Baby Booties.

My friend Courtney sent me this free pattern for cloth baby booties several months ago. Last weekend my mom and I finally gave it a try! These sweet booties are too cute and much easier to make then I had imagined.

The only thing is, the pattern says these will fit 0-6 month babies. In reality, these booties wouldn’t even fit my 8 month old nephew. They’re huge! If my baby is born with 3.5 inch feet, I’m going to be concerned. So, I consider this a REALLY well planned-ahead first birthday present for Baby Love.

We’re going to try again, this time adapting the pattern to make them more the size a 0-6 month baby bootie should be. 

But, size issues aside,
aren’t they darling?

Thirty Six.

Last week Baby Love was 18.5 inches long, and weighed about 6 pounds.
Kind of like a honeydew melon. 

“Come soon, Baby Love, come soon.” Those are the words Timmy and I have been repeating daily, hoping our whispered ideas will become a reality. We can’t wait to meet this little darling. SOON doesn’t seem soon enough. I’m impatient! 

 
And then, while daydreaming and wish wishing for an early arrival,
God spoke these words to me: “Baby Love WILL COME.”
 

Baby Love will come. So true, so simple, but so hard to grasp. Sooner or later, she will be born and I’ll be a mom and we’ll be a family of three. It will happen, that’s a guarantee… sometime within the next four to six weeks. 

 
A visit to the midwife last week showed that the baby is head down and has started to drop. Her heartbeat is strong and so are her movements. She responds to Timmy’s voice and when he laughs I can feel her wiggle.

I’m taking evening primrose and red raspberry leaf capsules in addition to my daily regimen of over 13 vitamins. (Thanks for taking care of me babe.) I’m going on walks and bouncing on my birth ball. I’ve been seeing a chiropractor who has straightened out my pelvic floor (apparently I was quite crooked) and is doing some sort of  magic with my uterine ligaments. Being well-aligned is essential to having an easy birth, and that’s what we’re praying for. 

So. We're ready.
"Come, Baby Love!! … whenever you're ready."

Circus World Museum.

Tim & Becki, Circus World, 2011

 Liz & Becki, Circus World, 1994

My parents joined Timmy and I on a trip to the Circus World Museum in Baraboo, helping us cross another item off our "Summer Fun List". I had fond memories of visiting with my family as a little girl and being completely amazed by the acrobats, tight rope walkers, and jugglers. I fell in love with the sparkling outfits, beautiful carousal, gorgeous circus wagons, and adorable trick ponies. I had never been to a circus before, and the excitement of that day has carried through to adulthood, making a lasting memory in my mind of the day our family visited Circus World Museum. 

Circus World Museum wasn't quite how I remembered it. Partly because I’m grown up and partly because Circus World Museum fell on some hard times. It’s not quite as grand - no Big Tent and no lion tamers – and the grounds aren’t quite as bustling as when I saw them last. But it’s hard to not have fun when I’m with my three favorite people and our day included a delicious picnic lunch, wandering around the museum exhibits, watching a magic act that truly left my mind reeling (how DO they cut people in half?!), laughing at the cheesiness of “Little Star” the trick pony, enjoying a smaller version of a “Big Top” performance, and unanimously agreeing that clowns are indeed incredibly creepy.

Reliving old memories and making brand new ones.

My family is big on memories,
and I think that is because we have so much happiness to remember.

Timmy recently bought me a rotary cutter and cutting mat (essential tools for any seamstress) and since then I have been on a sewing kick. Burp cloths were my first project… and I made over 20 of them. Yes, I am a little over-prepared in the burp cloth department. But once I got started, I just couldn’t stop! 

Baby burp cloths couldn’t be easier to make. Just cut two rectangles of fabric 18x8 inches and sew them, right sides together, leaving a little opening to turn it right side out. Clip the corners, turn it, iron it smooth, sew the opening closed, and sew around the edge to keep it all in place. Easy as can be and cute cute cute! 

