It's a GIRL!

< whisper > hi.

yes, we had a baby a week ago today.  she's all pink and soft and full of funny little baby sounds and squeaks.  she's the tiniest of my three girls, still not up to 7 lbs yet, but she's nursing well and putting on weight.

and, oh, the faces this sweet girl makes.

she may never know what it is like to be put down... right now my mom is staying with me, my thirteen year old is on summer vacation, and Fidget is always angling for her turn as well.  Poor daddy hardly gets a chance.  that's what happens when a bundle of pure sweetness drops into your life.

She is nursing a lot during the day.  a LOT.  which is fine by me because she is taking big breaks from it at night and I'm actually getting more sleep than I ever expected at this point.  so we are all happy and pink and constantly saying things like 'she's just so CUTE' and 'OMG, I LOVE her' and 'we're so blessed!'

so you'll forgive me if the updates are slow around here, right?  or maybe it will just be pictures for a while.  unless you object, of course.  can you handle the cute?? 

</ whisper >

Ms. Andrea's Apron

I'm terribly late with this apron.  It's for one of the teachers at Fidget's preschool who got married in April.  APRIL.  I'm not exactly setting records with this one, am I?  She likes green.

(You'll forgive me for not re-ironing this before I shot it, right?  Because you're sweet.  You are.)

I decided to go with dupioni silk for the tie.  I've had this brown in my stash forever.  I love the texture.   Kind of makes it fancy.  Yes, it's washable.  And pre-washed, too, so it won't shrink or pucker.

My favorite part is this little vintage button on top of the brown ribbon:

Also, the topstitching on the pocket ribbon.  I was too lazy to switch out the blue thread, but ended up really liking the effect.  (Even if my stitches aren't 100% straight.)  Don't you love it when that happens?

I hope she likes it.  She is insanely sweet so I'll never know for sure.

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Things may come to an abrupt halt sooner than expected around here.  We were timing contractions Thursday night, but things seem to have calmed down a bit.  For now... 

craft hope: project #2 doll

This little island missy will be making her way to the Casa Bernabe Orphanage very soon. 

I used the black apple doll pattern and stitched on a little face instead of painting her up.  I used some thrifted washable velvet for her hair instead of the felt and do love how it feels.  (If you ever do this, you'll need to zig-zig over the edge of her hair cut-out, so it doesn't shed everywhere... )  She also needed some flair to go with her Hawaiian print dress, so I gave her a little flower.  Sweet little thing is ready to go play with a very special little girl now.  (As long as I get her in the mail tomorrow!)

I'm so proud of Jade and her work with Craft Hope.   She's got big things happening over there and makes it so easy to reach out and lend a hand.  You don't have to have a blog to contribute, either.  Signups for project #3 will happen soon.  Don't you want to be part of the solution?  xoxo

 

waiting for baby

Hello there.  We're ok around here, I promise.  Thank you for the sweet emails of concern, checking in on me.   I know it's been quiet a la Fence; I miss being able to blog with the energy and gusto that I had even just a few weeks ago. 

As much as I hate to admit it, the physical limitations of being 9 months along are taking their toll on this mama.  I'm still working, although I'll be leaving my job of 12 years for full-time-stay-at-home-mom status after baby.  (Hooray!  This is something wonderful and deserves a whole post unto itself, so I'll save that for later.)  In making this decision, though, I have over a decade of information and instructions to leave for whomever they decide will replace me.  I'm being a good girl, and trying to make this transition easy for them.  It's been a lot of work, and it hasn't left me much time or energy for the fun stuff. 

It will all be worth it in the end.  I know it will.

It's funny not knowing the baby's gender.  In the past, I've had the nursery all ready to go.  I thought this time I would be ok keeping the tan walls and using white linens and going with plain white curtains. But I think the tan walls (which cannot be easily repainted because of a particularly ginormous dresser that cannot be moved without enlisting a lot of help) and the dark nursery furniture have made this tricky. 

If baby number three is, in fact, another girl, I'm going to want to infuse this room with some femininity.   (whoop!  hello there, little one.  *kick kick kick* are you telling me you are not a girl?  hmmm.  We'll see.)  And a boy, aside from giving my husband the best surprise ever, would be deserving of a special boy-ness all of his own.  Especially since this room is sandwiched between the girls'.

So for now, the windows are bare.  The walls are bare.  The linens are white (and will probably stay that way).  The clothes are pretty white, too.   The dresser is packed with tiny clothes for either gender; I'm lucky to have tons of hand me downs and little need for more.   It's just barely a nursery for now, but that's ok.  Baby will be in our room for a few months anyhow.

And we'll know soon enough what to do with this room... in less than two weeks.