Playing Dress-Up: Cleaning – And Coming Out Of – The Closet

October 22nd, 2009 - filed under: The Fashion » Playing Dress-Up

pregnant


You may have noticed a distinct lack of outfit posts as of late, and maybe you’ve wondered if I’d grown a third eyeball or something. Well, not quite . . .

See, firstly it was summer. Summer, with heat in the hundreds, means a whole lot of cut-offs and tank-tops and flip-flops (what is it with hyphenated hot weather clothing?). Those sorts of ‘outfits’ don’t leave much room for creativity, ya know?

But really, I’m just making excuses. See, I’ve had another reason to hide safely on the backside of the camera. A secret I’ve been keeping, a DIY project to trump all other homemade treasures. It looks something like this:


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I’M PREGNANT!!!

Crazy, right? HA! Five months today, in fact. Damian and I are so excited!!!

I want to apologize for keeping this a secret for so long. There were a few good reasons though. I wanted to be cautious with putting my private life in such a public space. I wanted to be sure everything was safe and steady, before I came out with the big news.

Also, it’s important to me that you guys, my readers and community, know that I am capable of keeping this very exciting part of my life separate from my ‘professional’ life here on Bonzai Aphrodite. I wanted to show you that this site isn’t going to change, isn’t going to become all family-centric baby-blog.I am determined that BA stay just the same, okay?

But for just today . . .

YAY YAY YAY! I’m going to have a SON!!! This is seriously the most fun I’ve ever had. EVER.

Word.


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So in an effort to keep the baby talk to a minimum, I’m thinking of putting together a ‘Baby FAQ’. That way I can answer all the potential questions (and concerns?) in one consolidated location. So if you have a question, let me have it! You can ask either here in the comments or you can send an email to info@bonzaiaphrodite.com

For those of you who *are* interested in following the journey of our little lentil, I’ll probably include baby related updates in the Friday Feedback Forum. But who knows, maybe y’all will be interested and ask for more information and articles. I’ll just have to play it by ear, ’cause, you know, I’ve never done this before. HA!

Love you guys! Thanks so much for always being mind-blowingly awesome!!!


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sign-off

  • Minna

    Oooooh…. Am I really the first who gets to say CONGRATULATIONS?! Yay!

    I’m so excited about the new vegan baby, I wish you guys a lot of good energy and good health!

    I’ve only ever heard about one vegan baby so far, and she was in perfect health. I bet the doctors went all “blah-blah-blah, drink milk and eat meat!” about the pregnancy? Have you had to deal with a lot of crazy doctors?

  • Amanda

    I don’t have any questions, I just want to say CONGRATS! Oh, and your baby bump is sooo cute :) :)

  • Allison

    Omg! Congratulations! How exciting! Not to mention the ten million environmental questions that potentially come with having a baby…it may be a little soon, but there’s:
    Cloth diapers vs disposable
    Stainless steel bottles vs plastic
    Ethically made toys
    Baby food: Homemade vs store bought
    See what I mean? :-)

    I am very excited for you and you really seem like you will be a fantastic mom!

  • Erin in Maryland

    Congratulations! I, for one, am looking forward to baby updates.

  • jackie

    CONGRATULATIONS!!! LOTS of baby bump pictures please! I live vicariously through everyone else’s pregnancies and babies until I get to have my own. And I nanny, so healthy green baby tips are always good to hear.

  • http://www.easierthanyouthink.wordpress.com Ginger

    Congrats! Funnily enough, going dairy-free was a direct result of child #2 for me. Not by choice (I loved cheese, what can I say) but because she was clearly not tolerating it well in my milk! For that, I had to do my own science, because her doctor, well-meaning though he was, just didn’t know enough about breastfeeding to recognize the symptoms.

    If you want any suggestions or feedback about natural childbirth, breastfeeding, babywearing or cosleeping, do feel free to hit me up on email or whatnot. :-) Actually this reminds me I should write up my birth stories sometime soon – both times went pretty well, but the second time was AMAZING, seriously I would do it all over again if not for the whole keep-the-baby thing (I am good with two!)

  • Sandra

    Gongrats!! It is so great to welcome a new vegan baby in this world! I hope everything goes well and you guys are happy! I love your site!

    A reader from Estonia, far-far away:)

  • Kristie

    Best wishes!

  • http://twitter.com/erosan EroSan

    wow… congratulations.