I used a variety of fabrics for these burp cloths. My first batch is entirely girly. (Isn’t that rose patterned flannel beautiful?) BUT, Timmy gave my girly fabrics the a-ok after I explained that burp cloths are just as much for the MOM as the baby, and since I’m the one who will be wearing it over my shoulder… these pink ones will match my outfits perfectly. (Besides, this baby just MIGHT be a girl, although I’ve pretty much convinced myself by now that it’s a boy.)

My next batch of burp cloths included more gender neutral patterns. You can’t go wrong with fruit, right? And at first glance the ones below MIGHT look a little girly, but there are babies dressed in blue in that pattern – I checked. Blue babies in yellow strollers = boy. To be fair (once again, just in case Baby Love IS a girl) there are babies dressed in pink, too. 

Some of the burp cloths have flannel on both sides, and some have flannel on one side and cotton on the other. They are all super soft and I love the way they fill my specially designated burp cloth dresser drawer. Hooray for beautiful baby burp cloths!  

Oh, Pinklepurr.

 Pinklepurr and Baby Love

The Happy: We may have found a new home for my orange kitty.

The Sad: Pinklepurr will never meet Baby Love.
And I have to say good-bye to a dear friend.

Thirty-Four & Thirty-Five

Baby Love is 18 inches long and weighs five pounds,
kind of like a melon.

Is it normal to feel apprehensive at this point? Because I am. Suddenly the reality of this baby coming – in less than one month! – is hitting me square in the face. My emotions spin in a wide range throughout the day. Moments of panic, where I sniffle and confess I’m worried about being a good mother. Hours of frantic cleaning, where I purge our cupboards with ruthless vengeance. Times of reflection, where I sit in the nursery and think and think about what having an actual baby really means.

I’m scared, anxious, excited, and nervous. I bounce back and forth between an overwhelming desire to finally meet our Baby Love and a want to stop time and stay exactly as we are.

It’s a good, good thing that I have Timmy. He somehow remains confident and the only emotion he consistently exudes is pure, uninhibited, gloriously enthusiastic excitement. He is excited to be a father, excited to have our lives disrupted for the better, excited for the challenge of putting a little someone’s needs above our own, and excited for how our marriage is going to grow stronger and closer. He says life is about to get a whole lot better. He says we will love each other even more than we do now. He says I was made to be a mom.

And I believe him. (I think.)



Once again, this post is late. I'm already on to 36 weeks... eek!

A Picture Text From Timmy.

there are hearts in the air
there are hearts on the ground
there are hearts all around
you and i.

there is love in the air
where there's love we are there
you and i sweet girl.

- Timmy

Due Date.

I can’t keep up with the weeks anymore. The days aren’t stopping. I’m tired. My back hurts. My fingers are swollen. BUT, so far no swollen feet or face, no stretch marks (yay! I totally don’t deserve this because I have been HORRIBLE about putting on lotion of any kind...), no Braxton Hicks contractions, and I can still sometimes sleep through the night without getting up to use the bathroom. (I have been downing buckets of water, so this can only be attributed to a lifelong blessing of a large bladder.) My stomach keeps getting bigger and the numbers on the scale keep getting larger. It’s hard to not be concerned when I look at those numbers, calculate that I have gained almost 25 pounds, and then read on Baby Center that my baby only weighs four pounds.  

Hmmm. 

I’m really hoping that this baby decides to come early. (As in, come any day now Baby Love!) But I’m still measuring about 1.5 weeks small, so I’m not too optimistic about an early arrival. My baby date guess is September 10^th (I hope I’m wrong) and Timmy’s guess is September 3^rd. 

I have been telling Baby Love daily that it is a-ok with me
if she wants to arrive sooner rather than later.  

And really, you know you’re getting close
when your due date shows up on the jug of orange juice in the fridge.

Blueberries. 

Peaches.

And the view from here.

Thirty Three.

Baby Love was about 17 inches long last week
and weighs over four pounds,
kind of like a large purple cabbage.

