Month 6

   My little cowboy. 6 months. 6 long and short months. When I first laid eyes on you on that warm February day, I thought my heart could never feel fuller. But in 6 months it has only grown and expanded to levels I never knew possible. You are a bright and reliable light in our lives. You love freely and fully and forgive just the same. You are patient and easygoing. You are strong. You are funny. You are the little boy of my dreams.

Stats:

19 lbs (80%) 29.5" (off charts)

You are a rolling machine.

You are also a planking machine.

You will be crawling in no time.

You still love your jumper but only if everyone is in your line of vision. I have snuck out of the room to get ready too many times and you are on to me.

You have survived the torture of crying it out. I honestly got to the point where my brain was telling me I was going to die from lack of sleep. I have never experienced this level of exhaustion. You cried 30 min for the first nap, 35 for the afternoon and 35 for the night. That was 3 days ago and since then I haven't heard you at all! That might have more to do with me turning the volume off on the monitor but hooray! I am finally getting some quality sleep and you still love me.

Twice this month you have fussed when I tried to rock you to sleep and out of options I laid you down in your crib only for you to quietly fall asleep on your own. 

You are really attached to momma and my right arm is getting really buff toting you around.

You have had carrots, apples and peas. You are getting better about swallowing but so far aren't crazy about any of it.

After various tests with the allergist it has been determined that you have no food allergies but are intolerant to dairy, soy, mold, pollen, cats and dogs. So relieved you will grow out of your dairy and soy sensitivity.

You find potty training hilarious and laugh hysterically when your sister is in tears. Thanks for the levity you bring to those situations.

Just in the last few days you have gotten much better at sitting up on your own.

We just adore you, Buddy Gus!

Sewing Sewing Sewing

The hum of my sewing machine has been the dominant noise in our house the last month. Something, or maybe a little someone, has inspired me and even though I am exhausted when I finish one project, I have been starting a new one immediately. I'm not much for summer so I think I lost inspiration when it came to dressing Rivers this season. Most of her clothes were from Target, not a bad thing, but I think I purchased most of them with the mindframe that she can wear them to preschool and I will not be devastated if they are ruined. But fall is around the corner and I am envisioning her in sweaters and knee socks, boots and full skirts and most of all pinafores. I am on a total pinafore kick. I have been working on some new designs and trying to fine tune them and make them as neatly as possible because I have been thinking of selling them. Here's a little lineup of everything I have made in the last few weeks.

I finally finished the beast that was Buddy's quilt. It is imperfect to the 10th degree but it is done and he will have to live with it. 

Already making himself real comfortable.

I couldn't sleep one night because I wanted to make this so bad. The next day I asked Dave if I could have a quiet sewing day and he took the kids to his parents' house for a few hours. What a sweetheart.

Pinafore, Pinafore, Pinafore!

MORE PINAFORES!!!!

This is Butterick 5877 and it was so much fun to sew. So much fun that right after I made it, I made another. And then another. And I will probably make some more.

The sequin bow was a happy accident. I could not get the top buttonhole to go in properly and I needed something to cover the big mess. I sewed this black and red sequin bow on and then used a hook and eye enclosure and presto! All better.

Here is the second version.

And the third which little miss wore on her first day of year 2 of preschool.

I bought this pattern on Etsy and I cannot wait to make every single version. I love sewing vintage patterns so much. So simple and I love to imagine who else has used the pattern before me.

And would you believe I actually ripped the seams out on my tragedy striped dress? I broke a needle on my serger so I can't fix it quite yet but I took the first step.

Quilting and Sewing

I've become really obsessed with quilts. I spend more time than I care to admit looking at them on Pinterest before I go to sleep. When I lay down it is like a kaleidoscope as patterns and colors flash in my head rendering beautiful hypnogogic hallucinations. I have a hard time falling asleep because I am literally too excited about all the amazing possibilities of quilting. I started liking them in 8th grade home-ec where we learned to sew pinwheels and I made my mother a "surprise" blanket at home. How surprise could it really be when I am sewing on her machine and consistently asking for help? She might have even had to sew the backing on to her own surprise quilt, of this I can't be certain. Those silly pinwheels, they stuck with me and after I had Rivers I was inspired by them again. I made this travesty of a quilt which caused me to stop thinking about quilting for a good long while. I still like the colors but I sewed it quickly and carelessly and some of the seams are starting to slowly spread further and further apart. Then Gus came along and the little feller couldn't be left out and sew (Freudian slip here, for reals) I knew I had to suck it up and make another.

I had made all of Gus' bedding and changing pads for his room so I had a lot of coordinating scraps. The crib bumper got put on the back burner because I knew I wouldn't be using it for several months. He recently started getting his foot stuck through the slats and while I tried to use one of the mesh breathable bumpers, I got sick of the sight and he started rolling well so I knew it was time to make the bumpers. At this time I had already started on his quilt and I needed to know how much of the fabric would be left over from the bumpers to use in the quilt so I had to finish project B (bumpers) before I could continue on project A (quilt) which I was more excited about.

