The Braided Rug

Productivity

2012-01-26T15:30:00.002-05:00

I know life isn't all about what we accomplish, but I must admit that it feels GOOD to cross every thing off my to-do list once in a while. (This was only my to-do-during-nap-time list, of course.)

Today's Top Activity

2012-01-11T13:47:00.003-05:00

For a while Edwin has enjoyed dumping water from one container to another. Here's what he spent a good chunk of time doing today after lunch. Same concept but less messy!

And for those of you interested, here's a video of the bean dumping in action.

Rebound

2011-12-31T22:45:00.003-05:00

I feel like I'm just now rebounding from having my facebook and e-mail address hacked into and taken over. Word to the wise, if you haven't set up recovery e-mail addresses and a phone number in your account, do so. I'd have my g-mail back by now if I'd done that.

Having my privacy invaded in this way sent me into a little tailspin of sadness and gloominess. Pair that with Dan going back to work, and you have an unhappy wife and mom. Yesterday was not a good day. Today was much better. Dan sacrificed some sleep this morning to help with the kids and gave me a chance to get out of the house and run an errand. Who knew that a trip to the store to buy another nursing bra could be so exhilarating?

A friend requested more baby pictures. Let me see if I can help you get your fix!

Elena at the birth center

Relaxing at home, soon after her arrival

Half a week old

This pictures are already old. I've realized I don't have many of this little lady (my mom, on the other hand, has lots and lots!). I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow...

Hacked

2011-12-29T09:37:00.001-05:00

For anyone concerned, we aren't in Madrid and we aren't hurt. Some mean people hacked into my facebook account and then my e-mail.

Make sure your own passwords are crazy difficult to crack. Mine weren't. Lesson learned.

Thanks to my mom for the early morning phone call alerting me to the strange message e-mailed. And thanks to my techie husband for knowing just what to do.

Week One Musings

2011-12-22T21:22:00.002-05:00

It's been a week since Elena was born. Yesterday at about 8:20 I looked at the clock and remember thinking "last week at this time I was in labor." Already labor and delivery are a thing of the past. It's kind of amazing how so much time can be spent thinking about it, and now suddenly, it's over.

We've had a lot of help this past week, which has been wonderful. My mom came and stayed overnight two different times (once when I was in labor and for the first day here at home) and then just earlier this week. Dan's mom and dad also came and spent a some time here with us.

Dan had a number of days off after Elena's birth and will have some more time off beginning tomorrow.

Overall the adjustment is going well. I'd forgotten how tough nursing can be in the beginning and I kind of thought it'd go more smoothly since I'd gone through it one time before. I didn't waste any time, however, in getting some help from the lactation consultant at The Birth Center. I went to an appointment with her on Tuesday and came away from it feeling so much better. (I also think the support of friends through facebook comments really helped - what would we do w/o social media??)

Edwin enjoys having "Baby" around and usually asks for her first thing in the morning. He definitely wasn't quite himself this week, but I know it was a combination of having a cold, having lots of people come and go and suddenly having our routine interrupted by Elena's arrival. I'm looking forward to creating a new routine over the next couple of weeks.

For now, I'm dealing with night sweats, interrupted sleep, breastfeeding ups and downs, lots of diapers, afternoon naps, wonderful newborn snuggles and the peace that comes with finally having the baby on the outside. (There were two times this past week when I had the thought: "I haven't felt the baby move in a while" only to realize that's because she's not inside of me anymore! Kind of weird, I know.)

Drive-Through Delivery

2011-12-15T21:24:00.003-05:00

This is what my uncle called my labor and delivery after hearing the story from my mom. I think it's pretty adequate. This labor and delivery was very different from my first, and I have to say, I much prefer the second version (although the first was a good experience too)! I wanted to give a few details for those of you who are avidly checking the blog for our birth story. I figured the best way at this point is to give you a timeline of what happened. Buckle your seat belts!

Tuesday, December 13:
Loose mucous plug in the morning.

Wednesday, December 14:

4 a.m: Notice watery mucousy discharge when using the bathroom.

7:30 a.m: More watery mucousy discharge. Don't think it's amniotic fluid but not sure.

10 a.m: Call the Birth Center after talking to Dan because of continual wetness. Could my water have broken?

1 pm: Appointment at the Birth Center. Upon initial exam, the midwife doesn't think it's amniotic fluid. Upon official view of fluid under a microscope, the midwife confirms that my water did indeed break!! We're going to have a baby.

(The Birth Center requires that you be in "active labor" within 24 hours of your water breaking. That meant I'd need to be in active labor by 4 a.m. on Thursday morning. So far, at 2 pm, I'm only having infrequent, slight contractions. And my blood pressure readings are high. Will I get to deliver at The Birth Center???)

1:30 p.m: Hooked up to a fetal monitor for a non-stress test. Baby looks great! Antibiotics are started since I'm GBS positive and we want them to be in my system for a minimum of 4 hours before delivery. Doesn't look like that will be an issue! I'm 2 cm and 80% effaced at this point.

3:30 pm: Back home with a 2 oz. dose of castor oil. The midwife suggested I take it at 4:30 to help kick start some contractions.

4:30 pm: I lay down to rest. I'm all emotional and weepy. Worried about my blood pressure. Worried because Edwin hasn't napped and here I need to be thinking about having a baby and I have no idea how it's going to play out! Lay on my bed and cry and pray and really try to give it all over to God. After all, I'm not in control - so why try to be?

5:30 pm: Chase down 3/4 of the castor oil with peanut butter swirl ice cream. I can't finish it all because I'm starting to feel myself gag with each successive swallow.

5:45 pm: Eat supper with Edwin, Dan and my mom.

6 pm: Feeling stronger contractions. The castor has already kicked in and the toilet is becoming my dear friend.

6:20 pm: Say goodby to a crying Edwin and go the birth center for a second dose of antibiotics.

7 pm: Antibiotics are finished. Contractions are definitely getting stronger and regular. The midwife doesn't think I'm at a point where I need to stay there, so we drive back home (it's only 10 minutes away).

7:45 pm: We put Edwin to bed while I'm breathing through strong, regular, close contractions and the castor oil is continuing to work its magic.

8 pm: Edwin is peacefully in bed (so thankful I was able to put him to bed because he doesn't do well with others!) and I'm sitting on our bed feeling a lot of pelvic pressure, breathing through contractions that are 2-3 minutes apart and very strong. We call the midwife and tell her we're coming back in.

8:10 pm: Arrive at the Birth Center and get to the birth suite we'd selected. We're the only laboring couple there. I'm at 6 cm, 100% effaced and the baby's head is right there. The midwife smiles and says: "You're going to have a baby right quick."

8:45 pm: Lying on the bed I feel my body begin to bear down during a contraction. I sit up for the next one and bear down then as well. There's a burst of amniotic fluid! My body has completely taken over, and I'm along for the ride. The midwife suggests squatting so she and the nurse bring over the birthing stool. It's perfect. I place my hands on the midwife's shoulders for the next contraction, bear down and the baby's head starts to emerge.

8:51 pm: After being coached to go slowly and give small grunts and pushes through the contractions and to breath calmly in between (yes, there's burning, but we want to take it slowly!), the baby is born, crying lustily. (The midwife gets drenched with more amniotic fluid.) The baby is handed directly to me, and I see we have a little girl!!

8:55 pm: The placenta is out. Labor and delivery are over and we haven't even been at The Birth Center for an hour. Wow.

Thursday, December 15

1:00 a.m: We're discharged from the birth center after the 4 hour minimum stay. We drive home and get to introduce our little girl to my mom. We get some sleep.

7:30 a.m: When we wake up in the morning, in our own bed, we look at each other and say: "What just happened last night?!"

We've been adjusting well. I've been able to relax and take it easy. Dan is off work until Monday. My mom has been here helping out, and recovery is going well. Elena was over a pound smaller than Edwin (although almost just as long) and her head is definitely smaller, so delivery was much, much easier. I really think the size of the head makes a huge difference!

Cookie Baking

2011-12-07T14:52:00.005-05:00

We took part in a Christmas cookie exchange last week and Edwin helped with some of the cookie prep.

He helped me open the butter

and was very, very proud of himself.

He was introduced to the joy of licking the beaters

(yes, I let him eat straight sugary icing!)

and got to add some sprinkles to the cookies.

While I finished up decorating the cookies, he got really quite at one point and this is what I saw when checking on him in the next room:

Flushed

2011-11-28T16:39:00.002-05:00

During my first semester in college, I had to give a speech in my English class. I never really had any trouble giving speeches in front of my classmates, so this didn't seem like any big deal. I do tend to get nervous before giving speeches, and so my standard coping mechanism was to volunteer to go first. Then I could sit back and relax while everyone else gave their speeches, and there wasn't anyone before me that I had to compare myself to.

All was rolling along smoothly while giving my speech in this freshman English class. The instructor was sitting in the front, and when I had 5 minutes left in which to wrap up my speech, he indicated this by slightly holding up his hand in front of him. I remember noticing it but continuing on with my speech. Later when in a conference with him about the speech, he mentioned that after he gave me the time warning, my face flushed red and he wondered if I was embarrassed. I think he was hoping that he hadn't thrown me off at all. I didn't feel embarrassed and I also didn't realize that my face had flushed.

Since that point, I have come to notice that face-flushing (and ears, neck and chest flushing) are not uncommon for me if I feel I am in the spotlight. It would happen to me when being formally observed while teaching (I can't tell you how many times my students would say: "Mrs. Hess, your face is all red." and I would tell them it was because I was being observed and that they shouldn't mention it b/c it would make it even worse.) It never happened on a regular classroom day. I learned to wear my hair down on those observation days and wear a shirt with a high collar if possible. The less skin showing, the less flushing observed.

It even happens sometimes when I'm hanging out with friends and I find myself in the spotlight and feeling uncomfortable for some reason. Most recently, it started happening at my prenatal appointments. I've been going in more often since it's the end of pregnancy, and I feel my cheeks flush, my ears burn, and if I touch my face, it's very warm. So I've been wearing my hair down and today I wrapped a light scarf around my neck so you couldn't see all the bright pink skin.

I laughingly acknowledge my flaming face when I'm with the midwife and kind of explain why I think I'm all flushed. That helps me feel a little better although it doesn't necessarily make the pinkness go away.

I just realized that I didn't experience any of this crazy face-flushing during our wedding. I'm so thankful. Otherwise, I'd be looking like I was sunburned in all our photos! And I would've been a lot less comfortable.

(And just a side note, things are going well as far as prenatal visits are concerned. The baby seems fine, I'm fine and all is on track for a birth center delivery. Dan takes my blood pressure here at home and those numbers have been fine. I can't tell you what they are b/c I don't look at them and he doesn't tell me. I just take them to the midwives, and they keep reassuring me that they're fine. They take my blood pressure at the office and have said all is well so far. Even though I still get nervous, this prenatal experience has been much more peaceful for me than the last. I'm very thankful.)

Edwin's finally awake. Off I go.

For Baby

2011-11-28T14:20:00.003-05:00

I recently finished two projects I had on my "to-d0-before-baby-gets-here" list. One included making a hat and the other was finishing a baby blanket. Here you can see the hat:

Here is the hat with the blanket:

Notice the two-toned blanket. The white inside of the cream yarn was crocheted by Dan's grandmother Susie (she's no longer living) a number of years ago. Dan's mom recently gave it to me since I crochet, and she thought I might want to make it larger. So I added a few rounds of cream-colored yarn and then a few rounds of more white yarn. I didn't do any fancy stitches and I like the way it turned out.

And a close up of the hat and blanket:

Tablecloth

2011-11-23T21:24:00.006-05:00

I find myself hesitant to post what projects I've completed recently because I don't want this to become a "brag blog." I enjoy seeing the projects others complete (and the inspiration I get from them), and I'm proud of what I make and I like hearing positive comments from friends. But I've also noticed that sometimes when I read certain blogs, I can easily think I'm not crafty enough or

doing enough in some area or other of my life - and it's all because I'm comparing myself to someone else in an unhealthy way. All that to say, I hope these posts don't cause that in anyone else.

A friend of mine (that's you, LJL!) recently complimented me on my time management skills that allow me to get these projects done while also taking care of a household. I have to add a disclaimer: for every project I complete, there are mornings, afternoons and nights when I leave dirty dishes in the sink, or the laundry is piled on the futon waiting for me to fold it and put it away, or the bathroom is crying out to be cleaned, etc.. I don't get these projects done AND have a sparkling house. I find it's one or the other. Just had to be clear on that.

