For the Love of Fabric

I think that love of beautiful fabric runs in my blood.  I also got a good dose of encouragement from Grammy.  Christmas break has been a long stretch of much needed sewing time!  I have gotten so much done!

I posted a couple of days ago my finished Dove in the Window quilt top.  When Momma and I went on our road trip last summer, Cindy and Abbey took me to amazing fabric stores.  I brought along this pattern and a color scheme with plans to buy fabric along the way.  Cindy took us to this beautiful store front with an incredible clearance section where I bought some fabric not intended for the Dove in the Window.  I just wanted to have it and couldn't pass up the great deal!  Fast forward to the huge store Abbey took me to that draws people from across state lines.  Rows upon rows of beautiful bolts.  Momma and Abbey helped me pick out two colors for my doves that ended up working with a piece that I bought with Cindy in Ohio.  And again, there were prints there that I couldn't pass up!  I was so excited when I told Dustin that he told me I could always buy that much!  I told him not to tempt me because I could always go back.

And there I was one weekend about 7 months pregnant with August doing the math, learning how to cut parallelograms, and cutting out a couple thousand of them for the quilt.  I didn't think, even with all those pieces, that the quilt would be all that hard to put together.

Just a hint of how many pieces went into the blocks.  Bonnie giving some love to the blocks.

Boy, was I wrong!  I had never cut parallelograms before, let alone tried to sew them together.  When put together the doves would make up an 8 pointed star.  I had never done one of those either.  Y-seams, why not add in that unexplored realm of sewing too!  I literally cried and ripped multiple times trying to get that first star together.  Dustin tried to help.  I finally figured it out after watching some Youtube videos.  I then had to watch some more when it came to the Y-seams.  I only had a few done by the time August came and then the project got put on hold for a while.  And then i kind of started to do it again, and then I'd stop, and start again.  Finally this fall, I buckled down and had a goal set of finishing the blocks before Christmas.  I didn't care about the whole thing, I just wanted the blocks done and my ironing board back.  Christmas Eve and I finally finished them.  And then I was excited to get the thing put together.  This is such an imperfect quilt that will be hidden away for a while and never set before a judge, or my Grammy, but I am none the less very happy with how beautiful it looks.  The colors are beautiful and I love the pattern itself.  I will not be doing any parallelograms, 8 pointed stars, or Y-seams for a while though!

The Summer Spill

Holy Cow!!  I am a couple of days away from starting school and I haven't blogged all summer!  Obviously, I've hit the stage of motherhood where I'm busy all the time.  Dustin took the baby for the afternoon, so I have some time without him pulling on me, screaming at me, and no where to be.

August and I have had a crazy busy summer together!  I loved being at home and spending so much time with my little boy!  I was looking through videos the other day and I had already forgotten that at the beginning of summer he wasn't crawling.  He is everywhere now!  He follows us, the cat, and crawls his own path.  Bonnie has a game she likes to play where she leads August places she knows he gets in trouble being near.  She's still just tolerating him, but knows how to manipulate him too!  Can't say she's stupid!  :)  Aside from the crawling, August pulls himself up everywhere and is walking along stuff.  He is also getting brave and letting go.  He has learned so many new things this summer!  He eats like crazy and gets HANGRY, just like his momma!  ;)  He loves being outside and hanging out in the school garden with the kids.  Dustin loves taking him on ranger rides to see the cows on Uncle Chase's farm.  He's also been on a horse already.

Our garden has kept us busy!  We've already got over 50 quarts of green beans in the basement with more to come!  I've picked and eaten so much squash, and we've got tomatoes that are almost ready.  The squash bugs have really put a damper on things.  I am now in charge of the school garden!  The kids have done such an awesome job this summer taking care of the veggies and presenting their veggies at the fair.  The squash bugs have put a damper on that garden too, but the kids are still working hard!

Dustin and I have done most of the outside work after a certain tot goes to bed.  So then we don't eat until 9 or so.  We do what we have to do to keep this little place going.  So many evenings are spent on our porch talking about the day and dreaming about the future.  I've also been really good about getting me time.  I've read a dozen novels this summer, had a couple Harry Potter marathons, and spent a ton of time in my sewing room.  August and I have gone to the library quite a bit this summer, and he loves it!  The library lady had a hard time recognizing me the other day all dressed up without the baby!

School is about to start, and I'm feeling better than I did a week ago.  Still, not ready to start, but coming around to the idea more and more.  I do miss my kids, but not all the paperwork!  I am so excited to meet my 3 new kids, and watch each and every one of my kiddos grow and learn this year.

6 weeks of wonderful

How on earth has it been 6 weeks since my beautiful son was born?!  The time has flown, and weather dependent, I will be going back to work tomorrow.  Yesterday, he went to day care for the first time, and I washed all of his 3-6 months clothes.  He is growing like a little weed and becoming so much more aware of the world around him.  He's starting to coo and make more noises and stay awake longer during the day.  He loves tummy time and kicking his legs when he's on his back.  Dustin shows him the deer hanging on our wall and talks to him about future hunts.

