First Trimester

for comparative purposes only 😉 me at 5 weeks in a maternity shirt

a good smile from the big sister-to-be 🙂

starting to see a little belly!

...and, a BIG belly! (that's how i looked at about 16 weeks last time)

standing emphasizes the belly less. good-bye, first trimester!

 

the Smock

me at 17 months

My sister was born when I was just over 18 months old. When I was admitted to see my mom and first sibling, the story goes, I gave a brief “uh-huh” to the new baby and  launched into telling my mom about the hospital gown they’d put over my clothes. “Horsie,” I pointed out, and “horsie,” all over the gown. (I’m probably getting this all wrong, but that’s how I remember it).

One-Yard Wonders

One-Yard Wonders is my absolute favorite sewing book! I refer to the “Sewing Fundamentals” section all the time, and I made H’s pinafore for her first birthday and smock for her second from patterns in it. I’m also working on its fabric barn playhouse, and have more fabric from Kathleen I want to use for two of the toddler dresses. I’ve bookmarked the “Charging Station,” “Tabletop Ironing-board Cover” (since I burnt a hole in mine), “All-you-need Sewing Kit,” “Not-Ugly Car Trash Bag,” “Matt’s Map Bag,” “Convertible Craft Apron,” “Growth Chart,” and “Checkers to Go” to make over the next year or so. It’s rare I find a book with so many patterns I really like!

Belly

Here’s your first belly photo of this pregnancy 🙂 I’m 2 days shy of 12 weeks. Enjoy!

Newborn Expectations

Our family’s growing again! We’re expecting to meet our second little one sometime around August or September this year. Thinking back on the last time I had a newborn, I remember how hard it was and attribute at least some of that to having no idea what to expect. This time, I’m going in prepared. I jotted down some of my expectations:

• I expect baby to give us plenty of opportunities to bond, cuddle, and figure out breastfeeding together with at least 12 nursings a day, if not more. Yes, I’ll probably feel like all I do is breastfeed. I expect that.
• I expect baby to need me at night just as much as during the day, and to wake several times each night for Mama’s comfort and milk.
• I expect baby to teach me his/her way of communicating, even if it takes us awhile, and I expect the only way I’ll learn how to lovingly meet his/her needs is through lots of practice listening and responding to every cry.
• I expect baby will be born with days and nights mixed up. We will get through it.
• I expect days where “nothing works” and baby cries a lot. I expect to forgive myself when I feel like I’m doing everything wrong, knowing that as long as I’m trying to meet baby’s expressed needs, I’m doing what I should.
• I expect to feel sleep deprived some days (I didn’t usually last time, thanks to her sleeping in our room right next to our bed, but there are always “those nights”).
• I expect baby to take at least as long out of the womb as he/she spent inside it to adjust to living in this world. The first three months (“fourth trimester”) will probably seem especially hard. By the time baby’s as old as big sister (2), I’ll barely remember those days.
• I expect to do a lot of praying.
• I expect to learn as I go, realizing this baby isn’t the same as the one I’ve already parented, and expect that since God gave this baby to this Mama, I can feel comfortable listening to this Mama’s intuition.
• I expect all these expectations will change, adjust, adapt, and develop along with our new little one.
• I expect it will all be worth it as my heart grows another size bigger, I learn even more about putting the needs of the “least of these” before mine, and eventually get rewarded with that precious first smile.

What do you expect from a newborn?

Living for More

We want more than this world’s got to offer
We want more than the wars of our fathers
And everything inside screams for second life

We were meant to live for so much more
Have we lost ourselves?…
We were meant to live

-Switchfoot “Meant to Live”

Not seeing throwing all the couch cushions on the floor and reading books as a waste of time. Taking a break from the dishes to dance with her. Living for more.

Breathe

Her hands splash into the dirty kitchen sink. I remove them and roll up her wet sleeves.

“Breathe on me…”

She turns to pull a wet bowl off the dishrack. “Hands off,” I say in my nice voice.

“….breathe, oh breath of God…”

She gives me a glance, then takes one finger and pokes the bowl again.

“…breathe on me…”

Frustrated, I place her outside the kitchen, closing the sliding door between us. She bursts into tears.

“…‘til I love like you do…”

I open the door. She’s looking at me with that newly wet face. I kneel on the kitchen floor, arms open. She runs into them for a hug.

quoted lyrics from Newboys’ “Breathe”

Chopstick Baby

My baby can use chopsticks. She’s 20 months old. I can’t wait to see all she’ll do in the next 20 years!

Resolution: 2012

Do this: write down something for which I’m grateful… (almost) every day.

(using this free pdf or free app)

Birth Story

When H was less than 2 months old, I wrote out her birth story to share with my friend Kathleen. I’m really glad I did, because almost 2 years later the details are not as clear in my memory as they were then!

Since then, several people have asked for our daughter’s birth story and I’ve always meant to post it online to have a link to share. So, here it is!