I accepted a job this summer to make a custom-designed tablecloth for the client of a friend of mine. Let me tell you, this was one of the most challenging sewing projects I've faced. It involved some online research (what would I do without online tutorials??), multiple measurement calculations, pattern-making and lots of ironing and sewing (and a lot of breath-holding and prayer, I might add). I was definitely stretched by this project, and at times I questioned my sanity in taking it on. All that to say, the tablecloth was finally and completely finished (with some altering involved) just this past month. I got good feedback from my friend and her client, and I cannot tell you how relieved I was, even though I know I did my best to make it according to specifications and the hoped-for design.

It's a bit large on our table, but you can get a general idea of what it looks like. The design on the top is an onlay (stitched on top) while the band near the bottom is an inlay.

Sewing Project: The Coat

2011-11-21T14:26:00.005-05:00

A few months ago I mentioned that I sewed a coat for myself. I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures. I don't think the pictures do it justice, because it is a cute style and the colors are a little off (I'm still not 100% sure I actually like the color combination, although I did when I first bought the fabrics - oh well.).

This is the first time I've sewn something this tailored and involved. It was easier than I thought. I'm not ready to jump into sewing tailored shirts, but this gave me a little more confidence in my ability to make something more involved than what I've normally made. I also have to say that I hesitate to sew very involved articles of clothing because I've had too many experiences where I've excitedly sewn something only to realize that it really doesn't look the greatest or fit me that well. However, part of the reason I chose this pattern was because I had tried on a coat some one else had sewn, I liked the fit and knew it would work for me.

This was my first attempt at sewing many button holes and making sure the button holes and buttons fit. You can't see it, but the two bottom buttonholes (I figured it was wise to start at the bottom of the coat and work my way up) are a bit crooked. The buttons are a snug fit, and if it gets tedious trying to button them, I figure I can always get smaller buttons.

You might have noticed the tag on the coat. I found a stash of these in my grandmother's sewing machine. I thought I just had to put one in even though my mother didn't make it for me. I figure it works since I'm the mother in this household.

I didn't take any pictures of me wearing it because it was made according to my pre-pregnancy, almost-done-nursing measurements. And that means all of my measurements have since changed. When I began the project, I wasn't thinking that I'd be pregnant this fall and nursing this winter. So although I'll still wear it post-pregnancy, I'm not sure how well it will close since it's meant to be snug fitting. We'll see. There's always another year.

After making this one, I felt the desire to make another one, just a bit larger and in another fun fabric combination (maybe something with red this time??). But I can't really justify making a second coat. This one was made because I didn't have a nice, casual warm coat. Do I really need two? Sadly, no.

35th Week Tiredness

2011-11-07T20:33:00.004-05:00

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I'm feeling pretty tired these days. I wake up in the morning and have a bunch of things I hope to do each day. There are things that I can do easily while Edwin is awake, but there are always things that are much easier to do during his nap time. Unfortunately, I'm finding that by the time nap time rolls around, I'm feeling the need for a nap myself.

So I've been trying to listen to my body and rest during nap time (and have my own nap time) instead of pushing through the tiredness and then being exhausted by the time supper and the evening routine rolls around.

We recently attended a two -part "Childbirth Refresher" course at The Birth Center, and it was reassuring to be reminded that yes, I will get out of breath much more easily since Baby is taking up most of the room in my abdomen. Otherwise, I think I'd make the mistake of thinking: "What in the world is wrong with me?! Why am I so out of shape?!" I did learn that it's possible the baby won't drop as early as it did the first time around. Did you know that with subsequent pregnancies the baby tends to stay higher longer - even up until right before labor?

I'm feeling the urge to get things ready even though we're still more than a month away from the due date. So this week I'll be stocking up on disposable diapers in two sizes (yes, I'll take a break from cloth while we adjust to being a 2 child family), wipes and my own personal, post-birth needs.

I've got some freezer meals planned and will be making a bunch of those over the next couple of weeks as well.

Edwin is moved into his new room, and he's over the initial rough transition. He cried the whole time we were moving the crib over. The poor kid probably thought we were getting rid of it.

Funny comment related to my belly this week: "You look more like an olive on a stick than anyone I've ever seen!" This was stated by a jolly middle-aged man we go to Meeting with, and I reassured him that I took it as a compliment when he later commented that maybe he should've said something a little more normal.

A question for you mom's out there: Did you ever have any intuition about when you'd go into labor and were you correct?

Flour VS. Sand

2011-10-26T15:55:00.004-04:00

While I did this:

Edwin did this:

I guess we both like to make messes. Mine will be sweet and tasty, and his was the result of pretending to be a "digger" (back hoe, excavator, etc.) and a dump truck, complete with sound effects.

Unnecessary Fun

2011-10-24T14:34:00.005-04:00

I've decided to use a bassinet for this baby until Edwin is closer to being ready to move to a bigger bed. I debated whether to get another crib (didn't really want to do this), get a toddler bed (didn't really want to do this either) or try to move Edwin to a twin bed-sized mattress on the floor. I don't think he's really ready for the freedom this would give him, and I know I'm not ready for it. So we decided we'd use a bassinet for Baby 2 until Edwin's closer to 2 years old and we're past the newborn stage.

I found this wicker bassinet on craigslist, and although it's in good shape, I wanted to embellish it - just for fun. I used a linen tablecloth along with a white cotton sheet and some sheer, textured white curtain fabric (thrift stores are wonderful!). I also used some of the fabric from the curtains in the nursery because this will sit in there after we move the crib to Edwin's soon-to-be new room.

I had fun custom making this cover and it didn't turn out to be as difficult as I first thought, although I kept it pretty simple. I'd kind of like to cover the removable top piece, but that doesn't seem so simple, so I doubt I'll make it a priority. Plus, I might not even use it.

Heavy Heart

2011-10-03T22:56:00.002-04:00

For those of you who read this blog, I'd like to ask you to pray for a family I'm related to.

On Friday I got an e-mail telling me that one of my second cousins (the son of one of my Dad's cousin) had died in an accident while putting a new roof on a building. It appears he was electrocuted because of a low-hanging wire.

I grew up around this second cousin of mine and spent a lot of time with this extended family on my Dad's side. Although I wasn't close to him at all and I haven't seen him in years, I cannot stop thinking about his family.

He was married, and he and his wife have 3 young children: 6, 4 and 1. I never met his wife or children, but all I can think about is what she must be feeling and experiencing. She now has 3 small children to care for, she has to be the one to explain to them that Daddy isn't coming home and help them grieve, she has to go to bed alone at night, when just last week at this time, life was normal.

I am just so sad for her. For their children. If you think of them, please pray for them.

From Velcro to Snaps

2011-09-30T20:25:00.005-04:00

One of my recent projects has been to replace the velcro from my bum Genius diapers with snaps. I bought a snap pliers months ago because I decided to use snaps when making any future diapers. I am done with any kind of velcro/aplix/hookandloop kind of closure. For whatever reason, a lot of the velcro on my bg diapers was coming unstitched and less sticky. So I took matters into my own hands. I'd heard of others converting hookandloop diapers into snap diapers and after examining the diapers, realized it really wasn't going to be difficult.

Here's what I did:

1. Examined the construction of the diaper.

2. Took off all the velcro with my trusty seam ripper - a sewer's best friend!

(See that part of the velcro on the front that is pulling off?! Grr.)

3. Discovered that this seam could easily be removed, giving me access to the part of the diaper where I needed to apply snaps.

4. Applied the snaps with the pliers after marking the spaces for the snaps using a printed grid from some kind person online who had done the same thing (sorry, no pics of this).

And here's the finished product from the front.

Another view.

I went with white snaps because I got a bunch when I bought the snap pliers, and I have too many different colors to order all of them. I have about 4 more diapers to convert. One diaper will not be converted b/c the PUL is wearing out and they've actually been leaking through the fabric. Sad, but true. I guess that one won't make it much longer.

I put the rest of the velcro-to-snaps conversion on hold recently to focus on other projects. Enough of the 16 bg diapers are converted to satisfy me for now.

It's Done, It's Done!

2011-09-26T23:10:00.003-04:00

It's late, I should've been in bed an hour ago, but I was motivated to finally get my coat finished, and I had the energy. So that's what I did instead. It's finished - buttonholes and hand-stitched belt loops and all. The buttonholes were an adventure, let me tell you. I may have to get smaller buttons. We'll see.

I didn't take pictures yet. I'll save that for natural lighting. Until then, enjoy these 29 weeks belly shots!

Priorities

2011-09-23T15:41:00.004-04:00

I am always excited when I check a friend's blog and there's a new post. ("Oh, goody, I get to read more about what so-and-so is doing/feeling/thinking.") Then I feel just a bit guilty that I haven't posted lately, and I imagine your disappointment when you click on my blog and see the same post you saw the last 5 times you checked.

For whatever reason, nesting has taken the form of sewing projects lately. I'm going to chalk it up to nesting anyway. I've had a list for a while, and now that the weather is cooler, I've got more motivation to get these things done. (And although I want to post about these things at some point, that part hasn't really taken a priority b/c it means I need to take time to take a picture and then load that picture onto the computer.)

My problem seems to be in prioritizing my projects. I have about 4 projects going simultaneously (no, make that 5 - I just remembered another), and they vary in length of time needed in one sitting to accomplish something. So I choose my project based on how much time I have. But sometimes I don't choose the project that would best fit the time I have. Instead, I just go to whatever I feel like working on. That's partly how I have 5 simultaneous projects. And this leads to the current rush, rush, rush feeling I've had the past few days. I know it's not healthy.

I don't think I have much time today to work on any today. Cleaning the house and cooking supper for some guests have taken over most of the day.

I have to slow down a bit, breath, relax a little more during Edwin's naptime and realize that I will get the things done that need to be done.

Happy weekend, friends!

Coming Soon

2011-09-15T22:03:00.002-04:00

I have, as always, a list of sewing projects. This time it's a coat. I'm actually making something tailored and semi-complicated! (Although it's actually not been as complicated as I thought it would be.) I'm excited to finish it and show it to you. For a sneak peek you can check out the pattern I'm using here.

I told Dan tonight that now I want to make more coats. It's so fun to see this take shape.

Stay tuned!

What We've Been Up To

2011-09-09T22:16:00.006-04:00

Aside from tackling that list I posted a few weeks ago, here's a glimpse of some of the things we (or Edwin) have been up to.

Mastering the steps

(until this week he never fell down them -

thankfully he fell onto a bunch of sheets and wasn't hurt)

"Washing" Dishes

Truck rides from Dad

Trying on Glasses

Playing in the flooded sandbox

(the lid was on all through the rain, but I guess there's a hole somewhere???)

Learning to crack eggs

Playing with Friends

Experimenting with paper towel roles

Getting snacks independently if Mom is too slow.

Why, Thank You Irene

2011-08-26T22:12:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to say thanks to hurricane Irene. She has motivated me to get those tomatoes canned before her blustery arrival. I have one more batch to go, but I think I can finish them up tomorrow morning.

And thanks to Mrs. Wages for the salsa mix. You have made making salsa much, much easier this year, and I am forever grateful. (And thanks, Steph, for introducing me to it!)

I'm finishing off my full day of salsa canning, grocery shopping and chopped tomato canning with a bit of pudding and whipped cream. Baby just kicked twice so s/he must agree it's a fitting reward for a hard day's work.

Hiatus

2011-08-24T20:00:00.002-04:00

This month has been a busy one and there's more to go. I've got a list of projects spinning around in my head so any given day they parade through my mind, reminding me they still exist, and I try to figure out when to get them all done. What's on this to-do list of mine?

can salsa

can chopped tomatoes

can tomato juice

finish the tablecloth (a custom tablecloth for a friend's client)

finish my winter coat (I am endeavoring to make myself a wool coat - I haven't worked on it since I've been pregnant and hot, humid weather isn't a great time to work with wool)

finish sewing two more cloth diapers

maybe convert my bumgenius velcro diapers to snaps

embellish the bassinet (just bought an old wicker bassinet and I want to add to it just for fun)

I've got the tomatoes sitting in my kitchen so at least I know I will have them taken care of in the next couple of days!

Off to tackle something from the list!

Halfway Point

2011-07-29T21:45:00.004-04:00

Today was ultrasound day.