The first 2 weeks I was a zombie.  Changing diapers, nursing, and sleeping.  I was so sleepy that more than once I thought that the pillow I hug to my chest at night was August at my chest already.  When I was coming out of sleep to the sound of his cries, I couldn't understand why he was crying if he was already nursing!  Sleep deprivation at it's finest!  :)

I'm not looking forward to putting on 'real' clothes tomorrow to go back to work.  I've really enjoyed my over sized t-shirts and sweats or leggings.  The closest I've come to 'real' clothes is jeans and a nice shirt for church.

I have taken baby steps to get both of us used to not being around each other.  Grandpa and Grandmas have both had their turn babysitting so errands and a date could be had.

My 'best' accessory lately has been spit up on my shirt, worn like a badge of honor.  That is, until I can put him down and change into something else!  Sometimes, I'm not sure who goes through more wardrobe changes in a day, me or him!

I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and I think I would, if we could afford it.  Teaching gives me the balance of the stay-at-home/working mom.  I get to work, and have the summers off to be a stay-at-home mom.

I love feeding August, putting him on my chest to burp him, and then taking a little nap together.  Bonnie does not care for August.  She is scared, and keeps her distance.  It took her 3 weeks to even get close enough to sniff his feet.  Another 2 weeks to sniff his fingers with her neck stretched out as far as it could go.  She does watch him from a distance with curiosity.  Soon enough, she'll come around...or be running away from him when he tries to pull her tail!

I have truly loved the last 6 weeks at home with my baby, and I'm excited to see what the weeks will continue to bring with our little boy!

Labor of Love

My baby is 3 weeks old, and I'm finally able to sit down and write about him.  The last 3 weeks have flown by, and with this cold snap, I am glad I don't have to leave the house every day!

Dustin and I made predictions about when our little boy would make his appearance.  We were both wrong.  Dustin's birthday is the 19th, so I thought I would start labor on the 19th, but he wouldn't come until the 20th because he'd be just as stubborn as Dustin.  Dustin thought he would come the 23rd.  He got closest.  I was actually having contractions with a little bit of an edge on the 19th, but I was able to keep my composure.  Dustin wasn't too keen on going to church on Sunday because they were getting stronger, but knowing that I was looking at weeks cooped up in the house, I was determined that we were going.  Mom came up Sunday night, only to decide that it was way too early.  My mood shifted big time.  I was down in the dumps because I really thought we were going to the hospital that night.  I had contractions throughout the night on Sunday.  When I had 3 around the time my alarm, and then the snooze went off, with quite a bit more edge, I knew I wouldn't be able to keep my cool at school.  I kept Mom updated, and Dustin kept calling me from work to check on my.  I tried to nap. 

While reading labor stories, I thought people were crazy if they were able to sleep in between contractions.  I was thinking about the high I would be on knowing that my baby would soon be coming.  Turns out, I was able to sleep in between them for 2 nights, and various naps for 2 days.

Mom came up late in the afternoon and talked me through my contractions and help keep the time.  Everything was already loaded in the car, so it was just time to wait.  Finally, it was time.  Dustin was scurrying around, Mom was asking us questions to make sure we had loose ends tied up, and I was working through contractions.  I had to tell Dustin a few times to go slow...we have a few sets of train tracks en route to the hospital... and then we were there.  I remember having to stop in the middle of the parking lot for a contraction.  Becky, our Lamaze teacher escorted us to the labor room, and man was it busy!  There were 7 girls born between Monday and Tuesday, and our baby boy made 8 babies in total. 

They decided to keep me and Mom joked about missing half of Wheel of Fortune by the time the nurses were done with their run through.  What a long night!  I made sure to walk every now and then, bounced on the ball, and tried to sleep.  I had dreams about food since all I could eat was ice chips.  The hours just seemed to drag on.  About 8am, the doctor came in and broke my water.  I wasn't planning on having an epidural.  I talked with my mom.  the nurses told me pros and cons.  I talked with my mom.  I finally decided to have one.  I had one about 10, and I was able to nap for a while.  Finally, they said it was go time.  The nurse went to get everything ready, Mom went to update Dad, and Dustin and I were left alone for a few brief minutes.  He laid his hand on my belly, and prayed.  We were both flooded with excitement and peace.  It was the calmest Dustin had been since we left for the hospital. 

That moment when they held him up, the tears streamed down my face.  And then to have him on my belly, I just kept kissing his hands until they took him to the warmer.  While they cleaned me up, I just stared with the biggest smile on my face as Dustin looked at him, and August held onto his finger. 

Introducing him to family and friends has been such a joy.  He has changed so much in 3 weeks.  Dustin is so convinced he looks like him, but then I showed him my baby pictures.  He's the boy version of me.  We gave him the name August after Dustin's Great-Grandpa Schuett.  We gave him the middle name LeRoy after my Grandpa Goudy's middle name.  I have a feeling he is going to be very long and lean like Grandpa was. 

There are certain things I will never forget about that day.  I don't think I'll ever forget the icky new plastic smell of the BP cuff I had to wear.  I will never forget the sound of his little heartbeat on the monitor all night long as my lullabye.  I will never forget the taste of the veggie pizza I had.  The first food I had in over 24 hours.  I will never forget the sound of pride in Dustin's voice as he named our little boy, mixing with August's first cries.  I wasn't wearing my glasses, but I will never forget the sight of my son under the glare of the overhead lights, the first time I saw him.