Fingernails

I've never had fingernails to be proud of.  For my entire juvenile and adult life I've been embarrassed by my nails.  They were chewed, they were short, they were ugly.  And the cuticles were atrocious.  I also spent lots of time with my hands in my mouth because I was chewing on either a nail that was bothering me or a piece of skin that was uncomfortable.

It was really a matter of bad habit I picked up as a child.  The cuticles of my nails grew extremely quickly because I picked at them all the time.  Even if I stopped messing with them, something almost impossible for me to do, they would grow and split very quickly.  And growing out a nail was difficult because my nails grow very slowly, but was made even more difficult because any length at all would be fiddled with and harassed until it lost all stability and I chewed it off.  I also had very low nail beds because I was perpetually digging under my nails, as far as I could manage.

A few years ago I'd had enough.  I had to fix the problem and I knew it was going to take a long time, but I didn't want to go on the way I had for so long.  The first line of attack was to put gel nails on.  This wasn't an inexpensive route, as you need to go have them done every few weeks.  But it helped me in two ways:  First, there wasn't anything to chew on because the gel covers your own nails and isn't pleasant to gnaw on.  Second, you can't pick on your cuticles because the nails are thicker and more blunt.  And third, for some reason there's less inclination to dig under the nails and push back the nail bed.

Over two years I stopped biting my nails and because I wasn't picking at the cuticles anymore, they stopped growing so aggressively.  The real test was would I revert to my old habits once the gel nails were gone?  I'd heard nails grow more quickly and are stronger while pregnant, so when I was pregnant with my son I had the gel taken off.  I did go through a period of weakened nails while fresh growth grew out and I made sure to keep them very short so there would be less possibility for tearing.

As it turned out, my nails weren't as delicate or prone to tearing as I had feared or remembered.  And the broken habit stayed broken.  I used and still use a nail strengthener, but I don't have nearly the problems I had feared.  And now, not pregnant anymore, my nails are still strong and I have even grown them long enough that I've had to use clippers.  Yes, those clippers that I had no idea how to use.

I even look forward to shortening them when they get too long.  When we got back from vacation I shortened them and put clear polish on them.  I was in the car today and I looked at my nails.  They're short, they're not fancy, but they're relatively neat and clean and I suddenly realized that for the first time in my life, I'm not embarrassed by my nails.

The Big Boy Update:  Food picky or food preference?  He is definitely stating his preferences with food.  When we're out at a restaurant I let him get away with saying he doesn't want something because I am not going to let him cause a scene and bother other diners.  He also can't communicate with words to let us know what he does want.  But I'll be darned if I'm going to have a baby who only eats grilled cheese and pasta.  Preferences are a good thing.  Excluding things just because you like something better is not an option.  The battle continues.

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:   Inching forward.  On a softer surface, like the bed, she will pull her knees up under her while on her stomach and push forward.  She's not pushing up off her tummy yet, but she has definite interest in forward motion.  Last week she was doing the air swim while on her stomach as well.

Right-size Countdown:  Gah, I forgot what I weighed this morning.  I think it's 2.4 pounds to go.