It Goes So Quickly...

And now he's two months old...

Worth Your Time

As I sit here looking around the kitchen with dishes piled on the counter, the remnants of today's lunch preparation (bread, peanut butter, jam) still sitting out, the floor that needs to be swept and mopped, the dishwasher that needs unloading... I feel a little stressed. I feel as though I will never catch up. Because the kitchen is sort of the least of what I need to take care of today.
After a morning of my two-month-old needing to be fed and cuddled, and helped to sleep... and my two-year-old laying on the floor sobbing despondently because all he wants is for Daddy to hold him, and Daddy is at work... I wonder if I'll make it. Whew. There are days, and there are days. I am not the only person who has ever felt like this, I know.
Instead of cleaning the kitchen, doing the laundry, emptying wastebaskets and vacuuming carpets while the two boys are both finally (blessedly) sleeping, I hopped onto my reader and checked out what is going on in the blogosphere. And I found this post at my fabulous sister-in-law's blog, which led me to Laurel's blog (who is my sister-in-law's sister-in-law and who I have always admired, though she doesn't know that). And can I just say to each of the excerpts from her new book: Amen and amen. I am excited to read her book -- mostly because who doesn't need a little reminder now and again of these simple truths? I certainly needed it today.

I especially like the quote about individual worth -- because I needed to be reminded of that today. My house will get cleaned, my children cared for -- and that is my purpose right now, my divine mission, is to care for my family. What I do has lasting value.


Here's a place to pre-order if you're interested. And you should be. I think it's going to be fantastic! Here are the excerpts:

FAITH
"The reality is that faith isn’t about me. It’s about Him. And the Lord Jesus Christ has a pretty impeccable past record…not just in my life but in the countless lives and experiences of God’s children. That is why if my faith is really centered in HIM, then I’m always okay. Always."

DIVINE NATURE
"Regardless of who your parents are or how they have chosen to raise you, you have inherited qualities from your Heavenly Parents that are 'in your blood.' It's just who you are."

INDIVIDUAL WORTH
"Trust that God has a divine mission waiting for you and JUST for you. Trust that He, even now, is orchestrating details of your life to help you fulfill what you were sent to this earth to perform."

KNOWLEDGE
"The most important knowledge you will gain in this life will be the knowledge that is put into your heart and your mind through life's experience by the power of the Holy Ghost."

CHOICE & ACCOUNTABILITY
"Every choice has a consequence. But, the Lord loves you enough and trusts you enough to let YOU choose throughout your life. And a daughter of God who understands who she is has the power within her to make good choices and then gets to enjoy the consequences of those choices."

GOOD WORKS
"One of the characteristics of God's daughters is that we have a natural inclination to nurture other people. We want to love them and serve them and help them. It's one of my favorite things about being a girl. And it's one of the things that makes a girl beautiful."

INTEGRITY
"That is the epitome of integrity--not simply acting right when you have the chance to act wrong, but acting right when you have the chance to act...right."

VIRTUE
"The culminating experience for a daughter of God who lives the values is being as close as possible to her Father in Heaven and to her Savior as she enters the doors of God's Holy House--the temple."

On the right track

Zak was reading the Ensign the other morning while eating breakfast and he walked out of the kitchen for a minute. When he came back in, this is what he found.
Notice that in each of these pictures, there are different pages showing. Per was reading.

I love that he loves to read!

Tripp's First Official Bath

We can't leave Trippton out of the "first official" posts. He had his first real bath (as opposed to sponge baths) the other day. He was actually pretty good about it and didn't cry too much.
This is the post-bath picture. I have a picture of Per wearing this same outfit on this same couch, but he was doing bunny hands and frog legs in it. Tripp is all about stretching out and taking up space. No curling up into a tiny ball for him. He is a good little baby!

This is the closest he gets to curling up. I thought this was really cute.

Okay, seriously.

So Per has been needing a haircut for a while. We knew this. It's really cute when his hair is freshly washed and dried, but after he's slept on it... it gets a little crazy.
Plus, it was always hanging in his eyes and bugging him. So we decided this last Saturday to do something about it.

