New Babies and All The Feelings

WHEW!  

I just got the word, delivered over the miles via text message, that one of my best friends has finally delivered her baby boy.  We've been waiting for Action Jackson for about 11 extra days now, and I was getting nearly as impatient as his mama!  I'm so glad he's here, that she finally gets to hold her dream baby in her arms.

Happiness is definitely the overriding feeling right now in this moment of excitement and hype.  So much happiness.  I haven't even seen his sweet face yet, and I'm in love.

But here's my confession: ever since finding out I was preggo with baby #2, new babies have equal parts delighted and terrified me.  They are darling, yes.  They are tiny and sweet and don't weigh 34 pounds.  You can wear them and not need a chiropractor to follow you around.  They are just so... new.  And new is nice.

They are not long-sleepers, though.  They are sweet, precious little balls of nerves that are experiencing everything for the first time, and its all a little overwhelming, and they do stuff like cry and they do it a lot.  Which is all part of being a new baby, they're just doing their jobs.  But oh my lanta, I am scared to go back there, and holding wee ones reminds me that that is indeed my fate.

It is likely due to the fact that those first months with RG were hard for me.  Like way-hard.  My type-A personality was still in full swing, and I don't do well sleep-deprived.  Coupling that with a husband who was only home 3/6 nights... well, those are remembered as dark, dark days.  I know that this second time around won't necessarily be like the first (at.  all.).  I'm getting a totally different baby, and I'm a completely different mama.  I've done this before.  I know that the phases don't last, and I know that one bad afternoon is not indicative of the rest of my baby's formative years.  I know I won't have to wait until he or she is 12 before getting a full night's sleep.  But there's residual fear there, that it'll all be dark again.  

I'm pretty sure that this is the part where I'm supposed to write about how I'm going to deal with this and turn that frown upside down and ta-daaa! not be scared/nervous anymore.  But I've got nothing for you.  I'll just do it, and it'll be what it is.  I've got no extra wisdom beyond that, and I don't feel like I need any.  Feelings acknowledged, check.  And now we move forward.  And by forward, I mean I want to show you the present that I've put in the mail today for my newest (terrifying) little buddy Jackson!

Amanda requested a bright blues quilt that was inspired by this no-longer-offered Land of Nod beauty.  The fabric for the back isn't showing up well in my at-night, smashed-screen-iPhone pictures (weird!), but it can be found here, and is Constellations by Lizzy House.

I love it like crazy, its so whimsical without being too baby-ish!  Other fabrics include Pearl Bracelets, Color Me Retro, Stella Dot, and Kona solids, as well as some un-named stash fabric and of course, Art Gallery Fabric's Pure Elements Snow for the most fabulous white fabric ever.

This lovey is made from the same fabrics as the quilt, combined with some of the softest minky you'd ever want to rub all over your face.  For realz.  I don't know if its really that amazing, or if I'm just that tactile-y inclined, but its so crazy soft.  I want to have a robe made out of it.  And wear it all the time.

Boom.  It was very much fun to play with fabrics again, and to use my stellar quilting machine for its intended purpose.  And now I'm going back to the land of regularly scheduled leather-making, because it smells so good and I can't help myself.  That is, once I do this daytime thing called a "job" (soft "o").

<3 M.

Baby Girl Sewing :: A Collection

We've got a small problem in this hizouse, and the problem belongs to our small one.  Girlfriend is very good at... growing.  Which means I'm constantly swapping out her clothes for the next size.  Which is fine, when there are clothes for the next size but, well...

She's got no shirts.

Its nearly true.  A bit of an exageration, but in reality, she has about 3 pairs of bottoms to every top, and there aren't that many tops.  I was thinking about going shopping, but (1) I'm a cheapskate, (2) Handsome is a cheapskate and (3) Riley can't drive herself to the store yet.  Plus, the cheap clothes are usually made by underpaid 3rd world people, and sometimes I remember that and it bothers me.

