An update on many things

So, as you can see, my plan to keep up on WIP Wednesday failed. For a number of reasons actually.

1) The hard-drive on my computer failed. It's just not the same using Jay's. I don't think I want to buy a new one though, because I want to get something like this instead.
It's a fancy-pants long-arm sewing machine, with a quilter's frame so I can do my own quilting. Because I took 3 quilts to the quilters this week alone (they've been in the works for months), I think this might be a good investment. I can also potentially turn it in to a small business... but then of course there's the fear that I won't want to do it any more when I have to. For those of you familiar with Myers-Briggs, my P-ness tends to get in the way of tackling obligations. Deadlines... blegh.

2) Nap-time is precious. If I want to actually get a shower, some laundry or dishes done, dinner made, or any of my quilts progressed on, I have to take advantage of it, and not squander my time away on the computer (way too easy to do).

3) Last Wednesday was our anniversary. And my Grandma was getting heart surgery. :( We've been a bit preoccupied with that.

BUT -- here are some snippets of life's goings. (Not necessarily in chronological order...I do have to get in the shower before the boy wakes up!)

Our Sarah came to visit. Sarah was there when Steiger entered the world a little over 7 months ago, and we loved seeing her again. I think Steiger is helping to convince her that California is where she belongs.
This was Steiger on Halloween. We spent it in Redding because we wanted to get out of town and visit Jay's side of the family after stuck here with a harvest that just wouldn't quit. We actually spent 2 weekends in a row in Redding... (adding to the reasons I haven't updated here).

I made my Grandma a quilt in about 3 days. When I was taking everything in to the quilters, I left Jay with Daddy. This is what I came home to:

In his jammies at 2:00, and sporting a mo-hawk. Daddies are great...
I don't have a picture of the quilt I made for my Grandma (I was hurrying!), but here is the fabric line I used:I think I might have to make something for myself in this line.

Steiger is 7 months old now (just a little over actually). And such a joy. Except when he's screaming in the car.
Isn't he cute!?!

Now, for a note on my quilty projects. In 2 weeks, I need to finish 3 more of these:
+ add borders

Make a surprise Christmas lap-quilt/table topper, and get binding on all the others.

I finally got fabric for a quilt for Steiger (poor baby... doesn't have a quilt from his mommy yet)...

Crap. he just woke up crying after less than 1/2 hour of sleep. Moms out there, sympathize with me on the morning nap being botched. (Waking up crying is never a good sign... means fussiness until the next one). And I didnt' get a shower. Thank you Steiger for illustrating the reason for my lack of blogginess.

WIP Wednesday

WIP -- Work in Progress...

I am stealing this idea from here. I think it's a good idea, and means I'll be motivated to get at least 1 blog entry a week...

In my last post, I promised photos of finished and in progress projects.

Molly's quilt is finished, but I noticed a tiny separation of the fabric, so it's still technically "in progress" (until it leaves on a jet plane tomorrow.) But here it is:I hope she likes it! She'll like crawling around on it, I'm sure. :)

Here's what else is going on:

The first is a whimsical Christmas gift that I need to figure out how to finish. I'm debating between panels or a pieced border. It will also get some embellishment with rickrack and buttons. I designed it myself!


What do you think?

I had a panel from last year, but since I am fundamentally opposed to panels, I had to come up with a way to modify it. Because the motif is of snowmen, I decided I'm going to try making snowball blocks to off-set the cute snowpeople. The fabric came today, so I suspect as soon as I figure out the above border dilemma, I will begin with this one:I really do think it will be cute when it's finished. And I'll learn a new skill (hopefully)...

My favorite extra special one is almost done! I also designed it myself, with some inspiration from this cheater nine-block technique. I can't show much, but here's another little glimpse. All it needs is the final chunky border panels and backing! I can't wait to get this to the quilters. I think I will have a hard time waiting until Christmas for its reveal. :)
I've got a couple ruffle butts in the works (they just need to be sewed down, but I'm debating changing the ruffle style)
And ideas for more of these

Steiger's work in progress is crawling. He keeps going to find Elli. Fortunately, she was gently harassed from the time she was 7 weeks old, and doesn't mind.

