.

Our dilemma had been: which name to choose, and how to go about picking one without hurting feelings? It got still more complicated when the actual naming candidates were considered. Matthew's family had some strong possibilities. The Schnaare family is rife with nice names like Roberta, Craig, Lois, Rose, Gene, and so on. Then you get to my family. It is no secret that the Schassbergers got the short end of the naming stick in some respects. Names like Harriet and Dexter just don't have the same ring that they did 50 years ago. Take that back another generation and you end up with candidates like Alverta and Webster. Also nice names, "back in the day," but nothing I'd like to necessarily pass on in the 21st century. And lest anyone get defensive on behalf of my parents (or their names), my sister Kate and I had always been told that our names were chosen to maximize nick-name potential, in case we disliked our names as much as our parents disliked their own growing up. Thus am I Anne Elizabeth, and my sister Katherine Suzanne. Lots of combos available there, folks!

So, in discarding the commemorative aspect of passing names on, Matthew and I decided to go biblical and leave it at that. Now, here's the rub: although nicknames remain a possibility for our dear Phoebe Rebekah, we fell into another trap: spelling. Now, I'm not talking about using the Hebrew spelling for Rebekah, of course we thought of that. As rarely as anyone ever really uses a middle name, we figured it was okay to use a different spelling. We simply forgot that Phoebe was as rare a name as it is. What with Phoebe from "Friends" and Phoebe from "Charmed," it never occurred to me that there may be alternative spellings out there. (To be fair, it's not like the name is flashed up on the screen every time the character shows up- just because you get used to hearing the name doesn't mean you know how to spell it!) And really, our friends and family have done terrifically well at getting her name right - the only misspelling so far has been a fun one: Phobe instead of Phoebe. I find it funny that the misspelling is actually a word - drop one letter and the meaning of the name changes from 'bright or shiny' to 'one who has an irrational fear.' Awesome!

So where is the tradition? It's a little thing, really, but when you're growing up and finding your own identity, it can seem like a big deal. You see, having grown up with a name like Anne (with an E), and pronouncing it with one syllable (NOT ANNIE!!!), I became somewhat of a stickler about not dropping that E. My sister is in a similar position, being Katherine with a K. Granted, Catherine with a C is pronounced the same way, but still, it's a detail that doesn't get put aside by either of us. Now add Matthew with two Ts. Statistically, Mathew with one T is a more popular name. So you see, I'm sure we've created another stickler for spelling. It probably would have happened anyway, with a name like Schnaare, but I think giving our daughter a name that has a "Ph" that sounds like an F, and an "Oe" that sounds like an E, and an E at the end of the name that ISN'T silent, well, let's just hope we never have to invest in Hooked on Phonics. Otherwise our Feebee may become a logophobe, or one who is phobic of words. I would prefer she just remain our Phoebe!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Crazy Pix of My Baby Girl




So, this started out as an attempt to capture Matthew and Phoebe's chins side-by-side, but sadly, since cleft chins rely on shadow to be seen, the likeness is much less obvious on film. Yes, I know I could probably fiddle with the camera and get a much better picture, but hey, I can still pull the "I just gave birth" excuse, right? It's still a cute picture though, so check it out!




Here are some more pictures I took that just crack me up!




This one is my favorite, because it looks like our sweet little daughter was just in a Biergarten. I can't guarantee that this photo won't surface at a later date with a nice beer stein in her hand. We'll see how motivated I am to figure out Photoshop...





I just love how Phoebe is looking at her dad like he's from another planet. That look of suspicion in her eyes is both precious and wise beyond her years at the same time...





This one is just cute, and really emphasizes how small Phoebe is. I knew we had to show off her tininess while it lasts - she's already 9 days old, and not going to get any tinier!

And last but not least, here is proof that this is a seminary baby. A little background for those of you who aren't classmates: We have a professor here who, when he is listening intently to something in church, bows his head down and covers his face with his hand. During my first several weeks at seminary, I seriously thought he had fallen asleep during chapel. Well, it appears that Phoebe has gone to the Chris Bryan School of Intense Listening, and that she has already begun what I'm sure will be a long career of attentiveness. My evidence is below...

Well, that's all for this edition of "Crazy Pix of My Baby Girl." For more fun pictures, click on the link on the main blog page, and you'll get to see every picture Matthew and I take. (Thanks, Matt, for adding the link for your html-inept wife! )


Tuesday, July 1, 2008

One Quick Baby Update!

Hi Everybody! I figured blogging would be the fastest way to get some very brief details out to as many people as possible (thanks to Blogspot and Facebook)!

The wait is over, and Phoebe Rebekah Schnaare is finally here! Matthew and I went to the hospital early Sunday morning and Phoebe was born the following day, Monday, June 30th at 11:16. I'm tired, but recovering well, Matthew is tired, but still running around and being my hero- getting necessities from the house, communicating with hospital staff, even interfacing with the insurance company so I don't have to deal with that sort of stuff right now!