Dan was able to be there, we hired a baby-sitter to stay with Edwin and off we went to watch this little one squirm around. I was incredibly nervous beforehand - really worried that something would be wrong. I'm not sure why I was so anxious, I just was. Then I saw that little heart beating away, and all seemed fine. I'm so thankful. And just now I felt a little kick or punch or something.

We decided to not find out the sex this time around. The ultrasound tech made sure to tell Dan when to not look at the screen because there's a good chance he could've identified the telltale parts if he'd seem them. I looked away too, just in case.

So now we get to decide on a boy name and a girl name. I have no hunch about what we might be having. Guesses?

New

2011-07-20T13:59:00.002-04:00

So far I've had 3 prenatal appointments at The Birth Center, and I can't tell you how much I like it and feel that it really is the place I want to be for prenatal care, labor and delivery.

I posted recently about my blood pressure readings being much better there in comparison with the large OB/GYN practice I went to for Edwin's pregnancy.

The first visit to the Birth Center, my b.p. was so high the midwife just smiled and said "I'm not even going to tell you what it was." She left it at that, with no worries, and we moved on to the next thing. My 2nd visit, after chatting with the midwife (a different one) about my previous pregnancy experience, she took my b.p. while letting me know that they don't worry about "white coat syndrome". They just make sure everything else checks out healthy. Can I explain how relieved that made me feel? The last thing I want is drama over something that isn't clearly a medical problem. My b.p. was wonderfully normal.

At my last visit, I saw the same midwife and when she took my b.p., I remember feeling nervous because I was hoping it would be normal. AND IT WAS. I honestly expected it to be higher due to my nervousness, so I feel like it was a miracle. I haven't been able to control my nervousness, and we saw a pattern while pregnant with Edwin and even after pregnancy that the more nervous I am, the higher my b.p. is. But this time, my nervousness didn't seem to affect it. That feels like a miracle to me.

Before deciding to switch prenatal care to The Birth Center, I spent a number of weeks really worrying about what this pregnancy would be like if my nervousness/white coat syndrome issues continued. I was really fearful. I would feel tense and nervous just thinking about going to a prenatal visit.

While in Meeting (Friends/Quaker Meeting) one morning, remnants of a song came to mind that seemed to specifically be for this situation. I clearly felt that God was bringing this song to

my mind. I don't remember all the exact words and order but these are the phrases I recall:

Behold I will do something new among you

I will make a way where there seems to be no way

Rivers in the dessert, I will do something new

Favorite Activities

2011-07-18T14:37:00.004-04:00

Signing "helicopter" because he hears an airplane or helicopter outside.

Edwin is at a really fun stage. Getting into lots of things (not always fun for me!) and enjoying a lot of different activities. Here are some things that seem to be his favorites lately.

Holding his little blanket/bear lovey.

Picking (and eating) raspberries or any other garden produce. I have to watch him to make sure he's not picking stuff before it's ripe.

Dogs, dogs, dogs!

Helping me anytime I'm working at the sink. So far he "helps" wash the dishes and has helped wash sour cherries and blueberries.

Anything that lets him play in the dirt. Here he's helping Dan plant squash seeds (that he later dumped out. Whoops.)

Pregnancy Randomness

2011-07-06T16:24:00.007-04:00

I think this humidity is smothering my thoughts. Before we announced our pregnancy, I couldn't wait to blog about it. Once we announced it, I no longer really felt like I wanted to blog about it. Or rather, I wasn't really sure I had much to say on the subject. There are maybe two interesting pieces of information about it so far.

One is that I'm not going back to the same practice I went to with Edwin. There's a free-standing birth center in our city, and so that's where I'm getting my prenatal care this time around. I was too stressed out by the super-huge practice I went to before. I liked my midwife there, but I didn't like waiting a long time for a short appointment or some of the routines that made me feel like I was on an assembly line for pregnant women. Plus, I wasn't crazy about some of the routine practices at the hospital (IV ports, no eating allowed while in labor, hospital gowns, greater chance of unnecessary interventions, sterile looking rooms, etc.) and I like the atmosphere and type of care I'm receiving at the birth center. As long as no concerns or complications arise during pregnancy, I'll be able to deliver there. The only thing that I wasn't so sure about with a birth center birth is the early discharge. They send you and baby home 4-8 hours after giving birth. I did like having my meals brought to me in the hospital post-pardum. But I think I can get over that.

Anyway, I'm excited. My first two appointments have gone well - especially the 2nd where I didn't get all nervous when my blood pressure was taken and therefore it was NORMAL! If you read along while I was pregnant with Edwin, you'll know that my nervousness at my prenatal appointments always led to high blood pressure readings, which always created some drama. I'm looking forward to meeting all of the midwives there.

The other tid-bit of information is that Dan and I are unsure of whether or not to find out the sex of this baby when we have our 20 week ultrasound. We found out with Edwin - we'd both wanted to. This time, I want to wait until the birth, but Dan would like to find out. I guess we need to decide in the next few weeks, since I'm now at 17 weeks.

This is about 3 weeks old now (taken at 14 weeks), but it's the only photo I have so far.

Ironic

2011-06-16T13:29:00.003-04:00

Before Edwin was born, and when he was just a tiny little baby, I remember feeling nervous about having an infant. Like most new moms, I hadn't experienced caring daily for a little baby and I didn't really know what I was getting into. I remember thinking that if he'd been born at the age of 1, life would've felt more familiar because of my many baby-sitting/nannying experiences with children that age.

Want to know something ironic? Edwin's baby days were not difficult. There were some tough times initially when he learning to nurse, and definitely some frustrating nights when I didn't have a clue why he was awake and crying, but all-in-all he was a pretty easy baby, and I was not sleep-deprived for very long. He learned to sleep well, he nursed well, he travels well, he's cheerful and generally easy to care for.

His entrance into toddlerhood has been less smooth. I expected the desire for autonomy and the expression of opinions, but I didn't expect them quite so soon. Nor did I think I'd be dealing with temper tantrums quite this early. I'm learning a lot about myself in the process, and I don't like what I see some of the time. For example, it is much, much easier to be patient with other people's children than with my own. I feel a bit blown-out-of-the-water by my low patience level, and it's easy to get really down on myself.

It's kind of ironic that one part of his life that I thought would be more difficult ended up being pretty easy while the more familiar part of childhood for me is proving to be the more difficult time.

The Latest and Greatest

2011-06-05T21:05:00.003-04:00

I decided it was time to start getting Edwin ready to take over some household chores for when Baby #2 comes along. Think he'll be ready by mid-December?

Good News!

2011-05-26T13:08:00.004-04:00

I ran some errands this morning and a friend came over to watch Edwin. The good news about this is that he was just fine! He did some fake crying as I was leaving, but then was happy the rest of the time. This is huge!

He hasn't done so well being watched by others up to this point. Most of the time he bawls his eyes out the entire time. Recently, however, a friend watched him for me one morning for a few hours at her house, and we discovered that he did pretty well if he had his little "blankie bear" with him. That was a wonderful discovery.

He was baby-sat at home this morning, and I think the combination of home and "blankie bear" (and my friend, of course!) made it a much nicer experience than being watched by a stranger in a nursery.

I was relieved last week and today to know that he doesn't wail the whole time I'm gone if he's with some one he knows and is in a familiar environment. I guess this is all pretty logical, but it was good to have two very positive baby-sitting experiences. I feel much better. :)

Mother's Day Song

2011-05-08T21:16:00.002-04:00

If you have any connection to the world of science (which in one way or another we all do), you'll appreciate this Mother's Day song.

Not only is it sweet in a geeky science way, it reminds me of the fun songs and skits spoofing life in medical school (and the world of science) that were a part of Dan's - and my! - medical school experience.

Enjoy it, Moms!

Tidbits

2011-05-07T20:10:00.006-04:00

Hello? Is anyone there? Anyone still reading this blog of ours?

I realized it's been exactly a month since my last post and figured I'd better blog about something so that anyone who is still checking wouldn't be disappointed.

But what can I tell you? There's nothing burning or brewing or waiting impatiently to be blogged about. I got a cold this week - after returning from vacation - and that pretty much put me out of commission for a couple of days. I found myself wishing Edwin still took two naps a day but was so thankful that he takes a long afternoon nap.

How about some other random tidbits?

I bought flowers and vegetables early in the week (when I could tell a cold was coming but hadn't hit yet) and have a little over half of them planted. Edwin has been my faithful helper in this. He's very good at digging in the dirt and putting that dirt in the watering can.

Some one uprooted and stole 3 of my pansies from a big flower pot that sits by our front steps. The pot itself is too big to steal, so they just pulled up the flowers instead.

I've been enjoying re-reading Keep A Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliot and The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. When will some one make a movie based on the The Blue Castle? They really should.

Edwin is now weaned. That's not really a tidbit, I guess. I waited to drop his last, pre-bedtime nursing until after returning from vacation. Suddenly one evening, I decided to do it. It was okay. He's been a little fussier at bedtime than he used to be, but really not much. I felt sad about ending that part of life, but I was ready to be done with it. Mostly.

I joined a Moms' group at the beginning of this school year, and am so glad that I did. I've made some really good friends though it. Being newish to this area, and then being new to stay-at-home mothering, joining a group was one of the best things I could've done. It's been nice to make some friends though my own connections and I'm enjoying having some friends who have kids similar in age to Edwin.

I've been able to see some spring wild flowers in the wooded park near our house. Violets, Spring Beauty and Mayflowers, specifically. I'm going to a friend's house later next week to walk some trails and am hoping to spy some others.

Two Sides to Mommy Blogs

2011-04-07T22:15:00.003-04:00

When I was in high school I often fasted from desserts during Lent. I'm not sure what first got me interested in it since it wasn't really a Mennonite thing, but for some reason, I found that it was meaningful to me. If nothing else, the discipline it required was good for me.

I haven't fasted from anything during Lent for years, but this year, my brother asked me if I was going to and so I decided to avoid Facebook. I found myself getting sucked into it: it's fun to see what others are up to, check out their pictures, etc. But being home some much, I really felt like I began wasting time, and was having a difficult time limiting myself.

What does this have to do with "mommy blogs?" Well, did you ever realize how many are out there? I don't think I really know, but I've spent more time looking at them since I'm not on facebook. I've realized that there are two sides to this virtual world. The one is that I can find a tutorial on most any crafty, sewing, crocheting related item that I'm interested in knowing how to make. That's been a really helpful thing, in fact.

But I also realized a down side to looking at all these mommy blogs. They can really encourage discontentment and envy. Or maybe a better way of putting that is to say that I found those emotions churning inside me. It's not really the fault of the bloggers. It's how I react to what I see and read. For some reason, reading about someone's life or accomplishments online brought out these feelings in me. I'd see some lives that looked so "together" (and yes, I know that's just a myth, but it's still hard to not think some people achieve it, so there must be something wrong with me because I haven't) and then feel bad about my own.

I really enjoy the creativity that is enabled by checking out others' blogs, and the heartfelt postings that are shared, and keeping up with all the random happenings of friends, but I realized that reading random blogs (basically ones where I don't know the writer) can also become caustic if my attitude and heart aren't in the right place.

So it's been an interesting journey.

April 1st Revisited

2011-04-01T22:49:00.004-04:00

We're celebrating Edwin's 1st year of life!

I haven't felt overly sad that he's no longer officially an infant and that his baby days are behind him. I feel like he's been a toddler for a while now. But I did get a little teary-eyed last night at bedtime when I was hugging him after we sang his goodnight song and I was about to put him in his bed. I was remembering that I was in labor at that time last year, more than half out-of-it due to contractions (but I must admit, I don't mind that I was so out-of-it: I think it made time feel as if it didn't count so much, and I certainly wasn't bored), and working so hard to bring him into this world. I had no idea who this little baby was going to be. Is it funny that I'm still amazed that my body birthed him? I look at him and am in awe.

So I reread my post from last year in order to reminisce a little, thought about details I didn't post, and thought about how different life is now than it was one year ago.

However, we met up with my in-laws for lunch today and Edwin did have his first candle - in a blueberry muffin that he definitely enjoyed.

Thanks to all of you who thought of him today and sent birthday greetings!

Not Just the Nanny Anymore

2011-03-28T14:53:00.003-04:00

I was a full-time nanny for over a year before beginning college and then again for a summer towards the end of college. The youngest child in each family was around a year old when I started nannying, so I've always felt familiar with children once they reach the year mark. Last spring when Edwin was born, I remember thinking that the newborn/infant stage was totally unfamiliar territory, and if he had been born at a year, then I'd feel like I knew what I was doing.

