I have an adorable little niece, Lena, who unfortunately lives 13 hours away. She's about 5 months now, so she's been getting more interactive and beginning to chew and pull on everything, as babies do. When Haley was little, I made her cute
cloth rings with ribbon on them in different patterns and styles. She loved to chew on them and accessorize by wearing them as bracelets (usually accidentally :) I also made a wooden stand for the rings to go on, which I painted with acrylic paint, so that when she was older, she could learn how to stack them.
If Haley had stackable rings, Lena needed some too. Many people don't realize that, when babies are young, they don't see the full color spectrum for a few months. They like to look at the colors red and black the most because they have the best contrast, making them the most interesting. Luckily, I love fabrics in black and red, so I had a bunch to work with.
 |
 |
It was fun finding different ribbon to work with. Babies love the texture of ribbon, and many times the toys and blankets that have ribbon on them are super expensive. This project was made using lots of fabrics in fat quarter sizes and an assortment of ribbon. The most expensive part was probably the wooden parts and dowel screws (I got the wood pieces at Michael's and the dowel screws at Home Depot.) My hubby helped cut down the wooden rod since power tools and I don't mix. I hear that Lena loves the rings and gnaws the living daylights out of them. If anything, they make great teething rings!
 My little kidney bean is 12 weeks old! I can't believe how much he/she has grown, even in the last 6 weeks since I got to first see him/her. The doc says everything looks good and development is right on track (aside from the fact that the little kidney bean is measuring 2 days larger than the estimated due date.) I'm so afraid that this baby is going to be the size that my husband was when he was born - 10 pounds, 12 ounces - yikes!!! I still hurt just thinking about it....my poor mother in law, God bless that woman. My stomach is beginning to show even more and more lately too. It's so true that you show more with the 2nd pregnancy. I feel like I look as big as I did when I was 5 months pregnant, even though I've only gained 2 pounds so far. I know I'm not that big yet, but my body is definitely responding early this time, probably because it's done this already once before. I can't wait to find out the gender! I'm hoping they'll take a sneak peek in 2 weeks when I go back to talk about the "c" word....shudder....I'll have to tell you more about that later.... 
Recently, I realized that it had been way too long since I had made something, and my need to  craft came back with a vengeance (as you will see over the next few days :) After browsing through the awesome (and easy!) crafts on Martha Stewart's website, I found this adorable pattern to make a Black Apple Doll, and knew that I had to try it. It was kind of perfect timing since a friend of mine had a daughter who was turning 4 today, so it was pretty much a sign that it was meant to be :) After I finished the first doll, I had to make a second for another friend with a little girl who will be turning 4 in 3 months. Now, I'm kind of addicted to this project and will probably end up making a whole family for Haley and Baby #2 in the next few weeks. For someone who has only ever made maybe 2 stuffies, this project was really easy, AND I didn't have to buy anything extra. I already had a bunch of loose fabric and scraps sitting around. and the only other thing I needed was stuffing and acrylic paint for the face (which I already had as well.)  I think she came out really well for my first try! The head is a little square on one side where I had to whipstitch the head closed after I stuffed the doll, but besides that, I'm really happy with her. I half expected the first doll to turn into some kind of lumpy monstrosity, but seriously this project was so easy and it's great for gifts. And, I just love the little smirk and rosy cheeks on her face :) This is also a really great project to personalize. I added the flower in her hair and a little pocket on her dress. If I was feeling more adventurous, I would have tried to make her some jewelry or little boots, but I didn't want to ruin a good thing. Now I have to see if I can wait 3 months to give my other friend's daughter her doll....ugh, I don't know if I can wait, I'm terrible with surprises!
Oh boy, it's been too long since I last posted. These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of doctor's appointments for Haley and I - ear, nose and throat doctor for Haley to fix her ear issues, OBGYN for me to check up on the rapidly growing little bean inside (new baby pictures to come!) - and also some new crafts I've been working on that I'll have to post in the next few days. I told you in an earlier post about how Haley has had problems with her ears for months and how she has been on a ridiculous amount of antibiotics to clear everything up. Unfortunately, the ear problems have continued (despite 5 rounds of different antibiotics and a set of shots) and she had to have surgery to get tubes put in her ears yesterday. While I wasn't looking forward to my daughter going under the knife, I just wanted all of her sickness and ear problems to go away finally. She's been such a trooper through all of the sickness she's been dealing with lately, I don't know if I would be able to handle everything as well as she has. After taking her to a specialist, the doctor told us that Haley didn't have ear infections, but that she had a ton of build up fluid and general yucky stuff built up in her ears that was making her hear as if she's hearing under water. I had been wondering why she had suddenly stopped calling me "Mama" and started referring to me as "Baba" instead, and the doctor explained that that was how she heard "Mama" pronounced because of all the built up fluid. So yesterday, I helped load Haley in the car with her pj's and blankie, and said my goodbyes as my husband took her to the hospital for surgery. I know getting tubes is a pretty standard procedure for kids her age, but the word "surgery" can be pretty scary sometimes, especially when it's concerning your child. I had to pick my mother-in-law (who Haley calls "Yaya") up from the airport as Haley was having the surgery, but my husband called right after to let me know that the surgery went well but that Haley was confused and groggy from the anesthesia. It was hard to hear her pitiful cries in the background, but good to know that everything went well and that the ear issues are (hopefully) cured for good. Haley stayed home with Yaya yesterday and today so that she can recover in her own bed in the comfort of her own home. I know beyond a doubt that she's getting spoiled completely (she already got a bag of clothes from the family in Pittsburgh - thanks guys!). She's been sleeping a lot the past couple of days, which is expected, and while she's still been very clingy and whiny, I know she'll be back to her normal, happy self any day now. She even called me Mama this morning :) 
