I forgot.

In the time it’s been since we had a newborn in the house I forgot a lot.

I forgot just how much work it is worrying about them all the time.  And now with 2 kids in the house… double the worry.

I forgot how messy things get and how quickly they get that way.

I forgot HOW MANY TIMES a newborn can want to eat in a day…

and, I forgot to think of those times in terms of bonding time because this little one will surely grow up as quickly as the first one did.

I forgot how many times a day I feel the need to put my hand on his chest or my fingers under his nose, just to be sure he’s still breathing.

I forgot the smell of *baby*.

I forgot how tired I could feel, and how little sleep I would get.

I forgot how small, precious, and lovely a baby is.

 

And now I remember it all.

What we made Monday...

Last week I talked about the things we were making around here and provided some sneak peaks. Today we unveil some finished product.

This applique daschund wraps around the onesie and is accompanied by a reversable bib using a pattern from Bend the Rules Sewing (the other fabric is that same green flower print used in the onesie). There is a burp cloth (not pictured) that is also part of the set. These are Mama Chic Wrist Cuffs made with a pattern from JCasa, fabric from a botched ebay purchase (paid WAY too much for some scraps) and vintage buttons (of which I am amassing a collection).

I also finished the nursing cover up I was working on. No photos yet, so we'll save that share for another day.

Free at last!

I am free! What does that mean? Driving restrictions have been lifted! It means that I can leave the house by myself. I celebrated by running to Sam's Club and Walgreens. Big fun, I know, but after traveling everywhere with Maggie and Kole in tow for 10 days, it was nice to be on my own, if only for an hour or two.

That isn't to say that I'll be galavanting around town, no. It's still a little daunting to think of packing up Maggie and heading out on my own. But it's comforting to know that it's possible. Until I work up the courage to do so, I think we'll keep seeing scenes like this one.

A day of firsts

Yesterday was a big day for Maggie!

**First visit to the pediatrician: she was wonderfully behaved and gained 7 ounces since we left the hospital! Take that nurses who thought we needed to supplement!
**First visitors here at the house.
**First ride in the swing - she's a fan!
**First day we didn't have to wake her for feedings. She slept SO much!

And then there were three

We are finally home! Yesterday marked our 6th and final day in the hospital - yeah! It feels good to be settling into our environment - no checks of vital signs, beeping machines, or well-meaning advice. Just us and a lot of time. Time that will be used to reconnect, snuggle and love each other.

I get teary eyed just thinking about it, but it's a nice change from the pre-birth tears. Don't get me wrong, they're just as frequent and still strike without warning. But these tears are filled with awe, wonder, and love. I never knew life could feel this good, so perfect. I am thankful.

Maggie

After a series of trials and tribulations, she has finally arrived, and she's just wonderful. Maybe those extra 13 days really made a difference! Sweet smell, soft skin, healthy cry, snuggly body...what's not to love?

We're in this for the long haul

No progress as yet. None. Zip. Zero. Consolation? The house is spotless. I'm getting my graduate class on Microsoft PowerPoint finished much more quickly than I thought. We have seen an extra 6-8 movies. Kole is getting better at MarioKart- I'm still terrible. Yet another batch of soup is frozen for 'after baby' (if she EVER comes). Oh, and I am not going to school tomorrow... or the next day.

Patience...still a virtue...

It's just not one that I possess large quantities of! As you may well know, the due date for this little baby has come and gone, and still nothing. And if you've tried to call me in the past few days, I'm sure you were greeted by my cheery voicemail message and not my dreary real live voice. I'm too sad to talk. Another weekend of walking, talking, dreaming about baby, and we're right back here to Monday morning. And instead of cuddling a little bundle of joy in the rocking chair, I'm dressed and ready for yet another day at school where I will face eager groups of students and colleagues who continue to ask, "So, no baby yet?"

Today again I'll have to remind myself to be calm and know that they are excited, too. But really, it makes it so much harder to be constantly asked about something that Kole and I are the MOST excited about and have no control over. I read some online forum postings last night from other women in this situation. They made me laugh (which was needed). I promise, we haven't had a baby and kept her a secret for a few days or weeks. I also promise we'll call, blog, email, and shout from the rooftops when she gets here. In the meantime my phone will stay on mute and we'll just try to take it one day at a time.

