asteroid B612

More Photobooth photography going. I need new batteries in my camera. So I finished my shirt. I tried to find as flattering a pose as possible, but let's face it, the baby house is still deflating (very! slowly!). I swiped the material from my mom's. It was impulsive after all. It's chocolatey brown, if you can't tell. Seemed kind of fallish. Still not sure about the style, but it's comfy. I wanted to make 3/4 length sleeves, but I didn't envision it right when cutting it out. So I went with what the pattern called for. yes! I used a pattern. shocking. I guess I don't have the bend the rules every time.

The diaper bag scenario is frustrating. These are the options:
* use the stupid Enfamil bag you get when you leave the hospital
* throw it all in the abyss of a tote
* spend a lot of money for something sleak, yet boring, from Babies'R'Us
* spend even more money for something really cool looking

I opted for:
* make your own! just the way you like it!

When I saw the red fabric at Ikea a few months ago, I knew it was for my mom bag. I'm calling it a mom bag, b/c I made it with a long-term view, and it's useful for more than just diapers, ya know.

It's a simple messenger style bag. With just a flap to keep it all together. I don't like to mess with fasteners, which is why I find a tote style bag appealing. But totes just don't work for this purpose right now. Everything sinks to the bottom and that's very annoying.

Here's the bag with the flap up. Lots of nice little compartments easily accessible without having to dig through the bag. Cell phone, pens, small notebook, chapstick, gum, etc.

Inside is a big pocket for a changing pad, which is just an all-purpose waterproof pad that I got at Babies'R'Us. I'd like to make a coordinate backing for it, but we'll see if I have time. I still need to get a toggle button to hold the pocket closed with the loop I already made. It's kind of floppy right now. (I envision this becoming useful for a laptop someday.)

There are three pockets on the other side where I can stash diapers and wipes and whatnot.

Watter bottle or coffee mug holders on each of the ends.

Velcro straps on back to attach a custom food bag I have yet to make. We're always packing peanut butter sandwiches and other snacks, and it gets annoying to have that floating around the main bag.

And I'm all about this: ties at the bottom to attach a rolled up blanket (or wrap!) for further outdoor fun.

And that is my cool new bag. I'm totally basking in its awesomeness!!!

(T minus 5 days 'til vacation!)

Baby shoes for a church shower this evening. The new mom doesn't know if she is having a boy or girl, so I came up with a gender neutral color scheme.

QUACK!

The orange and stripey is Ikea fabric. The top is corduroy and the insides are flannel. Should be nice and cozy for the fall. I'm getting better at these. Sewing a couple of pairs by hand for Marlowe really helped me fine tune my mind around the process.

I'm totally in love with these ducks. The funny thing is that every time I stitched their beaks it felt creepy. I was sewing a mouth! For some reason that felt weird. duck, duck, duck.

Feel the baby pants love! These are so fun and SO EASY and so fast to make. I made this little set for the little girl who was born a week and a half before Marlowe and who shared the baby shower with us last week.

I finished up another pair of baby shoes for the baby. I picked a nautical theme for this pair. I made a skirt last summer out of the same fabric I used for the sole, so, hoping I can squeeze my post-partum self into an elastic-waisted skirt, we may get a little matchiness going. heh.

We love sailboats in this family. Chris and his family have always enjoyed sailing, and growing up, C prowled around nautical museums on family vacations. If the boat is wooden, all the better. One of our first big outings after we started dating was Chris taking me out sailing for the first time in my life. Other memorable sailing occasions include renting a sailboat for an afternoon in Bermuda (our destination for a family cruise that my great-aunt and uncle took us all on) in 2002. We sailed all over finding patches of reef. Then we'd hang over the side of the boat and stick our head in the water with goggles on and snap pics with an underwater camera. Way better than snorkeling. haha! That was so fun! Then, of course, there was the wild ride in a harbor in Maine last summer for E's first sailing experience.

Sailing is great. The thing that strikes me every time we manage to get out on the water is how quiet it is--skimming across the water so noislessly. Occasionally the rush of water adds a little punctuation to the quiet.

Boats are special icons in our family. When I look at sailboats, I think of some really happy times with C and hope for future fun times with our boys.

...while I wait.

I figured that I really ought to make some baby shoes for my own kid. I found this linen in the scraps bin at the fabric store, and it's SO SOFT. I love it!!! I may just start a new affair with linen.

My mom still has my sewing machine, so I hand-stitched these shoes. It actually didn't take very long and has been kind of therapeutic. The onesie is just a simple applique with that awesome applique fusible stuff.

We had a really busy weekend.

First, we got a new camera.

We helped my parents move out of the house they've lived for the past eleven years--the longest they've ever lived in one place. It may also be the most idyllic location they've ever lived in. We're going to miss the cozy fireplace and fun yard. They don't have a new place yet, so put their stuff in storage and will stay with friends while they house hunt in the area.

And we also did a some fun Eastery activities. I dyed eggs with Ellis for the first time. We enjoyed it so much, i felt kind of lame for only giving him 5 to do. But I didn't plan on eating them, since I didn't use natural dyes, so didn't want to waste too many eggs. Every egg got about 10 dips each.

I also made him a fun Easter basket, with homemade bean bags instead of grass (which he immediately thought were therapy bags that you stick in the microwave to heat up--haha! life with a poor aching pregnant mom) and jingle bell bracelets. He also got a little bit of chocolate and jellybeans, but I felt genius at tricking him with raisins packaged in appealing boxes with Cars characters. He wore his new suit to church, and really did well in the service (which we've been working on). And we had a nice ham dinner at my ILs in the afternoon.

