these days

J at three weeks

Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments to welcome our baby! You all are the best! 

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More than three weeks have passed since Baby J entered the world, and it seems that we're just coming up for air. We've been in a fog of newborn busyness: a fog both delightful (tiny toes and fingers to kiss! milky cheeks to cuddle! baby smiles and grimaces to coo over!) and overwhelming (how is he hungry when he just finished eating? he's gone through how many diapers today? why is he crying?).

Each day feels remarkably the same, and with the lack of sleep, my timeline is hopelessly skewed. My husband and I have lost track of when things happened. "When was that?" we ask each other. "One of the days that came before today," has become the reply.

However, we are finally finding a little rhythm to our days and getting more comfortable in our new roles. This week I squeezed in a tiny bit of gardening, bread baking, knitting, and walking. And even though I barely made a dent in the weeds and I'm knitting a sweater that may never fit (what size will my body be come winter?) those moments felt like some of the biggest accomplishments.

My favorite moments of all, though, are holding J for the first time each morning. His chubby body is always still warm from being swaddled, and he looks up at me with the brightest blue eyes. *Swoon*

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P.S. My mom and I made the baby quilt in the photo as our practice quilt. It was the first real quilt for both of us. I received the vintage sheet squares a long time ago from this prolific quilter and had been saving them for just the right project. Also, I still need to take photos of the other quilt my mom and I made and some handmade goodies people made for J. I'll post them soon-ish (on some day that comes after today).

hatched

sweet baby jude

flew into our lives one week ago

a tiny bird at only 5 lbs., 11 oz. and 18 1/2 inches long.

he is now nested cozily with us.

i'm still in awe that this perfect baby is ours, and we are his.

we are so lucky!

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yarn along

Today is my final day of bed rest! I'm looking forward to going for a walk, going upstairs (all my crafting supplies are there), eating at a restaurant (and at a table!), and organizing the nursery. Now the wait is really on for this baby. He could come in a few days or five weeks. But, oh, I really hope it's sooner rather than later.

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I'm participating in the yarn along for the first time in ages. I've been speeding away on the Umaro baby blanket, trying my hardest to finish it before the baby decides to arrive. I think I can manage to finish it by this weekend. I still have to follow along with the pattern on each row, so it isn't the most relaxing knit, but I'm getting faster. I love the classic look of the texture and lace.

And that's a yarn cake I wound with my own swift and yarn ball winder! Such magic!

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I've been reading M.F.K. Fisher's How to Cook a Wolf, a cookbook she wrote during World War II. It's fascinating to read about food economy and rationing during the war and to learn tips for eating well even during hard times. I can't keep my attention focused on a plot for long these days, and this book is great to read in short snippets.

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What are you working on this week?

baby's bunny

Hot off the needles, this little bunny toured the house yesterday in search of the coziest place to cuddle. He tried out various blankets and nooks, scouting out places to snuggle with his soon-to-be-born friend. And finally he found a perch where he can wait--for days or weeks, we don't yet know--to greet a new baby boy.

Find my project notes here.

And the sweet pattern here.

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P.S. The vintage sheet quilt in the first photo is nearly finished. I'm halfway through handsewing the binding. And the Umaro blanket in the third photo is growing steadily these days!

tea time

Tea time is one of my favorite times of day. A newly finished tea cup makes tea time even better.

I threw this cup thick, then shaved off the excess clay with a textural tool when it was leather hard. The glossy amber brown glaze and lines of texture make this a wonderfully rustic cup.

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What's your favorite time of day?

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swift

This beautiful swift has found a home here with me. It's sure to make the time I spend winding my skeins of yarn go much faster, and I'm happy to let the swift do the work instead of my arms.

My father-in-law made it from rich-colored cherry wood and polished it to a fine gleam. It also comes apart so I can fold it up and easily stash it out of the way.

I can't wait to see it in action!

tasks for today

Thank you all so much for your kind comments on my last post. I am grateful for your support and encouraging words. You all made me cry! I felt much less alone carrying your sweet words around in my head. Thank you!

I am now 35 weeks pregnant, which definitely feels like a reason to celebrate. I'm happy for each day more that the baby gets to spend inside, putting on weight and developing his lungs and big brain. I got behind on taking and posting my weekly photos because I was having back pain (and contractions, though I didn't realize it at the time). All I wanted to do after work was go to bed. So, that's why my photos stopped at Week 31.

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Today feels good. The sun is shining through the window, I'm listening to Adele, and I have baby knitting and thank you note writing ahead of me. K and I met with The Diaper Fairy this morning, who is super enthusiastic (even at 8 a.m.) and could get nearly anyone fired up about using cloth diapers. I still can't believe how soon we're going to have a squirming little baby in our arms, but we've spent this last week gathering essentials, so we are ready when he decides to arrive. (I do hope he stays put through the end of the month because I really want to see Deb from Smitten Kitchen when she's in Louisville.)

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Links I'm loving lately:

Cute no-scratch baby mittens pattern

I can't get enough chocolate these days. And I miss baking. When I'm back in commission, this chocolate tart is on my to-make list.

Stefanie has some beautiful finished objects to share.

I'm still fawning over Jared Flood's studio. His yarn is definitely on my Christmas wish list this year. And my Umaro blanket is still on the needles and coming along beautifully.

I think I've finally settled on a couple sweaters to knit this year: a Larch cardigan in crisp red and an Argo in light heathery gray.

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What's inspiring you these days? 

Feel free to leave links in the comments. I've got plenty of time to look through them. ;)