But then i remembered that I recently cleaned out Handsome's dresser of all the t-shirts that he's too skinnified to wear, and I thought "Hey!  I'll bet I could make things!" which quickly spiraled into "Make all the things!"  And so, I present to you to today, a small sampling of "all the things" that I want to/plan to make for Riley girl.  The entire list can be found on pinterest.  Most of these are basic and imprecise and fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants because (1) that's how we do and (2) she's a baby.

Simple Toddler T-shirt
This is pretty much exactly what I was looking for.
Tip: Use a currently fitting t-shirt for size/pattern, then add 1/2 inch just to be safe.

Simple Baby Raglan (baseball shirt)
Again, perfectly what I'm trying to make.
Tip: re-use the ribbing from around an old t-shirt collar

The Warhol Dress.
Seems like a version of a pillowcase dress, but I haven't looked into it.
Tip: Start viewing old t-shirts as "fabric"
Double Tip: Always buy XXL t's when thrifting for projects like this (more "fabric", same price!)

Baby Headband from pants waistband
SO simple.
Disclaimer: pretty sure RG's head is too big for this to work.
Plan: go to Salvation Army Thrift & put different sized pants on her head.

The Party Dress
It's a fancier dress, but there's a full pattern you can print off
Tip: I have no tip.  I haven't yet followed a pattern.

Jersey Knit Dress
Again,we're straying away from my original plan, but they're SO CUTE!
Tip: teach her young that dresses with pockets are the best dresses!

The Runway Shortie
If you've made it this fat, this last one is a prize for you!
I think this might be the cutest little sewing DIY I've seen yet.
The instructions really explain it well, too!
And, if your baby wears 12-18 mo., there's an exact pattern for you to follow!
EEK!

So those are my big plans.  If you follow @gr8manyThings on Instagram, you also know that I've finally bit the bullet and bought myself a real live, tissue-papery pattern for RG's Easter dress, just like my grandma used to make for me!  Hopefully I can get one or two or seven things knocked out this weekend!  What are your plans?  Did you used to get an Easter dress?  Do you still?

<3 M.

Sick Days & Working Mamas

My girl is sick, and I'm not even mad.  She's at that sweet spot, just ill enough to not be allowed to go to the babysitter's, but not so ill that we can't enjoy spending the day together.  

There is quite a lot of sleeping going on among the diaper-wearing crowd here today.

It has been sweet, crusty eyes and crustier noses and all.  

Yesterday, I cried when I picked her up from the sitter's.  She hadn't taken her afternoon nap, which meant that she had been awake for hours, and the babysitter got to just hang out and play with her.  She said they had a great time.  And I was sad, because I wished it were me.

The decision to go back to work wasn't really a decision that I liked, on a day-to-day way of looking at things.  I don't love dropping my baby off every morning, and picking her up in the afternoons, even if its just for 5 hours.  It makes me sad.  It hurts my mama heart and leaves me with morning tears and afternoon jealousy.  It doesn't matter that her babysitter loves her, and takes almost-as-good-as-mama care of her.  It doesn't matter that RG gets excited to see the babysitter's little boy, and that they miss each other when they're apart.  It doesn't matter that she's learning social skills and building friendships.

It only matters that I'm sad.

WFMW: Stop Washing Bottles

So I've got a baby girl around these parts.  Most of you know that.  She's pretty cute, and I talk about her pretty much all the time.  Like, a lot.  Seriously, though, can you blame me?

See??  Super cute.
My gosh, I just want to pinch her and snuggle her and smooch her and...
Sorry, got a little distracted.

I'm loving being a mama, fo sho.  Wanna know what I don't love?  Washing dishes.  Never have.  I very nearly paid somebody to wash them for me back in my undergrad days, and my feelings have pretty much not changed at all.  Now that I'm back to work, I have to do this *ahem* pumping thing in order to keep my girl RG fed while I'm gone.  And know what that means?  Double dirty bottles, one type that attaches to the pump, and one type that baby actually eats from.  Not. Cool.

