journaling reads:
They’re not pretty, I know. But they tell a story...

It was two weeks before Susannah’s due date, but I’d been having light contractions all morning. Mike and I were scheduled to go out alone for the afternoon - one last date before baby’s arrival - and he surprised me by pulling into the nail salon parking lot. “If you’re going to have this baby soon,” he joked, “ you might as well have pretty feet.” So in I waddled, and proceeded to peruse all the pretty little polish bottles displayed on the wall. I wanted something dramatic, I remember, and picked up a dark red with a name something like“The Long Kiss.” It was a fabulous pedicure, and I secretly hoped all the massaging of those accupressure points might help to bring my baby.

The false labor finally quit, but the nail polish was still gracing my toes two weeks later when I gave birth to my daughter. I spent a lot of time looking at those toes while in labor, happy to have one part of me that looked pretty and pulled-together. That glossy red finish was a special reminder of my husband’s love and support during that intense time.

It’s now February, three full months after her birth, and my toes are still sporting what’s left of that pedicure. I just can’t bring myself to pull out the polish remover and wipe it away. It sounds silly, I know, but this polish was witness to one of the biggest events of my life, and saying goodbye to it is like saying goodbye to that magical night my baby was born. It means that the special time of pregnancy and birth is really behind me, and I’m not quite ready for that yet. I’ve scoured the internet trying to find a bottle of that OPI polish, but to no avail. Thankfully, it’s winter, so if my toes look less-that-pretty, they’re at least my little secret.


credits:
leaf element - Thankfully Blessed by Dream Big Designs
frame - Winter Wonderland colab by Paislee Press
paper - On This Day by Paislee Press
mask - FotoBlends Clipping Masks 6 by Anna Aspen