this weekend...

... i'm looking forward to :
kabobs on the grill
enjoying a clean house
and a clean car (notice the optimism)
dancing in the kitchen (it has been too long)
perhaps finishing a few sewing projects
maybe seeing monet's waterlilies
having an family old movie night...

what are you looking forward to?

where has the month gone?

yikes! this little one is almost three months old!! and i haven't even edited and posted the pictures i took on her 2 month birthday! i may or may not get a slide show posted... but i hopefully will at least get pictures taken on her 3 month b'day.... i'm hoping to do one every month of her first year-- we'll see if i make it ;-)

yes- her diaper cover is one that i knit for her-- i was thinking i would finish it as a "labor project" -- something to work on during early labor, so you aren't paying too much attention to contractions until you have too... i thought i would finish the binding on her quilt too(also pictured) as it turned out there wasn't time for that... i did work on them during that last week, which could count since i was having contractions off and on and obviously must have gotten some of the "work" of labor done b/c once things really started up (and woke me up) it was less than 6 hours until she was born--- and during that time i was trying to stay asleep... or at least rest in bed b/c i thought it was going to be a LONG day... and then i too a shower and then started to rush to the hospital and then as soon as the doc. saw me i started pushing ! so as you can imagine, i had to find time over the next weeks to finish my "labor projects" i am still planning to write out anna's birth story for those interested in every detail (who haven't already heard them all from the horse's mouth)... and for those of you who aren't interested i do hope you will just skip over it ;-) it may take until her first birthday to get it all written out though-- we'll see....

she puts up with it!

he is a good big brother- oh, so helpful... brushing her hair...

"gently" shoving the paci in her mouth...

and of course putting a car on her when she seems unhappy-- notice how confused she is by this last one ;-) mabe if she were male she would get it!

it's a wrap

we have now spent a good part of the summer just like this-- me knitting, anna enjoying her ride/nap in this wonderful baby carrier. you can buy a stretchy wrap like this one @ www.mobywrap.com or you can do what i did and make one. i promise this is as easy as it gets! you jst buy jersey fabric (~60 in wide bolt) that is ~97% cotton w/ a bit of lycra in it. you will need 5.5 yards, but you will get three wraps out of it. you simply cut down the lenght of the bolt to divide it into thirds-- see, you don't even need a sewing machine. now if you want to add a bit of pretty to it- then, you cut a ~ 14in square of fabric to add to the front middle. you can find instructions for use on the moby website- and probably youtube as well. it may seem tricky, but i promise after a couple of times it will be a breeze!

sponges

well, i tried a new kind of sponge-- but it only further convinced me that i am sold on the
brand i normally use. yes, it is a pain to have to go to william sonoma to get kitchen sponges, but well worth it. i buy a pack (i think ~ 10 come in a pack) of the smaller size and it probably lasts the better part of a year. they are so thick, so durable-- even when washed in the dishwasher a couple of times each week. i keep two in rotation, one is being used while the other is being cleaned in the dishwasher. it is great to know that the things you are cleaning with your sponge aren't gettting dirtier than before b/c of the nasty hidden germs in the sponge!

desperately...

missing my dear friends from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. if you haven't read it and made friends with them as well you are missing out. it is a charmingly delightful read- wonderful for book lovers esp!
i HATE reading books that end... which basically means my relationship with a book always goes south in the end. maybe i should read War and Peace so that i can at least delay the ending for a good long while ;-)
maybe i'll wait a few months - maybe even a year and then reread it... i have a handful of books that i regularly reread-- i just start missing the friends i made while reading them!

p.s. - let me know if you get to know the members of the guernsey island literary and potato peel pie society as well!

why i can't keep up w/ this blog...

between mothering this little thing... and this slightly bigger one...

i have been not only buying fabric as i mentioned in a previous post, but finally getting some order to my stash. i researched ways to organize fabric stashes online and then headed off to the comic book store to get the cardboard pieces that you back them with if you are a comic book collector( very interesting folk- i might add). i folded each piece of fabric around the boards making mini bolts and am sorting them in drawers. now i can see all that i have and get to it so easily! (ps- i have a drawer devoted to bird fabric ;-)

and one of the fun things i have made w/ some of said fabric is a little bag for knitting. it is lined w/ silky material so that the yarn slides off the ball easily but doesn't roll out of your lap. it has been so nice to have my yarn and needles for the sweater i'm knitting in one little bag that i can carry with me-- i can knit while keeping an eye on e!

the pretty green one is for my sweet cousin who knit baby booties for a... and the lovely pinkish knitted bit is a preview of the sweater i'm knitting for the little lady.

little lady

here is our little lady after church a few weeks ago... and yes i know it is ridiculous for her to wear bracelets, but i couldn't resist! i remember loving to look at the tiny jewelry box mama had with baby jewelry in it- the tiniest bracelets . as silly as it is, i think it is the very fun right of every mother to play dress up with their babies... it is pay back for changing their dirty diapers ;-) the lovely dress was made by her grandmother nana.

