'Fess Up Fridays - Beat The Babies (Wk 8)

alternate title: Feeling-a-Failure Fridays

alternate alternate title: 'Fess Up Fridays - This Baby's Beating Me

I did get a receiving blanket and two burp cloths made for my friend, Kelly, who still hasn't had her baby (Yay!)  I went a little crazy and fringed the edges on the burp cloths. I think it's cute, and might try it again.

But that's all the sewing I got done this week. And that little tiny bit of sewing took me 3 days. (sigh).

Thankfully (for me, at least), Angela, the recipient of THE QUILT, still hasn't had her baby, so I've still got a little time to get it made.

I WANT to be sewing the quilt blocks for it. I WANT to be adding the sashing. I WANT to be figuring out what the backing should be like.  But I'm not.

Instead, I seem to be spending all my good quilting time in bed. This fibroid is just kicking my tail! And, so, my tailbones have been HURTHURTHURTing this past week. And, ohsomuchfun, it's often that my front and my back are hurting at the same time.  yippee.  Unfortunately, sitting or laying down doesn't FIX it. The front and back still hurt, but not as much, which is nice...but I still wake up and hurt all over again.

And, I could go on whining. But this is supposed to be about what I've made this week, not what a wimp I am, and how I'm failing at meeting my goal, and how I feel like a big goober for even starting this 'fess-up-Fridays thing in the first place because now people know that I feel like I'm never going to finish that dang quilt!

I have decided (Mostly. I think. If I don't faint when I hear the price...) that I'm going to send the quilt off to be quilted once I finish. I've never done that before, and have NO clue what it's going to cost, but maybe the fact that it'll be DONE will outweigh the cost. (I hope!)  I mean, I WANT to quilt it, but I just don't think that's realistic for me right now. And I know from experience that this fibroid is only going to get nastier over the next 3 months.

And even though this is supposed to be about the fabric, I've got to include a picture or two of the "fabric of my life" (not cotton, thank you)...

Giggling at Papa...

Those cheeks and neck are just num-num-nummy...

Feeding her baby-doll lunch...

Such a loving Dolly Mama. :o)

I hope you have a great weekend, and a very productive and crafty week ahead! 

Sprout in Pictures - Week 28

I feel like I've just POPPED!!! You can't miss my pregnancy these days! :o)  Well, and if you look back at my last Sprout posting (from a month ago! Bad Mommy!!), you'll see that I have, in fact, popped!

Plus, as of now, I'm in my THIRD TRIMESTER!!!  How did this happen? Some days I feel like I'm just now coming to terms with being pregnant...and now I have to start going to the OB two times a month? Gosh. And my little ticker says I've got 84 days to go. Yikes!!

 I can't explain what happened with my camera and all the graininess, but maybe it's because I was using my old point-and-shoot, and it's misbehaving because I've been using the big MacDaddy camera that Dave got me for Christmas.:o) 

Here's a picture of my profile - growing rounder every day...

(and yet, somehow, as my front gets bigger and rounder, my backside gets flatter...no wonder maternity jeans don't fit!)

And, here's my measurement shot. 34 1/2" around.

I think I'm about the same size I was when I was pregnant with Mookie. If you want to go back in time, you can look at my post from Feb 25, 2008 when I was 27 weeks pregnant.

As for how I'm feeling, the fibroid is still very much there, but it hasn't been giving me as much grief as it was a couple of weeks ago. That was some baaaaaaddd stuff, Maynard. And I feel a lot more tired than I did a few weeks ago, but I'm not sure whether that's because Dave is home, and my work load schedule is different, or if it's because I've now hit the tired third trimester, or if it's because I'm still anemic. My OB's nurse called the other day to say that I needed to increase my iron intake, and I just laughed. While I am excited to maybe have some more energy, I don't like what iron does to my body. My body doesn't like what iron does to it.

But Sprout is certainly getting more active! I feel the hiccups (sometimes in front, sometimes in back), she's moving from side-to-side more now, she's kicking and sticking some body part (how do people know it's the foot and not the hand?!) out every now and then. No real kicking into my bladder or ribs or anything uncomfortable, yet, but I know those days are not too far away. :o)

Mookie seems to be handling it well...I'm sure she doesn't quite understand what all of it means, but she does know (and say) that there's a baby in mommy's tummy...and will periodically ask if there's a baby in her tummy. :o)  And EVERY now and then, she'll take her little Elmo doll and stick it in her pjs or shirt and say "baby Elmo tubby" (which is her way of telling me that she's going to give birth to Elmo)...hee hee.

