The Land of Marie's

Evabelle Baby(and Chloe Dress)

2012-01-27T20:05:00.004-05:00

I've been sewing a lot lately. How do I get any sewing done with 3 kids? Two years ago, I would have asked the same question. It's like how a chef might take seconds to chop an onion in comparison to me, who can barely get through the tears, 5 minutes into slicing it. I'm not in any way trying to insinuate that I am an expert in the field of sewing, just that I've become more efficient in the last few years. It took me a long time to understand how to sew. I had a lot of trouble trying to wrap my mind around how to think 3 steps ahead. I spent hours devouring books and tutorials and patterns. Perhaps the hardest part of all(and a big lesson)....the patience. Maybe that's something I learned from both kids and sewing. So, I sew in the evening and on weekends and the occasional day when two of the three kids are napping. I find I don't do as well during nap time. Usually Isabelle is doing crafts with me so I can never be truly focused on sewing. Even now, as I write this with both kids in bed and one drifting off to sleep right beside me, I've had to stop about a dozen time to reinsert a pacifier and then try to glide over the keyboard stealthily to make as little noise as possible. I've meandered off topic.

Having a hobby has most definitely helped me combat the stress in my life. Books used to be that outlet and still are, perhaps a secondary one. It makes me feel happier. The reward is the finished product and all of the positive feedback I get. It's a virtual pat on that back and that makes me feel really good. Staying at home with kids is an often thankless job. It's a great job and I want to think that I am good at it but it's a demanding one mentally and physically. In that sense, it's sometimes nice to escape into the creative spot sewing has opened. My goal for 2012 is to expound upon my sewing skills and I'm stepping into the small(very small) business realm. I have a great friend(see below) who designed the logo and I am starting down the road of getting tags and labels for the baby items. If your curious, I'm selling on Etsy which you can find here. Fret not, I don't have any intentions of using this blog as a source of publicity. It makes me sort of uncomfortable even writing this now. Promotion is not my strong suit. Without further ado, here's what I've been up to the past few weeks.

I had been wanting to try this dress pattern out for months and after purchasing the requisite fabric, I embarked on what turned out to be a tricky sewing experience. First, this is the Chloe Dress by Violette Field Threads. I've never worked with tulle, netting, and nylon chiffon. I spent a lot of time on the skirt, which, in theory, looked easy but the materials were harder to cut than expected. That meant I spent a lot of time trying to even out my poor cutting job. When I attempt this dress again, it should take much less time. For the bodice I chose a very slippery satin charmeuse and initially it was tricky to get the pieces cut out. Once I figured out that starch and ironing made the fabric stiffer, it was a breeze. The next challenge was gathering the skirt, then sewing the bodice and skirt together. My serger was barely able to stitch through the thick skirt. It was a difficult task. The end result of all my work did pay off because I really do love the dress. It's a super adorable special occasion dress for a little girl. As you can see, it was sized more for Isabelle but Evangeline wanted a turn to pose in what they termed the "princess dress".

After the Chevron Baby Blanket that I made a few weeks ago, I had a sizable amount of fabric left over and thought that it might look really cute as a dress. I ended up making two! When I work with prints like this one, I go into super perfection mode because I can't stand the fabric print not lining up perfectly on the sides and at the hem. With Chevron, the zig zags are surprisingly difficult to match. It has the potential to turn out wonky, especially at the hem and where the bodice meets the skirt if you don't take great care in pinning and sewing straight. However, I thought the result was cute enough to justify the extra work.

A good friend of mine, Gail, designed a logo for me to use. I knew she would do a great job(she's a graphic designer) and she didn't disappoint. It incorporates everything I wanted. How lucky am I to know such a brilliant designer?

I made this cute jacket(from another Violette Field Threads pattern). Isabelle loves to pose but it's proving more and more difficult to get a good picture. She likes to make funny faces and it's so much more fun to take pictures that aren't posed. However I end up with a lot of one's like this:

Isabelle, Evangeline, and I made some noodle necklaces. One for each of us(Isabelle made the Rosalind sized one)

Rosalind is growing and growing. Her smiles and laughs are delightful. Those little blue eyes make me melt everyday.