Per was not impressed with the spray bottle of water. This is the only picture that shows that I was present for the event. Look right above Zak's left hand. Or right below Per's left arm. That's me. And Tripp.
Per felt a little more confident once Grandma took over the process. But he still needed Daddy to hold him. He will always be a Daddy's boy, which I think is great.

Add in an Otter Pop, and the whole process actually becomes fun. Look at that cute face.

Per has recently mastered the "thumbs up" and is very proud of his accomplishment. What a cute little guy!
For those of you wondering if he still has a mullet, the answer is ... yes. Sadly (for me), yes. Zak's response to this is: "His mullet is the coolest thing since fried rice." I am obviously not up on what's cool, as I was totally unaware that fried rice falls into that category. Whatev. In a few more days we'll cut off the mullet and he will have a normal haircut.

Per's First Official Haircut

One of these things is not like the other...

mul~let (mŭl'ĭt)

n.

1. pl. mullet or mul~lets

a. Any of various stout-bodied, edible fishes of the family Mugilidae, found worldwide in tropical and temperate coastal waters and some freshwater streams. Also called gray mullet.

b. The red mullet.

2. A hairstyle that is formed by cutting the hair short on the top and sides allowing it to grow longer in back.

Tripp's First Few Days

Trippton and his cousin Seth. Seth is two and a half months older than Tripp. See how fast they grow? I think it's funny that they are both looking the same direction. Must've been something interesting over there.

Tripp on the Bilibed. He was pretty okay with it during the day, but the nights were another story. We are soooo glad that he's off those lights.
What can I say? I love these two boys.
Per loves his little brother. He is always asking to kiss Baby. He can't say Tripp, so he calls him Baby.

So cute!

Introducing Trippton

We are so happy our little guy is here!

There are more pictures on FB, so head over there and take a look.

And naturally, many more pictures will follow as life settles down and we get back to some semblance of a routine.

Tripp has been on the bili lights for the last several days, so sleep at night has been pretty impossible. (Though here I should give Zak credit: he has stayed up with Tripp for the last few nights and only woken me up when he needed to be fed. Zak is a champion!) He was finally taken off the lights yesterday and last night we all got a good (for a newborn) amount of sleep. He is already so much fun as he becomes more alert and Per loves him a lot, despite the few incidents of hitting/kicking/etc that have occured since we brought Tripp home.

We sure love our boys!

My Current Reading List

In anticipation of the blessed event, I find that I am having trouble with any really deep subjects or books that are terribly complex. I am therefore shamelessly resorting to some fluff reading. The first two books I checked out based on the fact that Maggie Stiefvater has them on her Goodreads shelf and gave them good reviews. The last one I just picked up randomly. I have read a few others of Alyson Noel's books and liked them okay. I'll let you know how they turn out!

Waiting

Yep, this is my left foot. I know that I am in dire need of a pedicure. Can't reach 'em to do a pedicure. Sorry if anyone is grossed out. It's here as proof that even though I can't see my feet anymore, the sun still can. Also, you can see that the only shoes I can wear are flip-flops. Nothing else fits anymore.

Um, besides, who wants belly pictures of a nine-months-pregnant woman? That's so last week.
We are down to the last few days before our boy makes his highly anticipated arrival. I am alternately excited and freaked out. Excited for obvious reasons, freaked out because I am a bit nervous about the switch from one child to two. Also because I had such a long labor with Per and am not sure what to expect with this second boy. I am hoping very much that this labor and delivery will be shorter for lots of reasons.
I had a list of numbers that I was going to share. Things like exactly how many days are left til my due date, how large the fetal girth is (has any other pregnant woman actually measured her "waist" size?? DON'T do it, it will not be helpful), my current weight... But seriously, who really needs to know those things? And really, I was never going to share my weight with you. Let's be serious here. The important thing is that I am feeling really good (compared to how I could be feeling) and still usually have enough energy to do the things I need to do, and even some of the things I want to do. So I think things are pretty good, all things considered.
Here's hoping this babe comes soon!

Yet more crafties...

I made this pillowcase for Per in preparation for his eventual move to a big boy bed. I am still perfectly happy to have him in his crib, as he cannot get out of bed by himself (nor has he tried, thank goodness). He loves the animals and tractors on the pillowcase. He likes to sit on pillows. Obviously. I love the expression on his face in this picture. He really, really, really loves the book The Wheels on the Bus. It's a Raffi sing-along book. Definitely one of his current faves.