 

Last week was just one of those weeks. I should have done a lot of things, but I didn’t. It was too hot. Instead of cleaning the kitchen I read baby books. Rather than folding the laundry, I sewed baby burp cloths. While I should have been making dinner, I rearranged the nursery three times and then, in the end, put everything back where it had been originally. I wasted two fresh tomatoes in an attempt to make homemade ketchup, only to taste it and toss it out. I drank Izze’s with a straw and I watched out the window for the UPS man to bring me boxes of online ordered baby treasures. I spent hours resting in bed (Tim came home from work twice to find me sleeping – oops!), just feeling the baby kick, kick, kick… and daydreaming about our future as a family of three.  

 
I purposely rearranged our schedules to accommodate our 33 week belly shoot, but the photos remained untouched on my camera for days. I’m already on to 34 weeks and am finally posting them, because my 33^rd week was really just one of those weeks. Nothing accomplished but all the silly little things that make life the sweetest.  

Pinklepurr Still Needs a Home.

Blog Readers, I'm still desperately trying to find a home for Pinklepurr. I absolutely cannot and will not take her to the humane society, so finding her a new family is of utmost importance. Please, please, please! If you know of ANYONE who might be interested in adopting a kitty, let me know as soon as possible.

Tim and I have been putting up flyers and sending out mass texts and emails. It's a kitty campaign, and we are hoping and praying that a new home can be found for my sweet Pinklepurr.

Two Bits of Fun News:

#1: Timmy found and bought me non-toxic, all-natural nail polish in a pretty shade of purple. I haven’t painted my nails in years, after learning about the toxicity of regular polish.
(The brand is called Piggy Paint and it looks just like regular nail polish. Only this stuff doesn’t have the ability to kill you with its harmful ingredients.)

#2: I can still reach my toes.
(Timmy did offer to paint my toesies for me, if I couldn’t manage to get past my ballooning belly. I almost let him, because I think lots of giggles would have resulted from his attempt.)

Cloth Diapers Made by Me.

I like cloth diapers.
I like them for a number of reasons, some of them being:
*They're good for the environment.
*They don't have any icky chemicals.
*They save money.

 
Timmy and I have always planned on using cloth diapers for our babies. When we got pregnant, I started really researching cloth diapering and realized that there are MANY options, and it got a little overwhelming. Luckily, my Mom used cloth diapers for my sisters and I, and she had a lot of advice on what to use. After talking to her and a couple other cloth diapering moms - including my older sister - I made the decision to use prefolds and then buy diaper covers. Covers are the waterproof part.  

However, the really nice, really cute covers cost anywhere from $16-$20 EACH. And when you figure you need approximately 8-10 covers in all sizes (newborn, small, medium, large), that adds up to a lot of money. It almost feels like you're not actually saving any money, which is part of the idea of cloth diapering in the first place! 

But a friend pointed out to me... cloth diaper covers can be made. SOMEONE obviously makes them, so why not me? I then found a pattern online and was further convinced that this was a good idea. So I recruited Mom's help, bought some PUL waterproof fabric for the insides, elastic binding, and strong velcro, and dug through my fabric stash to find scraps big enough for the cotton outside of the diapers. 

 
The cloth diaper covers were surprisingly easy to make. Both Mom and I were a little nervous about sewing on PUL fabric, especially because you can't use pins since that would poke holes in the waterproof part, thus making them no longer waterproof. But paper clips easily replaced the pins, and the elastic binding was a cinch to sew on, too! We made and completed 8 before running out of elastic binding, and we have 12 more almost done. The approximate cost per cover is just about $3, saving us lots of money!!
 

I never would have thought I could get so excited about diapers. Seriously... I have become a mom! But I'm literally bursting with glee when it comes to my cute, cute covers! Baby O'Brien will have the cutest little bum in town. 

Thirty-Two.

Baby Love is still 15 inches long this week
 and weighs about 4 pounds,
which can be compared to four navel oranges. 

