Welcome to Mommy Shorts 2011! It's gonna be just like Mommy Shorts 2010 except way more people are gonna comment on my posts and tell all their friends about my blog and stuff!
You like that? I just opened the year with two exclamation points, a bunch of self-promotional reader requests and the grammar of a 7th grader. It's like I've adopted my 2011 writing style from The Beiber Fever Fan Page. New Year's Resolution #1: Never use the term "Beiber Fever" again.
What was I supposed to be talking about?
Ah yes, I'm stalling because I'm about to show you a totally SAPtastic video. It's Mazzy's life from the day she was born (December 9th, 2009) till now and I worked my ass off on it. Did you know that she's been alive for three years even though she's only just turned one? This was the super nerdy fact my husband presented to me this morning.
Right before I informed him that I had saved our marriage.
Let me explain.
Instead of sex or money (the two topics most commonly associated with marrital distress), my marriage teeters on the topic of technology.
Case in point: For several months now, my hard drive has been working over time keeping up with all the baby videos I have uploaded this past year. Mike has repeatedly asked me to transfer my video files to our external hard drive because he knows that when something goes wrong with my computer, I lose my mind. Computer issues bring out an anger within me so intense that we have named it "Christain Bale". Mike likes Christain Bale in movies but he does not like when Christain Bale shows up in our living room during a Giants game screaming about iMovie malfunctioning or Firefox crashing. Furthermore, his appearance prevents Mike from involving himself in solving the issue which only serves to make Christain angrier. Mike's completely reasonable fear was that if I happened to lose any of my videos of the baby due to a computer crash, it would take about a day and a half before Christain Bale destroyed our marriage completely.
BUT— I refused to transfer any files until I had the opportunity to create THE BIG "YEAR IN REVIEW" COMPILATION.
Which brings me to my lack of sleep over the holidays and the resulting completion of my saptastic video. It was HARROWING. But it's done. My marriage is saved. And I LOVE it. I've watched it half a billion times since I completed it late Saturday night but, you know, it's my kid. You'll probably only feel the need to watch it once.
Ok, now I'm gonna shower. New Year's Resolution #2: Shower at night instead of waiting till the morning when it might not happen.
Life So Far from Ilana W on Vimeo.
Music: "Heartbeat" by José Gonzalez, "Never Had Nobody Like You" by M. Ward
Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! A standing ovation for both mommy & Mazzy! You did a beautiful job with the video. It will be a wonderful scrapbook of her first year you can show Mazzy in years to come. Bonus points for saving your marriage and all ;-). Here’s hoping the whole world jumps on the mommyshorts bandwagon in 2011. Hell, I don’t even have a kid and I’m a believer.
You have to be pretty cold-hearted not to be moved by that! Happy New Year.
this is genius. i wish i had your awesome grammar/self promotional skillz. then i would be FAMOUSSSS.
gosh she had so much hair. good work. also, clearly i need to take more videos.
Wow. Please don’t let Mazzy share with my kids, they’d be really jealous!! It’s beautiful! Happy New year!
I love it so much and am simultaneously in a jealous rage over it. Now I wish I had taken much more video of Mango/had editing skills. It’s perfect, congrats!
HA. Thanks for stopping by. You gotta tell me if you use Mommy Shorts to get a free milkshake. I’ll make you a plaque or something.
If all goes as planned everyone will be reading Mommy Shorts while they eat breakfast and reading The Flying Jewel on their commute to work in 2011:)
Grammar and promotional skillz haven’t made me famous. YET…
They say lots of hair means lots of heartburn while you’re pregnant. I’d agree.
Thank you! And happy new year to you too!
You’d also have my current ear issue which I believe was the result of no sleep in combination with headphones set too loudly. It has sounded like everyone is really far away for the past four days.
well done, but you owe ken burns a million dollars.
Ridiculously adorable.
Very lovely.
I cried…and it’s not even my kid.
So glad I saw the sneak-preview of the awesome video! Felt like I was invited to the red carpet premiere. Lots of love for Mazzy!
Simply amazing Ilana. Enjoyed watching it and can relate to how incredibly hard and time consuming doing something like that is. I need to give up a few nights sleep to do the same. One day…
so awesome! I’m totally inspired to do something like this for my boys…someday…And now I have a great new Pandora station with M. Ward, so thanks!
M. Ward is FANTASTIC. So glad I turned you on to him.
It was a beast. I am SO happy it is over.
Whenever you need a Mazzy fix, you are welcome to babysit any time. Seriously. We will make up plans on the spot:)
Awww… Tears are the highest compliment. Music will get you every time.
I had no idea he owned all of my Mazzy footage. Will clear with him for the next time.
Thank you for stopping by! Feels like I got a celebrity visitor.
What an adorable video! You have inspired me to get off my arse and do something with the one billion pics and half a billion videos that I have of my 15 month old daughter.
Love it! But I’m not showing Ella as it might push her recent Mazzy fixation into obsession.
Ilana, this video is so beautiful – such a great idea. And, I’ve been meaning to tell you how much I love your blog – congrats on all that you’ve done with it!
Your kid is seriously cute w her big beautiful eyes – Congrats on reaching this milestone with your sanity and marriage intact. Many more to you and your family; I really enjoy reading your very witty blog. 🙂
Ilana, this is sooo beautiful! Please make your next post a tutorial on video editing software!! OR…maybe I can mail you a box of my 800 flash drives and you can make me one. Ha.
