delight in life

what a difference a year makes

This time last year I was eight weeks pregnant. Hardly anyone even knew I was pregnant, but the few who did wished me a happy Mother's Day. Someone sent me a sweet card that made me cry—but I also cringed a little. The word "mother" didn't fit. It felt like I was trying on a costume that was too big and too stiff. I didn't feel like a mother; I just felt bloated and so tired I couldn't stand up straight.

But today? My heart overflows with a love I couldn't imagine last year. This chubby, giggly little person—who was the size of a kidney bean a year ago—has made me a mother. And instead of a too-big costume, it fits like my favorite pair of soft, broken-in jeans.

What a year it's been.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas, most especially mine, who remains the Greatest Mom in the World for the 25th year running. Love you mostest, Mom.

day in the life

I participated in Ali Edwards' Day in the Life project this month, although I forgot and did it a day late. I tried this once last year and wasn't too happy with the results, but this time I loved it. I took all the photos with my phone, edited with PicTapGo, and posted everything on Instagram as I went. This will go into my Project Life book, though I'm not sure yet exactly how I'll fit it in.

7:13 am: wake up. Joey was sleeping through the night but last week went back to waking up three times a night, so I'm struggling a little.

8:16 am: doing the morning garden inspection with battlecat

9:14 am: drinking chai, straightening my sewing room. enjoying nap time.

0:04 am: THIS FACE. I can't even. Happily hanging out on my bed while I get dressed.

10:28 am: we went to the park but all the swings were were full so we're headed on to Starbucks :) 

11:47 am: bed made. ish.

12:03 pm: hanging out in the yard while Chris whacks some weeds.

12:51 pm: trimmed my overgrown mint plant last night, drinking mint water today.

2:43 pm: late lunch

3:47 pm: family photo at Alexandria city hall

4:31 pm: browsing shops in old town with our out-of-town guests

5:04 pm: on the waterfront

5:26 pm: browsing my favorite fancy spice shop

6:02 pm: grateful for clear skies and warm weather

6:34 pm: jotting down some notes in my garden journal

7:46 pm: bedtime

8:09 pm: squeezing some garden time out of my last few minutes of daylight

9:16 pm: night.

staying at home

A few weeks ago I went back to my office for the first time since Joey was born. I took a big box with me and packed up my desk, because I have decided to quit my job and stay home with my baby. The decision was so simple, and so hard. Of course I was going to stay home. I don't think I ever truly pictured myself as a working mother once in all the time I was preparing for motherhood. And yet, when it actually came time to decide for real, I was wracked with doubt and second-guessing. Could we get by without my salary? Was I handing over my feminist card to become a housewife? Would I be able to get a job if I wanted to go back to work in a few years?

To be clear, I don't think either working or staying at home is better or more right than the other. My incredible mother stayed at home to raise us 3 kids; Chris's incredible mother worked while raising her 7 children. I have friends that work and friends that stay at home. Every mama and each family is different and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. That might seem obvious, but I absolutely don't want to seem like I'm disparaging anyone's choice.

I finally wrestled down all the doubt and questions and decided that regardless of everything else, being at home would make me happiest. So that's what I did. And I love it. And I am so, so grateful that Chris was supportive and that we were able to make it happen. I know some people want to stay home but don't even have the choice, and I recognize that it is a luxury that Chris and I can do this. I try to remember every day that I am lucky to be here, and so blessed.

2013: the year of patience

A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted to participate in Ali Edwards' One Little Word for 2013. (She has a great explanation of the concept on her blog here, if you're unfamiliar with it.) As I started to think about what word I should focus on, patient kept popping up in my head as an option.

I'm certainly an impatient person. With Chris, with people around me, and with myself. I get frustrated when our house doesn't look magazine perfect within a few months of moving in, when the internet flakes out for five seconds, when my Amazon two-day shipping takes three days beause I ordered on a Saturday.

Then we had a baby, and I realized that patience was the only word I was going to need for the next year. I have to have patience as my body continues to heal, as Chris and I learn a new routine that has another person's needs at the center of it, as Joey wakes up at night and then screams when I try to feed him, as my craft and sewing projects take a backseat to everything else.

I have no doubt that this year will be so, so full of fun and love and joy. But I'd be crazy to think it won't have challenges too. I'm making it my goal to meet those challenges with patience and a good attitude.

So here's to 2013, and here's to patience.

