Oh Baby...

I'm a little ashamed at how infrequent my blog posts have been lately. I have a very good reason for being absent, though...

I am PREGNANT!

That's right, Baby Bain is due mid-May, 2014.

Here is my cheesy announcement that I posted on Facebook:

Thankfully, I haven't bowed down to the ceramic throne yet - not once! But, I have been subject to extreme fatigue, resulting in daily 1-2 hour naps and general laziness. Ironically, I've felt an urge to do lots of home cooking, cleaning, looking at baby slings on Pinterest, and darning socks (okay, not really!). Seriously, though, what is happening to me?!

The painting hasn't really stopped, but I have been forced to slow down a little. Yet God is good. He knows I have lots to do before I can officially close this pre-motherhood chapter of my life. Instead of being sick, I've been healthy, successfully able to teach my twice-weekly painting classes at my studio (albeit with a nap after each one), and most importantly, I've been able to travel! During the worst of my "tired phase" at the beginning of October, Steve and I took a ten-day trip to New England, visiting artist friend Craig Pursley in New Hampshire, enjoying the state and national parks in NH and Maine (shh... don't tell - we snuck into Acadia National Park, which was closed due to the government shutdown), and exploring the Freedom Trail in Boston, all while eating lots of seafood and maybe even getting in a painting or two. I needed a nap every single day, so sometimes it felt like I was spending more time in bed than out exploring, but we still had a very enjoyable trip, and Steve was as sweet and doting as could be. :-)

Above: Hiking at Acadia National Park (those gorgeous red bushes are wild blueberries)
Below: Seeing Sargent at the Museum of Fine Art, Boston

(Don't even think about looking for a baby belly yet! You won't see it! In a couple of weeks... maybe)

Then on the weekend of October 19th, I had the wonderful privilege of flying out to Vermont and painting with the renowned Putney Painters, mentored by Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik (who are only my art HEROES! No big deal). Sadly, Richard was under the weather that weekend, so he was unable to join us, but that just means I'll have to go back (and I'm going to, THIS WEEKEND!). See my last post to read about my experience. I'm sure I'll post again soon on Vermont trip #2.

It's only been in the last two weeks or so that I've started to feel my energy returning. I'm almost 14 weeks along, so everyone says the worst of the "drugged" feeling is behind me. It doesn't really matter. I am doggedly determined to paint even more than I was before. I've always had a feeling that my time here is short, so I ought to make the most of it... but now, that's really hitting home. Things are going to change FOREVER in a few short months, so I've got to get as much done now as I can. For every painting book I pick up, though, I also have a parenting book. There is so much to learn, and so little time! I can only hope I'll be a great mom, but I don't intend to quit painting. Somehow I will find a balance between creating and being a parent. All I've ever wanted was to be the best artist I could be, and to contribute something of beauty to this world. Well, my most beautiful and worthy contribution is yet to come, and Steve and I couldn't be more thrilled. :-)

Note: I promise not to be one of those parents who posts a hundred pictures of their kid every day... this blog will continue to be about ART. But, I can't guarantee that my child WON'T turn up in a large number of future paintings... ;-)

Oh Baby...