She does, however, understand a bit about doctors...I know this is supposed to be a post about Sprout, but how can I leave Sweet Mookie out? Earlier tonight I was sitting in a chair next to the kitchen counter, and there was a set of earphones that Mookie was playing with. She kept saying "doctor", and I kept saying "Yes, Mommy goes to the doctor." or "Yes, there was a doctor on TV today." Whatever. The kid's got a fabulous imagination, and I never know where her conversations are going. :o) She had her back to me, so I couldn't see her, but when she finally turned around, I had to laugh...

Maybe we should call her Doctor Mookie?

She then got down and went to check Papa's heart. :o)  I'm a bit scared, though, of what's going to happen after my next visit to the OB...

'Fess Up Fridays - Beat The Babies (Wk 7)

I have nothing to show for my week except shame.

And good pictures of stuff I've done other than sew. (Like spend some sunshiney time outside with my girlie.)

 

Warm enough for a day in her little Hawaii outfit - a gift from Uncle Robbie and Aunt Tracy.

  

Look at that brilliant blue sky! And that wee wisp of a curl. :o)

 

"Oh, my aching back!"(how do they learn to mock their mamas so early?)

And a good family trip under my maternity belt. :o)  (We went to San Diego this weekend, but I haven't even downloaded the pictures, yet.)



I've got another baby to beat, though...it's no longer just Angela's baby I'm trying to beat. My neighbor almost gave birth to her 35 week old baby-on-board last week, so now she's on bedrest, and I've got to get her sewn gifts D.U.N. DONE!!!


Kelly's baby shower was today, and, I didn't count, but I'm pretty sure she was gifted with over 1000 diapers, but I saw nary a blanket to wrap that sweet little baby boy in! I keep telling her to keep her legs crossed and cook him a little longer. :o)  I found some fun alien flannel for the receiving blanket and burp cloths, so I just need to belly up to the sewing machine and get 'em done!

Angela will be 38 weeks along on Monday, and she's READY!! :o)  When she saw her doctor last week, she was already dilated 1 cm. I laughed and said "I was that far along about 30 minutes before Mookie was born!"  (I went from 0 to crowning in less than an hour...thank God for the epidural, or I'd probably still be in pain!)  I told her I was trying to finish the quilt, and was hoping that she was one of those who gave birth 2 weeks late, and she immediately said "NO!!! I've got blankets! My baby doesn't need your quilt that badly!" :o)  Hee hee, gotta love that mommy-humor!


Hopefully I'll have a better report next Friday. Dave goes back to work on Monday, so maybe I'll have some more time to do things like sew. :o)


Have a great, and crafty week!

'Fess Up Fridays - Beat The Babies (Wk 6)

Saturday Edition

Frankly, there's not much product, and lots of 'fessing up this week. 

I'm trying, I really am. I know how important it is to finish the quilt top in a reasonable amount of time because it's going to take me FORstinkinEVER to actually quilt the thing. And Ang hits 37 weeks along this week...I don't have much more time!

But LIFE, ya know? It gets in the way sometimes. :o) 

Like, for instance (excuse #1)...we celebrated our Christmas last Saturday because Dave was finally home (yay!), and it was GOOD. I had a fun time coming up with and planning and scheming his gifts, and he went OVER. BOARD. Above and beyond the call of "overboard."  For his gifts, I gave him "kitchen passes" to go do specific things with different guy friends he has. Such as a ski day next week. (58" of fresh powder, anyone?) And a day to go golfing with Grant. And tickets to an Atlanta Braves game with his dad this summer. Fun stuff! :o)

He? Gave me? A fancy pants new digital SLR camera. And by fancy pants, I'm not talking Bedazzled fancy pants. I'm talking emblazoned-with-real-diamonds-and-sewn-with-gold-thread fancy pants. The kind that starts with a Nikon and ends with a 5000...and, gosh, it feels like he probably spent that much in dollars, too! Sheesh, this thing is powerful!  And the learning curve? Hello, Pikes Peak!  Good golly. I could (and probably should) spend 24 hours a day just learning about this thing, instead of doing it the severe injustice of just pointing and clicking like I'm used to! But even then, I'm getting good shots. (Note: I'm getting some cruddy shots, too, because I don't know anything, but the good ones are GOOOOOOD!)  This isn't a terribly GOOD one, but I think it's cute. She's all about the "mooches" lately, and is now making her puzzle pieces "mooch."  Usually it's the Mommy Cow and the Papa Horse, but here the cow is smooching the sheep. :o) She's such a love.