Look! He's holding her paw. :)

I'm now down 4 pounds since beginning Weight Watchers, and have found a fabulous pseudo-diet friendly recipe for Greek wedding soup! It was so good... apparently I heart orzo.

Blogging again

At least that's the plan. I will say that life is a little easier to manage now that I'm getting around 7 hours of sleep each night. I think my memory has improved too.
In my new quest for quilt patterns and ideas, I have found all these cool blogs, and the women who write them have inspired me (wait for my side-bar list to be updated soon) . This blog will probably primarily be about the stuff I'm working on, intermingled with random musings.
First though, I need to get you all up to speed. (You know, you all being the 2 or so people who read this) ;) I started with my biggest project. I can't believe he's six months old... I took this picture of him the other day... my little Steiger Jay.

OK, on to the rest:
My first completed quilt is here. I call it the "I'm a good wife and I'm sorry your team is sucking but now I can get back to playing with pretty fabric" quilt.

The first in my line of "ruffle butts" (this one went to my niece Molly... I have a couple more I was working on tonight, but apparently the sound of the sewing machine was the possible source of Steiger's sleep disruption, so they will be finished later).
Behind the ruffle butt is a little teaser of a special quilt top I've been piecing the last couple months. It's by far my favorite so far, but will not be revealed until Christmas.

In the morning I'll show you Molly's finished quilt that my mom is taking to her this week (a bit jealous I'm not joining them), and my first one of these (I'm so excited I found a pattern for my Christmas gift bags!)

Maybe I'll also snap a picture of my work station, and why I'm so excited to possibly get a new desk and re-organized office which will become my sewing space.

Good night for now!

What I do during the day

Steiger wakes up somewhere between 1 and 5 am (I always like 5 am)...
- I feed him
- I hope he falls back to sleep easily...

If he doesn't, I sacrifice myself to keep him quiet so Jay can sleep while he chomps away on his favorite human pacifier.

I hope the sleep comes soon.

If it doesn't, I can no longer sacrifice self, so I take him to go change him or something. Or we go talk on the changing table, while I am dreaming of sleep. He smiles, and I can't help myself... I smile back and we talk for a while.

We start our day somewhere around 6-8 am. One morning he let me sleep 'til 9. He got LOTS of kisses that day. :)

Sometimes I let him have tummy time while I take a 5 minute shower. Other mornings, we just play. I put him in his swing while I grab breakfast, and then we hang out until he starts to get fussy. Then he fusses for a while, usually in his carrier, until he either falls asleep, or I feed him again.

And this is what we do.

Sometimes he naps; sometimes he doesn't. His sleep at night, even though I try to be consistent, isn't.

I beg him to nap, then when he does, I miss him.

Dinner is always an adventure. Yesterday I made dinner at 1 pm, while he was sleeping, so that I could make sure it was ready when Jay got home.

I let him sleep on me at least once a day, but this often backfires, because he smells me if he stirs, and thinks he needs to eat again. So I lay him down, and leave the room.

The hair dryer still calms him down like magic.
I block the sun from his eyes when we go outside.
Each night, I still try to give him his massage after his bath, but he's usually already ready for his next meal (even though it's only been about 1/2 hour since he previously ate), so he wiggles through some lotion, and we sing songs for a bit, and if Jay is home, he and Steiger watch TV for a bit.
Steiger talks to the dog on his crib bedding set. And he talks to the ceiling fan.
He's getting really good at holding up his head, particularly after I lay him down at 3 am, hoping he will sleep. He doesn't, but he makes me laugh because he's so stinking cute.

Anyway, I'm off to watch him sleep for a few minutes, because I can hear him stirring, and he's precious when he wakes up with a smile.

Just a picture

Tell me he's supposed to fit in here for 6 more weeks how???