  • http://www.hugsxstitches.livejournal.com Christa

    Woahhhh! How super exciting!!!! OMg Yay for you!!!!!!!!♥♥♥

  • http://www.annechristensen.com Anne Christensen

    Congratulations, that’s wonderful news :)
    I look forward to following this new ‘project’, as do most people in here, I think! Your site is spot-on and a great inspiration for ways to improve the way I live my life, and in my opinion posts and pics about baby/child related topics wont be too far off what your site is all about – I mean, we all *started* as babies, and even if I don’t have kids myself I have nieces/nephews/friends’ kids etc.
    So keep up the good work, I look forward to many more posts to come :)

  • jen

    Congratulations! I’m 30 weeks along in my first pregnancy… expecting a boy too! How exciting! It’s been great so far, I feel him move around so much now. :)

  • http://homegrowntexan.blogspot.com Homegrown Texan

    Congratulations! You are waaay ahead of where I was when I first got pregnant. Having children is what ended up prompting me little by little to look into a safer, healthier lifestyle. You’re sooooo ahead of the game!

    And your baby bump is cute, too! :)

  • Julie

    Yay! Finally! Man, it was getting hard for me to remember not to mention anything about it on here! I think that you could include tips when they are directly relevant to your mission and philosophy here. For example, I would love to see vegan baby food recipes when you’re at that point and if you were making your own baby hygiene products that would be something I would like to see here as well. I think those things could certainly be included without changing the fundamental nature of your blog.

  • Kate

    Congratulations Congratulations!! I think baby-savvy posts once a week are not at all overbearing. Also, if you’re looking for mom tips, I like ‘Ideal Bite’ – they have a separate site for moms and new babies for eco-chic products. You’ve probably found them, but if not I hope you like the site. Congratulations again!!

  • Jenny

    Oh my goodness congratulations! Even though you don’t want to turn this into a baby blog, I can’t wait to hear about the choices you’ve been making and will make throughout your pregnancy :-)

  • Belinda

    Eeek, congratulations! I’m so pleased for all of you :)

  • Tabitha

    Congratulations! And don’t worry about talking about the baby on here, I’m sure everyone will understand. :)

  • http://www.sara-and-company.tumblr.com Sara

    Holy congratulations! This is so great, I’m sure so many readers will learn so much from this!

    But I have one non-baby related burning question: is that really your natural hair colour!?

  • http://www.rockstarknits.wordpress.com Shana

    Congrats you gorgeous green goddess!! I think your tiny one is growing up a in great environment! Have you been reading up on all the amazing green toys and clothes that are available now? :) I may not ever have children but I am excited for you! Please feel free to share your “growing pains” with your readers because we are all curious!

  • Tenise Rae

    O.M.F.G!!!! THIS IS SO AWESOME! My baby girl is 15 months and I must say the last two years or so have been the best time of my whole life! You are going to make a awesome mommy! I’m so excited for you and glad you are excited as well. :D

    And OF COURSE I want to hear all about the journey! Little updates here and there aren’t gonna cut it. Pft. Lol. I kid, I kid. Seriously though…BEST JOURNEY EVER!!!! You might want to make a whole other blog just for it too! HAHA. I so can’t wait for pics now. LOL.

  • Kelly

    WOW!
    In my experience, it actually seems a bit rare that such an enlightened and self-aware and environmentally-conscience individual such as yourself wants children these days…and I do think that more people like you should have them! Not to dismiss or insult anyone else at all…

    I have never wanted children but, like Jackie, I enjoy living vicariously through others and I will be intrigued by your alternative methods of child-rearing, especially when confronted by so much dissent towards vegan children. Good luck with all of that!

    But yes! PLEASE keep up all the other stuff on this site! I cherish your inspiration…but I really don’t think I need to be inspired to have a kid! :o)

  • http://www.notimeatall.com Amycat

    Woooww! Congratulations! I couldn’t think of a cooler mum!!! I won’t mind baby-related posts at all! What an amazing green baby you will produce xD Only the perfect human could create another perfect human. So good job reproducing cos the world definitely needs more people like you. xD xxx

  • Julie

    Say-
    Just read about something that I thought was cool. The WIC (Women, Infants & Children) Program is a federally-funded, state-run program which provides vouchers for low income pregnant & breastfeeding women and their children up to age 5 to redeem for food at local grocery stores. (I have no shame in admitting that I participated in the program before my financial situation stabilized) Anyway, this month, for the first time in the program’s history, they announced that there will now be a vegan option in which families can choose soy milk & tofu instead of cow’s milk & cheese, soy formula for infants & fruit and can get extra fruits and veggies if they choose not to redeem the vouchers for jarred baby meats. YAY!!!! All families deserve to be able to make ethical choices, regardless of financial situation! So please at this new development!

