deviantART: by:Zephania

deviantART: by:Zephania http://search.deviantart.com/?q=by:Zephania&section=today deviantART RSS for by:Zephania en-us Copyright 2009, deviantART.com Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:27:28 PST deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://s.deviantart.com/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png PhotoPainting Series http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/27859956/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/27859956/ Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:14:21 PDT
]]> *Zephania Lost Without A Computer http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/27370547/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/27370547/ Wed, 23 Sep 2009 07:27:08 PDT
]]> *Zephania Sleep... what's that? http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/25876917/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/25876917/ Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:38:22 PDT So... two weeks after my son Nicholas is born, he's still on a weird sleep schedule which is draining my days. Unfortunately, my camera has been pushed aside because of it. Feeding, burping, changing diapers, eating, and sleeping have become the priority. Soon I shall have more time... most likely just before I return to work. That's my luck these days.

On a happier note, we've been hunting for our first home, and have a potential that we are going to see for the second time tomorrow. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this may be the one!

]]> *Zephania A new addition to the family... http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/25674079/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/25674079/ Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:18:03 PDT

That's right, I'm proud to say Nicholas Gabriel was born June 25, 2009 at 8:20am via c-section. He was 6lbs 8oz and 19 inches long. He has brown hair, his Daddy's nose, blue eyes, and looks a lot like his older brother! He's sleeping well at home, and we are adjusting to being parents to a newborn again. Things couldn't be better!

As I'm home on maternity leave for the next two months, I'll be taking and posting a lot more photos (mostly of the kids, of course! I'm a proud mommy, what can I say?) I have the rest of the summer off. Woohoo!

]]> *Zephania Having fun with Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/23804130/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/23804130/ Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:39:42 PDT

So, I've submitted quite a few pieces in the last couple days of my vacation, and I've been experimenting with different textures and processes with my photos. I absolutely love how they are turning out. It's almost a cross between a photo and a painting.. they have a flow of color like a painting does, yet the details of a photograph. I found that subjects with harder lines tend to come out better, although I've been experimenting with just about everything. Let me know what you think!!

]]> *Zephania Where I've Been... http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/23730193/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/23730193/ Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:58:16 PDT

Hello! Long time no see. So I've taken a year off from journals, and even posting new artwork (I've done a little here and there, but nothing like years past). Life's caught up to me and photography has taken a back seat, so to speak. I'm still working like crazy while trying to raise a 3 year old (yes, he's 3 now!!) not to mention I'm 6 months pregnant with the next one! So, needless to say, life's been a bit hectic. We moved in October last year so we spent the summer months preparing for that. I haven't had a lot of time for myself but that's about to change. I'm ready to start my creative juices flowing again, not only for photography but for art in general. Being creative is what makes me happy, and I'm ready to spread my happiness around!

Things may get a little crazy, as I experiment with new ideas, subjects, and mediums... so sit back, relax, and (hopefully) enjoy!

]]> *Zephania Greetings! http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/16834809/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/16834809/ Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:14:27 PST

Right now I'm working on getting my journal all set up so bare with me!

]]> *Zephania I love my new computer.... http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/16731421/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/16731421/ Mon, 04 Feb 2008 22:04:54 PST

Create your own visitor map!

]]> *Zephania It's that time of year again. http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/15755053/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/15755053/ Sat, 01 Dec 2007 19:41:14 PST

Create your own visitor map!

]]> *Zephania So happy! http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/13640757/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/13640757/ Fri, 06 Jul 2007 23:20:04 PDT
]]> *Zephania New Photos http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/13001986/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/13001986/ Fri, 18 May 2007 14:22:14 PDT
So... here are some photos from over the past few months.

]]> *Zephania Birthday Time http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/11506487/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/11506487/ Sat, 20 Jan 2007 14:09:02 PST
Nathan's got 6 teeth now, 4 on the top and two on the bottom. It looks as though the next two bottom ones are about to poke through. He's walking and running all over the place, and loves to climb on everything, including his toybox and the couch. We have to watch him like a hawk now. He loves having his freedom to run around the house, but will also sit and play with his toys in his room and doesn't put up a fuss. Although, he is good at throwing temper tantrums already. If he doesn't get his way, he falls to the floor and cries. It's comical, actually. Usually within a minute or two, something else gets his attention and he forgets what he's crying about.

He loves sitting on the couch with us watching tv, especially if it's Sesame Street. Of course, he loves Elmo. But he also will watch Caillou, Dragon Tales, and a host of other morning shows on PBS. This morning he sat and watched Dragon with me. That thing is so cute! He's blue and purple and totally adorable. I want a pet dragon like that!