So the other day, I'm hunting on my favorite shopping grounds (aka: amazon.com), and I found these bags that allows mamas to skip the first bottle dirtying, which cuts the dirty dishes in half!  Only problem? They cost 2 or 3 times as much as the regular bags.  But when I looked at them a little closer, I figured out that I could make something similar!  You can, too!  Here's what you do:

You've got your bag, your pump attachment, and some good 'ole scotch tape.

Assemble like so.

Voila!

Word of warning - be careful when the bag is close to full, you don't want to pour out all of your hard work (she said, tearfully, from experience).  Also?  Don't but the ziploc brand bags.  They've got holes, which is a real issue for something that's supposed to hold liquid (she says, irritably, from experience).

<3 M.

Linking up with Works For Me Wednesday

Baby Food :: Real Food

So, babies.  Yeah.  They're kind of what we do around here lately.  Here's the dealio, though.  Baby isn't the only show in town, even though it seems like it.  Its just that the other show in town is "Research done in pursuit of a PhD in Industrial Engineering" and let me tell you, their material is a little dry.  Like today's big number, "Writing a mathematical program to optimize node connectivity via the node-splitting algorithm".  

Who wants to hear about that?  Anybody?  No, I didn't think so.  My advisor actually yawned twice during our meeting, if that tells you anything.  Riveting stuff.  Although I kinda do find it to be super interesting, I have one foot in the real world still and I know that you all don't love it.  And that's okay.  We can still be friends.  But it leaves the hard truth that if we can't talk about work stuff, we're gonna talk about home stuff, and what I do most of the time at home is chill with my bambina.

For the first 5 months, we did the usj (how in the world do you spell the abreviation for "usual"??), which basically amounts to a lot of sleeping, a lot of nursing, and some baby circuit training.  You know, sit in this seat for a bit, play with this toy for a bit, c'mon now lets dance, hey, who's that baby in the mirror, etc.  But since my girl has gotten older, she's up for longer, and we needed to entertain her for longer. Enter: Real Food 

Note: That is not the only reason we started RG on real food.  She was also able to sit up unassisted, and able to/interested in grab food and put it in her mouth.  Just so you know.  We are mildly responsible around here.

Get some of that watermelon, girl!

Expecting Again

Nope.  Still not it.  Not a baby.  Even though my apparently insane sweet husband said to RG the other morning, "Riley girl, you need a baby brother."  To which I respond really?  REALLY?  As though she's not still a baby?? Yes, really.  He really said that.  But no. Not a baby.  We're talking expectations.  Again.

See, husband?
That's a baby you're holding right thar.
A giant baby, yes, but she's still a baby.
BAE-BEE.
Babies do not need baby brothers.
I don't know how much more clear I can be on that point.

Sometimes I wonder how I can still be learning this same lesson.  How can it be taking me so long to figure this out.  But somehow I am.  Expecting things of myself.  Expecting things of Riley, of Husband, of Duke.    Things like for RG to take a longer-than-twenty-seven-minutes nap, or for myself to have time to blog, and ideas to write about.  Expecting Handsome to just know that I feel a little trapped sometimes and need time out of the house.  Expecting a schedule to emerge from our chaos, because "they" say it does.  Bah.  I see no schedule.  I see no "regular" day.   

I know that you say I'm "ahead of the curve" and "doing great".  Thanks for that.  But at the same time, it still feels so much like floundering.  Like groping my way along in the dark.  I'm tired of feeling like I am missing the mark.  I don't think much is actually going to change around here with regards to that, but I know that I can change my perspective.  And I'm going to do it on here, on this b-log, so that (1) I stay accountable to working on it, (2) I have easy fodder for blog posts [just being real] and (3) we can all see the faithfulness of God as he works out my heart and teaches me grace and peace.  So in May, I'm going to attempt to do a 31-days thing, where I talk about the same thing for 31 days.  *YAY*

I'm not telling you the actual 31-days topic yet because I'm not exactly sure what is needed to combat these unreasonable and totally without-grace expectations everyone loves a surprise, right?  But be sure to check back on May 1 when I kick it off!  Happy end of April, y'all.  

xoxo, M.

