The Baby Report

With 11 days and counting- I'm feeling a bit enveloped with anticipation of our first. Is this how most women are on arrival of their baby? I guess because I gained about 30ish pounds and have other visual/physical changes that make it impossible for me to ignore my current state.

Tuesday I started putting together our baby swing (Zach had to finish- b/c I was stumped by the terrible instructions guide). It is pretty rad and has an owl mobile attached. I'm sure there are things we requested on our registries that people don't need to raise a child- but as a former babysitter- the swing was always really helpful. My clumsiness was at an all time high yesterday- what with shattering a small crystal cake plate and breaking in 3 pieces (can be glued & salvaged) our mushroom cookie jar top.

Zach's lovely coworkers threw him a baby shower yesterday, which really touched us both. His bosses have been so understanding and just wonderful about the whole thing. They gave him 2 sets of wooden Marvel toys and about the cutest pair of Sketchers ever made! Then they took him out for Chinese food. I was so happy for him and glad one of us got to experience an office baby shower!

I've been making, making, making in little spurts. Up from 2:30-6:30am yesterday I pinned a bunch of holiday gifts for family & the shop. Then on my second shift I sewed them all together. I got a new shipment of organic lavender, from
Shakti Studios.I've been working on new ornaments, men's recycled ties- perfect for the male (or tie wearing mama) in your life. There will be a Shop Update later this week,
tomorrow.

On the home front of crafting, I've been gathering materials to make a mobile to go over Hazel's crib. Birds of course will be our theme. I'm choosing felt, fleece and a few cottons in red, white & black. After a month or so they (who is they?- Dr. Sears) say babies can visually start to see other colors. So I'll make sure I can switch the birds out if need be. I'm using an embroidery hoop- 2 in fact. Surprisingly I googled "handmade bird mobiles" and didn't find a whole lot- nor could I find too many to use as a template. So I'm winging it :::: hee hee- a little bird humor! Our advent clothesline is growing as I added 4 more pieces- totaling 22- almost there!
Some goodies I'm working through:::::



Fresh fabrics, Amy Butler's new book and nursing butter- which I'm loving and want to eat.


:::::::::::::Cookie Update::::::::::::::::
Remember this little gal?

She went to the vet yesterday and is doing great! She's very spry- is eating like a little fiend and now weighs a pound and a few ounces! Cookie is about 6 weeks at this point and although those baby blues are now more of a Liz Taylor grey- she's super adorable, fast and alert.

Speaking of cookies- I'm still trying to decide what kind to make this year. Either way I am going to make the batches, freeze them in rolls and just slice & bake.I'll have to go nose around Martha Stewart's website for some recipes and ideas.
More pictures soon- I've been lazy when it comes to photographing my making spurts.
Have a great day!
M

Baby Quilts, Sleeping Kitties and a Cozy Bed

As the days grow cooler, our bed gets toastier with various quilts and layers making their way to us. We've started the "big push"(to get Jasper but mostly Hermione out from sleeping in our bedroom at night)she has shown much disdain for us. She shows up in the bassinet, in the crib, hiding in the changing table on the rug near the crib and finally on our bed. She's taken to sleeping at the foot of our bed now. But She's so adorable I have a difficult time saying no. These little animals nestle into our hearts and never leave. They're such characters.

Yesterday I experimented with lettuce- it is insoluble fiber, which I need to be careful of. Let's just say I'm not ready for it and spent the day wishing I had never eaten it! Needless to say last night was spent doing "couch crafts"- I started a new embroidered scene for Hazel's wall. I recently found Jenny Hart's Stitch It Kit, which I had purchased forever ago and never got a chance to use. So I ironed out a little banner and I'm stitching Hazel's name in it. This kind of handmade work- relaxes me like nothing else. I finally found the right case to put my floss in. I'm using a vintage purse/lunch case to keep all my needles & floss semi-organized.