This is a bag made from this tutorial. It's made from a pattern that comes directly from a plastic shopping bag. It was pretty quick to make and is really handy for trips to the library. One day I might get ambitious and make a whole bunch of bags so that I can stop using plastic and paper at the grocery store. That's the goal. But for now, baby steps.

The beautiful interior of the bag. It has a handy pocket on the outside which can be used to fold the bag into for easy storage and/or transportation. Right now that's where I keep my library card when I make trips to the library. Like I said, very handy. Especially as many maternity clothes do not have pockets.

This is a bag I made from a pattern borrowed from Barb. I love the fabric on this one! It's from JoAnn and I think it's part of the Heidi Grace quilting collection. The red with white polka dots is not, but the other two fabrics used are. I love the way this bag turned out.

I especially like the flower on this one. I used pinking shears to cut out the fabric to give it a shabby look that will be less prone to fraying.

This is my latest bag, made from Simplicity 2685, which I got on sale at JoAnn for $1 recently. I had no idea when I bought the pattern what fabric I was going to use, but I had purchased this Moda print from the Tweet Tweet collection just prior to the pattern purchase and decided it would be perfect. I really love the way this bag turned out!

It's a little hard to see, but there are pleats in front and back. And I love the oversized button! Even if I did have to sew it on by hand because my machine doesn't have a zig-zag stitch wide enough. The pattern calls for you to use a heavy canvas or duck cloth as interfacing. I decided to use Thermolam instead and forgo the duck cloth since I didn't have any, and I did have Thermolam. I also added several pockets on the interior for my cell phone, pens/pencils, etc. in addition to the one zipper pocket that is original to the pattern. Zak calls this purse a suitcase, and I admit, it is on the large side. But I think it's wonderful! I love having so much space. I can throw so much STUFF in there... and often do so.

I'm not sure why this picture is oriented weird. I didn't take it this way. And I'm too hot and tired to try to figure out how to switch the orientation. Anyway, this is my little list-taker that I made to match the purse. I haven't been too matchy-matchy with most of the bags I have made recently and have just kept using my old list-taker til now, but as I will soon be coming up on an event that will severely curtail my sewing time (welcome though the event will be), I decided to make a new list-taker to match my new favorite bag.

Here's an interior shot that shows all my little pockets. This is SO handy for grocery shopping, or any other kind of shopping, for that matter. I keep a small legal pad and pen in there, and have pockets for coupons and other papers that I need to carry around with me but that I don't want to get all crushed and bent in my bag. This was the first time I did anything fancy on the outside (adding the rick rack was much simpler than I thought it would be) and it's also the first time I used a small magnetic closure instead of velcro. I LOVE the magnetic closure, and it was actually a lot easier to put in than said velcro. All in all, I am very happy with my little list-taker.

I have done several other sewing projects that are not pictured here, simply because I didn't take pictures. I made a baby shower gift for a girl in my ward who is due a week after me -- it was burp cloths with fabric and ribbon sewn on. They turned out really cute, and I'm sad that I forgot to take a picture before I gave the gift. I've also made a few changing table covers (our plastic pad on our changing table barely made it through Per... we needed something to put on it so that it can hopefully make it through this next little guy), and some flannel liners for Per's cloth diapers. I have found that having the liners in each diaper makes cleaning up poopy diapers MUCH easier. So. Those are my recent crafties. I have lots of ideas for things that I plan to make. Those things will probably be made over a longer period of time after the baby is born. I'm always looking for new projects!

I'm being told by people that I should start an Etsy shop. Yes? No? Are the things you see on my blog things that people would want to buy? I have a few ideas for patterns that I want to design. Give me some feedback, please!

Smoothie Boy

I made blackberry freezer jam a few weeks ago. We had a little of the puree left, so I made a blackberry smoothie to share with Per.

He really enjoyed it. I mostly like how it's dripping down his nose due to his enthusiastic drinking.

