Lessons learned

~Don't leave folded baby socks on the bed, they are just the right size and weight for a cat to bat around.

~Notice each new development, like sitting on knees.

~Don't try to trim a baby's toenails right after you put lotion on their feet.



~Make sure that items can be multi-purpose:  foam corners good for noggin bumps and teething.

~Always poke a potato before baking it.  (Along with this lesson could also go: Listen to your mother.)


~Enjoy the little things - peacefully looking at the rain, and little mo-hawks after nap time.

~Keep everything that you don't want a baby to get into far out of reach; such as a large bowl of lavender and rice for sachets.

~Don't turn your head when feeding the baby - it can get messy!

~Cloth diapers are good for tender bums


~Instill a good fashion sense in your child

Have a good weekend!

Family

A few reasons why family is great:

 Being passed from person to person

Sharing toys with cousin Stella

Snack time with GrandMissy

Pawpaw with his great-granddaughter Stella and grandson H.

Three generations of hands

Being adored by my aunt and grandmother

Spending a little time with his favorite person, Challie

 With SweetHart and PopHart almost a year ago!

Family:  One of the Big Guy's greatest inventions.

Need I say more?

A day in the life

Good Morning, Sunshine!

Every morning, or after each nap I usually walk in to find H jumping in the corner of the crib, socks and extra pacifiers thrown on the floor, and with a big smile on his face!

Who wouldn't want to be greeted like that?

A little bit of cloth diapered cuteness!  He loves to gnaw on the drawer pulls on our armoir.  

Wearing his 'love beads' as PopHart (my Daddy) calls them.

Having a little visit over at Nanny's.  We rarely get a good picture as a family.  H was either laughing or just about to cry.... we'll go with laughing.

Our new diaper bag!  The fabric store had some new prints come in, and I just couldn't resist!!!!

Backpack style is a must for me, so I can have my hands free!   My last one that I made was larger and bulkier (it was my first diaper bag!) so I made this one a little smaller, and with many more pockets!!! Three on the outside and seven on the inside - pockets make me happy!   Now, everything won't be floating around in there, it all has it's own place.  I love fabric!!!!

I hope we have a little girl someday!!! (This is NOT an announcement!)

I made this cute little dress for N's neice's daughter.  Precious!!  You just can't do pink ruffles for a little boy!  The dress was surprisingly fast and easy - I mostly followed Amy Butler's pattern in her 'Little Stitches for Little Ones.'  

Goodnight!

(I feel like we post a lot of sleeping pictures, but they are too cute!  N and I usually peek at H before we go to bed, and he somehow always seems to be either surrounded by or on top of ALL the blankets and toys in his crib.  I wonder if it is comfortable....)

Do you love an apple?

Do you love an apple,

Do you love a pear,

Do you love a laddie who loves to share?

Oh yes, I love him, I can't deny him!

 I will be with him wherever he goes! 

We bonded over our love of apples this afternoon

to the tune of a great Irish folksong entitled Do you love an apple?

We are very slowly letting H have more solid foods, and he loves to gnaw on carrots, celery, and now apples!  He has also had half of a fry, but didn't like it too much.  We have some of the Gerber 3rd foods, that were left over from a friend's baby and he does not like them very much. 

What are good solid or semi-solid foods to start a baby with?

Bath-time and something better

Yesterday I wrote about how I was needing some time to myself.... poor me... N came home from his rehearsal and said, "Let's call my parents!"   So, even better than time to myself, N and I went on a date!!!  GrandMissy and Pawpaw Harry came in and saved the day!  Gave him his supper, played, and even gave him a bottle!  We enjoyed a nice supper out, came home, and all we had to do was rock H to sleep!  I think this should become a routine.....

Before we left we gave the little guy a bath and I couldn't resist taking a few pictures!  His little nakey self is sooo cute!  And he loves it!  He loves bathtime too!  I think he is old enough to have a bath without his baby tub, but our bath tub is reallllllly old, (porcelain?  metal? I don't know) and in our drafty house that is raised off the ground, and with our 20 degree weather, the tub gets very cold.  So, until warmer weather, we will stick to his little plastic tub. 

Now, for your viewing pleasure:

He looks a little too mischievous here.

Look at those cheeks!

And those cheeks!

It is amazing what a night out can do for a mama's disposition!