And of course, there's Phoebe. Now, keep in mind, we've only known each other for about a day and a half, but I must say she is beautiful and smart and a real charmer, if I do say so myself. Oh, and if the singing voice were measured by sheer volume, she should be on stage at the Met real soon!

We should be going home on Wednesday, and Matthew and I are looking forward to sleeping in our own bed and reading all the email we've already been sent. Already, we've had messages and visits from well-wishers, and I would like to thank all of you for your support and prayers! Stay tuned for updates to this blog and to Matthew blog, which is penguinpoet.blogspot.com

God bless all of you, and please continue to keep us in your prayers!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Shame on you, McDonald's!

Okay, maybe I'm being a little harsh on McDonald's itself. My real problem is that I just saw a Big Mac commercial (it's about 1 a.m.) and now I SO want a Big Mac. That has been the form that my pregnancy craving has taken: I don't necessarily want weird things like strawberries and garlic, or pickles and ice cream. I'm just very easily influenced. If I see a Tollhouse commercial, I want chocolate chip cookies. If I see a Sonic commercial, I want a limeade. And, of course, if I see a McDonald's commercial, I want a Big Mac.

The problem is mostly that it's 1 a.m., and if I were to follow through on said craving now, that would mean getting out of my pajamas and into real clothes, driving to Monteagle, and purchasing a Big Mac, which would most likely be cold by the time I get home. I feel just a little bit weird about that. The good news is that it's Saturday night/Sunday morning, and I'm pretty sure the Monteagle Micky D's is open - they close at midnight during the week. So I guess I can at least be glad that I didn't see the commercial during a time that the restaurant is closed. At least I have only myself to blame for my lack of Big Mac. That's very lucky for them- who knows the depth of my pregnant rage if McDonald's coerced me into craving a burger from them when it was impossible for me to get one? Let's hope that day never comes....

Ramblings of an Pregnant Insomniac....

So, as many of you know, I haven't been able to sleep on a normal schedule lately. I think it's because of a combination of pregnancy hormones and excitement/anxiety about becoming a mom. In effect I've become somewhat of a third-shift sleeper - it doesn't seem to matter what I do, I just can't sleep before about 5:30 am.

Happily, school is out, and I don't have a summer job, so the only reason I can't sleep until 3 in the afternoon is sunlight - I have no obligations (except the weekly doctor's appointment), so I can usually still get my 8 hours in. Another plus? Late-night TV and silliness with Matthew. It's been awfully fun to watch old movies I haven't seen forever, such as The Naked Gun 2 1/2 and Batman and Robin. It almost makes it worth sitting through the 18 "Girls Gone Wild" advertisments per hour they start on G4 and Spike after midnight.

As for the Matthew silliness, it's been fun to play "How Wacky Will Labor Be?" So far, Matthew wants me to say "Kamehameha!" (from Dragon Ball Z) right before the final push, and "Skadoosh" (from Kung Fu Panda) when labor is done. I doubt I'll be in the mood to indulge such silliness at the end of labor, but it's fun conversation for 3 am! And of course, if nothing is on, I can always play video games. Funny, but something about playing Kingdom Hearts and Katamari Damacy at 4 am makes me want to eat Cheetos. Matthew says I'm turning into a 13-year-old boy. I say I'm more of a video-game-playin', Cheeto-eatin' vampire. Anybody else have a vote?

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Okay, as most of you have found out, staying current with my blog is not a strong suit. So... No more promises or apologies, I'll just say I'm going to blog when I remember and have time to do it, and I hope you all enjoy my stories, etc. even if they don't come weekly (or even monthly). But don't worry, you all can still nag/pester/remind/tease me as much as you want. Who knows? It may spur me on to actually write another blog! :)

So, this will be a quickie, since I have a fondue date at my friends' house (Hooray Wil and Amanda!) Here are my stats to catch up since my last blog:
-Still pregnant, and the due date is July 6th
-Finished my Middler year, and I am now officially a "Rising Senior"
-That means I have one year left before seminary is all done!
-Matthew's doing great and excited about being a dad!

Coming attractions:
-Baby should be here just about any day
-Senior year should be a fun, crazy, challenging blast while I juggle my new "mommy" role and continuing schoolwork
-If all goes well, I should be ordained to the diaconate in December
-Again, if all goes well, Matthew and I will be leaving Sewanee next summer (2009) and will be beginning new glamorous lives in a different town (who knows where?) as a priest and a math teacher!

So that's kind of the snap shot of the last 7 months or so. I aspire to do a better job at keeping all y'all informed (yes, I've been living in the South long enough to say all y'all!) But, as I said, no promises! I'll just do my best!