Riley Says: Lets Get Ready to Woombie

***UPDATE: Riley says "Hey Jenny Rack-o-van!  You're the winner of the original woombie!  Hope your bambino loves it as much as I love mine!" ***

Riley says "Hey!"

Riley says "Hope you're having a great Monday!"

Riley says "I love the woombie.  Like, seriously love it.  Like I love my mama.  But don't tell my mama."

Riley says "Let me tell you all the ways I love the woombie."

I love the Original Woombie in the Newborn size.
Even though I only got to wear it for a few weeks.

I love the Woombie Air.
It keeps me nice and cool when the days are warm.

I love the Original Woombie in the Big Baby size.
I love it in gray.
I love gray.
NOTE: She isn't always happy when she first gets slipped into her woombie.
It doesn't mean (a) that she doesn't like it [she does] or (b) that it won't work for her [it does].
Sometimes she just needs to struggle a bit before settling down.

Here's our Woombie story:  RG has been swaddled in some way since day one.  Helps her sleep, calms her when she's fussy, keeps her nice and snug.  We started out using blankets, then switched to Halo Angel Wings Sleep Sack.  That was working fine for us, until RG decided to be a giant and outgrew it.  Also, she was pretty wiley when it came to getting her hands out and waking herself up, which was becoming a problem.  

#RG at 2 Months and a Giveaway

Two months, little one.  Well, technically 9 weeks now.  Somehow, saying it in weeks makes it feel shorter than saying it in months.  I finally feel like I know you.  I know that you like your music loud, and prefer the Dropkick Murphys to silence.  I know that you only like to be awake for about 1 1/2 hours, and then you're ready to sleep again.  I know that you have a smile for everyone, including the wall (really bursts your bubble when you think she's saved her smile for you, then you find her flashing it at a random corner of her crib, as well).  

You've slept through the night, a handful of times, and I've appreciated every single one of them.  You don't grasp things, at least not physically, but when I explain to you the difference between mean, median, and mode, it seems like you really understand.  You're still much more interested in the dog than he is in you, and that's okay.  You still cry when I put you down to sleep, but only for a few minutes.  You wake up happy most of the time.  You wear size 2 diapers and just grew out of 0-3 mo. clothing.  All in all, you're a fabulously fabulous baby.

Its crazy how fast time has flown.  It doesn't seem as though she's been here that long, but at the same time, it seems perfectly reasonable that she would be here, like she belongs.  Because, I guess, she does.

One thing that I've found myself doing a heck of a lot more of since baby girl arrived 9 weeks ago, other than laundry, is taking pictures.  I've taken hundreds of pictures, possibly even thousands in these few short (I wrote "shew fort" the first time) months.  They're so fun to look at and I'm picking some to be printed, because there's just something about a printed picture. And in a lot of my pictures, I've had the chance to use these super cute blocks!

Baby girl was hamming it up!

The title of this post promised a giveaway, and I'm no shirker.  So what I've got for you today is a Reader's Choice from my sponsor, Everyday October.  One reader will win either a sweet set of pink, black, & gray blocks (shown above), or a $20 giftcard to EO's shop.  These blocks would be great for baby pictures, as I've been using them for, or for kiddos in school.  Heck, I might even take my birthday picture with mine from now on.  They also make bomb-phenom shower gifts, just FYI.

To win, enter with Rafflecopter below!  Winner will be announced Friday.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

<3 M.

A Little Gift :: Baby Presents

It seems like everyone I know in real life is having a baby.  Now quite everyone, but a lot of people.  I can list 8 people I personally know whose bambinos will be born +/- 6 weeks from mine.  As a result, I've been making a lot of baby presents.

