a good report!

I am in great spirits this afternoon! Mary and I had a fun morning. We did crafts and she got her bangs trimmed. She stayed with John while I went to to the doctor, and they had lunch together. I worried she'd be melting down when I got home because it was nap time, but she was fine. John went back to work, and I put her down for her nap without a fight. When she got up on my lap, she said "oh, HI! nursie boobie" in the sleepiest little voice I have ever heard. Then she hummed along while a sang to her. It was such a sweet moment. Every day when she falls asleep on my lap, I have a little bit harder time putting her in bed. I just want to sit there and hold her and watch her sleep. Even though I need the "me" time while she naps in her bed, it's really hard to let go of her these days.

The doctor appointment went well. I was worried about it for some reason. I've been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, but apparently they aren't "doing" anything. My weight was the same as two weeks ago (thank goodness, I really don't want to gain another pound!!!), blood pressure was excellent. The baby is head down and has dropped. I go weekly now until the end. I have a feeling the next 28 days are going to fly by. I am excited though. I cannot wait to meet this little person inside me.

I've been busy

I've been doing a million things, but I feel like I haven't made much progress. I got some teal blue and olive green diapers and shirts dyed up but am having trouble getting the excess dye out of them. I got most of the woolies waterproofed, and they are drying. I got a flannel fitted sheet made for the co-sleeper. I shut down the "sewing room" and got our dining room back.

Mom asked for a couple dishcloths for a friend, so I made those Monday. She's also told me what she wants for Christmas (knitted wrist warmers), so I am in the middle of making them. I got some custom orders put in through Etsy for other Christmas gifts. I am going to try really hard to give all handmade gifts this year. I also have some yarn coming for a felted handbag that will be a gift too. I have a feeling I won't be knitting much between the end of August and Christmas, so I am doing what I can now.

Today I scrubbed the kitchen counter tops with a toothbrush. I still have a million cleaning projects I'd love to get to. I can't see what the last crazy project is. The day before Mary was born I scrubbed out the under sink kitchen cabinet with a toothbrush. It was so cramped under there and it took all my energy. Funny.

Going to the doctor tomorrow. I'll try to update tomorrow afternoon.

Dye job

These are the diapers I dyed up. I used Dylon dye. Each package is supposed to dye a half pound of dry material. But when you finish up your first batch, you can put more items in the dye bath and get a lighter color. That's what I did with the purple and the orange (though the second orange turned a little peachy). I have one more batch dyed, but I still need to wash them up. It's olive green. I was worried the items would come out too green, so I think I put about a pound of diapers and shirts in the dye bath.

Mary helped me fold and sort this stuff this morning. When she saw the shirts, she said "oh, those are really small." Yeah. I don't think she's ever seen a newborn. At least not lately. I think she thinks her 10 month old cousin Lucas is a "baby." Anyway, here are the shirts.

The one on the bottom of the pile (top of pic) is actually a second batch from the light green. It's interesting how it turned out a light teal color instead of light lime. I just try to go with the flow with dyes. I never know what I am going to get. This is my first time dyeing cotton, but I've dyed wool yarn many, many times.

I got a ring sling custom ordered this morning. One more thing off the list. This afternoon we are going on a tour of the hospital. I altered the diaper pattern I had downloaded and finally made a diaper that should fit an actual baby. I think I'll make a couple more of those and then put the sewing machine away. Our dining room has been my sewing room for way too long.

35 days to go!

Mary and the tutu

So, Mary asked for a tutu a couple weeks ago. She rarely asks for things, and honestly we rarely buy her things. I am trying so hard not to have our house overloaded with toys. Books and puzzles are okay, but other stuff gets on my nerves. Anyway, I decided a tutu would be fun. So I asked her what color she wanted (clearly, I'm an idiot). She said orange. I waited 2 days and asked her again . Still orange. This after I'd looked and really only found a million pink/purple/white ones. Okay, orange it was. I coughed up the extra money for the one decent orange one I could find on Etsy.

This is what all pics taken in the house look like these days (well, she was in the middle of dancing!):

Then we went out on the deck where the lighting was better. She's checking herself out in the glass door that leads to the deck.


The best shot I got. It was really, really bright out there today.

This is how I surf

Sometimes Mary wakes up half way though naptime, so I hold her and nurse her back to sleep while I surf the net. Of course she isn't the kind of kid you can move once she is asleep, so I get "stuck" on my chair with usually the remote and my laptop. Probably not the best way to teach my kid to sleep on her own, but hey, it gives me another 30 mins to an hour of quiet time a day.

Today Louise decided to join us. I guess she didn't think I looked warm enough with a 35 pound toddler wrapped in her blanket on me. Notice how Lou's back leg is pressed right up on my neck? Yeah, I am sure she thought it was the best day ever. hmm, I sorta wish I'd combed my hair a little better this morning.

Quick picture

It was too hot to even go out on the deck to take a picture today! So I took this inside. Seven dishcloths made in about 5 days. The lighter pink one on the right with the funky middle was a new pattern for me, as were the striped one in the middle and the triangles in the bottom front. It was a fun project, and it was a good way to use up scraps from other projects.

I'm not the only one nesting

Check out this little bird! We hung up 5 birdhouse gourds this summer. John's Dad grew them in his garden last year. We thought they'd be more for decoration than for birds, but what a treat to see one in use. This one is in a cherry tree right next to my hosta garden and Mary's sandbox. Yesterday while Mary played in the sand, I watched this bird take sticks and other small items into the gourd. It was so cool. I was surprised that it wasn't too scared with Mary right there. I hope I see it again this afternoon when we go out.

I got my dishcloth project done! woohoo! I need to take some pics and send them out in the mail tomorrow. Next up, dyeing prefolds and making a couple more diapers.