mama feature : michelle + CY

I’VE KNOWN MICHELLE VAWER FOR OVER 12 YEARS, FIRST THROUGH MUTUAL CREATIVE WORK AND THEN AS A FRIEND.

A MODEL (@MICHVAW90) AND DESIGNER, IT HAS BEEN SO SPECIAL TO WATCH HER STEP INTO THIS NEW MOMENT OF MOTHERHOOD, WELCOMING HER SON CYPRESS LESS THAN A YEAR AGO.

CY’S OUTFIT FROM OUR SHOP @GUSANDWAY

WHAT DID YOU FIND MOST SURPRISING AS A NEW MAMA?

THE DEPTH OF LOVE. LIKE NOTHING I HAD EVER KNOWN.

THE JOY OF EVERYDAY MOMENTS.

AND ON A PRACTICAL LEVEL, HOW MUCH I WOULD LEARN TO DO WITH ONE HAND.

ALSO JUST HOW MUCH MY EMOTIONAL LANDSCAPE AND MINDSET HAS CHANGED. SO MUCH OF MY BANDWIDTH GOES TOWARDS THINKING ABOUT MY BABY AND FAMILY, SO I’VE HAD TO GET BETTER AT SAYING NO TO OTHER THINGS. IT’S REALLY CLARIFIED AND SOLIDIFIED WHAT’S TRULY IMPORTANT TO ME. AND SIMULTANEOUSLY FORCED ME TO LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR MY OWN LITTLE RITUALS THAT CALM & GROUND ME. IT GETS SO CHAOTIC FEELING SOMETIMES SO THOSE PRACTICES NOW FEEL VERY NECESSARY.

ON VINTAGE

I DON’T THINK I WILL EVER NOT FREAK OUT OVER FINDING SOMETHING SPECIAL IN A VINTAGE SHOP OR RECEIVING SOMETHING SPECIAL THAT WAS PRE-LOVED.

THESE OVERALLS WE GOT FROM YOU @GUSANDWAY IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT ON A RUSH OF NOSTALGIA FROM THE OVERALLS I WORE AS A KID AND JUST FELT SO SPECIAL WITH HIS NICKNAME ‘CY’ EMBROIDERED ON THE POCKET.

I PLAN TO HOLD ONTO THEM FOREVER.

MEANING BEHIND HIS NAME, CYPRESS OPUA

HIS DAD CHOSE CYPRESS. ARI AND I MET IN CALIFORNIA. WE HAD BEEN ON THE CENTRAL COAST NOT TOO LONG BEFORE CY WAS BORN AND THE MONTEREY CYPRESS THERE ARE SO BEAUTIFUL. NOW WE LIVE IN FLORIDA, CY WAS BORN HERE, AND THERE’S ALL THE FLORIDA CYPRESS TREES HERE.

CY TWOMBLY IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PAINTERS SO WHEN ARI SUGGESTED THE NAME I IMMEDIATELY LOVED IT!

I CHOSE HIS MIDDLE NAME. I LOVE CLOUDS AND I WANTED HIM TO KNOW HE HAD A BIT OF HAWAII IN HIS HEART. OPUA IS A SHORTENED SLANG VERSION OF BIG FLUFFY CLOUDS IN HAWAIIAN.

PHOTOS @ITISCHAD

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