One of my favorites was this quilt, the pictures for which were taken in possibly the WORST light ever.  It almost feels like an accomplishment to take such terrible pictures.  Fortunately for me, picmonkey.com has some great free photo editing software, and you'll never have to see them in their un-edited state.  Really, it's fortunate for you, too.

I loved this quilt.  I made if for a sweet little almost-six-month-old who has just the right complexion for the peach and the lilac.  Really, she's gorgeous.  And although it's sort of silly to think about matching a quilt to a baby's coloring, this one just seemed like "her" to me.  And then when I had made it all up, I considered keeping it.  I did.  Except who knows what my baby's skin tone will be ;)

I'm pretty sure the ruffly quilt is the last quilt I'll make until my babe shows up on the scene.  It's just getting too difficult with this huge belly to lean over and pin and things.  So when I got an invitation to yet another baby shower, for a friend who I had already given a baby blanket to (because I just can't wait!), I decided to go small-scale and whipped up this little diaper clutch.

I'd never made one of these before, and I would definitely make it differently next time.  It's not quite wide enough, and getting those 3 little newborn diapers in there (which are SO SO CUTE, btw) along with the wipes container is about all this little clutch could handle.  So I'll be revising my pattern, and trying again for myself or someone else.  Either way ;)

Now, here's my big question for you: If you've had a baby, what is the best gift you've gotten?  And if you've given a particularly rad baby shower gift, what was it?  Spill.

<3 M.

Shattered Rainbow Quilt & Other Things

I know I've said it before, but can I just say again, I LOVE MAKING THINGS.  Tomorrow, I've got a muffin recipe to share with you that I made up (with some help), and today, I've got some sewing stuffs to show you!  You've already seen the T-shirt quilt that I made (and love) for baby M.  I am considering making myself one of those, just because it's such a nice weight, and so soft!  Unfortunately, the robot flannel is running low, and that just seems to take something away from the whole plan...

This weekend, after some serious thrift-store shopping, I came home with some fabrics (and three mugs, and a small toy chest, and a coffee-stained screen print, and...).  Those fabrics helped me finish up what is my current favorite baby quilt I've made.  I'm calling it the Shattered Rainbow Quilt.  Hopefully, you can see why ;)  It's made with the same paper-piecing technique as the previous quilt, too.

The colored parts are leftovers from a baby quilt I made for a friend, and the white is mostly from the thrift stores!  It's not all exactly the same white, and so I didn't put this one up for sale in my etsy shoppe.  However, if you're interested, I might start taking custom orders... just sayin' ...

It's Not ALL About Babies...

Except that lately it is.  Sorry.  Or not.  I mean, I can't say I'm sorry about the AWESOME GIVEAWAY we have going on until Friday at midnight.  Nor can I say I'm sorry about what I'm going to show you here:

Seriously.
How can you expect me to be sorry about that?!
via

ASIDE: I don't know exactly what "via" means.  I mean, I know it means "from" or something like that, but I don't know if it covers the whole "I stole this picture from someone else and so I'm linking you to the original source to cover my tail."  In case it doesn't mean that, please know that I mean for it to mean that.  That is all.

Our nearest zoo had a new arrival the other morning.  And although they set up cameras so that the world could wait and watch with baited breath until this little one arrived, I didn't watch.  There's just something about a video-taped birth that makes me feel... uncomfortable.  Intruded upon.  I know it's my own little thing.  I'm not judging those who watch.  I'm only judging those who tell me that I need to watch.  I don't.  You can't make me.

Onesies and Twosies: Giveaway

That handsome man I married, bless his heart.

We were talking about budgets, babies, and all of the $$ that goes along with them.  Handsome suggested, "Well, when they grow out of the onesies, can't we just make them twosies?"

He's adorable.

And more than a little clueless regarding all of this baby stuff.  I'm super excited to explore this new adventure with him, can't wait to see him as a dad.  *swoon*

Anyhow, although he is adorable (seriously, so much love for that man I married), there's something else adorable that I wanted to share with you.  And believe me, I do mean share.  As in, one of you lucky readers will end up with something new to have and to hold and to keep your little one from being cold.