38 weeks

At 38 weeks and 3 days I am 

more excited to meet the baby than I am afraid to have a baby (and be a parent!)

feeling like a Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade balloon

thankful for that my third trimester fell during early winter and not the hot, sticky summer months

ready for my family to be here with us

so close to being done with the baby room

glad to be almost done with work for a while

counting down the days

kind of grumpy and cranky about all my aches and pains, but really,

so happy

happy thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for.

Beloved friends who are more like family, and a lovely house with room for all of them.

My incredible family, and the technology that keeps us together when the miles keep us apart. (Thanks FaceTime for this GA-VA-OR family photo!)

This delicious feast, and the pie and stuffing recipes I've inherited from my relatives.

Chris, who is my perfect partner and who I can't wait to see be a fantastic father in a month or so.

The list could go on and on and on, but I think those are the highlights. Even they could be mostly summed up by saying I'm so grateful for all the love in my life. Happy Thanksgiving indeed!

lately

Chris has been out of town a lot over the last couple weeks, so I've been rattling around this house keeping myself busy. Lots and lots of time at the sewing machine!

I have finished up a few quilts that I am looking forward to sharing on the blog as soon as I take some pictures. A few more are still waiting in the wings. 

I've been making lots of things for the baby, which is fun and exciting. I bought Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing for Baby and have made three or four projects from it already. They are definitely simple! Some of the reviews complained that they were too simple, and that an experienced sewer could easily figure them out without the book. I'm comfortable sewing a lot of things, but I'm not comfortable drafting my own patterns and winging it, so I was perfectly happy with the projects.

I also spent a little time embroidering a personal message on a quilt I made almost a year ago, before the recipient had a name—or a birthday. Now the baby is my godson, and he is walking around and being adorable all the time, and he has a name, and I thought it should go on his quilt.

Once Chris finally came home, he put together the crib! That was pretty exciting. As you can see, there's still lots of work to be done in that room in the next three months, but now it looks a little like a baby room and I'm ready to get going. I can't wait to see the finished product! :)

25 weeks

This baby just keeps on growing. Chris is out of town right now, which explains the fairly terrible bedroom mirror photos—but all anyone cares about is the belly, right? :)

And this is what my view is like these days:

ten days down

We've lived here for ten days now! In that time, we've: bought a sectional, baked a cake, had a sleepover, bought a roll-y chair for my desk, installed a thermostat, survived massive thunderstorms with not even a power flicker, and stopped living completely out of boxes.

You may have heard that huge storms rocked through the metro-DC area last weekend, leaving a lot of people without power. (Some are still without power!) Amazingly, we were totally fine. The worst thing that happened to us and our house was our neighbor's tree coming down and blocking the street for 3 days. Our friends did lose power for a bit, so they came and spent a day and night with us. We had a fun slumber party! With cake.

We're slowly, slowly putting the house together and getting rid of boxes. We've bought a few pieces of furniture, but we're trying to take our time and make sure we buy things that we really like and fit our needs. I keep having to remind myself that it's better to have a semi-empty house for a while than have a bunch of furniture we don't like in six months.

Also, I installed a thermostat last night, so I feel super handy. I realize it's not actually a very complicated process, but that doesn't change my sense of accomplishment. There were wires! I could have electrocuted myself! (Don't worry, I cut the power first.) I used to feel accomplished after assembing IKEA furniture; now I just feel annoyed at how many screws there are. Now I need electrical wiring and preferably the use of a power drill to feel awesome about my fix-it skills.

HELLO

Hi blog! It's been a bit. But! I have a very good reason. Actually, two. Number one: we were house hunting! And then we bought a house! We just closed on Monday, and we move tomorrow, and we are very, very excited. Number two (and most importantly): we're having a baby! I am fourteen weeks pregnant, and for the last...nine weeks, I have not felt much like being on the computer. Or doing much of anything else. But I did manage to get out of the house long enough to hang out with my parents when they came to town, and to go to my cousin's wedding in Texas. And now I'm finally starting to feel better and am looking forward to getting our new house in order and enjoying summer! And blogging about it along the way!

This has been a very exclamation-point happy post, but I've got a lot to exclaim about, you know. I'm looking forward to getting back in the habit of blogging, and sharing more photos and thoughts about our current life craziness. I've missed you, blogland!

(a picture from my parents' super fun visit earlier this month)