(click on each photo for its respective set)

And there's 10 weeks more. Could I get any bigger?
I don't think I'll go all the way to 40 weeks. I really don't. I'm guessing somewhere around 37 or 38.
(If I'm totally wrong, do not...I repeat...DO NOT rub it in my face or remind me in any way that I thought it would be a little earlier.)
The midwife did report on Wednesday at my appointment that the baby was head down. I know this doesn't mean anything by way of when the baby will actually be born. But it's the first step. And a relief when that happens.

Anyway, given my previous experience with Ellis, I'm going to be ready for this baby by 36 weeks. 'Cause I'm sure it's more fun sitting around waiting and prepared than utterly unprepared with a new baby. Besides, if I'm waiting, I can always find something to do, like organize the pantry or something. Or lie around and watch TV. You know, a variety of constructive options.

But since this baby is my second I don't have to start from scratch. That's nice.

So I'm drafting my to-do list here. Any commentaries on helpful/unhelpful things are welcome

Stuff To Get:
* sidecar cosleeper thingy. I'm one of those people who before she had a baby never understood the appeal of cosleeping...until I had a baby, and then I couldn't imagine doing otherwise. Love it. But I'm also a very light sleeper, and think I might do better if I had a little distance when not nursing, but still close enough that I wouldn't have to sit up or move or anything to nurse. I like the added safety a cosleeper would bring, too. i want to get a full-size so that I can use it as long as possible. I really don't want to set up the crib until at least 6 mos, and then use it only for naps, which we did with E and really liked. I have a pack'n'play with bassinet insert, too. But I plan on using that in living room behind the couch as a changing table until I feel like getting down on the floor where my basket system is for E. It might also be a nice nap place (esp if this baby is deaf, too. haha!) or safe place to put baby while i go to the bathroom kind of thing. So the cosleeper is probably the biggest purchase. That and a second carseat for when he grows out of the infant seat, but that can wait a bit.

* a highchair. I borrowed the one I used for E. I plan on getting Ikea's Antilop. My kitchen is SO small, I can't imagine having anything larger than this. Besides, I love that it's so simple, definitely redefines cleaning a highchair. And at $20, how could I resist.

* Moriah made me a cool pouch sling with padded legs. I'm very excited about this. I would also like to try a wrap, and I'm hoping I can meet someone who has one for me to try. I've been looking online for babywearing groups and am not having much luck. There was a group that met near here not long ago, but they met on Sunday, so no luck there. And I already have the Beco. So I feel pretty set for my babywearing needs. The stroller continues to gather dust in the back our van. It has its place; I'm not totally anti-stroller. But I will admit, it's not my favorite baby accessory, and I see no need for strollers in the first several months. And it's still in good shape, so I don't need a new one. That's just my style.

* Grammy just got us two swaddling blankets that are reported truly to be miracle blankets. I'm SO excited about this. ANYthing that will potentially help this baby be a better sleeper.

* I may get a couple of fresh new onesies and nightgowns for him, too. So that not everything he has is hand-me-down.

* I need new nursing bras. I threw away the ones I had before after E weaned, because they were so worn out.

STUFF TO DO
* Total Bedroom Makeover. We have to rearrange our teeny, tiny bedroom in order to make room for the cosleeper. And we're going to patch the plaster and paint it! And do something about extra storage/shelving and work on general coziness. I may even make new curtains. I need to make a quilt for the bed, too. It will be nothing fancy. But we can't use the duvet while cosleeping. And it's too hot for summer anyway.

* Sew!
-- The living room curtains. Chris would love it if I would sew a couch cover before our couch is totally destroyed. Some big pillows for toddlers to roll around on contributing to Ultimate Living Room Coziness.
-- The quilt. Maybe bedroom curtains.
-- Cute little lightweight cotton infant pants, because I think they are the cutest ever. Burp cloths (b/c spitup is infinitely more tolerable if you have awesome looking burp clothes). The diaper bag of my dreams, with compartments just the way I like. Soft baby shoes.
-- Some dressup stuff for E for his birthday in June.
-- Get caught up on gifts.

* Read stuff.
-- I want to read What your Doctor May Not Tell you about Children's Vaccinations and The Vaccination Book from Dr. Sears. I'm interested in delayed/selective vaccinations. I think vaccinating can be a good thing, but I don't think little babies should be pumped up with all the stuff, nor should they be vaccinated against STDs (um. yea.). But I need to know more. And I think I may have to find a new pediatrician, too, which I dread doing. But I have some numbers to call.
-- My birthin' books. I'm mostly going through Natural Childbirth the bradley way, which I like b/c is common sense/practical. I've also been reading Hypnobirthing, which, if you can get past the title, has some helpful things regarding relaxation. I'm not sure if I can totally get into it, but I like it's overall concept.

Okay. So there's my list. If I think of more, I'll add to it. But it's nice to write it all out. It's SO NICE to just be able to relax and have fun getting ready for baby, instead of madly finishing a semester and packing up house and home and moving across the country mere weeks before the baby is born. I didn't get to nest with my first baby, so I'm soaking it up now.

Phew! two days later, and it's basically done! I decided to welcome my third trimester with my first attempt at sewing clothes for myself that wasn't an Aline, elastic band skirt. So I made a maternity shirt. And since I just can't be a normal person and use a preexisting pattern with a predictable design, I came up with this by cutting up an old maternity shirt that I didn't like. The style was okay, but the fabric was really dated in an uncool way. This shirt isn't exactly like the original. I made the slits up the side to give me a little extra growing room, did a trim instead of a collar, and eliminated the darts in the back. I don't normally wear a print like that, so I added the bias trim on the neck, sleeves, and hem to break up the print a bit, frame it some, I suppose. I'm really thrilled it worked out, since I've never made a shirt before.

(My favorite part: the cell phone pocket and the chapstick pocket)