She's gaining a bit more hair on the top finally but she's still a little bit of a baldy in the front. Oddly she still has most of her dark hair in the back. Oh and you can see the cat in the background. Her name is Puma and she isn't the biggest fan of the girls. She definitely prefers the company of adults who don't try to pick her up all the time.

Another goal for 2012....learning to knit. I learned how to "cast on" just recently. Well, I've learned but I haven't been able to duplicate it very well. I really want to knit the dress below that I found on Pinterest and that's my main inspiration for learning.

8675309.....

2012-01-17T20:39:00.000-05:00

Earlier today I went to grab a brush in order to put up two little girls' hair. It was not the normal brush I use. I noticed something peculiar.....some how there was pink hair entangled in the bristles. I was perplexed for a few seconds and then I realized it was My Little Pony hair. Almost every day we go through the same routine of washing Isabelle and Evangeline's ponies hair and combing it out(usually with the little combs that come with the pony--hence my confusion). Isabelle says someday she wants to ride on a pink unicorn. I think that she might be disappointed.

I recently had to get a new phone, along with a new number. I used to have an Ohio number and had to switch to a Florida area code when I switched carriers. I've learned a lot about the previous person who had this number. I don't think he spoke English as his first language...several clues like his name and when random people call and start speaking in Spanish have led me to believe this. I'm pretty sure he was also disabled and wasn't the greatest about paying bills. I've learned most of this from voice mails. It is slightly annoying but more comical than anything, and it could be worse. In fact, it could be a lot worse. David happens to know somebody who got lucky enough to inherit an even more interesting number. Recently, a call came in from unknown number(something that happens quite a lot apparently) and when answered, the man on the other end asked to schedule a massage. Out of curiosity(and increasing suspicion from the numerous unknown calls being received at this "new" number), she inquired about what kind of massage this other lady apparently offered. "The fun kind", he responded. Yes, it could be worse.....I could have inherited an escort's number.

In case of apocalypse....

2012-01-13T20:46:00.001-05:00

When I was little, my mom made me go to church. I never remember liking it. To pass the hour long church service, I daydreamed, which is something I still do a lot now. Maybe daydreaming is not the right word. Most of my thoughts centered around how to escape if the church was suddenly taken over by a bomber or someone with a gun. We mostly sat in the balcony section and so, logically, the only escape route would be to swing from ceiling fan to ceiling fan until I hit the alter. Then, I would somehow land on my feet(a 30+ foot drop) and push the pastor and I to safety. I'm not sure what my sister and mom would do, but I was ready.

David and I watch The Walking Dead, a post apocalypse zombie show. Naturally, since watching this show, I've thought a lot about what I would do in the case of apocalypse. I have a plan but I'll admit, living in Florida definitely puts a wrench in it. The only way out of here is north through swampy, alligator infested land and this is a heavily populated area so the chance of escaping through the throngs of people who would inevitably try to flee the city is low. The other option is water, which I think might be a better one. Stealing a yacht from the multimillion dollar homes on the intracoastal waterway(since they probably won't be there anyway) and heading to sea away from the millions of people seems like the better option. I mean, really those yachts are about a million times better than anything I'll ever live in(literally millions). I use hurricane preparedness as my excuse to stock up on the necessities in case a flu pandemic or zombie virus occurs. We have everything needed to survive a decent amount of time without food, water, medicine, and electricity(and we use cloth diapers). I know the ratio of bleach to water needed in order to make the water drinkable(8 drops per gallon). Actually, bleach is one of the best things to have on hand in cases of emergency. See, I'm a worst case scenario kind of girl. I like to think I would be pretty handy to have in an emergency. Oh no, now I've outed my plan and will probably get kidnapped for my survival knowledge. Don't get me started on what I would do in case of a plane crash(seriously I've read books dissecting what went wrong in different plane crashes, where to sit, and how to brace---I also always read the safety manual and count the number of rows to the emergency exit)......

So other than thinking about the above mentioned scenarios, what have we been up to?

Rosalind is smiling and making noises like crazy. She's adorable.

I made these two dresses.

I made the most gorgeous blanket ever! OK, maybe not ever but it is my favorite baby blanket. Here's the Chevron Chenille Baby Blanket tutorial if you want to make one. It requires a big time commitment. The 60 rows of zigzag stitching are a test in patience. It was worth it!