I hope you have the ability to ignore your child and permanently damage your sleeping patterns— because THAT’S WHAT IT TAKES!!!
SURE! I’d be happy to make you one. For ONE MILLION DOLLARS.
So glad to count you as fan. Let’s see if we can all survive 2011:)
Thank you! You know, it was you that inspired me:)
Obsessive Love is better than Extreme Hatred. So we are moving in the right direction.
I hate you for making me cry…kidding I love you. Like a lot. Sniff. I need a big girl hug.
Beautiful! I made my son a book, but this is way cooler. Also, we had the exact same play mat.
I’m sure she will treasure this video when she is older.
So, you are hired. Aaron’s Bar Mitzvah is in two ‘ish years and I will need one of those. How many nights sleep you think you will miss condensing 13 years instead of 13 months?
Ilana, Super video!! You did a great job on the editing and music, perfect pacing and timing. I’ve done them too and I know how hard they can be. Mazzy is just so sweet. I loved her little wiggle dance by the window.
Is it possible to wear out the video by watching it over and over and over and over again. I just can’t get enough. I nominate it for most touching and heartwarming as well as most addictive. It can’t help but make you smile and cry at the same time. Mazzy brings out the best of your talents and the best of you.
OMFG You so totally Rock the Vid Momma! I’m amazed and in awe! Can you come compile the vids of my 3 so I can have the glorious joy of recapturing their lives too?! I think I’m in love with your blog too BTW. I’m your newest fan. Come find me in the blogosphere if you like as well!
Mel~
Wow! Adorable. You did an amazing job!! She is so cute so I am sure that made choosing pictures hard 🙂
Hug right back. Happy New Year, Kimberly— I hope good things come for you this year:)
That is my hope. Instead of being mortified that I put this all online:)
Good taste in playmats. They are a rare find.
That depends— how much are you paying me?
That is one of my favorite shots. She dances all the time and somehow I always miss it with my camera. I was so happy to find that shot in my files.
If it is possible, than I would have retired it before it was even posted. You know who loves watching it more than either you or I? Mazzy. She can’t get enough. I think she even has it memorized. She makes the same little noise when that shot comes on with her in the jumperoo and she screams “Daddy!” every time he comes on screen. No surprise there.
I will totally check out your blog. Thank you so much for your positive feedback!
Maybe I need to put together a rate list. But I don’t know if I could ever charge enough money. It is LABOR INTENSIVE for sure.
You got that right. Which is why I ended the video with a photo montage!
Ummm…. pay you?
LMAO. I knew I loved you. Banishment of Bieber Fever and also use of the description “Christian Bale.” Love.
That first paragraph cracked me up! And, I promise to watch the video later when I have more time. Like at 3 a.m.
I feel no need to write anything clever since I already know you are not coming back to see if I responded.
Just in case: Love is mutual.
Beautiful!!!! I do this for my kids every year (twins – they are 7 now). The movies are longer now, but the they absolutely ADORE them.
I’m holding you to that— LADY! Also, you just wrote the 50th comment. With the exception of my giveaways, that is a blogging first.
I was wondering if I was going to be able to summon the energy to do this again next year… good for you!
Fantastic! Both the video and the saving the marriage 😉
Oh. My. God. Ilana — this video is BEYOND awesome. Seriously. I am looking at doing one for Tom’s 1st birthday (but I was only going to be doing pictures — but now I’ve seen yours!! Oh no!) and I cannot — repeat — cannot and will not show my husband this video. It’s too good!! It’s amazing. I’m jealous. Tom wishes you were his mom. LOVE it!!!
You will love Tom’s video too. I promise.
Oh my goodness, so beautiful. I laughed, I cried, it was better than Cats! I’ve been neglecting Mommyshorts lately and this was a perfect post to remind me to get my priorities back on track. I’ve got some catching up to do!
I’ve missed you! Welcome back:)
I remember watching this the first time and I should have commented then. But here goes: what a fabulous gift to young Mazzy!
And I’m so, so happy she got to meet her great grandmother and you have a snapshot of the two together. I imagine she’ll treasure the photo… always.
Will you please make one for my kids?!! 😉
What a perfectly wonderful gift for Mazzy…AND you!
Sooooo wishing I had this for my boys (5 & 2.5). So much joy that I know was there, but I can’t recall. If only I could just hear their coos and see their funny expressions…
Thank you so much for the beautiful inspiration!
So I only started reading your blog recently and I came across this. I love it!!! I want to a) cry, even though it isn’t my child, b) meet Mazzy (eventhough I live far, far away in TEXAS) and c) hire you to create this same thing for my daughter. Thanks for sharing!!!
I cried.
But then I’m pregant.
Beautiful family.
I’m 8 months pregnant with my second child, a girl, I have a 2 and a half year old boy. I found myself rubbing my belly and with tears in my eyes.
Gorgeous video, congratulations!!
*I’m from Buenos Aires, loved the post you made about it*
You have the most photogenic baby in the world!
I didn’t watch it half a billion times, but I watched it once. And loved it hard.
Well done then and now, Ilana.
Bravo.
!!!! (7th grade grammar rocks.)
That video was just beautiful!!!!!
Beautiful! I need to make one of these. I feel bad that L is 6 months old and I have maybe a couple of videos. Tons of pictures though!