But I don't feel like I can spend the time learning about the new camera with my sewing machine sitting, lonely, collecting dust in the corner like it is.

And then (excuse #2) I've got some cards to make for a card swap I do each month. I just need to sit and do them, but I can't easily do them while Mookie is awake because she is SO helpful. Cute as a button with her "mooches" and all, but sometimes Mommy doesn't need her help. :o)  So, those need to get done. And I can't put them off much longer. Here, I'll show you:

I only need to make 12 more... :o)

And, well, (excuse #3), frankly, I have an alien attached to the outside of my uterus, right under my belly button, and it's been giving me a bit of grief of late. I've had them before, and had one in the same location when I was pregnant with Mookie, and it grieved me a bit then, but this time it just seems worse. I go for my next ultrasound on the 1st of March, and I'm not concerned in the least about it, it's just a nuisance. I go to a perinatologist for my ultrasounds, and he ROCKS, and Dave and I both trust him, and like him, and respect him, and think he ROCKS! :o)  He's totally on top of things, and if there is anything to be concerned about, he'll let us know. But there's not. It's just a nuisance. Lack of sleep, abdominal discomfort and pain, blah blah blah. My OB also ROCKS, and she thinks the annoyance-factor (and pain) will abate within a week or so, she said it's really common, and I'm not worried. Just annoyed that it's sidelining me like it is. :o(

But there is a sewing machine collecting dust in the corner, and I'm sitting on a pile of guilt!  I did get SOME sewing done this week...just not as much as I'd hoped. :-(  I got the black border around the 5 blocks I had completed, and I am SO dang glad I did that!! It was good for me to see halfway along what errors I was making, rather than making them with all the blocks and having to un-sew more than I already have! :o)  So, I've got 7 (at least) more blocks to create, and then I've got to sash. SASH!!  I'm still stumped.  I've eliminated the black, just because it's for a baby, and seems too Halloweenish.  I think I'll have to really wait till all the blocks are done, and then decide between natural and tan.  Here's a picture, though, of the blocks just laid on top of the tan (on the left) and the natural (on the right). It's difficult to tell the difference in the picture, but I think the tan looks just a hint better in person.  We'll see, I guess. I need to get the blocks done before I go moving on to the sashing!

And then I get to fret over the backing. Whee!

 

But for now, this is where we are. 5 blocks complete, the sashing almost chosen, lots of intentions, and not enough follow-through.  There's always next week. 

Wuboo, Baga.

 

Just got off the phone with my grandma, and as I was finishing up, I said "I love you, Grandma." And Mookie looked up and said "Wuboo, Baga" loud enough for Grandma to hear. 

I'm pretty sure Grandma cried just a little. :o)

Potty Pride

Look how proud! If only it were Mookie instead of Baby Elmo on the potty...

 

...well, at least she knows that we give lots of love when we "go" on the potty...

 

 ...I guess it's about time we teach Cookie Monster to use the potty, eh?

She's going to be a good big sister! She meticulously laid out the changing mat, gently placed "Monsah. Tookie" on it, and put a new diaper across his mid-section. :o)  

Such a little love.

Yes, We Watched It.

...and this is just proof that she repeats everything she hears these days...

:o)

'Fess Up Fridays - Beat The Babies (Wk 5)

I don't think I can post any pictures this week. I'm blogging upstairs having been (lovingly) relegated to the bedroom while Dave is wrapping my Christmas presents.

As an aside, we're celebrating tomorrow since he was gone for Christmas. Yay! I am very excited for him to get his gifts. It was kinda awesome for me to have an extra month to get his presents together! I didn't feel the pressure and stress I normally do when I end up giving him stuff I'm not really that excited about. But this year? Yay! I'm excited! I got to be a lot more creative, and I think he's going to be pleased. He never asks for anything, so it's always tough. Plus, his birthday is one week before Christmas, so it's a double-whammy, ya know?  I guess since I'm 'fessing up, I'll say that I did spend some baby-beating time this week doing some of the last touches to his gifts instead of sewing.