I needed 14 yards of piping. That means 14 yards of bias tape. That means, bleh. I really dislike sewing bias tape and it always looks terrible when I'm done. So 14 yards of the junk sounded terrible. I stumbled across this continuous bias tape tutorial and I am a changed woman. It required two seams and some cutting along some lines and within 20 minutes I had 16 yards of bias tape. Perfectly spaced, beautifully diagonally sewn, seams matching up bias tape. One of my favorite sewing tricks to date.

The bumpers came together pretty quickly and I am glad to say they are done. Very glad. I have so much leftover fabric from them that I can't wait to add to Gus' quilt.

Safe, yes. Pretty? No.

The pattern I settled on for the quilt is driving me bonkers so at this rate it may be done in time for Gus to take it to college. Last night I pulled two blocks out because some of the HST's had been sewn in the wrong direction. I fixed them this morning and when I laid them back down I saw two more that were wrong! Someone is messing with me while I sleep. I think I have them all fixed but I keep trying to stare at them cross-eyed hoping any mistakes will be more visible. If I sew the darn thing together and later find a mistake....oh it won't be pretty.

Are you staring at it cross-eyed now?

Month 5

  Oh my oh my, you are 5 months my little guy. I can't believe how long and short it has been. It feels long in that I feel I have known you all my life and short in that it feels like yesterday that I first saw your face. I am so completely smitten with you, it is ridiculous. You are a joyful child. 90% of the pictures I have of you show the huge smile that is always on your face. Even while you are in the depths of some serious teething, you continue to grace us with huge grins.

-18 lbs and 27.5 inches long

-Mostly in 6-12 or 9-12 month clothing, which I expected you to be in for cooler months so you don't have much to wear right now. 

-I bought you some hippy dippy teething necklace and while I have my doubts that it is working, I am too scared to remove it for fear of what it might bring on

-You still aren't much for rolling but you will boot scoot like it's nobody's business. If I leave you on a blanket for a minute, you are inevitably off it and across the room by the time I return

-You LOVE your sister. Oh my goodness, you already find her so hilarious. You are very patient with her when she spends hours upon hours rubbing your fuzzy bird hair.

-I think it might be safe to say you are becoming a Momma's Boy. You definitely search me out in a crowd of people and cry the second I leave the room

-We are still having late night dates, or early morning. Sometimes they are at 3:30 or 4 which is alright by me, but other times they are at 12:30 and again at 4, which isn't so alright with me. Last night you slept until 6 (!!!!) which is directly correlated to us taking you to a late dinner. There is a pattern here, every time you have slept through the night except once, you have been out past 8 with us.

-Your fingers must taste real nice. They are in your mouth all day long. You gag yourself at least once a day because they are so far down your throat. You are a slobbery mess all the time.

-You love to be sung to. It is quite the confidence booster for me when you fuss and then become calm and happy when I sing.

-You are the easiest traveler. I can take you out for errands, bring you home for 5 minutes and put you right back in the car seat for more adventures without hearing a peep.

-I took you on a run for the first time a few weeks ago and you literally smiled at me the whole time. T'was the happiest run of my life.

-You have impeccable comedic timing already. We were outside reading books with your sister when she picked out a princess book to read. You started blowing raspberries and toot noises immediately, sharing your opinion of princess books with us.

-More people are starting to confess that you look like my side of the family. I think it is becoming more apparent everyday.

-Your thighs are very close to no longer fitting in the Bumbo but that's alright as you are getting very close to sitting up on your own.

-I think you might be a drummer at heart. Every time you hear a beat you get really still listening and then start to smile really big.

-Your cheeks are really ticklish and I love to kiss them and hear your sweet giggle.

-You are definitely ready to start eating as you watch me longingly while I shove every bite into my mouth.

-We had an appointment with the allergist and will be doing a blood, stool and back prick test. This brings me so much relief to know we will have more definitive answers as to what bothers you so.

Days for Girls Drive

Last year through the blogging community I found out about a Dresses for Girls charitable project that a Junior Women's Club in Tampa was organizing. They were collecting pillowcase dresses for girls in Africa who often had to choose between food for their family and clothing. I sewed up four dresses and even got a few of my friends to sew a couple. It was so nice to do some charitable sewing.

This year I received an email from the project coordinator, Margaret, letting me know that this year's project was called Days for Girls. In many impoverished areas of the world, maxi pads or tampons are unavailable or are too expensive. These girls are forced to stay home and thus miss out on school, work or gathering food and water for their family. Even if disposables were accessible or donated, there often lacks a proper sanitation system and these used products pile up behind fences or buildings or on the side of the road. The answer lies in reusable and washable maxi pads that have a life of up to three years! The Women's Club in Tampa has a goal of 800 pads and 200 shields by September 1!