 

32 weeks pregnant in July is a pretty place to be. As the amount of clothes that fit me becomes less and less (due to both my expanding belly and increasingly swollen feet), I’m relying more and more on simple sundresses, comfy capris, flip flops, and sandals. This is made possible by warm air and bright summer-blue skies. Fresh summery organic fruits and veggies – bought from Amish stands and farmer’s markets - have been filling my plate with color and nutrients - sun ripened tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, zuchinni, and boiled baby red potatoes. Cherry tomato plants are thriving on our porch, thanks to Farmer Tim, and we peek out nightly to check on their progress. My anticipation of sweet corn leaves me breathless. Long walks at twilight, accompanied by twinkling fireflies and my favorite boy, are delicious summertime pregnancy treasures. Windows left open to sweet breezes, cool sheets to slide into, and the music of fans blowing create a summery symphony to fall asleep to, all the while rubbing my tummy and whispering the joys of the world to Baby Love. I am thankful for balmy thunderstorms, tank tops, and the carefree feeling that comes with the month of July. 

 
With less than eight weeks to go, I’m treasuring each wiggle and kick and trying to ignore my sore back, swollen fingers, and the return of an all-day-every-day lingering queasy stomach. I’ve been reading some good books, “Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth” and “On Becoming Baby Wise”, and learning and planning and preparing for the ever-approaching arrival of our little love.  

Soon.
Before the hot days are cast aside for crisp temperatures, before the leaves fall
– Baby Love will be here soon. We can’t wait.

Happiness Happened This Week…

 (cute wooden baby toys)

The car seat I have been stalking at Target went on sale today for $100! It is normally $159.99. We snatched that deal up within ten minutes of me texting Timmy with an opening line of “Oh my goodness!”
 
Rynn and Caleb came over for our weekly dinner date. After we all admitted that none of us felt like actually cooking, we high-tailed it to Chipotle for a leisurely supper of burritos and chips. As we enjoyed their company and they talked of missions trips to foreign countries, I was reminded afresh of how special this time is. We may not always live in the same city, and I like having our little lovebirds nearby.
 
Tim and I both got off work early one day to go to a midwife appointment. Hearing Baby Love’s heartbeat always puts a smile on my face, and getting Tim to myself for the whole afternoon and evening put an extra bounce in my step. We opted to go to the Budget Cinema for a matinee viewing of “Jane Eyre” – a movie Timmy agreed to without really thinking about what he was getting himself into. The result was a bored husband pretending to make out with me and whispering hilarious comments during all the most serious parts. Meaning we were cracking up while everyone else was wiping away tears. I think we looked like ridiculous high-schoolers on a date and for some reason, that was fun.
 
My friend loaned me several big bags of maternity clothes. Getting dressed in the morning feels like Christmas, I have so many cute new things to wear. Also, I have duly noted that actual maternity clothes are probably worth the expense, as it’s much easier to breathe now…
 
We visited Barnes and Noble with the intention of buying a book. As we moseyed past the toy section however, I squealed. I had no idea that B&N carried my favorite line of baby toys, HABA. They’re wooden, all natural, and European (and that makes everything seem more glamorous, no?) and THE CUTEST TOYS EVER. They are simple and gorgeously painted and honestly, even I would be entertained for hours with some of them. In conclusion, we left B&N with two unexpected treasures.
 
Our mailbox was stolen last week, but it has now been replaced with a shiny new model. Tim also gussied up our post with a fresh coat of paint. We now have the prettiest mailbox on the block, thanks to my handy husband. (Our new mailbox also appears to be a little more spider-proof, so getting the mail no longer involves cautiously poking my hand in and shaking if off each piece as soon as I pick it up.)
 
Jamie has been doing a cute series of outfit posts this week, and her amazing style has me taking notes and pre-planning post-pregnancy outfits. Daily blog posting from Jamie is definitely a reason to smile. 

I don’t eat eggs and I don’t typically like touching them. But, organic, free-range brown-speckled chicken eggs nestled in a recycled egg carton – those little guys make me happy happy happy. Timmy says they don’t taste too different, but I’m convinced they add some special magic to a dinner of scrambled eggs on English muffins.  
 