Also, this may not be obvious to anyone who doesn't know already, but Per has been sitting in a booster seat for a few weeks now. He had no problem saying goodbye to the high chair and hello to a little more freedom with the booster chair. He loves it! I find him putting toys on the table and then he'll climb up into the chair and sit and play there quite happily. It's fun to see him growing up!

I Just Finished...

Still a green smoothie boy

Clearly, Per still enjoys his green smoothies.
Drinking from a big boy cup requires intense concentration.

Sometimes it's easier just to dip the hand in and lick off the hand. Mmmmm.

Paper Bag Superhero

I can't take credit for this idea. It was all Zak.
This is a face Per has started to pull recently. It's pretty cute.

And when playtime is over... simply discard unwanted costume.

Nesting = Sewing

Apparently instead of nesting during the end of this pregnancy, I have found a need to sew instead. Which is its own form of nesting, I guess. Here are some of the many projects I have been working on over the last few months. I'll warn you in advance, this is a R-E-A-L-L-Y long post. Sorry 'bout that.

A nursing cover. I wished for one of these when I had Per, but didn't think about making one. This time around I found a tutorial, made several changes and (I think) improvements to the design, and here is my version. Voila!
This is a chew blanket/woobie for our new little boy. My wonderful mother-in-law bought this kit, which is just the minky, fabric, and pre-sewn binding, and I put it together. It's a good size, too, 30x30, which is the standard size of most receiving blankets. Perfect for a little guy. And yeah, there are lots of pinks in the paisley, but there's nothing wrong with pink for a boy blanket, right? Right.

This is a baby sling I made for fun. I am not sure if it will see much use, as I have an Ergo baby carrier and really love it. The only reason I couldn't use the Ergo right away after having Per was because I was still... ahem... a little bit too large to buckle the strap around my waist after giving birth. This time, I ordered a waist extension that will take care of that problem. But I thought this little sling might be nice for church. It's made from McCall's M5678.
This is a wet bag that I made, based on one that I was given. A wet bag? Yep. For cloth diapering. We are switching to cloth for our new baby, and probably for Per as well if he takes to it okay. The wet bag is a convenient place to store your wet/dirty diapers while away from home or until you can get them washed if you don't have immediate access to your diaper pail. Putting in the zipper was a bit challenging, since it has been quite a long time since I did anything with sewing zippers, but I think it turned out okay. In case anyone is curious, we are starting off with bumGenius 3.0 one size diapers, which come in a lovely array of non-girly colors, and seem to be one of the easiest systems, at least for us, since we will probably have two boys in them at least for a while. The adjusting from one size to the next is as simple as snapping a couple of snaps and using an extra insert for the older child.

This is a fleece blanket that I sewed satin binding on. It was sort of an adventure and I'm not really pleased with the final outcome, but it will serve its purpose as a blanket just fine. My perfectionist tendencies have to take a back seat to practicality sometimes. It was simply not practical to hand-sew this binding, which is the only method that would have produced my desired result. It's cozy, though, and I think it's pretty cute.
Ah. The clothing. Let me just make a disclaimer right now. I have never been good at sewing clothing. Even my first attempts as a budding seamstress under the tutelage of my mom were never very spectacular. But maternity clothes are really expensive. And I have a big stash of fabric that my mom sent me, and a few patterns that I wanted to try. So... this was my first attempt at a maternity dress. It's actually from McCall's M5640, and just made in a size that is larger than I'd normally wear. I made some modifications (always a bit tricky) that made me feel like I wasn't wearing a mu-mu. I put in the strip of fabric under the bustline and put in ties in the side seams so that I could pull it snug and show off that lovely baby bump. Maybe I'll get Zak to take a picture of me actually wearing one or more of the clothing items.... and maybe I won't.
I know, I know. This looks more like a MoTab choir robe than a dress. It's actually a nursing gown, made from Kwik Sew 3327. I wanted something to wear in the hospital and those first few days home that would be completely comfortable, but still modest. Let's face it, hospital gowns are just not modest. You have to keep pulling up and adjusting and hoping you're not flashing anyone. Hence, the choir robe. It may not be the prettiest article of clothing, but it's very comfortable and keeps me covered. Best of all, there is easy nursing access via two slits that are covered by the fabric tucks in the front. I added snaps to the bottom area of the slits in order to further preserve modesty. I have another one of these cut out and waiting to be sewn in a lighter pointelle knit fabric that has a pattern. I think/hope it will turn out to be a little more attractive than this little number.