Running out of sneak peeks

These are art exercises that my grandfather did when he was in the seventh grade. The idea as he explained it was to draw one line - swirling, curling, whatever, and then go back and look for figures that were created at the intersections of lines and within the shapes they made. These colorful prints have been with me since college, and they've recently found a new home in the baby's room.

I love these not only for the bright colors and imperfect, whimsical forms, but also because they're a link to the past - a reminder of the creative spirit that exists in previous generations. They're inspiring, and they're a happy reminder of someone who's definitely missed.

Sneek Peek 3

Vintage items.

Patience is a virtue

*Sigh* 6:00am on a Sunday. What am I doing here while the boys of the house are still snuggled in upstairs dreaming? I'm doing a little dreaming of my own... of this little girl who seems to already prove to be my daughter.

Anyone who knows me could probably recall a time when I dug my heels in and refused to do something until I was good and ready. Well, I think this little one might have a penchance for that, too. No matter how much I talk to her and try to coax her into meeting us, she isn't ready yet. Kole keeps reminding me that she isn't due until Friday, although weeks ago he predicted that we'd be at the hospital last night and she'd be born today.

I should know better, I suppose. If she takes after either of us in the "getting ready to go" department. It'll be awhile yet. I may, on occasion, accuse Kole of dilly-dallying when it's time to get ready to go somewhere. I however, am worse. Case in point - we have been attending church [kind of] regularly since November, and we plan to go again this morning.

Kole, last night: "I wonder what it would be like to get there on time?"

Kari [shoots him a chagrinned look]

So, I am little slow in the morning... who can blame me? It is embarrassing though, because the church is usually quite full and arriving late entails a parade that last week lead us to the front row (gasp!). Oh, the horror!

A new look : 2

There always seem to be a multitude of projects percolating in the back of my mind. But, I need some sort of push to take action and get started and then another good push to finish. The baby deadline had my sewing maching in high gear over the weekend.
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I hadn't given much thought to the baby coming early. I have had February 6th locked in my mind for the past 38 weeks give or take a few. Until the doctor (and some well-meaning friends and co-workers) pointed it out last week, I hadn't considered the possibility that the baby would be born early, thus thwarting my plans to finish up a few projects around here.
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This lovely rocking chair seemed a steal at $10 last summer. Note the packing tape holding the stuffing in. I was sure that among all the sunny days off, I'd find the time to give it a facelift.

Fast forward 7 months. I drew patterns based on the lovely original cushions and tried to fashion new ones. The batting I chose for the back was too thin, and the seat cushion puckered and pulled. I ruined the fabric originally intended for the project by cutting it before I really knew how I was going to accomplish the task. So, I gave up.
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At the end of last week the realization hit, "Oh my God! There's a baby coming and we have no place to rock her!" My nesting urge kicked into a flurry of activity. New fabric was purchased at a local quilt shop, and said fabric WAS NOT cut until a suitable mock up was completed. See below.After much contemplation and discussion with Kole, I began construction on the real cushions.
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FULL DISCLOSURE: I'm not that skilled on the sewing machine. I abhor following traditional patterns - I am too impatient. (This explains the piles of half-cut pattern pieces stacked in the craft closet.) The pattern for this project was drawn on the back of some Batman wrapping paper. And although the directions were all in my head, the project went more smoothly than I had anticipated.
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5 hours later we arrived at this.

I'm not going to lie - I love it! The fabric has nursery rhyme sayings on it, and the colors mesh well with the decor in the baby's room. What do you think?

Consider us educated

Today marks an important day for us. We have officially finished all the birth and infant related classes at the hospital! I can't say I found some of them thrilling or even all that informative, but we picked up a few tidbits along the way, and I suppose that can't hurt, right? My due date is only 16 days away... suddenly the to-do list seems to be gaining items by leaps and bounds! This can't be it! Are we ready for this?

Preparing

The diapers were washed...

And folded with care...

In hopes that a baby soon would be there!

Happy New Year

We rang in the new year quietly, and in the days since we've had time to reflect a bit on the past year. Besides some great trips, time with friends, and wonderful memories, 2008 also brought promise.

In just a few short weeks we will finally be able to meet the little girl we've been dreaming about for months, and we can hardly wait! We've been busy preparing here at home - there's plenty to wash, fold, put away, assemble or sew. We'll try to share some things with you in the upcoming weeks as this little dream becomes reality.