this is anna meeting my grandmother-nana. to avoid confusion we have told my children that she is grand nana, or gran nan. however, ellisha has started calling her " weegee weegee" b/c that is what she says when she baby talks to them. it is so cute... she has always done it when she sees even just a cute picture of a little one. Elisha thinks it is so funny, and i think it is so funny that he has picked up on it ;-)

around here

anna has made it through her second "wonder week" (i'm telling you- get the book!) she was needing to be held constantly-- i had my moby wrap(that i made) on for 8 hours last week and she was in it almost the whole entire time! but now she is taking a two- three hour afternoon nap-- in her crib and just hanging out in her bouncy seat alone for long periods of time... well, not totally alone- she has made a new friend. notice the lion that now hangs out w/ her. they have become fast friends... she makes faces and coos to him. i kind of feel sorry for her though b/c i don't think she realizes that he isn't loving her back ;-) it is so cute to see her meeting this little guy that elisha enjoyed looking at and talking to when he was her age.... and it has also been cute to see elisha come and make the little lion roar at her. there are some hazards associated with having a two year old brother, but i think the fun out weighs them for her. this is anna in he first back carry. i'm wearing her in a "gypsy mama" cotton gauze wrap that i got at the consignment sale for $20. andrew helped me get her there. i had things to do without her in front of me and she had no desire to be left alone, so this was the compromise... and she quickly fell asleep.

working on it

i'm not sure why, but i hate posting w/ out pictures. we have worked for hours to free up a measly 3 GB! but that is enough space for me to upload some more pic... but then th battery on the camera died. i have a lot of great pictures- and stories to go along w/ them-- so stay tuned!

yikes! too much temptation...

just as was getting embarrassed about my fabric obsession-- what happens?!? my easiest temptation- www.fabric.com sends me an email about a 30% off sale on ALL their cotton prints! oh my goodness... i didn't hold up to temptation for long-- just long enough to fill my cart and hit the checkout button ;-) well, i think i'm pretty well stocked for the making little bit some cute clothes for the fall and making some great Christmas presents... if you are a maker, then you know as i do that Christmas is just around the corner... you have to start planning now ;-)

i invite you all to this fabulous sale which lasts until june 29th... check out the amy butler fabric and anna marie horner's drawing room collection -- those are some of my favorites... and if you order over $35 you get free shipping!

2nd time in a row!

it's official! anna has rolled over at 7.5 weeks! she just went from her tummy to her back... and she is not happy about it- got to go ;-)

update

the brownies mentioned in the previous post are driving a wedge in my marriage. there is no way he can love them as much as i do... why should he get any?

flights of fancy

i have been on such a bird kick. now it is spreading to butterflies. i have found more fabulous fabric ( i know, i have an addiction!) with butterflies... and some great ones w/ owls. the question is -- what do i do w/ all of it? i think i may pick up quilting in earnest b/c i need something to do w/ all the wonderful fabric! which reminds me-- i don't think i have made a post about my first quilt- the one i made for anna... well, once i clear my computer a bit and make enough room to upload more pics i'll post about it
... b/c, as you may be able to tell- i'm trying to make up for neglecting my blog so much as of late ... i can't promise that i can keep this rate up. but the option of delaying posts for a later date is nice b/c then i can do several at a time to be posted over a series of days.

brownie temptation...

because we are part of an amazing church community we have been so blessed to have meals every other night or so for a month... lovingly prepared and brought to us by members of the church. i think it is one the hugest blessings as a new mom, or new mom of two, or three etc... i t allows you a little more time to focus on all the new things that need attention during the transition and yet everyone is still fed!
along with a yummy meal we received yesterday we were given a plate of mint fudge brownies. i LOVE all things mint chocolate. i LOVE brownies. why have i not already eaten every single one? because as i sat there for a while w/ my ice cream accompaniment yesterday, and milk today i finally remembered an important word. after eating about one and a half of these crazy rich brownies with no intention of stopping, i remembered--- the law of diminishing returns. i realized that these later bite were not as truly irresistible as the first ones... and if i stop now there will be more for next time when it will be irresistibly delicious again. now if i can start applying this lesson to french fries ;-)

growing boy

here is my "big boy" at his birthday party holding his favorite present-- "baby anna". i was thinking about this time last year and all that has changed since then. he has grown so much... it isn't really that he has changed as he has grown... i kind of think of it as getting more colorful. like watching a black and white picture become color-- the structure of his little personality has been there, but more of the details are coming out... especially in his constant chatter. he narrates everything, then retells it later, and often comes up with wild stories from his imagination. thankfully along with the "terrible two" fits he throws we also get blessed with some genuinely sweet behavior. he says please when he asks for things a lot of the time-- and even thank you too... and best of all- he really loves the new person we have added to his life. he giggles with excitement when he talks about baby anna. he is dying for us to put her in the bath with him. he loves to wedge the paci in her mouth and sit trucks and cars next to her...