Now that he's almost a year old, and he's beginning to do some of the same things I remember my charges doing, I keep having nanny flashbacks. They're good. I can reassure you on that point. Both my nanny experiences were positive - both families were great to work for and I loved the kids.

But it's kind of funny, interesting, etc, that Edwin isn't my first toddler experience. When I see how much he likes dogs, I remember being able to distract Baby J in the car while trying to keep him awake by mentioning dogs. And when Edwin seems to be getting into everything, I think: "I don't remember Baby J getting into stuff all the time." Or when I found a t-shirt with a back-hoe on it, I remember the cute shirts Baby J wore that had trucks, tractors, and back-hoes on them.

Edwin just started trying to pick up food using a fork and spoon, and I remember Baby L using a fork and spoon (or at least holding onto one while picking up food with the other hand).

It's been a fun way to reminisce. Those babies are no longer babies, and I look at pictures of them (or when I see them in person), I can hardly believe they are as grown up as they are.

And what's even greater, is that I'm not Edwin's nanny. I'm his mom. His number one favorite person (or maybe #2, if Dan beats me out on that position) for right now.

Why We Like Spring

2011-03-19T20:43:00.003-04:00

I recently cleaned up our garden and started getting it ready for planting. As a result, Edwin got to have some time to play in our back "yard" (We have no grass, just a deck, patio and a square of dirt for gardening.).

Discovering dirt

Yesterday it was 75 degrees out, so we ate supper outside. While I was getting it ready, Edwin got to spend some more time puttering around.

I think he's going to be a first-rate gardener.

(One of) My Latest Project(s)

2011-03-09T15:11:00.006-05:00

I decided to unravel a cashmere (yes, cashmere!!) sweater that I didn't wear at all this year and use the yarn for something else. I'd bought it at a thrift store, so I didn't feel bad about taking it apart. After watching an online tutorial, I got started.

Yarn from one arm.

All the yarn

Wetting the yarn in order to get the kinks out.

It kind of worked. It's not kink-free, but it's good enough for me to crochet with.

My problem now it making sure I have it wrapped well enough as it dries so that it doesn't become tangled while I crochet. I haven't perfected that skill yet, so with each little bit I've used, I have spent some time untangling the yarn.

Meal Musings

2011-03-07T20:45:00.005-05:00

(What Edwin does while I cook)

A while ago I posted about my decision to have a weekly schedule of sorts where major housekeeping tasks were designated for certain days of the week. Along with that burst of organization, I've also been more intentional about meal planning. I've been menu planning the day before I grocery shop, and it makes grocery shopping much nicer. I need that focus when shopping. Plus, when I go to make the meal, I have everything I need. Most of the time.

I'm not some one who lists cooking as one of my top hobbies, so sometime during the fall I started getting a little weary when trying to figure out what to cook for supper. I cook a lot more now than I did when Dan and I were first married and living in Baltimore (part of that is because we were part of a 2x per week dinner club - which was wonderful, to say the least), so I started thinking that I needed to expand my repertoire of meals.

I asked for some "Moosewood" cookbooks for Christmas and got two. (Some other dinner club members in Baltimore often used Moosewood cookbooks for some pretty spectacular meals, which is how I heard of them.) If you're not familiar with Moosewood cookbooks, and you like vegetarian food, you should check these out. There are a bunch of different ones to choose from.

I now have the Low Fat Favorites and the New Moosewood Cookbook. I've been using them a lot and am having fun with new recipes.

Dan also gave me a bread book by Bernard Clayton and it has just about any kind of bread you'd ever want to make. Just as exciting are the directions for making an outdoor clay/brick oven for baking bread. If we weren't renting, I'd be really tempted to make one. I always think it's too hot in the summer to bake, but if I had an outdoor oven...

Anyway, I'm excited about new meal options, lots of bread options and dreaming of someday baking bread in an outdoor oven!

2011-02-25T16:04:00.005-05:00

Edwin looked pretty cute as he was playing with a dump truck this afternoon so I thought I'd try a snap a few pictures. You can see for yourself how successful I was.

All he really wanted was the camera. So we settled for a picture together.

But what's really been on my mind today is my frustration with my lack of control when it comes to feeling nervous whenever my blood pressure is taken. Remember when I posted about having "white coat syndrome" while pregnant? Well, it's basically hung around. Now I find myself getting nervous just thinking about having my blood pressure taken. Two doctor visits post-delivery included nervousness and high readings. And I even had Dan take it last night because I wanted to see how it would be, and I found myself getting nervous, and it was a bit high.

I'd hoped it would all disappear after Edwin's birth. Well, it hasn't. It seems like it's here to stay, and it makes me feel ridiculous and as though I'm "failing" in some way. (I try to be perfect, you know. Or at least appear perfect.) Blood pressure is one of those things they worry about when you're pregnant so I feel I'm "doomed" as far as future pregnancies go.

I'm trying to let it go. I'm trying to not worry about controlling it. I'm trying to remember how Jesus calmed the wind and the waves, and how even before he calmed them, he was with the disciples and therefore, they had no reason to worry.

Tooth Tales

2011-02-18T14:23:00.004-05:00

I've been neglecting this blog for a while but for very good reason. It's hard for me to do anything that requires much thought when a tooth is causing waves of intense pain on one side of my face. That was my experience this week.

It began last week with some sudden aches in my jaw. They didn't last long, so I didn't worry too much. By Monday, I had decided it was getting worse, more frequent and that I should probably go see the dentist. I knew for sure one tooth that was contributing to the pain, but I began to worry that there were other teeth that also had some problems (I don't have the greatest dental health history, you see).

I got into the dentist early Tuesday morning (with Edwin in tow). They weren't exactly sure what the cause was, so they referred me to the endodontist (who I was going to go to months ago because of one specific tooth that I should've had a root canal on almost two years ago - but a move and pregnancy got in the way of that). I called for an appointment and was told the earliest was a week later.

When the pain increased soon after that, I called back asking if they had any emergency openings. I was prepared to be assertive. Otherwise, I would have fed Edwin nothing but dry cereal for a week, and Dan would've had to get take-out for supper. I endured natural childbirth, and this pain was much worse. Mostly because I knew I wasn't getting a sweet cuddly baby out of it. And I think I'm a wimp when it comes to mouth pain.

Anyway, long story short, I went in (again with Edwin in tow), they did an x-ray, saw some inflammation, and suggested I come in the next day. Sounded good to me.

A friend watched Edwin while I went in for what is normally a procedure a little over an hour. It wasn't too bad. The worst part is the sound of the drills. I kept trying to watch what they were doing in the reflection of the microscope (except when they had the drills going), but I couldn't quite see it. Oh, well.

Unfortunately, my tooth wouldn't get totally numb because of the inflammation, so they took care of the main and I have to go back in about a week to get the procedure finished. Thankfully the aching pain is gone and I can function again.

The tale almost ends there. This troublesome tooth has a crown on it. They had removed the crown, drilled and dug around, and then replaced it using some weak cement so it would pop off easily next time. Well it popped off while eating dinner. So I had to go back in yesterday (again with Edwin) so they could cement it back on.

Hopefully all will be calm from here on out. And one good thing is that the searing pain and multiple trips to the dentist and endodontist all happened after Dan's and my Valetine's dinner date.

Probably more than you cared to read, but this is what's been filling my days lately.

Take care of those teeth!

2011-02-01T14:19:00.004-05:00

You know the old poem that goes like this?

"Wash on Monday
Iron on Tuesday
Mend on Wednesday
Churn on Thursday
Clean on Friday
Bake on Saturday
Rest on Sunday"

I've been thinking about it lately, because I've decided to try designating certain large chores for certain days of the week. When I worked full-time, cleaning and laundry was all done on Saturday, but that was back before Edwin, and I haven't cleaned the whole house and done all the laundry in one day for a long time.

I've been doing laundry on Mondays for months now. I still sometimes have to do a mid-week load or two (diapers are in a league of their own - they get done every-other-day so I'm not referring to them), but for the most part, I save laundry for Monday. And really, we have enough clothing that we don't need to wash more often than once a week.

So each week, our laundry was getting done, but I began to notice that a lot of time would pass between cleanings, and I kept thinking I want to get back to baking bread, and I wanted to be more organized in my grocery shopping (and now that we have a 2nd car, I don't have to work that around Dan's schedule) and so on.

Here's what I've come up with:

Wash on Monday (and water plants)
Bake on Tuesday (and fold/put away all that wash from Monday)
Clean on Wednesday
Socializing & Menu Planning on Thursday (mom's group that day 1x a month, story time @ the library, etc)
Groceries on Friday
Anything Else on Saturday
Rest on Sunday

These aren't hard and fast. For example, if a friend and I decide to get together on Wednesday, then I might still do some cleaning that needs to be done (like the bathroom) and then just do the rest on Thursday. Basically, these can all be swapped and changed as needed. Edwin and I went and hung out at a friend's house yesterday morning and I just did laundry before and after. I won't totally limit myself to this schedule, but maybe now I'll just remember that if I don't do something that one day, I need to fit it in somewhere.

This is only week #2 of all of this, so it might fly out the window pretty quickly, but I like having some sort of general framework. It's the teacher in me.

Here's a little video of Edwin, in honor of him now being 10 months old.

Voices in My Head

2011-01-26T14:26:00.003-05:00

While Edwin gets his pre-nap exercise (this mean standing in his crib and trying oh-so-hard to reach the stuff on a nearby shelf before laying down and falling asleep), I thought I'd finally update you on some of my latest thoughts.

And before you get too worried about that title, let me explain.

One of the benefits of having children later than many of your friends is that you get to hear others' advice, thoughts and methods. Then you get to sift through them and decide which to keep and which to throw out.

My problem, however, is that whenever I come upon a tricky situation (like a little boy who wakes up in the middle of the night randomly when I am not used to this at all since he started sleeping 10 hours a night at 6 weeks) I suddenly am assuaged by all these "voices" saying I should do "this" or "that". Not real voices, of course, but just what I think others would say "should" be done. You know, that parenting book says do "this" or that person would do "this" certain thing. It's quite annoying actually, and not helpful.

So I've found that I have to make sure to follow some of the best parenting advice I read since becoming a parent.

Be quiet, pray, listen to your intuition and go with that. Not follow something some one else said to do in a certain situation, but try to be focused on what the need is at the moment and what the true solution is. Not just what some "expert" says.

That advice has been encouraging and helpful. And peaceful. I should say that I do like to hear what the "experts" recommend and I don't necessarily think they're always wrong (at least, not the ones I agree with), but I find that I need to make sure I don't let myself get mentally bombarded with what everyone else says - or what I think they say.

So I was thinking about all of this after Edwin woke up crying twice last night. I think I finally figured out the problem (and it may have originated with that orange slice he had at lunch...) and helped him feel better.

Nothing about parenting so far makes me feel more inadequate than when Edwin wakes up randomly at night and I have little to no idea why. So I try to take that advice to stop, pray, listen and then act.

Random Musings

2011-01-14T20:39:00.003-05:00

I taught my first class at Spool last Saturday, braving the snow and driving to Philly while Dan watched Edwin. All went well. I only had to sit at a student's sewing machine one time (and pretend I was making the project) in order to make sure I was giving correct instructions. It was a class of 7 women. Mostly my age or younger, and it was fun, fun, fun. The snow out side made it all the more cozy. All successfully finished their zippered pouch in the 2 hours we had.

I am a cold weather person as opposed to a hot weather person. I would much rather bundle up in layers and walk down a cold, windy street than break into a sweat when merely walking down the same street because the sun is so hot.

Sometimes I can't quite believe that I'm already on my way to being 32 and I've only just had my first child.

I used to think I was totally an unstructured, spontaneous person, but as time goes on, I find that I'm a little more "type A" than I thought. Either teaching did that to me or it's something that is growing along with my age. I really like having a routine (not a hard-and-fast schedule, mind you) to my days and weeks. Laundry day is Monday; we tend to do things in the same order when at home all day, etc. However, I always like having some planned unstructured time that I can spontaneously decide to fill in one way or another, but that isn't filled ahead of time. Does that make sense? Structured spontaneous time?

I can't believe how much more time I spend online now compared to just 2 years ago. I have blogs that I read regularly.