I also made the above baby blanket which is also a favorite. I love the viewfinders fabric. I'm a sucker for vintagey things.

Isabelle is really loving horses. She pretends her barbie car is a horse named Starlight. She also makes a really high pitched, authentic neighing sound(which can also be extremely annoying) and gallops around. Princesses are another favorite at the moment. She made the robot/owl like creature pictured below all by herself. Seriously, she cut out the cloth and put it together in this way(yes, I framed it). How did she grow up so fast?

Evangeline is quirky and funnier than ever. Currently, she thinks monsters, robots, and ghosts are real. Isabelle does little to help these fears and actually I'm pretty sure she is the root of the fear altogether. Isabelle is at that age where pretend play is all consuming. Evangeline isn't quite yet understanding that Belle is pretending and that there aren't real monsters or robots coming after her. However, my eldest also thinks it's funny to put a blanket over her head and make ghost noises while poor, gullible, Evangeline really believes she is a ghost and runs away scared. It's a great time to be a fly on the wall in our house!

Quick!

2011-12-20T15:55:00.000-05:00

Quick! I only have about 15 minutes to put together this post! So in the last 2 months:

I took some pictures of Rosalind in the same sleeper that both other girls wore when they were little(Rosalind on top, then Evangeline, then Isabelle, then Rosalind).

Went to the beach.

Made my first baby boy blanket(for a friend).

Had a makeup mishap.

Had a cute sisterly moment.

Fell in love with a brand of cloth diapers that includes wool covers{(pictured below)which is completely unnecessary when living in Florida, but I digress}. Changed well over 600 diapers. Washed around 500 diapers. Completely potty trained Evangeline in one week.

Made several rice therapy bags(microwavable rice filled bags) for Christmas, one in which I attempted to paint a car.

Had another makeup disaster, this time it was with red lip stain which I found out is pretty hard to get off.

Got a cat(which temporarily has no name)

Rosalind got a rash, which I thought might be from the cat(which is why it is nameless) but turned out to be nothing but extremely dry skin(probably due in part to my bathing her everyday because I thought she was allergic to the cat)

Captured a smile from Rosalind.

Took a picture of Rosalind in the dress that I made her(she was only able to fit it for about a week though).

Watched Isabelle draw lots and lots of pictures, including this one which is of , "mom, baby Rosalind, and Dad".

Finally, got a picture of all the kids together since last time I posted.

I've also pulled some very long shifts(David has had a lot of work lately) and made a cute little dress(but it's an Xmas present so I don't want to show it just yet). Oh and Rosalind at 2 months, weighs a little over 10 pounds and is 24 or 25 inches long(I can't remember--however she is fitting into 3-6 month clothes). Evangeline also had a doctor's appointment--she weighs a meager 24lbs but is very, very tall. I'm pretty sure she just had a growth spurt! If I remember correctly, she's in the 90th percentile for height and the 10th percentile for weight!

Happy Holidays! Hopefully I will get around to posting more than once every few months!

Adorableness

2011-11-14T16:02:00.001-05:00

Mishmash

2011-11-09T07:24:00.000-05:00

In the interest of saving time, this post is going to be somewhat disjointed. Rosalind is laying next to me and is restless but I'm going to try to write the highs and lows of the last few weeks.

David left on his trip and we survived, thanks in large part to my mother making a surprise trip down here. She took the 3am shift several days in a row, for which I am ever so grateful. I don't get to see my mom in person very often(even though I talk to her most every day), so it was great to spend the week with her alone. However, she must have put a jinx on our vehicles because as soon as she arrived, the battery went completely dead in the Cadillac(we ended up having to buy a new one) leaving us with no transportation until David came back. Then, while David was driving her to the airport a tire blew out in the BMW. Somehow she did catch her flight home(a uncharacteristically turbulent ride I hear), but the car woes didn't end there. Later in the week, the bumper on the BMW fell off and cracked in half quite possibly a side effect of the tire blowing out.

The kids went trick or treating at a little party across the street from where we live. David took them while I stayed home with Rosalind(I wasn't going to risk the cold/flu season with a 2 week old). Unfortunately, David is not the best photographer in the world and when I went to look at the pictures, more or less, they looked like this:

This one below is the only picture I got of the two girls before they left, and it's a bit blurry. Isabelle was a fairy princess and Evangeline was a bee.

