A Belly and a Boppy

We've been just working away here over the last couple of weeks trying to tie up as many loose ends as possible. My sewing machine took over the dining room table again for at least the last month and has been faithfully churning out many projects.

I've got a couple of favorites to share with you from the last week. But, first, I must show you the belly progression from week 37 to 39. I can't really tell much difference, but maybe you can.

37 weeks

38 weeks

39 weeks

See what I mean? I'm totally protruding forward more and more everyday. The belly might be getting lower too, but I can't tell for sure.

Anyway, one of my projects was to create a boppy cover because who wants to spend $20 on a cover when you can make one yourself? Well, okay, a lot of people would, but not me. I made one with just a simple little design to match the nursery decor. I did some freezer painting and then sewed it together. Unfortunately, the pattern I used is no longer available online, but I just stumbled across this one . . . if you're interested. The only change I made was to secure it with velcro rather than a zipper. But, of course, that change would have made more sense with the old pattern than the one I linked to. Oh well, you still get the idea.

I'm so excited because Em will be making one for me and the little guy too - and I can't wait to see her version. Will they be freaky similar, or no?

Blocks and Bibs

Wow. Another post about babies. Unfortunately, this little streak is not going to end soon. I'm sorry. Eventually, I'll get beyond it and onto something else I promise. But, bear with me for the time being. It won't last forever.

A wonderful friend of mine just had her little baby boy - on April 8th to be exact. Of course, he needed some handmade gifts from yours truly (because how else does an aunt like me so far away send her love?), so about a month ago I sent a set of blocks. Not quite as extensive as the set I made for my niece, but a cute little set nonetheless. I used the Amy Butler pattern from her Little Stitches book - remedying it a little by adding bells to the inside and tags on some. Hopefully, little Lucas will enjoy them.

The striped fabric actually came from a set of dishtowels that I had on hand. My mother-in-law bought the set for me a long time ago, but unfortunately they weren't super absorbent, which rendered them kind of useless in the kitchen. I kept them in my fabric stash, though, knowing that they would be perfect for a project. Turns out they make really cute blocks AND bibs.

I also sent along this bib . . .

It will only be humorous to a few readers of this blog. Funny, no?

Oooh . . . I should point out that I have been having a lot of fun with the twin needle function of my sewing machine. You can click on the bib pictures to see a close up of the stitching. It's so easy and I think it gives some pieces a nice polished look. I'm kind of obsessed with it right now. Watch out.

While I was at it I made a block set for my little guy too. You can't tell that I'm loving polka dots right now, can you? Oh . . . it's that obvious?

Of course, I couldn't stop there. So, he got some bibs too.

And, one last one to finish it off.

I think Jesse deemed this last one "cliche", but I'm ignoring him. I like it.

Just Another Update

The picture above shows 35 weeks. See, you know you're approaching your 9th month when you can actually hold your belly from below rather than just rest your hands on top of it. This week I'm actually at 36 weeks, but I'm lazy about posting anything in real time. Plus, nobody really cares about that little technicality except myself. So, there you go.

I would have to say that the belly is now taking on a basketball shape. I feel like it's protruding forward more and more everyday. Which, I have to say, I prefer to it protruding wider more and more everyday - ever-widening would be worse, I think. Thankfully I'm still fairly comfortable - still sleeping through the night, etc. I'm very grateful for that.

I've been having trouble getting up out of the couch, though. Jesse usually has to give me a nice nudge from behind to get me up and on my feet again. Getting out of bed in the morning is a similar experience. Feels like a work out right when I get up in the morning. Roll over, scootch to the side of the bed, focus really hard before lurching the legs off the side then heave the midsection to an upright position and finally step off onto the ground. Whew. Seriously, I hate mornings, and this little routine is not helping.

I'm also craving foods more so now than I was in the first trimester. I didn't think that was normal (it probably isn't). But, I've been eating LOTS of bagels with creamcheese, yogurt with fruit and granola, oatmeal squares cereal and ice cream. Mmmm. Gotta love all the dairy and carbohydrates I'm consuming. Poor baby.

This is sort of random, but I had to document it somewhere. We got golf ball-sized hail last week! Look at that. Do you see the golf ball in the picture above? I threw it in there just to give you something to compare it to. We had some damage to the house roof, siding and even two storm windows broken. It was insane! I've never seen anything like it.

And, last, but not least I sewed my first onesie for the little guy. I used the nightgown pattern that I had used before and then traced the bottom half from some onesies that I had on hand. Unfortunately I didn't have any small snaps, so I ended up with velcro instead. I'm not sure if that will hold, but we'll see. I picked up the shirt at goodwill, and it turns out this is his first UNI outfit. His dad was proud.

Hopefully I'll have time and energy to continue experimenting with these. They're fun to sew and I can imagine all sorts of possibilities.