I've been nosing around on Etsy, because there's just some things you can't find in stores.  When those things (the things you can't find in stores) are made by wicked-clever people, with mad skills, awesomeness ensues.  When that awesomeness is in the form of baby clothes?  Color this momma-to-be In. Love.

Enter: Jennifer from The Coin Laundry

Based in Denver, CO, Jennifer specializes in hand silk-screened clothing and housewares all made with earth friendly inks and solvents.  In addition to being all eco-friendly, J-girl has got some clever, creative thoughts bebopping around in her head.  Seriously, the stuff she's got on sale for babies?  Flippin' adorable!  And best of all for me, most of them can be considered gender neutral - BOOM!  Here are two of my favorites:

Thug Life
We've gotten a lot of yellow stuff.
However, this is one yellow onesie I wouldn't mind receiving.

Hungry Like a Wolf
Seriously.
Can't get enough of this.
Need it in every size.
Even my size.
I don't care if it's a onesie.

And now, Jennifer-the-bennifer is looking to share a onesie with one of you lucky readers!  I mean, if you don't have a baby in your life who simply needs one of The Coin Laundry's designs, well, I might have an idea or two regarding what you could do with your winnings...   Here's how to enter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm so excited to be able to share all of this overwhelming cuteness with you!  The biggest problem I'm having with all of it is deciding which ones(ies... he he he) to get!  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

<3 M.

Nursery Inspiration

I very nearly titled this "Baby Inspiration" and then I thought about what that phrase meant, and I I felt like I should post a bunch of pictures of cute babies, as though I was picking out attributes for my offspring.  And then I felt a bit like a mad professor.  The end.

via

Instead, it is about the nursery.  While we were on vacation this Summer, I asked Handsome if we could re-do the smallest of our bedrooms into a nursery.  And I mean totally re-do.  I asked him if we could rip the nasty awful very-bad-no-good popcorn ceiling down, if we could put up board and batten, and if we could install some new carpet.  Due mostly to the euphoria of being on vacation, he told me "sure!"  

ASIDE: Ha!  I got him so good.  Ladies, you want a "yes"?  Ask while on vacation.  Something about being removed from the everyday makes anything seem possible.  A well-timed drink doesn't hurt either. 

And then we came home, we built a shed, we paid for Dr.'s visits and labs and tuition and property tax... and suddenly I'm scaling down my own vision of what I wanted to do in that littlest of rooms.  D-man hasn't reneged on his promise.  He still thinks we're doing all the above, even though I'm pretty sure we're not.  

So It's Not Twins

Hey world.  I was going to do The Girl Behind The Blog video thing.  But I'm pooped.  Tired.  Wore out, at 12:51 in the afternoon.  Truth is, I've been worn out for a while.  You may have noticed (although you probably did not because you have a life and all sorts of your own things going on) that I have been sort of absent.  Let me assure you, it's not you, it's me.

On top of being pooped, I've also been harboring a secret, which is sort of linked to the whole exhausted thing.  But the secret is secret no longer.  

Hello world, please meet baby Mags:

We're still early on in this (unplanned, because it seems everyone wonders that) process (about 8-9 weeks).  I know it's risky to share at this point, as things are still so tenuous.  I say, life is tenuous.  I've had both friends and family lose a baby, and I know that it happens.  However, this, this life, this pregnancy, is happening right now, and I'm going to choose to focus on that, rather than the "what ifs".  All the same, if you find yourself with a spare moment and would like to say a prayer for me & baby Mags (and please, for my dear husband who is in for one heck of a ride), don't hold back!

Much love & napping,

TFW

Baby

******
Me: My (wisdom) tooth hurts real bad.  (In fact, it hurts so bad it awoken me out of slumber last night)
Him: Hmm... Well, babies go through this all the time, and a lot more teeth at a time.
Me: What are you saying?
Him: Babies are tough.

******