If you are interested I have attached the website where a video tutorial and patterns can be found. You can also email margaretandrade@hotmail.com for more information and the address of where to send completed pads to. Sew some up so I can five you a pad-on-the-back. 

http://www.daysforgirls.org/#!patterns-and-sewing-tips/c1upv

The Mess of the Dress. Pattern Review: Butterick 5748

I'm currently back in a crazy sewing faze. Months will go by where I feel totally overwhelmed by the idea of making anything and then it takes one little ounce of inspiration to send me into a full blown sewing binge. I had purchased some bright striped fabric at F&M with the intention of making myself a summer dress or skirt. The fabric sat in my sewing room for three months staring at me and taunting me. I belong to Club BMV for the Butterick, McCalls and Vogue online patterns and they recently had a $1.99 pattern sale. There was supposed to be a limit of ten patterns but they didn't stop me when I had 40 in my cart and pressed the pay button. I saved over $400, my friends!! From this group of patterns, I pulled a few put that would work with the fabric and narrowed it down to one of their vintage recreations: Butterick 5748.

The pattern was pretty easy but it was my first foray into full lining and a side zipper. I actually loved the lining part. It made the neckline and armholes so clean and easy to do. The side zipper wasn't the nightmare I was anticipating but I fully admit it doesn't look awesome. I sewed the dress up within a few hours and was pretty pleased with the fit.

                       

These pictures were taken before I hemmed it 2.5 inches as with full skirts they recommend hanging for 24 hours before hemming. I waited 3 hours. I'm terribly impatient by nature and it gets me into trouble as you will soon find out.

I wore the dress to work the next day and loved it. The polyester lining made it so cool and slippery. It felt like summer and everytime I caught a side glance of the colors in a mirror, I would instantly get happy. I got home from picking up the kids and noticed a big brown spot on the back of the dress when I changed. I immediately threw it in the wash. Part of the gamble in buying fabric from F&M is that you rarely know the fabric content. From my textile class at FIDM I learned how to test different fabrics but as I'm impatient I wasn't exactly going to break out the bunsen burner for this. I told myself, it will survive the wash but don't put it in the dryer. Sure enough, it came out the wash looking just fine (although I think part of the pink color bled onto my whites but it could have been a new red t-shirt I washed in the same load. I'm not great about properly separating colors). I held up the wet dress and said, don't put this in the dryer and then I threw it in the dryer! I totally ignored myself in spite of myself and did my own thing. I meant to leave it in there for a few minutes but I forgot. An hour later I ran flabbergasted to the dryer only to discover this:

So long pretty summer dress. Ok, a bit dramatic as it may not be totally ruined. I think I can rip out the stitches (oh that will take forever) and measure from the waistline to make the hem even again. It will be about 8 inches shorter than originally intended but did I mention I quit my job? I won't exactly be needing office appropriate attire. I'm honestly so disgusted with myself I can't even look at the dress and I have about 15 other items I'm working on at the moment so it is definitely on the back-burner. Hopefully I will forgive myself sometime soon and tackle ripping out those stitches as my own punishment. 

Starting a New Job

I'm starting a new job sometime in August! After several months of feeling overwhelmed and disorganized and lots of prayer, I have decided to pursue a new job!

This job will be difficult. It will require endless daytime and nighttime hours and even overtime on weekends. Many things will be asked of me and I will have to continually learn new things everyday. Some days I'll get to do medicinal work, sometimes I will be a chef.  I will have to do maintenance and cleaning. I've been told that I am expected to teach. I will have to account for finances and work within a budget. I will have to oversee the whole operation.

This job will be the best. There is time set aside during the day for naps and playing. Imagination is encouraged and creativity shall know no boundaries. In this job I am encouraged to seek inspiration from outside sources. I can do this job in the home or away from the home, maybe even at a park. Exercising during work hours is encouraged. Casual attire is welcomed. I will get rewarded daily with smiles and hugs. I will get to make my own schedule.

But the main reason this job is the best, is that I will get to be with my children everyday that I work. I have decided to quit my current job and my new job is a full-time stay at home momma. I truly had the best part-time job working for my father-in-law but after having Gus my days in the office went from 3 to 2 and most weeks I couldn't even manage that. I constantly felt like I was missing things at work and this created stress. I felt guilty that my co-workers were having to pick up my slack. And at the same time I felt disorganized at home. I felt as though I couldn't devote my full attention to our household and our children. I was lacking balance and something had to give. I am filled with joy that Dave has blessed me with the honor of staying home with our children. I am nervous that this is the most intense position I will ever be given and the childhood of my children will be directly affected by how well I perform. I will turn to God and pray for grace. I will admit my faults and ask for forgiveness. I will cry, I will rejoice. I will be strong and stand firm in my beliefs and reasoning. I will not be perfect. I will try my best. This is the career I've chosen and I really want to knock this one out of the park.