  • Julie

    wow, that reads like an ESL essay. should have proofread before i submitted. i think you get the point, though.

  • Dylan

    Congratulations. I cannot think of any news more wonderful than this. Perfect. I would like to say that you are only beginning to experience the changes coming. This cannot help but spill over into this site, nor should that be anything to resist. In life things either change or they die. If they are expansive enough, robust enough and flexible enough (sounds like I am talking about your belly) then that change shows up as development and evolution. The goddess of love may have to become the goddess of home, hearth or family but this site would not be what it is without Sayward being full out Sayward. That’s the real reason we keep coming back. Who you will be a year or even six months from now we can only guess but it sure as hell won’t be the same person. So don’t hold back!

    Also, as a father, include Damian too (love his photo “Wife” by the way). We guys do play an important part from time to time and have some interesting points of view.

    Since no-one else brought it up, I was wondering if you were at all considering home-birth? Having had three at home I highly recommend it.

    Anyway I also would like to say that this use of the word “bump” seems somehow lame to me. Those two bumps above have already had enough semantic abuse, can’t we leave the womb alone? I mean its not an accessory or fashion statement, its a human coming into being inside a woman and all the natural sensual richness of the senses that implies.

    OK, no big deal, just my two cents worth.

  • http://thegreengeek.webs.com Courtney

    Yay!!! Congratulations!! I can just see you being one of those women who look absolutely fantastic through their entire pregnancy. So looking forward to as much as you want to share here!!

  • Kate

    I haven’t had a baby yet, but my friends with kids have totally convinced me on home birth….if you work with a great mid wife I would highly suggest it and I plan to do it myself when my time comes!

  • Kathryn

    Congratulations congratulations congratulations!!
    And am I totally not adverse to baby-related posts.
    Raising children ethically is just as important as grown people living ethically.
    :)

  • Hallie

    Congrats!! I love reading your blog, and though I don’t have any kids yet, I’m super excited about any pregnancy/baby related stuff you end up posting! Cause I plan on being there one day! Again, congrats!!!

  • Tenise Rae

    Ooo, ooo, ooo…I just noticed the blue background in your pics….newly painted walls eh??? Baby boys room? Am I right? Am I right?!? Hee hee….

  • http://www.wineintheafternoon.com Miss Sofia

    Oooooooh, congratulations! *________*

  • Nathan

    Congratulations from the Y-carrying half of your readership, too! (there’s got to be more than just Dylan and I)
    I’m with Julie: baby-related posts are very welcome as part of your overall mission. Not every tip or observation is useful to every one of us anyway, and part of the appeal of the site is the integration of aspects of life that we don’t usually see presented together.

    Again; Congrats! This kid’s going to have an awesome life to look forward to!

  • http://www.herveryown.com akeeyu

    Congratulations! Let me know if you need any tips on cloth diapers. We’ve had our twins in cloth diapers since they came home from the hospital, which means that I now officially know Way Too Much About Poop. I have done everything as cheaply as is humanly possible, which has meant a lot of secondhand, creative scrounging and crafting.

  • http://mentalworldofsgcorrie.blogspot.com/ Stephanie

    I’ve been reading for awhile after I found your recipe for haggis (which I made, which was lovely and took me back to Scotland…) ANYWAYS, congratulations!

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

    Wow, you guys! I am overwhelmed! You all are so kind and supportive and wonderful! Thank you so much for the love and well-wishes. You’re makin’ me all ferklempt! THANK YOU!!!

    I’ll save my answers to baby-related questions for the Pregnancy FAQ. In the meantime, a few things:

    @ Ginger – Thanks for the offer, I may take you up on that! Right now I’m sort of simultaneously feeling very clear on what I want, and very overwhelmed with all the info. Ha!

    @ Sandra – Woo-hoo Estonia! Helloooo!

    @ jen – Oh that’s so awesome, congratulation! I haven’t felt any movement yet (apparently my placenta is in the way), but I can’t wait! It must be the most amazing feeling. =)

    @ Julie – Man, how do you think I felt??! This was a hard one to keep secret!

    And wow, that is WONDERFUL news about WIC. They are a fantastic organization, one that I may end up participating in myself (we’ll have to see how it all goes), and it’s so good to know that families like mine will have the support and options that they need. Yay! This is awesome!

    @ Kate – I’ll check out Ideal Bite, thanks for the tip!