As I think about having more children, I realize that I'm not at all opposed to hiring help, if necessary (especially if we continue to live relatively far from family). This has partially been shaped by my experiences as a nanny for two different families, our time spent in Zambia where we had "house help" and by the stories of friends who have many children. Growing up in the culture and community I did, I recognize an attitude of it being a luxury (which I guess it is) and of it somehow meaning that you're doing something wrong if you need help. You know, strong work ethic, able to do any and every thing that needs to be done, etc., etc. And yet, if you don't have family nearby whom you feel free to call on to help, what should you do? Struggle on your own? Out of pride? Because society says women should be able to do it all on their own? Everyone needs a support network (i.e. help) and if that includes hiring someone, I'm all for it.

I just finished a crocheted hat that has a little brim. For me.

I'm really enjoying the friendships I'm making through a local MOPS group I attend.

I've been online long enough tonight.

9 Months

2011-01-01T19:42:00.003-05:00

Today marks Edwin's 9th month.

It's not been his happiest day, unfortunately, but I don't plan to dwell on that in this post.

Some of his recent accomplishments include:

Crawling on hands and knees. He used to primarily do the "army crawl" but I hardly see him do that anymore. He really just got the knack of crawling within the past week or so.

Along with crawling, he's figured out how to pull himself into a standing position, and he first did that in his crib. I think he now spends a portion of time standing up in his crib at the beginning of nap time (and sometimes bedtime...such as right now, possibly), but so far I've only had to rescue him once from a position he fell into and couldn't roll out of.

Let's see, along with standing up he's also discovered that he can reach the cereal boxes, the basket of letters, some books and folders beside the letters and my piles of fabric which he explored for the first time today. (Can you tell I haven't totally "baby proofed"?)

His social interactions continue to be mostly fun and cheerful. He is becoming more opinionated and outspoken these days too. (I'm trying to take that in stride...)

We're thankful for this little guy!!

Six Years

2010-12-31T10:32:00.010-05:00

While waiting to see if Edwin falls asleep this morning, I figured I'd take some time to post. Today marks 6 years since Dan and I got married! Congratulations to us, Dan!

New Year's Eve, Friday night, 5pm on the dot (sorry for all of you who arrived a little late and had to walk in after me...punctuality is a Mennonite virtue we decided to uphold that evening).

We'd dated for 5 years, (minus a few months) and were engaged for one. Most of our dating years were spent long-distance, including 1 year on different continents where we didn't see each other for a year and a day. During those long years of dating, I remember thinking: "Someday this will all be behind us, and we'll have been married for 5 years, and this time of waiting will seem so far away." And now we've passed that point by a year, and life together seems so normal, it is strange to remember back when we weren't married, when life didn't include each other in the way it does now.

Here are a few pictures for fun.

Shock Trauma Christmas Party
2000 or 2001?

Dan visited me at college after returning from Swaziland

Fall 2003

Our engagement picture
Early 2004

Summer 2004 - Engaged
We both wore our wedding bands on our right hands instead of me wearing a diamond

Peach Pie Yumminess
Fall 2005

Wesley & Buttercup
Fall 2006
Family Wedding
Summer 2007

Motorcycling
Summer 2008

Returned from Zambia
Spring 2009

Med School Graduation
Spring 2009

New Family
Christmas 2010

Winter Walks

2010-12-16T16:58:00.002-05:00

How to still take your baby for a walk in the cold:

Drumroll, Please

2010-12-07T11:26:00.002-05:00

I'd now like to announce that I am...

...one of the newest sewing instructors at Spool, a hip fabric store in Philly.

(sorry, did you think I was going to say "pregnant"?)

I got connected to this store through a good friend of mine and it just so happened that the owner was looking for more sewing instructors. Because, you see, sewing is making a comeback. I'm starting small and just teaching one 2-hour class one Saturday a month starting in January. Either Dan or a friend will watch Edwin.

I'm so excited. I get to hang out with other people who are interested in sewing, and I get to use some of my teaching skills.

Cozy Hats & Mittens

2010-12-04T11:12:00.006-05:00

A few weeks back I posted a bunch of random tidbits about life. One of those things was that I was making Edwin a winter hat and mittens. I've finished them and he's been able to wear them in this cold weather. It took me a while because I made a lining for the hat and it took a few tries until it fit correctly.

What's funny is that I have a kid who's in style. I like to be aware of fashion, but I'm not always the most trendy person. And now that I'm not teaching and around high schoolers all the time, I'm a little out-of-the-loop when it comes to what's en vogue. Most of my things come from thrift stores, so I'm usually a little behind the times. But it seems that Edwin's winter hat is one of the trends for this winter. I think it makes sense for a little baby to have a hat with ear flaps, so I wasn't style-watching when I picked out this pattern. It just so happens to be what's "in" now.
We were walking past a bunch of middle-schoolers yesterday while on our walk and one of them saw Edwin in his hat and commented to his friends: "The baby has a hat like ours!" Maybe he just doesn't realize that he's wearing a baby hat. Now all he needs is some mittens with a string!

Thanks to this site for the basic hat pattern and this site and this pattern for the mittens.

8 Months

2010-12-01T21:50:00.003-05:00

Edwin is quite the busy little boy these days.

He often insists on at least partially feeding himself at lunch and supper. I guess he's hungry enough at breakfast to not worry about it.

If it's paper, plastic, crinkly and unsafe, he wants it.

He gets excited when I pull out my scissors and sewing needles.

Watching cars drive by outside the window could be hours of fun if he was big enough to stand on the couch unattended.

De, da, ma, ba and ga are is his current vocabulary along with various yells and hollers.

The army crawl is his preferred method of locomotion.

He has discovered my earrings and laughs delightedly while trying to get them.
(Thankfully, they pull right out!)

One of his favorite things to try and get is the blue light on the computer.

He has 7 teeth: 4 on the top, 3 on the bottom.

Pies, laundry, coffee and a sleeping baby

2010-11-24T11:44:00.002-05:00

I baked some pies this morning for my family's Thanksgiving meal, and as I was cleaning up I savored the aroma of baking pastry mingling with coffee Dan made this morning, sun shining on the diapers hanging on the line, the hum of the drier and the knowledge that Edwin was snoozing peacefully (after a restless and early morning) in his bed.

I sighed and thought: "I like this stay-at-home gig."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo Shoot

2010-11-16T14:28:00.004-05:00

I think most of you who read this are also my friends on FB, so these pictures aren't really new to you. But I like them, so I thought I'd just post a few that aren't on FB.

The big guys is currently working away helping to save lives, the little guy is snoozing in his crib, and I'm trying to finish the gazillion projects on my list. I have a habit of starting projects, getting great ideas for other ones, beginning those, and then ending up with a lot of unfinished projects that all cry out for my attention at the same time.

We Would Be Dans

2010-11-12T15:22:00.003-05:00

I was using a cake pan today that once belonged to Dan's grandmother Susie. Every time I use it I notice the initials written on it in permanent marker. The interesting thing about this pan (that she baked cakes in, used for fellowship meal casseroles, etc.) is that the initials on it aren't Susie's. They're her husband's.

I don't know if this was just a common thing in that generation in general, or if it was just common among the Mennonites, but it's not a tradition we've kept among my generation.

Another tradition we did away with is calling families by the husband's name. My mom's generation did this (or at least my mom did and sometime still does - no offense, Mom!) Growing up the families we often hung out with were Dons, Roys and Marshalls. We got to see Mervs sometimes during the year too. And we were Marises.

Just some of my random thoughts today...

Pre-Bedtime Cuteness

2010-11-10T20:12:00.003-05:00

The Pink Ribbon and Other Things

2010-11-08T11:33:00.004-05:00

Blogging has been on my mind, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Part of the reason for that was that I didn't feel like writing about what was really on my mind so much last month.

October was "breast cancer awareness month," but it may as well have been called "breast cancer fear month" as far as I was concerned. That fear seems to have dissipated, thankfully, after some journaling, praying and meditating on the truth of not being able to add an hour to my life regardless of how much I might worry. (Just FYI, for those who don't know, I'm considered "high risk" in relation to breast cancer since a close family member had it, and for some reason last month, I was thinking about it so much and fearing it, although it's nothing I've feared before despite a family history of it.)

In other news, of the more cheerful kind...which I may, or may not, expound on later:

...Dan has only 1 week left of this grueling rotation

...I've started a new braided rug with wool from some great stores a friend introduced me
to recently (thanks, J!)

...I'm going to be a sewing instructor 1 day a month this winter at a cute, cute fabric store

...Edwin has begun pulling himself across the floor on his belly

...I've ordered a new Keeper (size A) and am excited to see what cute fabric it'll come in this time (google "The Keeper", if you're curious)

...I've had to return more of my bumgenius diapers b/c of faulty velcro but I've been able to get them replaced with snap-closure diapers

...I've crocheted Edwin a wool hat with ear flaps and am going to try and make mittens too

...I'm going to experiment and make Dan a reusable, washable lunch bag - using my own pattern (which is yet to be created)

And now I hear a little boy upstairs, so it's time for me to go!

Grueling

2010-10-22T15:24:00.003-04:00

Months like these are what most people think of when they hear that Dan is in residency. He's working all but 4 days of the next 4 weeks, and he puts in anywhere between 11-14 hours each day.

That means he and I see each other for just a short time at the end of the day and he may or may not see Edwin awake some days. And that means he often misses fun times like this:

Since we're sharing a car, things like grocery shopping can be a little trickier. It works alright if I take him to work or just wait until he gets home in the evening and then go to the store.

During these I-hardly-see-Dan-months, I realize how important my social life is. I have a tendency to wait for others to plan social events that I can happily attend. Dan tends to be our social-events planner, but rotations like this remind me that I need to stay on top of things and take initiative too.

It's a bit tough with only one car...but I'm trying to make it work.

I'm so thankful that Dan's schedule is only crazy for a time and then it changes and will be easier. Meanwhile, Edwin and I use the bus to take trips downtown to do some things like get library books and go to the bank, and we go on a lot of walks to the park. Have I mentioned on here how great the parks are in our neighborhood?

Fall Fun

2010-10-16T19:57:00.004-04:00

Now that Edwin can sit up, we've been enjoying something new on our trips to the park. The first time I put him in one, he laughed and laughed.

Here

come!

Clutch Purse

2010-10-14T21:26:00.003-04:00

This was my first attempt at making a clutch purse. You know, for all the times I dress up and need a clutch purse. (I might need to get Dan to take me on a date just so I have an excuse to use this.)
I used a free pattern from this site. I made a few minor changes - like padding it with fleece, including a small interior pocket, using gathered fabric instead of piping, and adding an antique pin.

The Pictures NOT posted

2010-10-06T20:15:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures I didn't post on Monday.

(Those spots would be melted spearmint gum covered in lint.)

Rainy Day Fun

2010-10-04T21:42:00.005-04:00

It started with an outing to the Delaware Children's Museum with some friends in the morning.

After lunch, while it rained, this is what our afternoon looked like:

I love rainy afternoons.

6 Months

2010-10-01T20:36:00.007-04:00

Will the next 6 months go as fast as these past 6 months? Or even faster? I look forward to every stage Edwin will go through, but I'm not ready to see my baby move into toddlerhood.

I am enjoying Edwin so much. He's seriously one of the cheeriest babies I know (I'll ignore his current squeals of frustration because he can't reach a toy block). I tend to get eased into life experiences - college and teaching experiences are examples - and am thankful it's been that way so far when it comes to having a baby.

Happy 6 months, kiddo!

Baby Wearing

2010-09-26T19:37:00.004-04:00

It's a pretty big deal these days, this "baby wearing." How many carriers are out there on the market? Scads. We have 3 (not including the sling that I hardly used because my son is a giant and didn't fit in it very long.)

When I "wear" my baby, I am reminded of all the women I saw in southern Africa who carried their babies on their backs using nothing but a rectangular piece of fabric (practical, cheap and oh-so-sensible!). I watched a woman in Swaziland bend over, put a baby on her back and then wrap the fabric around herself (under the arms) so the baby was nice and snug, and tie it in the front with two knots. In Zambia they wrap one end up over a shoulder and fasten it with one knot. Voila!

I still have yet to try it, but I have the fabric for it, purchased in Zambia. I decided that since I'm not familiar with how to do this and don't have anyone present to show me, I'd wait until Edwin was no longer a newborn. One of these days I'll get around to it. Until then, I've been using other carriers such as these:

The Snugli

The snugli is my least favorite. I think it's the most uncomfortable, actually, and have only used it once or twice. But it is more masculine-looking, for the guy who is concerned with that type of thing. Thankfully, as you can see from the picture below, Dan is not.

