Strength and Beauty » Scarlet Charlene

A still moment.

Shanel Martens — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:47:30 +0000

My house is flooded with kids, all under the age of 5, this week. I was in the kitchen this morning putsing and I kept going to the back porch to check on Scarlet who was outside. I was just far enough removed that she didn’t notice me and I simply enjoyed watching her small little body explore, stop and listen, feel, play, be curious, destroy my plants. I watched the morning sunshine on her skin and the summer breeze in her fair hair. And after a bit, I would catch her eye and she would give me that full mouth “chompers” grin of hers. And I felt full and happy. I was present to the moment, nothing before me, nothing behind me. Nothing pressing in on me or holding me down, simply enjoying my daughter.

I miss my garden.

Shanel Martens — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:49:42 +0000

In an effort to get my head out of my ass, I sat down in the wintry kitchen nook and made plans for my garden. Yes, it is early. But I sure do miss my garden.
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This year I am making an electric propagating bed. Sounds impressive; it is. A box with a warming coil covered in sand and you put the seedlings on top of that. I spent the afternoon going through all my seeds, categorizing them, herbs, vegetables, full sun flowers, part sun flowers, etc. I then slowly, very slowly perused through the Burpee’s seed catalog making a dream list (that accounted for a couple hundred dollars and that is why it is called a dream list). How many different variety of tomatoes do I “need”? Do I need every color variation of nasturtium? Could I go without the bi-colored beets (probably not)? Dreaming about green things; caught up in a whole other fantasy world that involved rototillers, sand, and vermiculite.

I did all this while it snowed a couple of inches in my backyard and then I proceeded to go outside with the little snow-women (who looked just like Randy from A Christmas Story).
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Scarlet did not proceed to move one little size 5 foot in any direction; paralyzed by all the white stuff.
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We made snow angels, even Scarlet with such a cute, tiny wingspan. I jumped in more than once and I fear that may be why by lower back is a achin’ me and requiring multiple doses of Ibuprofen. Can you say, “Old Lady!”?
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We went for a little sled ride; me pulling them around the back yard until, unbeknownst to me, they fell off face first into the snow. I have a bad Trudi-habit of laughing hysterically in these situations. But I sure did scoop up the littlest of the two who had the most snow-plowed-face damage and provided some comfort and a windshield wiper blade sort of swipe with my glove.
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Gotcha! The one and only beauty of a photo amidst all the rest.
I love these two snow-women.
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My little ones.

Shanel Martens — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 17:19:31 +0000

This captures much: Audrey always getting in Scarlet’s personal space and Scarlet always swatting her away with a grin.
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November 4th

Shanel Martens — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:45:37 +0000

Today my second daughter turned one year old. I was recently re-watching the video of me birthing her and bringing her into the world and something caught my attention I hadn’t noticed before. When she finally comes out and there is all the commotion (which actually wasn’t much in this scene), there is the normal chatter and me, the birthing woman, saying all sort of incoherent things that mostly mean, “give me my baby”. The first real intelligible words that leave my mouth are these: “That was so easy.”

HA!

Can you believe that? And it was, truly. I think I was the most well supported woman in that hospital probably for the entire month of November. I had so many people loving on me before the birth and so many surrounding me (in multiple ways). I was covered. I popped that baby out without any difficulty (all things considering) and I held her in my arms and was just amazed.

God buys back really bad birth experiences and gives us new ones. Right, Sarah? And he continues to do that in other areas of my life. He does.

So here’s to God and his love for me as a mother, as a birthing woman and as a courageous, pink-caped soul! And here’s to the little life he formed in my womb and brought into being, Scarlet Charlene. I celebrate her this day and all that she means to me.

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Scarlet Charlene

Shanel Martens — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:15:04 +0000

Oh, how lovely thou art…
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Zzzzzz’s

Shanel Martens — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:19:25 +0000

I awoke at 5:56am and bolted upright as the realization flooded over me that I had not been awoken once by Scarlet’s grunts in the middle of the night. I slept for close to EIGHT hours straight! EIGHT freakin’ hours, people! This is amazing! I jumped out of bed with glee and felt like dancing a jig. I can’t remember the last time I got a full night of sleep. Before Scarlet was even born, I was waking up regularly throughout the night, either because I was suffocating from the weight of her pushing on my diaphragm or because I needed to pee the microscopic amount of urine that was permitted (space permitting in that abdomen of mine) urgently.

I feel thankful.
And I think I was real, real tired.

Faces of a newborn

Shanel Martens — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 17:18:27 +0000

I declare that Scarlet has the best little faces! She can contort her face into all sorts of funny shapes. If only I had a decent camera that can catch quick little faces without being super blurry or dark and I would show you some of her best. But here is one that I love…

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Gag me with a spoon!