    @ Sara – Haha, NOPE. It’s got a red tint over it – although you can see the roots growing in and it sort of makes me look balding. Eesh, I need to re-dye.

    All the hairdye posts last month were a direct result of this baby, and me rethinking my dyeing habits. Both the OB and Midwife assured me that minimal, non-toxic hair dye was perfectly safe, and I did dye my hair a few times in early pregnancy. But after doing my own research I just wasn’t comfortable. So this is the Manic Panic over unbleached hair, and soon I’ll be trying pure Henna.

    So, no natural, sorry! ;)

    @ Tenise Rae – Aww, congrats on your baby girl! And yes . . . another blog . . . stay tuned!

    And about the walls (good eyes!), not a baby room, but a brand new living room makeover! Very exciting for us!

    @ Dylan – Thanks so much for the support. =)

    About Damian, oh don’t worry, he is EVERYTHING in this. I only stopped saying “we’re pregnant” because so many people teased me about it, but that’s how I feel, and it’s how he feels too. He is absolutely 100% invested in this process. I’ll post pics if I can, but damn he’s camera shy! (plus as you know, he’s so good when he’s behind it – thanks for that compliment on that, by the way)

    Hmm, ‘bump’ doesn’t bother me, I think it’s cute and sort of natural to ‘nickname’ these sorts of things. But I definitely see your point. I’ll think about it . . .

    Thanks again!

    @ Courtney – Oh gawd no pressure! Haha, just kidding. Thanks lady! Here’s to hoping!

    @ Nathan – Yay for the XY readership! =D

    @ akeeyu – Thanks for the offer, I’m definitely interested in your experiences. I plan to do pretty much everything secondhand, but I’m especially curious about ‘creative scrounging’ and the stuff you chose to make yourself (and why)

    ——————————

    Thanks again everyone! This is such an incredibly journey, and I feel so blessed to be able to share it with such amazing people. *smooch!*

  • http://indiearsenal.com Farmingtheburbs

    Having an interest in a healthy, sustainable, environmentally conscience lifestyle was already my bag but once I got prego with baby boy number one (22 months) I kicked it into gear. Raising another human really puts things into perspective. Stumbling on your blog has given me many a inspiration especially when baby boy number 2 came along (6 months). So I should tell you, ever since I found you I was thinking, this blog needs a baby. And, here we are. I look forward to hearing and reading all about it.

    from your cloth diapering, breastfeeding, babyfood making, gardening Mama of 2 baby boys

  • Sue

    Congratulations!

  • http://hollowstar.com J

    I agree with a lot of the comments, especially about it being a shame more good, smart people seem to be choosing not to have kids nowadays. I used to not want any, but now that I met someone who actually shares my values, I can’t wait to have a big family! I’ll be living vicariously through you as well, until I start that fam of my own!

    I suggest doing a weekly baby update. Not too much, just the same as you do other topics weekly (or even do it monthly), answering questions and giving interesting updates. I understand your ‘fear’ of having this become a baby blog like so many others, but with your unique values, etc., I think it will be interesting, not overwhelming to read. :)

  • Julie

    Hey Say, I was looking through some old blog posts and found this photo of me that was taken when I was 5 months to the day pregnant. I realized that’s exactly how far you are in this picture, too. I was huuuuuuuge already. Yours is so cute & little. I think it’s partly cause you’re so tall so you carry a lot differently. Anyway, just thought I would share.

    http://raisingmissholiday.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html

  • Staar

    Congrats YAYAYAYA that is so exciting Babies make the world go round

  • Crystal

    Conratulations! I’m so happy for you that all I can think to say is Congratulations!!!

  • Alex

    I’m late to the party, but must also say congratulations!!! Separating one’s personal life and, uh, blogging life? can be a difficult thing to define/decide, but I admire your decision to share this.

  • http://barefootedvegan.blogspot.com Tammi

    Oh my gee! Congratulations!

    And yay for team blue! I have three little boys and honestly boys are the best. :P

  • Katie

    Congrats!!! :)

  • http://bonzaiaphrodite.com Sayward

    You guys just melt my heart. =)

  • http://salekdarling.livejournal.com Salekdarling

    Yay! OMG! That made my day Sayward! Congratulations hun! <3

  • April

    Congratulations! Most amazing DIY project yet!

  • http://www.OregonWeddingOfficiants.com Maureen

    Just stopped in from several months of being away from your site. (I was moving from Denver to Manzanita, OR). SOOOO happy to hear your news! Blessings to all of you!

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