This is a carrier I made from a pattern. It's similar to a mei tai. The nice thing about this carrier is that you can use it for front carrying or back carrying. Dan carried my 2 year old nephew on his back with this a couple of weeks ago. It also folds up nice and small for stashing in a diaper bag. Definitely the most portable. The down side to this carrier is the narrow shoulder straps. If I make one again, I'll widen the straps in order to disperse the weight across the shoulders.

And our 3rd carrier is pictured below. The Moby.

A friend gave this to me, and it's definitely the most comfortable carrier I have. It's one long piece of knit fabric that is folded in half width-wise and then wrapped around in certain ways. (A manual is provided that included pictures.) The fabric is super soft, stretchy - which can make it tricky to know at first how tight to tie it so it doesn't stretch too much - and breathable. Plus, the should straps can be nice and wide. I've never felt them digging into my shoulders. This can be worn forward facing like shown or the baby can be facing towards you for when they are littler. See this previous post.

The only down-side to the Moby is that it is so long the ends trail on the ground while you're wrapping it on so it can be tricky if you're putting it on at the beach. Then you just need to have someone hold the ends so they don't get dirty.

When I finally get around to putting Edwin on my back "African-style", I'll post a picture.

Must've Been Hogs

2010-09-21T21:27:00.002-04:00

You know you're from farm country when you intentionally sniff the manure-scented night air just to figure out which animal it is that you smell.

5 Months

2010-09-01T14:31:00.008-04:00

Happy 5 months, Edwin. You have no clue that 5 months ago at this time you were born, but we sure remember it!

Edwin is now rolling over. He first rolled from his back to his belly, but since he spends a lot of his waking time on his belly (trying to prevent a flat head, you know), he quickly mastered rolling from belly to back and does that more often.

Now that he rolls over, we find him lying any-which-way in his crib. And since he combines rolling over and kicking, I've had to free his legs from between the crib bars a time or two. He's recently decided that he likes falling asleep on his side where he has great access to his thumb.

He watches me and seems to be smacking his lips while I eat. Baby food isn't too far down the road, but he still seems fine with just breastmilk. And it must be working too, because at his checkup last week he weighed in at 20 lbs. even. I'm getting a good workout lifting and carrying him. Who needs a gym when you have a big baby?

(And, yes, that is a scrub shirt he's wearing)

And how can I forget his laughter? Is there anything better than a baby's laughter?

(Just try to ignore my voice and enjoy Edwin's laughter!)

Memories

2010-08-27T20:27:00.005-04:00

What do spearmint gum and Dove soap have in common? (The picture is a clue.)

A number of years ago, I started noticing that whenever I took a shower, I would think of my grandmother (we called her Mammaw). I couldn't figure out why. I wouldn't be thinking of her before my shower or even earlier in the day, but as soon as I'd step in the shower - poof - I'd think of her. Strange...until I made the connection that I was using Dove soap, and Mammaw's bathroom always smelled like Dove soap. Without realizing it, just smelling the soap conjured up my memories of this very talented woman (she taught me how to crochet, helped me with the first quilt I ever made and introduced me to embroidery - how I wished I'd learned all her cooking secrets too).

I had a similar experience just the other day. I opened a pack of spearmint gum and as I got a whiff of the smell, I thought of Mammaw. I'm pretty sure that's one of the flavors she kept in her kitchen cabinet (right near the jar of M&Ms we liked to dip into).

And for fun, I just had to chew some spearmint gum while writing this post.

Peachy Keen

2010-08-11T15:40:00.003-04:00

I love peaches. They are hands-down my favorite fruit. I love them fresh, in smoothies, on top of my cereal, in hot fruit sauce on pancakes, home-canned, and I'd probably like them dried, but I haven't tried them that way. (Interestingly enough, I'm not crazy about any peach ice cream I've tried so far. My theory: fresh, in-season peaches have not been used.)

Oh, and I love them in pie. Peaches are my favorite fruit, and peach pie is definitely my favorite pie. But only if the peaches used are fresh and in season - not frozen or canned.

My mom passed on a tradition to my sister and I: the "annual peach pie." My version usually includes more than one peach pie because I enjoy them so much. You can bet I've already made 2 peach pies and there's a good chance I'll be making a third before the season is finished.

I'll be sad when peach season is over, but I'll have had my fill of peaches - until next year!

Vintage High Chair

2010-08-05T12:53:00.010-04:00

My mom has a vintage cosco high chair that she uses for her grandchildren. She got it from her mom, whom we called Mammaw. Mammaw had purchased it years ago using green stamps. When we were at my parents' house one time last winter, I noticed it again and decided I liked how small it is. It even folds up for easy storage. Since we don't have lots of kitchen space, I didn't want a large high chair. I happened to mention how much I liked this one and that I thought I'd try to find one like it.

A few weeks before my baby shower, my sister called to say that she saw a high chair exactly like my mom's in an antique shop in Strasburg. It seemed like it was in decent condition, so I told her to pick it up for me.

After getting it home, I decided it needed a little face lift. I prefer red to orange, green, yellow and white, so I went to work.

I figured out how to remove the bottom upholstered piece.

This enabled me to clean off more of the gunk I found.

Here it is half recovered. Lovely combination, eh?

I never did figure out how to remove the back, so I just hot glued the vinyl over top of the old stuff.

I used some webbing to cover the raw vinyl edges. Hot glue came in handy once again.

I then replaced the safety straps, because the old ones were very dirty and gross. Imagine years of baby food dried on and stuck in the crevices.

Notice the snaps? I figured out how to apply snaps, and so the straps are removable and washable. I suppose when Edwin learns how to pull snaps apart we might have a problem, but that won't be for a little while yet.

Here's Edwin testing out the chair prior to adding the straps.

And...voila'! The finished product. I sanded the chrome and used a toothbrush to clean hard-to-reach places. I have a cute, clean, practical high chair all ready for use.

Super-Sized Kid

2010-08-02T21:01:00.004-04:00

This was Edwin shortly after coming home from the hospital.

This is Edwin now.

We need a new car seat.

4 months (as of yesterday)

2010-08-02T20:10:00.008-04:00

Edwin is 4 months old, and so I feel inclined to write about him. I love him and love sharing photos of him. Hope you don't mind.

What is Edwin up to these days?

He likes to stand while being held.

He can almost roll over from his back to his belly. And he hangs out on his belly for long periods of time.

He met his great-grandfather who happens to be his namesake (Charles Edwin).

He has begun reaching for things which he then tries to eat.

Oh, we're having lots of fun!

Procrastinating

2010-07-21T13:37:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week I procrastinated from doing some things that were high on my "to do" list by sewing some fun shorts for Edwin. I didn't think I'd try making any of Edwin's clothes since onesies are wonderful, we got so many clothes as gifts, and thrift stores are pretty cheap.

However, a friend gave me some cute "boy" fabric, and I just couldn't resist. She found it at a store called Spool. One of these days I need to stop in there and check it out in person.

I didn't need a pattern. I just googled patterns for shorts and found a couple tutorials that showed how easy it is to make a pair of simple shorts. So then I used a pair of Edwin's shorts as my template.

And I've managed to procrastinate even more by taking this sewing activity and turning it into a blog post!

Park Tour

2010-07-19T09:42:00.009-04:00

Dan and I invested in a state park pass this year. We figured that it would be worth it if we went to some of the many state parks in our area.

I'm impressed with Delaware's state parks. Having grown up in semi-rural Pennsylvania, my family didn't spend time going to parks. All we had to do was walk out the door and fields, woods and streams were nearby. However, we've found that since we live in the city, we really value going somewhere to be surrounded by trees, open skies and nature. And Delaware provides a lot of different options fairly close by.

So while Dan has been having a more relaxed schedule (that will all change in a week), we've taken the opportunity to visit some of these parks. We've gone to a couple state parks and one of the county parks.

Here's what we got to see at one of the state parks. We were right along the river where ships pass by on their way to and from a nearby port.

Pond and woodlands at another park (yes, that's Edwin under the hat).

Ready for a woodland hike at a local county park.

And, of course, always beware of poison ivy!

One Fish, Two Fish, Edwin is a New Fish

2010-07-07T21:38:00.008-04:00

He doesn't seem to mind being dunked, at least.

We went swimming in two different pools yesterday. At the first I dunked him three times, and at the second I dunked him just once so Dan could witness it. The key is to blow in a baby's face right before you take them under so they suck in their breath. I learned that little trick years ago when I took a toddler to the Y for swim lessons.

It was nice to be in a pool on at least one of these crazy hot days. Hope you were able to do the same somewhere!

"I'm... So... Blue..."

2010-06-28T10:51:00.008-04:00

"...I'm so blue I don't know what to do!"

If you've ever watched Veggie Tales, you may have seen the episode where Madame Blueberry sings a song about being blue. She's so blue because she wants more stuff. I'm not actually feeling blue, and I don't want more stuff, I just have lots of blueberries in the house right now. And I do know what to do with all of these blueberries: freeze and eat them!

We really like blueberries, and every summer I buy a bunch of pints to freeze so we can have blueberries with our cereal over the winter. I love how the milk will freeze around the blueberries - do you know what I mean?

I was doubly excited this year to find truly local blueberries that didn't cost any more than those from New Jersey or North Carolina. There's a family-owned farm and market just north of the city that I noticed one day when driving to Edwin's doctor visit. I decided to stop there last week after the appointment because I was hoping to find some local cherries. The cherries were too expensive, but lo and behold they had lots of blueberries for a great price if I bought a certain amount. So I bought 8 pints. We decided we wanted more (I guess we are greedy like Madame Blueberry) so I bought 16 more pints over the weekend.
Yum.

12 weeks

2010-06-24T13:56:00.005-04:00

Edwin is 12 weeks old today! Life has changed so much in those 12 weeks, and yet I can't really imagine life without Edwin. We are enjoying this little guy so much.

I have been pondering parenthood lately and realized that I don't mind the restrictions having an infant puts on my activities. I can't up and do things quite as quickly or conveniently, because I now have a little person who depends on me, but I find that I don't really mind that. In fact, crazy hot days like today are more of a restriction - I wouldn't spend much time outside right now for my own sake, not to mention Edwin's.

Perhaps I'll long for the days of "freedom" at some point, but I am just really content with my life right now. I waited a long time to have a baby, and so I'm enjoying life with a baby. It's entirely possible that Edwin's low-key attitude towards life and his ability to entertain himself (many thanks to the ceiling fan, books and toy turtles) play a huge part in this contentment, I realize that.

I don't mind that we might not be able to go to EVERY party or get-together we'd have gone to before, or that we might have to leave a bit earlier than we normally would have.

I'm just thankful for this little boy who is part of our family. With that said, here are a few notable things from the 3rd month:

Edwin has finally found his thumb.

He enjoys looking at books and can entertain himself this way.

He now laughs, I mean really laughs, out loud sometimes. Probably the most notable time - and the one I missed - was when he laughed after peeing on Dan.

Diaper Days

2010-06-14T21:06:00.008-04:00

Before Edwin was born, I had decided I wanted to use cloth diapers. Not the cloth diapers our mothers used, but something more modern. So I experimented and posted about those first experiments here.

The non-waterproof homemade diapers worked really well. I used Gerber plastic pants over top of them and didn't have any trouble with leaks. Those yellow diapers made with "waterproof nylon" weren't really waterproof, so that fabric wasn't an option. They'd be okay for a short time, but then they would leak.

I started using cloth diapers after Edwin's umbilical cord fell off, when he was about 2 weeks old. I realized pretty quickly that they wouldn't last as long as I'd hoped, and sure enough, he grew out of them by about 8 weeks of age. So I had to decide what to do regarding diapers a little sooner than I'd thought.

I had been given a gift certificate to cottonbabies.com and used it to buy some bumgenius diapers that have snaps so they can be three different sizes. I really liked them, so I decided to save myself the stress of quickly sewing 2 dozen diapers before Edwin outgrew the small ones. Aren't they cute?
But, I still felt motivated to make some diapers, and since I didn't buy 2 dozen diapers, I knew I'd need some more. So...I bought some PUL (polyurethane laminate - it's the waterproof outer fabric used by bumgenius, as well as other brands) to experiment with making waterproof diapers, and I decided to also "whip up" a few non-waterproof diapers to use plastic covers with.