Nesting

Finally! We got to paint the nursery today!!! :-D
The Father in law (Jay's dad) and Mother-in-law (Jay's Step Mom) came down today and helped. There is still some touch up work to do, but I am quite excited.

The dresser is almost finished being sanded (it was an old dresser Jay's grandpa made), Mom has found a small dresser to double as a changing table, and I plan to get fabric for valances tomorrow. I am also going to look for a rocker/recliner.

Here are some pics of the progress so far:

It's getting close to the final stretch!

In our birthing class, they teach us about the "emotional signposts" of labor. First, you have anticipation and maybe even excitement. I figure I won't even count this as "labor," because I don't know if I'll be able to really tell it apart from all the braxton-hicks I have. Then, you get "serious," and don't really want to be messed with. This is the part where I'm praying that Jay, our practice, and our dear friend Sarah will be able to help me stay relaxed and calm... to let my uterus do the work, rather than myself. The third stage is what I think of as the freak out/give me drugs/I can't do this! stage. They call it "self-doubt." This is where I want Jay, Sarah, and whoever else is around (doc and nurses) to remind me that my body knows what it's doing, and I'll be fine, and I'm almost done!

Anyway...
Tangent.
I'm thinking that pregnancy needs stages too.
The first stage -- nothing is really real, and you want a belly (what was I thinking???), and since I felt like puking a good deal of the time, I decided that maybe adoption was really best for us for any future children. The concept of being "pregnant" was very ambiguous, abstract, and difficult to conceptualize most of the time. It just translated to: "I'm tired, and I hate feeling like I'm car-sick all the time, but can never get out of the car."

Next time I'm in this stage, I will remember to sleep on my back and stomach for as long as possible.

The second stage of pregnancy is more glowy. I really did love the belly (still do, but with a couple caveats now). I had a *bit* more energy (not completely like normal), but this is when the baby starts kicking and wiggling and making the belly look like it has been controlled by strange alien forces trying to get out. I will add that having Christmas and the holidays during this time was wonderful... I could still fit food, and not feel as guilty for indulging. Mmmmm...
I was a bit different than some other moms I listen to. I did not want to rush this stage at all. I liked the boy in the belly, cozy and secure. I didn't feel anxious about him because I could feel him wiggle all the time (unlike at the beginning, where the sound of their little heartbeat every 4 weeks is blissful), and in general felt very happy with where he was, and the fact that I was taking care of him. Labor and Delivery were still very scary, and could stay as far removed as possible.

Now we're in the third stage. The part that is troublesome isn't so much the feeling huge, it's the inability to maneuver, and the fact that my joints HURT! My shoulders and hips and back... I have carpal tunnel in my wrist, and my feet throb if I'm on them for too much. I don't feel strong, I just feel heavy. I laugh when my doc says to "watch my weight," because the LAST thing I want to do is carry around another pound!

If it wasn't for this man moving his little self around, I think I'd be a bit miserable. But he makes me smile and laugh multiple times/day.

He has this funny little habit of either: a) fighting back when his space is imposed upon or b) trying to connect with the outside world. I am not sure of his motivation, but it is hilarious. I will put my hand (or the doggie will rest her chin, or I'll be carrying something, or I'll be laying against the belly) on him, and very soon, he will find the exact spot of pressure and push back. I'll move the hand, give him a few seconds or a minute, and he'll push back again! It makes me laugh. Maybe he's like his mama, and just likes to be comfy... or maybe he wants to say hi... I don't know. :)

But, I am getting ready to meet him. My emotions are changing from "he can stay as long as he needs to," to "I hope he comes a bit early!" Not only do I miss sleeping on my back and stomach, and having my joints remain in their position, but I'm getting ready. I want to love him and hold him and see if his daddy has the same calming effect on him outside of the womb, as he seems to while this little one is inside.

Here are some pictures of the recent days:
This one with my dad... I finally passed him up, at 32 weeks!
Here's Elli's new favorite begging spot:
And here are some of the many onesies we received at my little shower last weekend in Redding! I think we have plenty!