He loves eating just about anything you throw at him, especially pizza and pasta. We let him try just about everything as long as it's safe for him to eat, and he loves every bit of it.

Well, that's the update for now... time to get baking that Elmo cake for Nathan!

]]> *Zephania Walking!?!? http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/10426837/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/10426837/ Tue, 17 Oct 2006 18:23:02 PDT
Nathan took his first steps on Monday, October 9th... our 1st wedding anniversary! It was the greatest "present" we could have gotten. It was completely out of nowhere... he was standing up by the coffeetable like he usually does, and Scott and I came home from the movies. I went and sat on the couch and held out my arms and the next thing I knew, he was in them. And he didn't even fall on his butt to get to me!

He's getting so brave.. he's starting to let go of things when he's standing then he holds out his other arm, takes a couple of steps, and gets to wherever he wanted to go. If he falls he just gets back up and tries again. He's so determined!

We've been trying to read to him every night before he goes to bed, and so far he's had a little interest in it. He mostly wants to eat the books, but every once in a while he will point at the pictures and make a squeek or squeal sound.

He also has developed a "exploring finger." Anything new he sees, he will first touch it with his pointer finger on his left hand. If he deems it okay, he will pick it up or touch it with his whole hand. It's really cute! He first started doing it with buttons, but eventually it moved to everything.

The best news I have to report though is that he will not need surgery for his herniated umbilical cord! The pediatric surgeon we saw said that it is such a small hole that it will probably heal by the time he's 3 or 4. If it is still there, they will go in and fix it, but he severely doubts Nathan will need it. That took a load off my mind. He just has to deal with a major outtie belly button for the next few years.

He got weighed while he was there and he's now up to 20 pounds 11 ounces and he's 29 inches long! He's getting to be a big boy, and will most likely be tall when he's older. He's already fitting into 18-24 month clothes. Soon we will have to move to 2t!! Ahhh!!

]]> *Zephania First Tooth! http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/9779593/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/9779593/ Sat, 19 Aug 2006 06:39:43 PDT
]]> *Zephania Devious Journal Entry http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/9397799/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/9397799/ Sun, 16 Jul 2006 18:39:24 PDT
So we're almost halfway through the first year of parenthood, and so far it's been nothing but a great experience. We couldn't ask for a happier baby! Hopefully he will stay half as happy when he starts his teething phase. It's not too far off! And like always, I'll keep up with the photos of our little guy! (Like you haven't noticed!)

]]> *Zephania On Vacation http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/9177432/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/9177432/ Sun, 25 Jun 2006 10:17:59 PDT
My vacation is halfway over, but I've already gotten so many great photographs! Friday I went into Manhattan and got some wonderful shots from the top of the Empire State Building. Unfortunately we couldn't stay all day, so next time I'll have to venture out into other areas of NYC. As for now, I'm staying with family in Oyster Bay, Long Island with plans to come home on Tuesday night. Until then, I hope you enjoy my NYC photos!

]]> *Zephania Vacation soon! http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/8868205/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/8868205/ Wed, 24 May 2006 20:46:24 PDT
I am so happy, I'll be going on vacation soon, and I can't wait to get away from my job. It has me so stressed out with Memorial Day coming up and my warehouse is out of stock on the most important items that we sell for this holiday! So.. wtf am I supposed to tell people when they ask for this stuff? I just want to crawl in a hole and say go somewhere else sometimes. Oh well, I just keep looking forward to vacation and take it one day at a time. I just hope sometime soon I will be able to go into work and come out on time!!!

Hopefully I can get some more photo time in too... ]]> *Zephania Wishing http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/8555466/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/8555466/ Sat, 22 Apr 2006 21:54:28 PDT *Zephania Obsessed! http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/8187307/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/8187307/ Fri, 17 Mar 2006 10:56:14 PST *Zephania Nathan's Birth Story http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/7875082/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/7875082/ Sun, 12 Feb 2006 15:21:11 PST
The night of January 25th was so nervewracking... I tried sleeping but I just couldn't. I was filled with every emotion possible because the next morning bright and early at 6am, I was going to be induced. Finally, the day I had been waiting for had arrived, only, it didn't quite go as planned. 4am I woke up with horrible pains... I realized they were contractions... and boy did they hurt! They knocked me off of my feet. They were nothing like the braxton-hicks I had experienced earlier in my pregnancy. These were the real thing! I ended up waking my husband and my mother, and we went to the hospital an hour earlier than expected.