It's Friday?

After becoming an at-home mom, weekdays and weekends sort of blend together, holidays and work weeks blend together, and for awhile - days and nights would blend together (but thankfully we have that part figured out now!).  But, on weekends, N is home more, and we really have to keep a nap schedule down  - to work around church services... So, while I am waiting for N to return home from an unexpected rehearsal (the only reason I mention this is that I really wanted to get out by myself... but I can be strong!)  I will tell a little about our week. 

Is that the cutest heiny or what!!! 

This boy loves his books!

Ahhhh!  This is what happens when you don't service/clean your sewing machine since you bought it...

It was pretty scary in there, but now it is a lot cleaner and even a little quieter!

I don't know what it is, but H loves to stick his foot out of his crib.  Sometimes it leads to a pained cry as he can't get it out by himself!  Most of the time, though, he can get it out. 

Cute to see those little piggies sticking out!

I guess it is time to go wake him up from his nap now - so that he will go to sleep at bedtime.

We will go to a breastfeeding support group in the morning while N plays for a brunch and wedding.  Church, and more church, N's sister is in town so we will cook for them tomorrow night.  Sunday we will have lunch with my grandmother, aunt, uncle, and my cousins' two little girls. 

We went to see the little girls yesterday, and H was just smitten with them (2 1/2 and 5 yrs. old).  He was just watching and smiling, not sure what to do with them, but loving the cute girls! 

A good two weeks

The past two weeks while N was on Christmas break (one of the good things about being a teacher!) were wonderful!  Lots of time spent together, I took a much needed break from sewing, we also had plenty of family and friends!  Some of my favorites were going in with N to get H up from his naps, playing together as a family, taking walks together, cooking many good meals, and doing some non-sewing crafts.

Some cuteness:

 I think I posted a picture of H playing the piano before,

but it is just so cute!

Playing with some new toys! When he is really concentrating on something he makes his mouth very small, makes me want to squeeze him every time!

N and I couldn't decide if he looked comfortable here or not!  Sleeping on top of two blankets, one alligator and a monkey, right against the crib side.

H often will take off his socks during naptime and we will find them on the floor.  Yesterday when N went in to get him after his nap, his pants were on the floor!  We still can't figure out how he managed that, it takes some maneuvering, especially on a cloth diapered bum!

A thought or two about work vs. hobby....  both N and I love music and are musicians, we are also working in the field of music.  Teaching music, church musicians, etc..  It is difficult when something that once was your hobby becomes your job.  It can take some of the pleasure out of it.  I have always loved sewing as a hobby, and now that I am sewing and selling things, it becomes more like a 'job.'  So, again, how do you keep that enjoyment?

So, here are some 'non-sewing' crafts that I have enjoyed these past couple of weeks:

A needle book and pincushion.

The book is made with felt sheets, with a blanket stitch around the side and a flower needle felted on the cover.  The pincushion is just a large needle felted ball with some squiggles needlefelted on it.  I just need something to attach the ball to to keep it stable while in use.

Two crafts using wood blocks and  Mod Podge:

A 'Perpetual Wood Calendar.'  I know it is not the 24th, but I like the paper...

There are a few tutorials online for it.  I imagine it would be a great gift for teachers, friends, or church workers...

Alphabet blocks for H.  Made with fun animal paper and shapes.  I stamped the letters and little additional designs on it.  It has one of every letter except for 'r' so that we can spell his name.

Some crocheted projects.

I saw this idea here.  I have no idea what yarn I used, it has been in my yarn box for years, but I thought it would be perfect for my blue-eyed babe.  Very quick, easy, and cute!

Some animal friends.  I made the bunny and pig over the past two weeks.  The others I have been working on here and there over the past few months.  Most of the patterns are from Easy Crochet Critters and were just that - easy!  The rest were free patterns from Lion Brand.

Now I think I am ready to sew again.... I have a few projects that I have been waiting to make....

2009: A review

January 2009

Still cooking!

February

This month gets two pictures - sort of a big month for us!

The first picture is the day before H was born.  Not the most flattering...I just looked and felt HUGE!!

March

April

May

June

July

(first swim in CA)

August

(first taste of food)

September

October

November

December

We had a wonderful and life-changing year and look forward to another (maybe not so life-changing) year.  And in N's words:  "Let's reset the bar this year!"