There’s a new Winne the Pooh movie out this weekend, and I want to see it. Does anyone else have a sweet spot in their heart when it comes to that silly old bear?

Bibs for Baby Love.

Baby bibs are as easy to make as:

1. Trace a store-bought bib onto heavy paper to create your own pattern. Using the pattern, cut out two pieces of fabric, one in waterproof PUL and one in any 100% cotton print. 

2. Sew around the perimeter of the fabric, wrong sides together, using a simple straight stitch. Pin and sew on double-fold binding to finish the edges.

3. Add a snap to the top of the bib to complete it. (You could also use velcro.)

My favorite part, as always, is how quick, easy, and cheap this project is. I used scraps of PUL fabric (leftover from a different project I've been working on) for the back and leftover scrap fabric for the pretty fronts. I think you could definitely use cotton for the front and terry cloth for the backing, rather than using PUL. (You can find PUL fabric at Jo-Ann's.)

Adorable. I have two more almost done and many more ideas in my head!

Babymoon Part 4: Switzerland

The final chapter of our Babymoon 2011 adventure. When we booked our tickets - purposely choosing the option that would give us an 8 hour layover in Zurich - having a day of adventuring in Switzerland seemed thrilling. But on Saturday morning, exhaustion from a week of walking in Greece plus getting up at 3AM to catch our flight out of Athens made this suddenly seem like a VERY BAD idea. I stubbornly announced that I just wanted to spend the entire layover sleeping on the airport chairs. 

Luckily, I’m married to a man who often has VERY GOOD ideas. He procured a rental car for our brief window of time, and we set out from the airport at 10AM, needing to be back by 2:30 to catch our flight to Stockholm at 4:30. 

After some debate of which direction to head, Tim decided a sightseeing drive would be best and turned our rental car toward the Alps. We drove to an alpine village called Interlaken, a place Tim had been to before and had fallen in love with. The drive to Interlaken was breathtaking. We took a country road through sweeping hillsides in glowing emerald green. Little Swiss cows grazed contentedly, dotting the landscape and existing under perfectly blue skies. Swiss cottages and villages spread out in clusters. 

The Alps loomed ahead for almost an hour before we actually began to enter into the foothills. Twisting roads wound us higher and higher, with the views becoming more and more glorious. 

We stopped our car at a lookout point, and I emerged from my seat to snap photos of THE MOST beautiful view I have ever seen in my life. I’m not even kidding. The photo doesn’t do it justice. We finally arrived in Interlaken, after driving through many tunnels that brought us back down the mountain and we emerged into the bright sunlight and a cool lake the most extraordinary shade of teal. 

Because it had taken us two hours to get to Interlaken, and we had to be back in two and a half hours, we only had about half an hour to wander around the lake and get going. As soon as we got back in the car I hit “Airport” under the saved favorites section on our GPS (just like the rental car attendant told us to do), and fell asleep. Tim woke me up an hour or so later, asking me if I was sure I had put in the right airport. I kind of laughed and said, “How many airports could there be?! Of course I put in the right one.” But half an hour later, I wasn’t so sure. After a quick search, I learned that there were SEVEN airports in the nearby area, and we suddenly had no idea which one was the right one and we were definitely headed toward the WRONG one. Ahh!!

After a quick debate, we chose one of the airports in Zurich and prayed it was the right one. Our GPS had us getting there at 3:40, giving us less than an hour to return our rental car, get into the airport, through security, and on the plane by 4:30. Talk about stressful. As we got closer to Zurich we got stuck in horrible traffic, and we began to panic. (Ok, I was the only one panicking. Tim rarely panics, and when he DOES, you can bet I’m fainted on the floor.) I felt sick as I watched the GPS predict a later and later arrival. 

In the end, we got to the RIGHT airport at 3:45 (whew!) and managed to make it to our gate with ten minutes to spare. This only furthered Tim’s belief that there is NEVER any reason to panic.

Our whirlwind adventure in Switzerland was amazing, and definitely one of the best parts of our trip. It was a life changing experience and the perfect ending to a fabulous vacation.