Shanel Martens — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 18:21:32 +0000

I don’t get grossed out super easily. It comes with the job of being a nurse, a mother, and an earthy sort of lady. But I have to say that the umbilical cord fiasco this time around with dear little Scarlet really did me in! When Audrey was born, I remember we did what they told us to do: wipe the umbilical cord stump with alcohol every time you change her diaper and a few times a day apply Bacitracin cream around the edges of the base of the cord. Okay. Fine, we did that and the cord dried up and fell off in her diaper.

Not this time. Oh no. This time, the cord started to rot. I am not kidding. And then one day I was giving Scarlet a sponge bath in the kitchen sink and I realized that the cord had become dislodged from the base (her abdomen) and was hanging by a yellow like cord of sorts. I tugged ever so gently hoping it would just fall off. Nope. It went through my brain that I could just clip it with fingernail clippers and threw that out as not such a good idea. Which it turns out was good intuition after telling my pediatrician about it and his eyes got all big and bulgy and proceeded to scare the living day lights out of me with stories of unstoppable bleeding and such.

So for days, I held the dangling rotting umbilical cord in place with a bandaid for fear that it would get accidentally yanked with the diaper or just from holding her. This did not aid the drying out process, unfortunately. And the cord continued to rot. And ooze. And then the smell began. Have you ever smelled a rotting umbilical cord? Dear God!

I tried not to freak out about this little problem but when it is your precious and most beautiful newborn daughter, it is hard not to be a tad bit concerned. I thought to myself, “If I can just hold out till Tuesday when we go in see Dr. Ray* and he can tell me what to do.” So I dutifully continued to wipe the rotting, and I hate to say, softening (not drying out) cord of flesh with alcohol and antibiotic cream. I kept the bandaid plastered on her fragile and silky skin, rotating it with each application hoping to keep her skin from breaking down. Unsuccessful in that pursuit…her tummy started to get all raw and red from the adhesive of the bandaid. Dear Lord x2!!

Just when I was about to lose the contents of my stomach from working with the rotting piece of flesh, I decided to give her a bath the morning of going to the pediatrician. I carefully washed around the cord which was exuding the most peculiar smell. I was nearing the end of the bath and was about to scoop Scarlet up into the warm towel when all of a sudden I spy the goopey piece of circular flesh floating in the water. I look down and sure enough, Scarlet’s belly button has officially emerged and all was well.

But the story is not over yet. No sirree. For one last bit of dry heaves, I had to get the rotting umbilical cord out of the soapy, poopy, spit up lukewarm water. This is where it gets bad and I am ready to throw in the towel for gross jobs as a mom. I decide instead of pulling it out with my fingers or even with a donned pair of dish gloves, I am just going to ignore it and act like it isn’t in the water. Yeap, that is exactly what I am going to do. And a smile comes over my face. I close my eyes and tilt the baby bath tub and swoosh goes all the dirty water down the kitchen sink and into the disposal. And wouldn’t you know, I needed to turn the garbage disposal on and help evacuate all that “dirty” water. [Shanel, don't think about it, just don't think about it! Maintain composure, denial and that smile on your face!!]

And that is the story, my friends, of Scarlet losing the final piece of my body, in a way, that supplied her with life, nutrients, oxygen and lots of good stuff!

Bye, bye rotting umbilical cord! Or as Audrey would say, “Shoo, bug, go away!”
Shoo, rotting flesh, go away!

There and back again..

Shanel Martens — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 18:45:12 +0000

One day there was a healthy **baby in the tummy** growing strong within my womb, making it difficult to breathe, sleep, eat, move, roll over, walk, bend over…

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And as Audrey Anne says, the doctor (really midwife Gaye) helped the little one come out of mommy’s tummy and we were so glad to finally meet our new little Scarlet!!

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Well, I did it, for the second time!

Shanel Martens — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:38:38 +0000

I gave birth to another daughter.

She came on her due date which I was delighted with–election day, of all days.

It was a bright, cheerful and sunny morning when I went into labor and she was born midday.

It was a remarkably short and *easy* labor…really it was. I think when she was finally born I said something to the effect of, “That wasn’t so bad” quickly followed with “I am so glad that is over with…”.

I had a list of hopes and dreams of how this birth might go, especially compared with the first experience I had birthing Audrey Anne, and I have to say with joy brimming over in my heart that I got everything I wanted and more. The only thing not on the list was the tub room to do water birth, but honestly, I don’t think there was time for that.

And I am so much more relaxed this time around–about everything.

And I am sure you are wondering what this little one is called and we have declared that she is to be called Scarlet Charleen Martens!

And for those of you who like details:
Height: a little over 20 inches long
Weight: 8lbs 13oz (I make ‘em big and healthy)
Time: 12:24pm
Date: November 4th, 2008, election day

We rejoice!
Pictures (as you can imagine)are to come!