After some trial and error, I have some homemade waterproof diapers. And they work! Edwin wore one during naptime and longer, and his clothes stayed nice and dry. I had to make sure I had as little extra stitching as possible because that's where leakage occurs, since I'm not using a waterproof thread (is there such a thing?).

Anyway, maybe I'm a geek, but I had fun spending time sewing diapers while Edwin napped.

Beach Bum

2010-06-07T12:04:00.008-04:00

Dan was on vacation last week, so we spent a lot of time going here and there. We met up with some friends at the beach for a day. It was Edwin's first trip to the beach. What a beautiful day: warm but not roasting. I don't think I even broke a sweat while sitting under the umbrella, so I felt okay having a baby on the beach.

Getting ready to walk to the beach

Hanging out with mom
Laughing with the boys

Naptime on the beach

Compost Surprise

2010-06-07T11:16:00.005-04:00

We have a little garden in our back "yard" again this year. Last year we decided to use one of these terracotta chimneys for our compost. Last summer and fall I threw weeds and other compostable items in there. We'd stir it around every now and again and planned to use it on the garden this year. A few months ago our back yard looked like this:

The chimney standing upright contains our compost. We had a fun surprise earlier this spring. I looked inside, planning to stir the compost and put it on the garden. I changed my mind when I saw squash plants growing! I don't have a picture of the baby squash plants, but here's what they look like now!

Swivel Clips

2010-05-28T22:04:00.005-04:00

JoAnn Fabrics does not carry swivel clips. At least, the JoAnn's near us doesn't. This was a frustration for me because they can really come in handy for certain bags I made this spring.

Thankfully, Dan had a number of lanyards he didn't want that just happened to have swivel clips on the end. So I used those up and then scrounged around for clips that were similar.

Don't ask why I didn't think to check another craft store. I guess it's because JoAnn's, Michael's and A.C. Moore are all spread out here, and I wasn't going to drive from one to the other in search of swivel clips. (Lowe's had them, by the way, but they were too large for my purpose.)

Well, today I found some swivel clips at Michael's. It was perfect timing, too, because I was just finishing a beach bag for myself and I wanted some swivel clips for smaller bags that can be attached to a d-ring inside the large bag.

If you think my fabric choices are interesting (solid red lining, crazy pink fabric for the bags, bright green zippers) it's because I like to use up whatever I have in my fabric stash. The red fabric is nylon, so it should clean easily and dry easily when wet. The crazy pink fabric is just fun fabric and the green zippers were part of about a dozen zippers I bought together at a thrift store. I figured they coordinated well enough for me!

2 Months

2010-05-27T17:21:00.003-04:00

Edwin is two months old today. So of course I have to post a few pictures and let you know what he has been up to lately.

A few notable accomplishments:

He holds his head up pretty well, although tummy time still isn't his favorite.

He now sleeps through the night, from about 8 pm until somewhere between 4:30 and 5:30 when he wakes up for "first breakfast." Then he goes back to sleep until between 8 and 9 when he gets up for "second breakfast." Now that I've gotten used to him sleeping that long, I'm loving it because I get more sleep. Go Edwin!!

He is smiling, cooing and "laughing" more and more each day.
He has found his hands and loves to suck on them. Will he be a thumb-sucker???

Strawberry Shortcake Dilemma

2010-05-18T17:52:00.003-04:00

Dan, Edwin and I spent most of last weekend in Baltimore city. Our initial reason for going there was so I could pick some strawberries. What? Going to the city to pick strawberries? Yes, it's true.

Dan's brother has a strawberry patch in one of the multiple city backyards he takes care of. I am amazed every year at how many strawberries come from such a relatively small patch. I was one of many people who have picked strawberries over the past couple of weeks, and I had no trouble picking somewhere around 4 quarts.

After returning home, I decided that one of the first things I wanted to make with these berries is some strawberry shortcake. Now, this causes a minor dilemma because I have two recipes: one is called "Edie's Shortcake" and one is called "Jane's Shortcake". One is my mom's and one is Dan's mom's.

The dilemma is which to make first because we each prefer our own mother's recipe. So, do I please my self first or Dan?

Well, this year I was kind to Dan and made "Jane's Shortcake" first. When we've eaten all of it, I'll make "Edie's Shortcake." So then we're both happy.

Speaking of strawberry shortcake, Edwin's in bed, so I think it's time to have some of this:

Snug as a Bug

2010-05-13T22:09:00.004-04:00

This is how we've been going for walks lately. It's good exercise, and I enjoy not using the stroller sometimes. When Edwin gets bigger I'll experiment with carrying him on my back, but for now, this is the best way.

Smile!

2010-05-13T22:01:00.003-04:00

A day that begins and ends with this is a good day.

Edwin loves his crib. One of the main reasons he does is because of the mobile hanging over it. It used to be Dan's. It's a Fisher Price mobile with a farmer and farm animals. It plays "Lullaby and Good Night" and the animals slowly rotate. When it's not playing Edwin looks expectantly at the music box. When it is playing, he's watching the animals - especially the sheep.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2010-05-02T20:32:00.008-04:00

Can I just tell you a few of my favorite things about Edwin and life with him?
(In random order...)

1. His adorable smile
2. Holding him on my shoulder, totally relaxed
3. Nursing him
4. His little belly button
5. Watching him look around alertly
6. Seeing him in cute cloth diapers
7. His blue eyes (we'll see if they stay that way)
8. Watching him and Dan together
9. Knowing that he recognizes my voice
10. The little stretch he does after he finishes nursing

Girl Time

2010-04-30T10:53:00.003-04:00

On Wednesday, I packed up Edwin for a drive to northern Lancaster County where I spent the early part of the day with a bunch of my girl friends from high school. We had a GREAT time catching up, talking about motherhood, children and our lives in general. There were lots of children running around inside and outside the house - I was the only one there with only 1 child. Looks like I have some catching up to do. ;)

Not everyone could make it, sadly, but we're hoping to get together again this summer and maybe even start getting together regularly.

I love how we were able to connect again so well as a group - I love you, ladies!

Almost a month

2010-04-27T16:21:00.004-04:00

A month ago today, I was hoping and hoping I'd go into spontaneous labor. I can hardly believe that almost 4 weeks have passed since Edwin's birth. It's gone quickly, and he's growing! I've had to "retire" a number of his newborn sleepers and shirts. He's such a long boy that even some of his 0-3 month clothes are snug on him. You'll notice the same outfit in many of the pictures. These weren't all taken the same day, but I'm trying to make the most of the newborn clothes before he's totally grown out of them!!

Here are a few notable things from the past couple of weeks:
- His umbilical cord fell off and he now has an adorable belly button
- I started using cloth diapers on him (no, I didn't use them right away - I waited to dive into that until after his circumcision healed and his cord fell off). It's been nice using cloth diapers. If I'm getting low on them, I just throw the dirty ones into the laundry and voila! more diapers!
- He met all of his cousins. He was oblivious to this, of course, but had he known how fun it was for his older cousins to meet him, I'm sure he would have been thrilled to meet them too.

- He drank from a bottle for the first time today. Looks like he may be able to switch between bottle and breast pretty easily. That can come in handy!
- He's still not sure he likes "tummy time." We'll keep working on that.
And a parting shot for today...

Chilaxin with Dad

2010-04-08T13:24:00.002-04:00

Our Little Jokester is Here!

2010-04-02T21:07:00.004-04:00

Well, Edwin Daniel arrived bright and early on April 1, 2010. He arrive at 2:15 a.m. on Thursday - his due date.

Here are a few birth story details, if you're interested.

Because of some high blood pressure, I was induced on Wednesday, the 31st. I was really hoping to go into labor naturally and was actually contracting (no discomfort, however) regularly when we went to the hospital at 6 a.m. I was 2-3 cm dilated and about 80% effaced at this point - a good start
My midwife broke my water around 11 a.m. and uncomfortable contractions started about an hour or so later. This is me in the early stages - before contractions got really tough.
After getting to 4 cm and remaining there for a number of hours, the pitocin was started (cringe) at a low dose. That got things moving along (and tough!), but I wasn't fully dilated until midnight.
Then, finally, it was time to push, although I'd had a number of contractions shortly before that where my body just wanted to bear down!

Then, finally, after 2 hours and 15 minutes of pushing my 8 lbs., 13 oz. boy was born.

I got to hold him briefly right after birth, but because he was so calm and didn't cry much, they nurse took him to make sure he was breathing okay. He pinked up and it wasn't long before I got to hold him again.

A few interesting tidbits about my labor and delivery:
- I did it naturally as far as pain meds go - no epidural! It was a goal of mine to have a natural labor, and although I didn't go into labor totally naturally, I did "manage the pain" naturally!
- I had a mirror positioned at the end of the bed during the pushing stage so that I could see the progress. And I got to touch the top of Edwin's head as I was in between pushes.
- A birth ball was a wonderful tool early on in labor and I made use of it for a number of hours
- I ended up with a small episiotomy because Edwin's head was in the birth canal so long and some of my tissue just wasn't stretching. Did I mind when the doctor finally decided to make a small cut? NOT AT ALL! I was ready to meet my son!
- Labor lasted 14.25 hours - including the pushing.
- Edwin was 8 lbs, 13 oz., 21.5 inches long.

Almost Due

2010-03-27T14:43:00.002-04:00

Here I am at 39.5 weeks. Our little Hessling is due this coming Thursday.

I think I look tired in this picture. That's because I really do need to go and take a nap. I got about 5 hours of sleep last night. I was awake for about 2 hours in the early morning. This seems to be a new habit of my body. I would like to get one more full nights sleep before the baby arrives. But, in the meantime, I will be enjoying my afternoon naps!

Pregnancy Randomness

2010-03-24T22:29:00.003-04:00

Today I substituted for the last time this year. I figure since tomorrow is a week until the due date, now is a good time to stop. Subbing has been a good experience for me. (That has been due, in large part, to the two schools I limited myself to.) Today I subbed at the school where I was a long-term Kindergarten sub before Christmas. It was fun to eat lunch with the teachers again and catch up. And you know, I really like the attention that comes with being pregnant. It makes me feel so special.

A sister of one of those Kindergarteners (and a student who was in one of the classes I subbed in) told me she'd be a willing baby-sitter, if ever I need one. And you know what? She's some one I'd thought of already. Aside from being one of the nicest girls, she also lives about 2 blocks from us and has baby-sitting experience. This might work out very nicely!

Yesterday I had 3 fun conversations with 3 different women, and all the conversations began because they commented on or ask about my pregnancy. I love this about being pregnant. I didn't like the random guy who struck up a conversation on the bus the other day, however. That was awkward.

If I was giving a prize to the first stranger who touched my belly it would go to a little boy at the post office. It took me off-guard, but I was okay with it. I can handle children touching my belly.

I can hardly believe there is a little person inside me that would live just fine if he was born now.

We still need to put the car seat base in the car.

Nursery Tour

2010-03-20T19:28:00.008-04:00

Welcome to our vintage nursery! Would you like a tour? Here you go...

Closet door and some little shelves. (No, we aren't having a girl, but that little white dress is just too cute to put away.)
And moving on to the right, the view when you first walk in the room.This is the view opposite the window. You can see the shelves Dan hung today. That changing table is the one Dan's diapers were changed on...like father, like son, I suppose. (And just as an interesting side note, the changing table was purchased with green stamps and used for 3 of Dan's cousins and his 3 nieces and nephews, as well!)
And now for a few close-ups...

First we have some pillows made with vintage linens.
A close-up of the book shelf which contains some toys as well.
And I just had to show you my first pair of shoes!
This is a shelf which belonged to my paternal grandmother. Aside from some practical things on it, there are a few vintage decorations.

Some old books I found along with Dan's first pair of baby shoes. Our baby is bound to have blond or red hair, so I thought these were fitting!
A small cup which belonged to my paternal grandfather. It says "baby" on it.
And a knit sweater, cap and bootie set that were Dan's.
Here's that vintage changing table again. Filled with diapers and other necessities. See that pot on the top?

It's an old potty! (I cleaned it out and wiped it with alcohol, so don't be grossed out!)
And we can't forget blankets. The bright one in the front is the Amish-style baby quilt Dan's mom made. I'll have to show it completely in another post - it's beautiful.
And some receiving blankets and burp cloths, all ready for use beside the rocking chair.
Oh, and here are my hospital bags. Kind of looks like I'm going to the beach...