I got hooked up to the monitor and yep, I was in labor. I was still only just 3cm dialated, and they began an IV with pictocin. The contractions were getting worse and worse, and I couldn't wait until I could get my epidural. I have a lot of respect for those women who have had all natural births! The nurse kept telling me the anaesthesiologist would be there any minute (he was working on giving an epidural to the woman in the next room) but the minutes just kept coming and the contractions got stronger and stronger. Finally, he came and I was relieved... or so I thought.

My doctor came about 2 hours later to break my water, and I was at 4cm. That's when I started to feel more pain, only this time it didn't feel like the contractions I had been having... the baby had dropped further down and it was putting a lot of pressure on my rectum. Every contraction it felt like I needed to go to the bathroom so bad. My nurse ended up getting me a bedpan, but I couldn't go. The nurse could see that I was still in a lot of pain, so she got the anaesthesiologist again, and she gave me a shot in my IV for the pain. It dulled it only slightly, and I continued to dialate.

The nurses repositioned me on my left side, and I ended up getting both a catheter and two internal wires that stuck to the baby's head to measure contractions and his heartbeat (I forgot what their special name for that wire was). I figured the baby was moving so much that they needed to get a more accurate measurement of my contractions and his heartbeat (I originally had the two little disks sitting on my belly, but the way the baby was sitting, it was hard to get a constant heartbeat from him).

Finally, around 5:30pm I was dialated to 9cm, and my husband called my mom and dad to let them know I'd begin pushing within the hour, so they could make their way up to the hospital. Not even 5 minutes later, a nurse came back in and told me I was going to have a C-section!! She had contacted my doctor, and let him know that with every contraction, the baby's heart rate was falling but was slow to raise back to normal, and they were concerned his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, leg, or arm. Now I knew why he was being monitored so closely. I looked at my husband, not knowing what to think. I was so scared to have that done, but at the same time, I wanted my baby to be alright. He hugged me and told me he'd be in there with me and not to worry, nothing was going to happen to me. I started shaking so bad... I couldn't believe this was happening.

When my doctor got to the hospital, he reassured me that everything would be alright with both me and the baby, and he was right.

After 14 hours of labor, Nathan William was born at 6:08pm January 26th, 2006. He was 7 pounds 2 ounces, and was 21 inches long. He got a 9.5 score on his apgar test, and couldn't have been healthier. I and my husband were both teary eyed as he held him for the first time. I was shaking so bad from the hormone changes and extra-strong epidural that I couldn't hold him right away, but my husband took my fingers to brush his cheeks. The scariest moment of my life had just turned into the most wonderful I could ever wish for!

After the C-section, my doctor told me that the reason his heartbeat was slow to come back up was because he had tried to enter the birth canal, but his head was too large to fit (He did have a bit of a conehead at birth, but quickly went away after the first day). He told me even if the baby had been a 5 pounder, he still probably wouldn't have fit... so I will most likely have a C-section for any other children I plan to have. As long of a day it was, it was definately worth it, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. ]]> *Zephania One Week Left! http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/7590899/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/7590899/ Fri, 13 Jan 2006 09:17:11 PST
Scott and I put the baby swing together the other day and it's just too cute. Also, we put the carseat in the car... and omg does it look hilarious in there. The carseat is so huge and we have a small car! We actually had to move the drivers and passenger seat up a few notches just to get it in there! I never even gave that a thought when we were looking at carseats.... oh well at least we got it to fit!

I have all the baby clothes washed and ready to go, and made one last trip to Babies R Us yesterday to buy bottles and a few other things for him. Needless to say, we are as ready as we can be. I'm still nervous about the whole giving birth process but Scott keeps trying to calm me down saying that everything's going to be okay. Watch him to be the one who passes out now! Yeah, sure, everythings okay!!

I have another doctor visit this Wednesday unless he decides to show up early, so I'll have more details then. ]]> *Zephania 35 weeks! http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/7380533/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/7380533/ Thu, 22 Dec 2005 08:46:26 PST ]]> *Zephania Ramblings http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/7299640/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/7299640/ Tue, 13 Dec 2005 09:45:11 PST
I'm still working which is a shock to everyone, I think. I said my goal is to work until Christmas, and I plan on it! Only less than two weeks and then I can kick back and have a relaxing end to my pregnancy (other than that labor part of the whole deal...)

On a sad note... One of my kittens passed away on Sunday. The one we named Marshmallow got sick and we took him to the vet last week, who gave him antibiotics. We tested him for leukemia too, which came back negative. Unfortunately, he didn't get any better and my mom found him early Sunday morning. At least he isn't suffering anymore, but I miss my little fluff ball. The mommy cat was going crazy all day meowing and looking for him and I felt so bad. I just wish I could have made him better somehow. I don't deal very well with losing my animals. Over the years I've had dogs, ferrets, hamsters, and even snakes pass away on me, and every time it's hard. I hate saying goodbye to my furry friends, I love them like my children.