Patrick and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary on May 17th. It's hard for me to believe it's already been 2 years! We've had so much happen in our lives in the past 2 years - our beautiful daughter was born, we got new jobs, moved to Tennessee, expecting a 2nd child - it seems like we've been married forever (and I mean that in a good way.) It's been the best 2 years of my life.  I've had several friends ask me what marriage is like. Many people have no idea what to expect, or maybe they've watched way too many Disney movies where Prince Charming swoops in and rescues his damsel, then they ride off into the sunset. Marriage is a wonderful union of 2 people before God, but it doesn't stop at the altar. It's for better or worse. Marriage is: 1. Having your best friend with you forever. I love waking up every day and seeing my husband's face, knowing that he loves me for all that I am. 2. Learning how to live with each other's habits - the good and the bad. Each person has habits that he/she has grown up doing, and have never really thought about. I reuse paper towels after I dry my hands, so the kitchen counter is constantly littered with balled up paper towels that drive Patrick crazy. On the other hand, Patrick has a perpetual pile of clothes that he leaves on the bedroom floor. I have had to learn that no one has ever died from a sock on the floor, and that throwing away paper towels once in a while is probably a good idea. 3. Inside jokes. Over the years, we've had our share of inside jokes that we tease each other about, or little sayings that only we understand. It adds an element of fun to marriage. 4. It IS ok to go to bed angry sometimes. Not every argument needs to turn into a fight. Some nights, all you need is a good night's sleep to wake up and realize that what you were arguing about before was really kind of stupid. 5. Always saying "I love you." We tell each other "I love you" every day. I love you means "I love you through everything, and I'm not going anywhere." 6. Sharing your stuff. Marriage means sharing not only your physical possessions, but your past, your dreams, your victories and your mess-ups. It can be hard to do and sometimes it hurts, but it's an essential part of giving yourself to another person. 7. Knowing that someone was made for you. I know that Patrick was absolutely made for me. A friend and I once made a list of things we wanted in our future husbands. After Patrick and I started dating, I wasn't sure right away if he was "the one," but I prayed about it and felt like he might be. I sat down and took out that list and started comparing him to the (64-item long!!) list of things I wanted. He met all but 1-he was hairy. I decided I could live with that. Marrying Patrick was the best decision of my life. I love him more than anything, and I look forward to many more years together.
These past few weeks have been busy busy busy! As the weather gets warmer in Tennessee, our weekends seem to have more packed into them, which is ok by me. Last weekend, Patrick, Haley, Todd and I piled in the van (a.k.a. the Swagger Wagon) and took a road trip to Alabama to see our friends Matt and Rachel get married. I've known Matt for a little over 2 years. He was in the same group of friends that Patrick was in when we lived in Virginia, and I have a lot of great memories of all of us having bbq's and movie nights at Patrick's bachelor pad not that long ago. After graduating, he moved back to Alabama to be closer to family, and ended up meeting his fiancee (now wife) Rachel. Happily, a few months ago Matt accepted a job where Pat and I both work, and he now lives in Tennessee - and will, of course, be bringing Rachel with him after they honeymoon in Aspen. I was really excited about this wedding because it would be the first one Patrick and I attended since our own wedding 2 years ago. There's just something magical about seeing 2 people so in love, nervously standing before each other, giving their hearts to one another completely. Love is a beautiful thing. It made me think of the long wait that I went through to get to my wedding day, only to have it fly by in an instant when I myself was standing before my husband, sliding a ring onto his finger.  The wedding was gorgeous. Rachel and Matt had chosen black, yellow, and white as their colors, and the whole wedding had a very fresh, "springy" feel to it. The flower girls were adorable in their little white dresses and daisies in their hair, and of course Rachel was radient. We were also glad to have a few of our friends at the wedding as well, especially since many of them hadn't seen Haley since she was a tiny baby. We all shared a row at the back of the church (in case I had to escape with a whiny toddler.)  |  |
Since we didn't want to leave Haley alone while we stayed overnight in Alabama, she came too and was a perfect angel throughout the whole wedding - up until they were reciting their vows and she started saying "oooooohhh," which seemed hilariously appropriate. She kept herself entertained with an assortment of board books, toys, and an iPhone - which she loves playing Bejeweled on. She's going to be the reigning champ by age 3. She sat through the whole wedding and then it was onto the reception. Without a solid nap in between, Pat and I wondered how she'd do since the reception would undoubtedly go until late evening.
 The reception was held at an art museum in Mobile. They had gone all out with personalized decorations like monogrammed aprons for some of the people serving food, and personalized coffee sleeves and goody bags for the favors - a cookie table where guests could choose from an assortment of homemade cookies. My favorite thing was the cake which, of course, carried out their yellow/white theme perfectly. And yes, it was as good as it looked.
After making it through several rounds at the buffet, toddling around the entire art museum, and the cake cutting, Haley promptly collapsed on Pat's shoulder in exhaustion at 9 pm. We were just glad that we made it through the whole night without any major freak outs from a little girl with no afternoon nap. We missed the dancing, but hey, I'm pretty sure the people there weren't ready for our sweet dance moves anyway. Oh well, maybe at the next wedding...
| | 
After finishing sewing and lining the shirt, it didn't seem quite finished. I knew I wanted to add an embellishment to it, so I decided to make a cute flower decal, but I didn't want it to be typical. I started by tracing a pattern for a petal. I cut out 8 flower petals and lined them up in pairs, overlapping the edges some. I then took a needle and thread and sewed all of them together by sewing several small stitches on the bottom (flat part) of each petal. After they were all joined together, I pulled the thread and all of them bunched up nicely. Then, join the ends of the end 2 petals by making a circle, and make a couple of stitches to join the 2, like this: 