So, anyways, back to beating the babies. I've now completed 5 quilt blocks, and I'm liking this more and more as I go. There are parts of the process of doing an improvisational quilt that I don't like, but they are minor compared to the whole thing. For instance, I don't like that I have to cut the strips for each new block. I am able to cut some ahead of time, but I only want to cut as much as I need, and since I don't know how much I'll need, I can't pre-cut that much!  Right now, probably since I start sewing so late at night, it takes me about an hour to complete each block. That's WAY WAY WAY too much time, but I'm a slow sewist. Even when I'm not gestating. And even when I don't start after bedtime. But my sweet little Mookie doesn't like me to sew while she's up and playing, and since the idea of her sitting on my lap "helping" is a bit off-putting, I just don't do it. I wait, and do it after the house is tidy and quiet.

I'm snagged right now on the sashing, though. I know, obviously, that I need to complete all my blocks before I move on to what goes between the blocks (duh!), but I'm thinking ahead, you know? I hope to complete my blocks this weekend soon, and just don't know what the in-betweens should be. My choices right now are black, natural, and a kind of tan that matches the tan dot in the Katie Jump Rope large dot fabric. I think I'm going to just have to wait till I get the blocks done done and then lay them out on big pieces of each type of muslin and see which looks best. Maybe I'll save that for next week's 'fessing up.

And in other 'fess up news, I bought some more flannel to make some more receiving blankets for a couple of the other babies getting born around me. I'm obviously planning on finishing the quilt for Angela first, but if I have to, I can always stop the quilting and make a receiving blanket and burp cloths. It's important for me to at least have the fabric.

OH, and I was incredibly shocked to find the Alexander Henry Diamond Eye fabric at Jo-Ann's! Shocked, I tell ya! I didn't know they carried fancy designers (other than, like Debbie Mumm and Heidi Grace). I need to do a better job of keeping my eye out for the good stuff! :o)

I did hear that people at Angela's shower were quite impressed with all the handmade gifts I sent, and that lots of people liked the red/black/white blanket I was so worried about. I don't know, yet, how Angela liked it, but I did tell her that if she wants me to redo the backing, I will. :o)  What are friends for, right?

She's at 35 weeks now, and MAN am I hoping that baby doesn't come early!! :o)  Cook a little longer, Baby B...cook a little longer for Aunt Melissa.

I hope you all have a great, and productive weekend!

Mookie and The Mittens and More

I don't feel like I've been doing a very good job of documenting Mookie's growth and changes lately. Hello, Guilt. I'm sure I'll be spending a lot more time with you after Sprout is born.

And, hello again, Guilt. I started this post on January 22nd, and it is now February 3rd. 12 days later. Nice. The days have gone fast, and the evenings faster. I don't like letting life go whizzing by without acknowledging or keeping track of what's going on in Mookie's little world.

I really, really, really wish that each and every one of you could just be here with me every day and experience Mookie as I do. She is an absolute JOY!!! And she does the darned silliest things! Every. Single. Day. And I don't think she's trying to be silly...she's just exploring her world, and enjoying herself doing it.

For example, the other day we were driving home, and she took my mittens that were in the car, and put them on. Her feet. And when we got home?



And I would like to say, as an aside, that I am SO VERY GLAD she seems to be enjoying herself exploring her world. Seriously. One of my greatest hopes as an almost-mom was that we would create a home where she could feel comfortable experiencing life. I remember saying to some family members, "I'm not giving birth to a porcelain doll that sits on the shelf. I want her to get dirty. I want her to live life to the fullest, and LOVE life to the fullest."  And I think she does. She seems to enjoy her little life here. :o)  And I enjoy her little life here, too. I'm glad it's a part of mine.

 Looking for Alley's belly button ("beebo")

 Wearing a pool blow-up toy as a hat. You wear it well!

 Hat and suitcase. Ready to go!

 I hesitate to admit that she was mopping the floor. 

I will not tell you what she did just prior to my snapping this shot, but I will say that I do not clean my floors that way!

So, back to the point...ha ha...Here are a few things Mookie has been doing lately that just make me giggle.

