Barack Obama was declared President Elect?

That is the question of my lifetime.

Previously, it had been, “What were you doing when you found out planes were crashed into the World Trade Center?”

And now, with Barack Obama as our next President, history is being made.

I used to be a party girl.  And I guess, I still am at heart.  One of the first thoughts I had when I heard the results of the election was how it was going to be the bar night of the century.  I thought of the energy of hundreds of people celebrating and crying in happiness, crowding around cars to hear snips of Obama’s speech blare through the speakers.

I thought about how I was at home, my 15-month-old son sleeping and dreaming away.  It was very quiet and calm in our home, his father away on business.  I could hear the shouting and cheering outside, I heard fireworks explode.  I longed to be out celebrating with everyone.  I even contemplated taking my son for a victory walk through the downtown streets so he could experience this time in our nation’s history.  So he could experience this time in the history of his heritage.

Instead, I kissed his forehead, and let him rest.  I walked outside and stood on our lawn, looking down the street.  My celebration was within my home, within my heart.  My son is beginning his life in a time of change and hope.

Those Obama beers will be bought on his inauguration.  Compromise!

My son doesn’t eat meat.  He rarely eats dairy.  Therefore, how does he get his vitamin B12?  Sometimes I really second guess myself about raising my son vegetarian, worried that he doesn’t get all the nutrients that the meat lovers get, and that this deficiency will somehow turn him into a spindly little skeleton with an underdeveloped brain.  That would completely contradict my belief that humans are meant to be vegetarian.

I’m not a vegetarian, by choice.  I’d like my son to decide on his own whether he wants to introduce meat into his diet.

I came across this article, which dispells the vitamin B12 myth.  Supposedly, B12 is found in animal derived foods. Many other sources claim that vegans and vegetarians might not get enough B12, and it’s this big scary deal if your toddler is lacking in that area. Well, calm down ya’ll. Here is one important excerpt from the find:  “All of the Vitamin B12 in the world ultimately comes from bacteria.  Neither plants nor animals can synthesize it.  But plants can be contaminated with B12 when they come in contact with soil bacteria that produce it.  Animal foods are rich in B12 only because animals eat foods that are contaminated with it or because bacteria living in an animal’s intestines make it.” From The Vegetarian Way: Total Health for You and Your Family (1996) Virginia Messina, MPH, RD, & Mark Messina, PhD p. 102

I also came across an article that referenced a study that was done on developing nations that have a large population of vegan diets. There is no B12 deficiency there thanks to the fertilizer being used on their plants. This “not enough B12″ thing is just another scare to make people think you really need meat in your diet. You don’t.

There is a lot of “scare” factors on the internet that try to make it seem like a vegan or vegetarian diet for a toddler is inadequate. I’m glad I came across that website, it really put my mind at rest.

It was an unsurprising reaction that I’ve observed in the dating world: someone with a kid gets several points knocked off their Desirability Factor. Even a friend of mine who is a parent now told me about his decision not to ask out a girl in college because he found out she had a kid. Hotness factor? Doesn’t matter. A friend of mine, S, has a crew of hot gal pals — the if the SATC Bible were Nylon and not Vogue. One of her crew is a Jordana Brewster look-a-like and gets second and third glances from the cute little former-hipsters turned Anthem model guys. That is, until they find out she’s a mother.

It happens to be a common reaction. Remember that show on TV, Blind Date? The pop-up video version of reality TV dating? One guy got set up with a mother, and he dumped her as soon as he noticed her “stretch marks” as he viciously told her. “You’ve got kids, I can tell by your stretch marks.” She even wound up trying to tempt him with a topless swim, but he left her out in the pool by herself. “I don’t want to walk into a ready-made family.”

I was talking to one of my good friends about this. “Would you date someone with a kid?” I asked him.

Without hesitation, he answered, “Absolutely. Especially if they are a good parent, because I feel like the qualities that makes them a good parent would translate to the relationship as well.”

I felt that was interesting insight. Though there are definitely good parents who suck at relationships.

Until I had a baby myself, I honestly didn’t think I would ever date someone who had a child. Admittedly, that wasn’t a great mentality. My reasoning was the usual “baby mama drama”. I couldn’t really comprehend how someone who had a child with another person could really be over the person who they had a child with. I always figured it was too strong of a bond and I would come second to that no matter what.

I realize now that isn’t the case. I have a baby now and of course he is my life and love, but I do understand how you can have no sentimental feelings for the other parent. Most pregnancies are unplanned, and sometimes they are with a person you don’t want to be with and you decide to keep the baby. It’s as simple as that.

I believe that it’s brief, but black and gold are making a comeback — together. And I’m not talking about coffee (my best friend Sarah told me that apparently certain people whose classification shall remain nameless like to use the term “black gold” in reference to coffee, but I will tell you that she read it on stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com ).

The other day, my boyfriend’s friend gave him his band’s latest tee. It says “One for the Team” in metallic gold iron-on letters smack dab in the middle of a black canvas of T-shirt. (Not made by American Apparel, unfortunately.) I made fun of him for a moment, until I saw a very similar shirt in Vice Magazine today.

Not that Vice is the fashion Bible for fashion heads. But they do have similar readers as the Nylon crowd, which I sort of am, and I am suspecting that we will see some black and gold blinging out by the sun in the summertime.

American Apparel makes a rare nylon tricot swim suit with gold lame (rhyme that with sashay, not shame!). I’m usually a fan of the bling on white, but maybe I will try the bling on black to match my man. Just put some (fake) bling on the baby and we’ll can go for a walk looking like fancy bumblebees!

I was personally disappointed when I saw the frumpy, boxy frocks that Jennifer Lopez wore during her pregnancy. I always pictured her to show off her baby bump. Instead she wore dresses that could double as expensive potato sacks. I love it when women show off their bodies during pregnancy because it’s so beautiful. I am especially happy to see it when celebrities do it because it encourages women to feel proud and sexy during this time!

I discussed this with my friend and she forwarded me an unfortunate article from IHM.com. It was about how the era of celebrities showing off their bodies was coming to an end, and now they are hiding it away. I guess I can understand this because they probably are sick of paparazzi all up in their business, but I just personally feel that it’s sad that they have to hide what I personally think is the best accessory, a baby bump.

A recent issue of Vogue, however, covered different wardrobe items for different body types. One of the women was pregnant. She chose sexy items and heels. More power to you!

My boyfriend and I are taking baby swimming classes with our son. It was an exciting prospect for us because we saw a video on youtube about a class parents were taking where they throw their babies around the pool and they can speed off swimming like little Olympic pros, I kid you not. Ambitious as we are, we signed up for class at the local YMCA and armed our babe with these awesome bright orange swim briefs a couple sizes too small for him so that the poop doesn’t escape from his drawers during swim time.

I’m not one to really adhere to any sort of fashion climate in the family pool. I actually have the black version of the swimsuit that’s on the new Moby album cover. That’s what I wear. Or I wear a halter bikini top and high waisted boy shorts. Very chic. I used to be really self-conscious about my body, but whatever, kiddie pool time isn’t the swimsuit competition. It’s about getting your kid to be able to breath underwater and float on his back.

Or is it? When we asked our instructor when we’d be able to let our son go in the pool, she looked at us in horror. Um, whoops. Dude, but if that’s the case, isn’t “swim class” a misnomer? I’ve read all about babies, and I’m pretty sure they’ve got the swim instinct in them up until a certain age. Give me the instructor who knows how to teach me about self-rescue and floating up!!! Seriously, watch that video.