Welcome to Motherhood

Well, at long last the little one has arrived.  He's a month old now, and at the risk of sounding cliche, motherhood is infinitely more rewarding and challenging than I had ever expected.  He's adorable...bright-eyed, cuddly, already smiling and extraordinarily gifted at exhausting me...as babies tend to be.  I'm totally in love.

I know it won't be long before he's squirming away when I try to hold him, but oh!  If only the little devil would let us put him down for a moment!  He came out with the natural ability to manipulate mommy and daddy into just about anything.  When he is 2, 12, 22...boy will we be screwed!  :)

In the meantime, I will rock my baby as much as he wants and gaze at his perfect little face.  Any day that includes three square meals, a shower and enough time to check my email and take a nap...that day is a success.  We'll worry about everything else later.

Better late than never...

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away, I purchased fabric to make my dear cousin a lap quilt.  I chose the fabric according to her tastes, cut out the squares, and then stopped.  I grew weary of sewing and took a very long break from that hobby.  For fifteen years, those squares have been sitting in a plastic tub with the rest of my fabric stash.  For the first couple of those years, I got a yearly plea/guilt trip from my cousin about her missing quilt.  "Where's my quilt?" she'd say.  To which I'd shrug and reply "I'll finish it someday".

Well, someday has come.  During the process of turning my sewing room into the nursery, I discovered the squares and thought it might be nice to start a project that had nothing to do with preparing for the baby's arrival.  And today, aside from a small repair to the edging, the Cousin Quilt is finished.

I'm rather pleased.  This is my first quilting project in 5 years, since I made a quilt for my newborn niece.  I'm finding myself having a renewed interest in sewing (or at least quilting) and I already have a quilt ready to piece for my new nephew who is scheduled to arrive near the Winter Solstice, and I almost have enough pink & purple scrap strips to make my darling niece a "big girl bed" quilt for her 5th birthday in February.

But in the meantime I shall wrap this quilt up, with a little note that says "Better late than never" and give it to my cousin as her winter holiday present.  She'll be so suprised!  I know she's long forgotten this project.

Speaking of late...today is my due date.  Baby boy has been baking for 40 weeks and is not showing any sign of wanting to make his grand entry into this world.  Even though he's not officially late for another day, DH and I are going a little crazy with the waiting.  I have dreams about holding his little hands and cuddling him.  I want to meet him, and start our lives together so badly.  Has anyone ever been pregnant forever?  I certainly hope he will not be as tardy as the cousin quilt.  ;)

Nursery, continued

Well, the nursery is just about done aside from some small decorating details. Overall I'm pleased with the results.

I selected some pictures from an etsy shop that I think go perfectly with the fabric:

The rocking chair has been reupholstered and I think it turned out great:

I  considered a big change in the fabric that would make it more matchy with the nursery, but in the end decided that sticking with the original style of the chair would be more appropriate and longer lasting decoratively speaking;

I'd still like to replace this shelf unit, but you know what?  I've spent too much money.  Baby boy will not care that he has an ugly non-matching IKEA shelf unit in his room.  :)

Now I'm just patiently waiting.  Or impatiently waiting as it were.  I wish this baby would opt to arrive very soon.  I'm eager to meet him and start our new lives together.  I should probably work on some quilting projects to keep my hands busy while I'm waiting.  Perhaps I will.

Finishings. Beginnings.

I love finishing things.  Such satisfaction.  I'm the kind of gal that just loves checking items of the to-do list.  Even small completions like using the very last of a shampoo bottle gives me a small sense of pleasure.  What I'm not enjoying however, is finishing off my job at work. 

I have three weeks left of working before my maternity leave begins.  Aside from hoping I can make it that long, I'm totally overloaded and overwhelmed.  I will not be returning to the same position...the job I've held for 8 years.  So I must figure out a way to sensibly hand off this thing I've been doing for so long to someone I don't know.  And I want it to be right.  I want my people to have the right support.  I want to know the projects I've started will be managed correctly.  I'm kind of wearing myself out thinking about it.  So I need to let go. 

I'm going to start working shorter days and just accept that maybe this time its okay if every item isn't checked off the list.  I've even started turning down work - something I never ever do.  It's okay.  Now is a time to start letting go of finishing and start beginning.

October 2nd, begins my new life.  Hopefully, if baby boy is willing, I'll have a couple of weeks from that day until he arrives to nest, rest and ponder.  And how I love October!  It's my favorite month.  Well, maybe tied with June...but it's still up there. Autumn! I love the smell of the dying leaves, the taste of the air, the heat of the afternoon and the chill of the morning.  It gives me that sense of finishing.  The year is winding down to its end, and in a few short months everything begins anew.  And with baby coming, this Autumn will be more special than most.  A new beginning for our lives as a family!  I'm so very excited.

It is secret? Is it safe?

I never was good at keeping a diary.  A while ago I went through my diaries from childhood and found them so empty that I actually threw them away because there was nothing in them worth keeping.  But lately I find myself wanting to write things that are more on the reflective side. Or the creative side.  But the question is...just who reads this thing anyways?  Who is my audience?  Perhaps I should begin each post with "Dear blogger".  Should I hide the blog under my mattress?  In the underwear drawer?  Naw...those are the first places people would look!!

I believe only my best friends and my husband are even aware of this little blog.  But I also think we as a society are growing so accustomed to sharing ourselves online, that we get lulled into a false sense of security that only people we care to share with will witness our online selves.  Those facebook posts with four letter words or questionable content; that picture after a little too much tequila; that profile picture of me, 6 months pregnant, flipping off the camera man.  Will I now add innermost thoughts to the online version of me...for anyone out there in the twisting nether of the interwebs to see?

I suppose I shall, come what may.