This one is also from McCall's M5640, and I made modifications to this one also in order to make it a nursing dress. Where the strip of fabric lays, there is actually a line of snaps that keeps it in place while not nursing, and there are ties in the side seams to give a little shape to it. The bodice is two layers of fabric, with slits cut for nursing access. Did I mention that this is made from a fitted twin-size sheet that I bought at the DI and that I have curtains hanging in my front room from the flat sheet? I like it anyway.

This is from the same pattern as above, but it is the blouse version rather than the dress. This was the first one I made, so I followed the pattern exactly. It turned out fairly well for what it's meant to be - a maternity top - but the fabric that I used is too sheer for it to be worn alone. It was $1.50 a yard from JoAnn's red tag apparel aisle. And I didn't have the courage to even put in ties in the side seams, so it sort of just hangs. But it's functional and has definitely served its purpose by familiarizing me with the pattern. I have one more top/bottom combination in the works using this pattern. It's going to be pajamas to take to the hospital, with a top that ties back so that there's easier nursing access. I just need to get the pattern pieces cut out and sewn.

Back to some fun things. I made this purse over General Conference weekend. Well, really just through the first session on Saturday morning. It came together really quickly and I love it! It has three inside pockets as well as the front pocket on the outside, so it's convenient for stashing stuff. Plus, it's pretty roomy, so it's easy to throw in my stuff, plus snacks and a sippy cup for Per when we are heading out the door. I will definitely be making another purse from this pattern. (It was a pattern I borrowed from my MIL, and can be found here.)

This is my new church bag. This pattern (another borrowed from Barb -- thanks, you are the best!) was pretty hard to follow and had all this nonsense about freezer paper in it... which I just ignored. I made a couple of small modifications, such as lengthening the straps, adding an extra three pockets inside, and shortening the length of the two gathered strips of fabric from 36" to 30", because that was all I had left in these fabrics. I think it turned out really cute!

This was one of my first attempts at quilting that didn't involve sewing a straight line the whole way. Obviously, it's made up of straight lines, and required a lot of stopping and starting, but I think it's kind of a fun design!

So. There are several of the projects I've been working on. I also made a car organizer from Craft Apple that is currently in the car, which is at work with Zak. Hence, no pictures today. But maybe I will get some taken and post them later. This pattern was pretty easy to follow and though the Peltex 71 was sort of a pain to work with (as far as rolling and folding it to get it under the sewing machine), it gives the organizer a really nice shape. I was really pleased with the final result, and love that Per's books and toys, extra diapers, wipes, and the random box of tissues we keep in the car are no longer floating about the backseat of the car, but rather nicely put away in my lovely little organizer.

I finished a pair of fabric washable nursing pads the other day, too, which I don't have a picture of either. I found the tutorial here and followed it exactly. I had some PUL on hand for the wet bag and for the diaper pail liner that has yet to be made. I also bought hemp fleece and bamboo velour specifically for this project. I really like the way the nursing pads turned out, and will be making a few more sets so that I have extras between washings. Last time around I used Lansinoh nursing pads and loved them, but they are $8-9 for a box of 60. If you are going to use disposable nursing pads, these are definitely the ones I would recommend. I think that these fabric nursing pads will be a less expensive option (and far more comfortable one -- have you ever felt bamboo velour?? SOOO soft!) in the long run.

Congratulations!! You made it to the end of the post. I have loved making all of these things... well, most of them, though there were moments that made me feel a bit sweary (not that I actually swore, mind you). I have had a really hard time finding maternity/nursing clothing patterns, so if anyone has any recommendations, I would really appreciate it! Though, with new baby's arrival coming soon (in the next 47 days or sooner, not that I'm counting or anything), I am not sure I'll need maternity clothes too much longer. But there may be another baby in a couple of years, and it never hurts to be prepared. Thanks for hanging in there with me on this post! I'll try to be a little more regular about posting my crafties so that we don't wind up with a super-long post like this one in the future. No promises, though. With a new baby coming soon, it's probably pretty unlikely. Happy sewing!