• She'll hop and ribbit like a frog. She wants me to hop and ribbit, but doesn't seem to understand that I might not make it to Hop #2. :o) I haven't gotten it on video, but I'll keep trying.
• She LOVES to play with "Papa's money." A few months ago, she found some coins, and I said "That's Papa's Money." Since then, she's been fascinated with coins. Please note, I am careful to watch that she doesn't put the coins in a non-coin-type place...either on her body or somewhere else. :o)  Well, then last week, or so, she discovered her piggy bank, and shook it. Well, wouldn't you know, out came some Papa's Money!! Score! She was so excited! She loves to take her coins and put them into the piggy bank, and have Mommy take them out, and she puts them in, and Mommy takes them out. It's a fun game that we play. :o) And, yes. I know. This concept of playing with Papa's money will be a life-long trend. Yes. I get the irony. But maybe if we teach her now how to play RIGHT with it, she won't play wrong with it. 
• She's now counting (sometimes) up to four, but she still just says "two" a lot. We're working on it, though. :o)
• She's got some colors down, especially of her crayons. She always recognizes her pink crayon, but doesn't necessarily recognize pink elsewhere in her world.
• She tries to repeat EVERY SINGLE THING we say. :o) It's adorable is what it is. :o)  Today Dave tried to sneak a cookie during breakfast time, and Mookie said "tookie?" while holding out her hand. Dave and I both laughed, and I said "Busted!!"  And then she laughed and said "butt-ted." :o)

• She LOVES having Dave home. Yes, he's back. Finally. From his time "supporting the operations." The first thing she says when she wakes up is "Papa?" They're buddies. :o)  Plus, I think he gives her "tookies" behind my back. :o)
• She goes up the stairs mostly on her knees, still, but wants to do it alone. And she likes to walk down the stairs, but either holds both my hands, or holds one hand and steadies herself with the other against the wall.  And if I haven't praised her at least every third step, she'll stop and look at me like she's waiting for something. :o)  I am VERY proud that she's such a big girl!
• She loves her baths, now, and will literally sit in there till the water is cold. She doesn't care. She's living her life, and experiencing her world, and loving every minute of it. Thank you, God.  And I am very pleased that she will now (just within the last month) take a bath in the big tub alone, instead of with me or in her little infant tub...which pretty much didn't contain her anymore!  So, big tub = big girl. :o)
• We are working up to start officially potty training her. Soon. She understands some of the basics, and loves to run around "nick" if she gets away from me mid-diaper-change. :o) Today I caught her putting a diaper on a stuffed elephant she has, and then she took it off of him, and set him on her little potty saying "Poopy, potty. Poopy, potty."
• She is running, now, and loves to "wun fass, Mommy." :o)  And loves to take off running, saying "tickle"...fully expecting me to leap up and chase her. She doesn't understand that there isn't much leaping in Mommy's world anymore. :o)  I just love to watch her run. Especially when she's in her pajamas or "nick". Her little body is just SO STINKIN' CUTE!!  
• Oh, and perhaps the funniest thing she does now is request songs. :o)  I like to make up songs to sing to her. Partly because I never remember the words to regular songs, and partly because I just think it's fun. There is the one where I sing about how Papa loves Mommy, doo-da-doo-da-doo, Mommy loves Mookie, doo-da-doo-da-doo, etc. Well, now she'll say "Papa Addie doo doo?"  So I sing about how Papa loves Alley. And Alley loves Gypsy. And on and on. She'll list her friends, "Addie Doofah?" (Alley loves Judah), etc. I also sing "Elmo's Song" to her, and she will request personal versions of that, as well. It just makes me laugh.  And "You Are My Sunshine" is a big favorite, too. "Sah-san, Mommy?" Such a precious gift.

I know I've said it before, and it's probably been a while since I said it, but there is no shaking the fact that God has richly blessed us with this child. She has unlocked countless layers and countless levels of shame, fear, caution, and love, joy, and laughter in me. I never really understood how people would say things like "I didn't become a mother till I had you." Well, duh, right?  But I get it now. Tons of people give birth to a child. But on May 19, 2008, I not only gave birth to Mookie, I gave birth to a whole new Melissa. I gave birth to a mommy. One that I never imagined. Never ever. I never even let my heart dream in that direction.

But God did. He knew. He knew what was deep, deep in my heart. And He knew how to unlock it. And He knew that I could do it. He started changing my heart long before Mookie was born, and she changes it every day.

I am so very grateful that God chose ME to be Mookie's mother. I needed her. I didn't need a child.

I needed HER.