Okay, enough of the sad stuff (before I start tearing up!)... Getting back to the whole Christmas thing... I have no money! I feel so bad but I really can't get anyone anything for Christmas this year... I hope everyone understands that with the baby coming so close, I need to save every penny that I have! I'll only get paid half of what I make for maternity leave, so that's really going to hurt. Plus, if I need to stay out of work longer than 6 weeks, I don't get paid anything because it's called "family leave." That's why I'm trying to work as close to my due date as possible. It's almost like companies DON'T want you to start a family, and penalize you for doing it! It doesn't make any sense to me.

Well, I'll keep everyone updated with how my appointment goes tomorrow! 34 weeks! Yay!! ]]> *Zephania November Already http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/6993109/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/6993109/ Tue, 08 Nov 2005 17:43:05 PST
So I have about 11 weeks left until the baby is born. My tummy is getting bigger and bigger and the little guy is getting stronger and stronger. I can see my stomach move when he does, and I have to say it was pretty freaky at first. He likes to kick me at night when I'm trying to go to sleep. He just KNOWS...

So people at work don't think i'm going to make it until Christmas, but that's what my goal is. Since I'm the manager, I don't want to leave my team without their leader right before the busiest holiday of the year, but I also know that the baby comes first. If I have to go down to 6 hours a day, I'll do it. But if the doctor gives me the okay, I'll work until the new year.

During my leave (since I'll be going stircrazy) I'm going to experiment with manipulating photographs. There are great DEV artists that have inspired me to at least try and do this. I've taken classes in Photoshop and Illustrator when I was in college, but that was 6 years ago. Maybe I'll be able to turn out something halfway decent. I guess we'll see. ]]> *Zephania Experimenting http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/6781612/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/6781612/ Sun, 16 Oct 2005 08:57:12 PDT
With these series of shots, I experimented with borders, so feedback would be much appreciated.

]]> *Zephania Getting Hitched http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/6728073/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/6728073/ Mon, 10 Oct 2005 08:21:49 PDT ]]> *Zephania Stressssss http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/6703665/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/6703665/ Fri, 07 Oct 2005 12:00:23 PDT
I'm sure it will all fall together. I'll just be happy to get it overwith though! That sounds so bad, but it's true. I can't even imagine trying to plan a wedding with 300 guests. I'm trying to plan one for 15 people at MOST! Not to mention a baby constantly making me run to the potty every 10 minutes, kicking the hell out of me, and making me tired all the time. And I thought this part of the pregnancy was supposed to be a breeze? Yeah right! My stomach is getting bigger and bigger each day, and it's getting harder and harder to stand at work for 8 hours. Am I crazy for trying to stay at work until Christmas? Only 2 months to go! *dies*

Clubs

http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/6632076/ Thu, 29 Sep 2005 07:36:58 PDT
I'm sure it will all fall together. I'll just be happy to get it overwith though! That sounds so bad, but it's true. I can't even imagine trying to plan a wedding with 300 guests. I'm trying to plan one for 15 people at MOST! Not to mention a baby constantly making me run to the potty every 10 minutes, kicking the hell out of me, and making me tired all the time. And I thought this part of the pregnancy was supposed to be a breeze? Yeah right! My stomach is getting bigger and bigger each day, and it's getting harder and harder to stand at work for 8 hours. Am I crazy for trying to stay at work until Christmas? Only 2 months to go! *dies* ]]> *Zephania So I'm Gonna Be A Mom... http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/5849554/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/5849554/ Tue, 05 Jul 2005 17:27:23 PDT
I think the funniest part was watching him/her bouncing around in there, like he/she was having the greatest time. He/she was wiggling around so much the doctor was having a hard time getting the heartbeat! "That's our kid!" I said in my mind as I looked at my fiance. I knew he was thinking the same thing as he gave me a funny smile. But after a few minutes of searching, she got a heartbeat, and it was normal. That was the best news I could get.

We are so very happy

]]> *Zephania Ooooh boy! http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/3312362/ http://Zephania.deviantart.com/journal/3312362/ Tue, 07 Sep 2004 21:31:44 PDT
My art is sort of ecclectic. I do anything from my major in college (photography) to sculpture, painting, printmaking, digital, and plain old drawing. I'll try and get as much of my artwork on here as possible. I also enjoy writing short stories of the fantasy type, and poetry also. What can I say, I like being creative, I just haven't gotten around to showing it off yet... until now!

Hope you enjoy, I'm sure as I pump out the artwork it will be coming online ^^

~Zephania ]]> *Zephania