Here are a few pictures of the new quilt I made for Hazel



The inside is an older small baby blanket handed-down. Flannel on both sides and some of my favorite fabrics along with recycled t-shirts I've been saving. I don't know the traditional, "real" way to quilt that you see everywhere, but I like how my pieces turn out.
Tomorrow is our baby shower in Rhode Island. We haven't been there since August.I'm so excited to see everyone. I've mentioned before how much I enjoy going up there. The forecast says rain, but hopefully it will hold out to have a little gathering outside.
Have a wonderful weekend and stay cozy!
xo

Gratitude

All the hub and now the day has come and gone. It was lovely! No I didn't wear a Grecian gown, I wore a purple stripey turtleneck with pinky- metallic accessories. Zach and I played a little matchy-matchy, which was dorky fun. I needed to take Imodium to assure that I could leave the house, so today I am taking the day slow.

The Matchy Couple


Breast Cancer- Donation Flowers from Aunt Gorny


Crazy Shower Games!

We still have another carload of stuff at my parent's house, but between our rocking chair, 2 Frog Pods (we'll need to make an exchange),pack & play,high chair some items just had to be left behind for a pickup today.

The weather held out and even though it was a very tight, very tight mix inside the dining room, I think it was a total success! I got to see so many special people from far & near. It meant so much to me that everyone took such detail in purchasing their gifts or making them. I never thought I would get caught up in baby clothes- but there are some ADORABLE clothing choices out there and thanks to the generosity of family & friends I think I own them all! Yes, of course there was a lot of pink- the decorations were very cute and of course Miss Hello Kitty made several appearances.

Family & friends made food from baked beans-penne ala vodka (my sister's speciality),butternut squash faux mac & cheese,boiled potatoes(for me), chicken Marsala and the list goes on! Everyone had seconds, which was encouraging for the cooks. I made an apple crumble of sorts, I didn't even add the caramel sauce. There was a good amount of brown sugar- so it didn't need it. IBS & Vegan Friendly Apple Crisp It was super easy and came out delicious! I think I'll be heating a piece up for breakfast this morning.

Last night, Zach finished assembling our new rocker and now today we must figure out where it will go. Always a challenge in a small space. But I rather enjoy spinning around the furniture to achieve a new look and new nooks. The reality is setting in I think for both of us, babies have a lot of stuff! I don't think we really even registered for an over-the-top amount, hardly any clothes or toys- mostly the items we needed. Yet, I still feel overwhelmed, slightly. I think if we keep it simple and watch what we allow into the house, we might feel better in control.


One of our handmade gifts was a gorgeous, pink & white check, knit blanket set. One is smaller to cuddle baby, the other is bigger to cuddle mama. Not having come from a family of knitters (me being the only one on my side), receiving a handmade- knit blanket from a family friend (the daughter of one of my mom's best friends- who has known me since birth) just made my day. Once the rain goes away- does that happen in October? I'll take pictures.

We also received some gorgeous littles from Land of Nod. These wooden blocks we were so excited to open.In an attempt to have more durable-non-plastic,traditional toys for Hazel.

Lastly, I didn't even get a darn picture of my sister and mother who orchestrated the entire thing from decorations- games- food and presents.(In my defense- they were all over the place and hardly sat down!)

One of the most touching details was the wishing well. Instead of having everyone bring little tchochkes, my big sis, Susan( who is also a history professor) asked for books- to start off Hazel's library! From Eric Carle - 100 First Words, Hazel's collection has grown into something even more precious. We both have favorites from our childhood, that we merged together and purchased used from the library, yard sales etc. but now she'll have books with bookplates in them and notes from family & friends. Each time we read them- we can be thankful for the idea and the generosity.

Overall, I was just so touched by the generosity of family & friends. To feel that loved and to pass it on to our child is going to be a wonderful experience/adventure.
Thank you for sharing our little shower story. I'm grateful to have the friendly readers who stop by and say hello! Be well xo
M