Now all we need is BABY!

Pregnancy

2010-03-15T14:14:00.002-04:00

I've been pondering my pregnancy these days. I'm near the end, and I have yet to get to the point where I am sick of being pregnant. It seems to be something most pregnant women experience, and I'm still waiting for it to happen for me. Perhaps that means I have a while to go yet... Either way, I thought I'd share some of my thoughts about my pregnancy experience.

I have really enjoyed being pregnant. Physically, I've felt great most of the time. I had about 4 days of nausea early on and a few days when I liked the smell of tomatoes even less than normal (Unfortunately, it happened to be tomato canning season during that time). I was not working full time during the 1st or 3rd trimester, so I've had plenty of time to rest, if needed. I think that made a huge difference.

Towards the end of pregnancy, some of my muscles have been more achy than usual, but I think that's par for the course. When I was newly pregnant I had a conversation with a friend who was also pregnant at the time. Something she said has stuck with me, and I'm keeping it as a motto. She said (and I'm paraphrasing) she likes to savor being pregnant because she doesn't know how much longer she'll be pregnant or if she'll get to be pregnant again. I liked that. Another friend of mine referred to carrying a baby as an honor. That also stuck with me. It really is. So, it's been encouraging for me to think of pregnancy in those ways. Granted, I know I've had a pretty easy time of it overall, and that makes it easier to enjoy.

I've also enjoyed being pregnant from a social point of view. When I'm shopping or running errands, it's fun to have some one strike up a conversation with me because they see I'm pregnant. And surprisingly, I've not had any strangers try to touch my belly or tell me terrible birth stories.

My only real stress has come from my own fears about delivering in a hospital and realizing how much is out of my control. And the high blood pressure that seemed to accompany those fears. I've had some high b.p. when at my prenatal appointments anytime I'm nervous or worried, and it kind of created a vicious cycle of worry and fear. At this point, all is well. (And I don't need to face induction for high blood pressure - my midwife had my b.p. monitored for about 2 hours last week and it was completely normal - so I've been given the "all clear". Whew.)

So I'm thankful for the experience I'm having. It's been teaching me a lot about myself.

But I am ready to meet this little guy. I hope he doesn't wait too long to join us.

Last Year

2010-03-13T18:36:00.007-05:00

Capenta (fish) and potatoes - to be eaten with Nsima (corn meal)

I've been reminiscing lately and thinking about our 6 week stay in rural Zambia last year. A friend of ours is currently there doing the same type of medical rotation that Dan did. While Dan worked in the hospital in Macha, Zambia, I volunteered at a local primary school and took care of things around the house. I thought I'd share a few pictures that illustrated some of my experiences (so you won't have to see any gory medical pictures!). Enjoy.

Laundry by hand. This was my first attempt. I later moved to doing any laundry on the back porch. Plus, I received lessons in hand washing techniques from one of my (11 year old) students. I didn't do all our laundry on my own. We had some "house help" who did at least a "load" a week. It was all by hand, so having help was wonderful!

The local library. I had some time to read, so I would bike here and check out one book at a time.

Here's what part of my path to school looked like (the rest was a wider dirt road - this was a little shortcut).
And here's what I looked like. What you can't see is the awesome pink bike I used to travel the 2.5 kilometers each way.

I taught sewing at the primary school, among other things. Here were three of my youngest students. Even the Kindergarten students did their own hand-sewing!
And here are four of the proudest boys - they loved the bags they made. I had a lot of fun teaching such willing, eager students!
After school, it wasn't uncommon to have some visitors.
We had an informal crochet club.
And some kids learned to play "Dutch Blitz."

37 weeks (aka FULL TERM)

2010-03-11T19:15:00.003-05:00

Well, the baby can come at any time. He's now considered "full term." Here are a few statistics.

When I measured my "waist" at 30 weeks, it was 40 inches. I measured it today, and it's 42 inches.

I had an ultrasound almost 3 weeks ago, and the sonographer estimated the baby's weight at 5 lbs, 11 oz. So if he's gaining the standard amount (1/2 lb. a week) he's a little over 7 lbs. by now and on track to be over 8 lbs. by my due date.

Eight pound babies are average for my family, so I've been expecting that, but I certainly hope he doesn't get too much bigger than that. However, I also don't think those estimations are something to be scared of. It's an estimation after all. Plus, I'm trusting that my body will not grow a baby bigger than what it can deliver. Additionally, I'm trying to keep tabs on my diet - trying to avoid too many fatty, sugary and refined carbohydrate type foods. Hmm, I was thinking of eating some ice cream tonight. Maybe I'll just have a spoonful...?

2010-03-08T18:36:00.005-05:00

Let me tell you why Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) teachers - specifically the ones I worked with up until this year - are the best.

1. They drove at least 1.5 hours to come to my baby shower.
2. They still consider me an honorary member of the department (at least, that's how I feel).
3. We ate lunch together every day and got along better than any other FACS department.
4. We take a day trip to the beach each summer to visit another former department member.
5. When you get gifts from a FACS teacher, there's a good chance one of the gifts will be homemade.

Although I didn't get to spend lots of time talking with you all, it meant a lot that you came to the shower. THANK YOU!

Exchange

2010-03-04T11:30:00.003-05:00

We got this:

in exchange for this:

A good trade, wouldn't you say?

A First

2010-03-01T09:43:00.003-05:00

So today I did something I've never done before. I entered to win a give-away on another blog called "Cute.... Covered." It's all about dressing modestly and has a lot of great links for modest clothing retailers. This world of give-aways is new to me, but since I love free things (and I like what's being offered on this blog!) I thought I'd take my chances.

This isn't just any random blog I stumbled across; it's kept by a high school classmate of mine (and actually the first and only person I ever skipped class with - do you remember that, Jena??). I found her blog through another classmate's blog. Oh, the world of blogging - it's lots of fun!

Don't forget to check out her site HERE!

Green Thumb

2010-02-28T07:57:00.007-05:00

(Above: mid- Summer 06 or 07, Baltimore)

It's that time of year. I found myself thinking about gardening this morning. Specifically, sad that I would miss the growth of the perennials I planted in our Baltimore backyard and trying to decide what flowers to plant here and how best to use our small gardening space. Anyone have experience with "verticlal gardening"?

When we were rehabbing our Baltimore rowhouse, we took a break from indoor work in the spring so that we could focus on the backyard. We had room for a little yard, flowers and vegetables. It was the perfect size, in some way. We didn't spend lots and lots of time doing tedious yard work (no huge yard that had to be mowed again), but we had enough to feel connected to nature and creation.

Above - Digging in Spring 08, Baltimore
Below - bird's eye view from the kitchen roof, late summer 08, Baltimore

Each year I would rearrange the perennials I had. Somehow we worked it out that Dan took care of planning the vegetable garden and I puttered around with the flowers. A great arrangement.

Last year we moved in June, so I got to watch my perennials grow and I filled pots with flowers and herbs and brought them along. We planted a little vegetable garden in our new place.

Now I find myself trying to plan in a new space. We have less growing space, so I'll have to use more pots. Plus, some of the ones (see below) I had put in the front of the house were stolen, so I'm trying to decide what to put there. I'm thinking a really BIG pot that is so HEAVY no one can just walk away with it or quickly load it into a car!

Age Expectations

2010-02-23T18:09:00.004-05:00

December 31, 2004

I subbed at a local school today and a conversation with my co-teacher prompted my thinking about age and the expectations we have for ourselves at certain ages. We were talking about marriage and children, and she mentioned that she and her husband got married young. She's is currently 25, so I was curious what "young" meant. She said 23.

That began a discussion of what is considered "young" or "old" in relation to getting married and having children, because where I grew up, 23 isn't young at all - it's a pretty average age for marriage.

If you had told me when I was 15 that I would get married at 25 and have my first child at almost 31, my jaw would have dropped, and I probably would have wondered what was wrong with me.

Coming from Lancaster County, it's not strange for people to marry in their early 20s (and I'm sure some of you have parents who weren't even 20 when they got married!) and to begin a family by their mid-twenties. It's what I expected I'd do. So when I turned 23, I remember having to process the fact that I wasn't married yet and it didn't look like I would be for a few years at least. And putting off childbearing until age 30?? That was definitely something I had to wrap my mind around as well.

Living elsewhere opened my eyes to the fact that a lot of people consider the early and mid-twenties "too young" to get married. A number of these people were pursuing graduate degrees and focused on that, although many were working full-time jobs, but just don't see themselves as "old enough." And just for the record, in Lancaster, attending college doesn't necessarily mean you wait until your mid-twenties to marry. I know couples who got married in the middle of their undergraduate college education. No big deal!

I understand this mindset, but I will forever be influenced by my Lancaster County Mennonite upbringing where it's a perfectly acceptable and good thing to marry "young." Because of that, however, I can't help feeling at times that I'm incredibly "behind" most of my Lancaster counterparts because I'm just now having my first (as opposed to my 2nd, 3rd, 4th or even 5th!).

I wonder what else will turn out to be different than my expectations?

Motivation

2010-02-20T20:32:00.003-05:00

I only enjoy projects when I'm motivated to do them. I guess that makes sense, right? Usually when I know I need to do something I become motivated to do it (worked well in college, at least. doesn't always work with laundry and cleaning for some reason).

I had decided earlier in my pregnancy that I would prepare things as I felt motivated, kind of trusting my instincts to let me know when it was time to get something ready. I think it's worked pretty well so far. The nursery is mostly ready - just waiting for the rest of the items we'll receive at baby showers (thanks in advance, everyone!). I'm now working on preparing some meals that I'll store in the freezer for after the baby is born and don't want to think about cooking. I have a few unnecessary baby-related projects just waiting for when I'm motivated to work on them.

However, one of the projects I HAVE been motivated to work on recently doesn't have a definite connection to baby preparation. I've been rummaging through my fabric scraps, determined to decrease my store. Here are some of the results. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of them yet...

Here's the inside of one, just so you can see the cute lining fabric.

Simple Joys

2010-02-18T20:44:00.004-05:00

I thought I'd show you a few things that make me smile.

First: The "to do" list above.

Second: Natural peanut butter we buy in bulk from a little Amish grocery store in Lancaster. (Sadly, this container is empty, which means we need more.)

Third: Homemade pancake mix found in the "More With Less" cookbook. I discovered this recipe while in Zambia last year and decided it's better than the commercial mixes. (Whole wheat flour too!)

Fourth: Coordinated tote bags made with "scraps" of fabric I wanted to use up.

And we can't forget this one: The basketball I have hiding under my shirt.

Snowy Days

2010-02-08T10:15:00.005-05:00

I guess it's only fitting that I post some pictures of our neighborhood covered in snow. Dan and I usually like to take a walk on days that snow. This time we waited until it was done snowing, so we didn't have to walk with snow blowing in our faces. It was kind of festive being out and about in the neighborhood because so many people were out shoveling. I also ran into some kids I taught at a local school while doing a long-term sub stint last month and learned that they live just a couple blocks away from us. That was a cozy experience. I like knowing the people who live near me.

Our lovely space-age car.

Our street: plowed, but treacherous. Stay away from the gray areas.

I love the icicles hanging from these eaves.

A little snow creature we met on our walk.

Yes, that is Dan's motorcycle buried in the alley. He decided not to take it to work last night.

Tidbits

2010-02-07T12:31:00.006-05:00

Last weekend Dan and I finally painted the nursery, which meant we could finally start setting it up. Dan assembled crib and we moved in the other furniture (changing table & rocking chair)
I thought I'd show you a few of the items that will be in the nursery. When it's all arranged and set up, I'll post more pictures. Meanwhile, here are a few "tidbits."

This rug was originally going to be for the guest room until I realized that the colors would go perfectly with the nursery colors. So I made it larger than planned. I love it.
A little lamp I found at Goodwill. I covered the shade with fabric and ribbon that I also used in the curtains and crib skirt.An antique (or at least vintage) shelf that used to belong to my grandmother. It'll hang near the changing table.
The vintage changing table. My mother-in-law used this when Dan was a baby. We gave the baskets a new coat of paint, polished the chrome legs, and reupholstered the top. It's covered in clear plastic, hence the wavy reflection of light on the newly painted walls above it.

A plethora of photos and frames. We'll see if I get around to hanging them. This is the last thing I usually do when it comes to interior decorating. It's just not high-priority for me!

And here, a mirror, antique potty and cup that says "baby." You can see a peek of the curtain fabric in the mirror reflection.