here are some pictures from this time last year:

my sweet sleeping babe... with his super short haircut from last summer.

he wears these clothes this summer, but he fills them out much more! same spunk ;-)

this shirt i made was really too small for him... anna wears it now- it is a bit big on her, but you get the point ;-) it was/ is cute-- no point in letting a little issue like fit deprive them of wearing it!
here is a good comparison pic-- last year (april) some one had to get in the bath w/ him to keep him from crawling around, standing up... basically drowning and knocking his head open in excitement. {look @ the cute baby chub still there }

this year (may) : full fledged toddler, slimmed down from all his running... and full of color ;-)
- i guess we all get more colorful as we get older... that is certainly something to look forward to in my opinion!

training unders @ hanna

hanna andersson is having their twice a year big sale... if you are potty training, or headed in that direction, their training pants are the best-- and the xs size works well for younger children... and if you are going to potty train a younger than (american) average child i recommend "early start potty training"-- and the baby bjorn little potty and the potty that ikea sells for only $4... and if you want to spend $20 you can get the "baby wonder under" which is clear so that you can see if any thing has happened without having to disturb your child! seems yucky to have a clear potty, but it is actually very helpful.

some of that

hey y'all! what's up... (aren't the cherries so cute? to bad it is newborn sized and won't fit much longer!)

here is the little man painting--- take note: letting and 2 yr old finger/ hand paint inside w/ clothes on is a bad idea... i wish someone had warned me! at least it was a tile floor...

... and amazingly enough all the screaming that occured when i said it was time to clean up and put the paint away did not wake anna up from her nap in the swing.

some of this

here is anna with her grandmother ann... you can kind of tell how she holds her head up-- my babies hold there heads up very early and often, perhaps it is b/c my babies have smallish heads... i was really hoping anna would be more of a snuggler and while she will fall asleep while you hold her(unlike e) she likes to hold that little head up and look around if she is awake. and at less than 6 weeks old she is standing in our laps! someone needs to tell her that she is too young to do that!

don't know if you can tell, but my kiddos are wearing there matching outfits in this picture from the beach. perhaps i'll post more beach pictures later-- uncle thomas took the ones by the sea, so we will have to wait to get those.

breaking the law

yes-- i am guilty! i have broken the "back to sleep" law a couple of times... elisha wouldn't ever lay his head down when he was on his tummy- he wanted to see everything... a big time sleep fighter. but little bit has fallen asleep on her tummy a few times. i just thought i would share w/ y'all the cuteness we are missing out on by sleeping our children on their backs. our parents got to enjoy the little bottoms up in the air and smooshed cheeks everytime we were asleep. but since b/c of safety against sids we miss out on it-- here you go... the smooshed up cheeks and chin resting on her little hand...

the precious little feet curled up undeer her bum...

and cutest of all-- the sleepy stretch with her bottom up in the air.

now, should you decide to throw caution to the wind and put your little one on his tummy to sleep-- don't blame me ... i merely documented the cuteness so that you wouldn't be deprived... now off to swaddle her and put her on her back...

little bit

this is how our little bit spends most of her days (and nights!)-- swaddled up with a paci... what could be better besides perhaps being in a sling close to mama?

(and yes- that is a $15 swing from a consignment sale that i covered and made a nifty blanket/velcro harness type thing to hold her in while swaddled)

2 yr old ears...

...be careful what you say around them!
elisha pulled the thermometer out of the drawer and said," mama, eye?" as he held it up to his eye... i told him that no, it was a thermometer... you put it under your arm our in your mouth-- then quietly to myself i said," or if you are really sick-- in your bottom." at this point he was putting in under his arm pit. but within just a few minutes he is trying to put it on my bottom! i put an end to that, only to see him a bit later, bend over and try his own... needless to say the thermometer was quickly taken away. oh - the things that happen while a mama is just trying to dry her hair!!!

2nd party

here is my precious two year old at his birthday party-- a bunch of little ones and a slip and slide and baby pool= lots of fun and entertainment for all!

don't you just love that cherry bathing suit? ridiculous for one of her size, but we couldn't resist! notice how e and i are opening our eyes so big-- he has started closing his eyes for pictures when we tell him to smile, i was telling him ( and - showing i guess) to open his eyes ;-)

anna's photo shoot

here are some... well, really a bunch of lovely photos that Julianne Hamilton-Hodges took of anna when she was almost 3 weeks old. i think they are great- really capture these early days... she already seems older, they change so fast! she also seems bigger-- she is growing like a weed- but not in a lanky way, our little lady is in the 75-90% for weight ;-) between her big full tummy and those chubby cheeks you probably could've guessed it!



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Julianne is open for business- so let me know if you are in the atlanta area and want her contact info!