Little Booties for Little Feet

Is there a plethora of babies being born in everyone else's lives too . . . or is it just me? My word. It's like we've got something in the water around here. There are four women (not including myself) that I work with (or are married to men that work with me) who have just had or are having babies in these next couple of months. It's like a baby frenzy around here!

Anyway, it occurred to me a couple of weeks ago that I better get some baby gifts ready because I just might be in no place to actually make them, buy them or give them when I need to due to the arrival of my own little one.

So that led to massive amounts of bootie-making last weekend. I found several scraps of fabric, some cute buttons and this lovely and easy pattern. They went together beautifully.

The burnt orange pair was my first practice pair, and they will be for my little guy. The stripey pair is for another little boy due around the same time mine is. And, then there are three cutesy floral ones for the girls. Oh how I love the girly stuff . . . it's so fun!


By the way, you get ten bucks if you can see my reflection in the window.

Cloth Diapering

This week marks 33 weeks. Only two months to go from here. In the last week or so the back achey-ness has turned a corner to frequent back soreness and the baby movements in my belly have turned from a delightful little flutter to full on twisting, kicking and punching. It's cute and fun during the day and then slightly annoying as I lie down to go to sleep at night.

I'm very much enjoying pregnancy. I even told Jesse the other day that I think I'm going to miss it. There is something about carrying this little guy and feeling his movements - stuff that only I get to experience - that is really special. I love these weeks of anticipating what he will look like, what his personality will be like, and how it will change Jesse and my life together. This is such a wonderful season to be in. Ahhh.

Wow . . . okay . . . let's transition from that sentimental mommy-to-be sugar-coated thoughts to cloth diapers, shall we? So . . . a long time ago (in an age where I used to work at a place that gave me too little work to do and free reign of the internet) I began researching cloth diapering. Actually, a friend of mine was pregnant at the time and I used to dole out my time-wasting abilities for free, so she asked me to do some research for her. What I found was intriguing.

Turns out . . . there are A LOT of people who cloth diaper nowadays. And, the ways of cloth diapering have drastically changed from the old prefold, pin and cover days. What I learned is that an up front investment of about $250 will save you about $2000 in the long run. Amazing! All it seems to require is a little courage, an initial investment and a willingness to do more laundry. So, I've (we've) committed, and we'll see how it turns out . . . poor Jesse.

I recently purchased 15 new diapers from Bum Genius (a brand that is highly recommended among many websites). And, I've made 20 cloth wipes out of an old jersey knit sheet to go with them.


Now, all I need is some laundry detergent advice (thankfully I'll be sitting down with a cloth diapering friend this week to discuss that) and a little bum to wrap in diapers (7 weeks and counting).

I'll let you know in a few months how it's all going. I'm hoping for the best.

I Love My Life

I was putzing around on a Saturday a couple of weekends ago when I looked up from my computer to this lovely scene.

It's silly moments like this when I realize I totally love my life.

Finally . . . A Quilt for the Baby!

I've spent the last month or so just sewing away around here. The sewing machine has become a permanent fixture on the dining room table and I couldn't be more thankful for how accommodating Jesse he has been to it. He truly is wonderful and patient because we all know that where there is a sewing machine there are buttons, threads, bobbins, scissors and scrap fabric strewn about everywhere.

We did, however, have to have a clear "boundary setting" conversation where Jesse requested that my sewing stuff not migrate from the dining room table to the coffee table. The coffee table (as I now understand it) is an appropriate place for remotes, magazines, food and sometimes feet. That's it. No sewing . . . or at least it can't be left there. I guess I can live with that.

Well, my son now has his very own quilt. It's an oversized crib quilt (measuring about 45 x 60). From what I understand from other moms in my life a crib quilt is pretty much useless, but for some reason I couldn't help it. It just seemed like this child of mine needed a quilt from his mom. So, here it is. I'm justifying the time I spent on it by assuming I'll be able to use it to throw it on the hardwood floor in the living room or eventually we'll use it on his toddler-sized bed. We'll see. For now, it's mostly just for sentimental value, and I think it's worth it.

The fish print is an Anna Maria Horner print called Mendocino Swim Class. It inspired the color scheme, and this is the color scheme that I've decided on to compliment the khaki and white in the nursery. The quilt design is roughly based on the Lap Quilt in Amy Butler's In Stitches book. I think I'm liking how it all came together.

The binding gave me fits again. Ugh. I don't like the way it turned out. It's very possible that the severely anal part of me that I try to keep hidden away will come out and re-do it. So far the more logical side of me has been able to talk it's way out of it, but I'm not sure it will last. Beware, oh seam ripper. All it will take is one more snowy day and I'll find myself aggressively seam ripping away. I'll hate the process, but I might be very happy I did it in the end. We'll see how it goes.