My newborn is growing! At her two week checkup she weighed in at 7lbs 9oz which was reassuring. I finally breathed a sigh of relief that exclusive breastfeeding was going well. I'm sad because she's already growing so fast. She doesn't even act like a newborn. The doctor told me at her two week checkup that she will probably be able to roll very soon because her head control is so good. A few days later, indeed she did roll.

The dress in these two pictures above is one that my Aunt Lisa gave to my mother for me as a newborn, twenty seven years ago!

I tried to get a good picture of all three of them together and, well let's just say these two are the best that I got. The second one had potential but Rosalind's eyes look very odd.

This is what Rosalind looks like today:

She still has a lot of hair in the back:

We are also cloth diapering her half time. I don't know how many people are familiar with cloth diapering besides that of the old days but here is an example of the diapers we use. Although we still use prefold diapers with a cover, many of my cloth diapers look a bit more like this:

These are Itti Bitti D'lish diapers and they are sooo soft! Think Minky fabric on the outside and very soft on the inside as well.

I also managed to make one little girls dress. I love this elephant fabric. It's part of the Pernilla's Journey collection by Tina Givens :

That's what we've been up to the last few weeks! Still working on the birth story. I just never have time to sit and write for a lengthy period of time. Someone is always interrupting. Speaking of interruptions.......

One week

2011-10-22T15:09:00.000-04:00

The first week of Rosalind's life has been great! She's a calm baby, rarely crying. Of course, the normal amount of work required for any newborn applies and sleeping is on the lean side but she's a great baby. Breastfeeding is still going very well, which is shocking for me because in the past I've had distinct challenges with both other girls. I know I haven't mentioned cloth diapering recently, but we still do use them(with Evangeline--although she's potty training) and are now using them with Rosalind. Actually, we are going between cloth and disposables because many of the cloth diapers I have are still a bit too big. That will change in the next few weeks and we'll be back to all cloth diapers.

Isabelle and Evangeline are adapting to the new baby amazingly well. I have two little helpers who love to kiss Rosalind. It's adorably sweet. I'll attempt to take some pictures of all three girls together soon. I'm not yet quite up to that challenge!

I'm recovering well from the c-section. I think this one has been a bit easier than the last two. I still have pain when I am not taking medication but it's slowly getting much better. Although I have tried to take it easy the past week, I find myself doing all sorts of things I shouldn't. I guess I'm preparing for next week. David will be gone the majority of this upcoming week and so I'll be alone with all three kids for the first time. To be honest, I was panicking about it last Sunday. I didn't see how in the world I was going to be able to do it all, in such a short amount of time. However, the past week has went so well I think it will be manageable. A little scary, but I'm pretty confident it will work out fine. If I succeed, I'll be be patting myself on the back a little because taking care of 3 kids(a 3 year old, a 2 year old, and a newborn) completely by oneself a mere 10 days after major surgery is a huge task. It's my own fault anyway because I told David to go, probably not something I would do again given the choice!

I haven't had time to write out the birth story, but I think in the next week it will get done. I have a few more cute pictures to share, in the meantime.

2011-10-17T14:30:00.000-04:00

She's here! Rosalind Violet-Ann Crouch. Her birthday was October 14, 2011 arriving at 1:18 in the afternoon and weighed in at 7lbs 5oz and 20.9 inches long. I know it took me awhile to post. I'm sorry about that! There were a lot of things going on and I never took the opportunity to sit down and write. Friday was a long day. Actually, the whole weekend was overwhelming. I arrived at 10:30am on Friday and was able to go home Sunday by 2pm. I thought I would actually want to stay longer but instead, I opted to go home as early as possible. Less than 48 hours after my c-section! I don't know how I managed to convince the doctor. 72 hours is the norm. However, I definitely wasn't feeling 100%, hence the lack of posts and updates. I'd be lying to say the last 72 hours haven't been somewhat overwhelming(hormones=crazy) but it's also been amazing. Rosalind is perfect. Breastfeeding is going great and even the sleep deprivation isn't all that bad(in the way that although I'm definitely lacking it, Rosalind makes up for it in every way). I'm still in pain from surgery but the main issue I have had are of the digestive variety. My intestines didn't seem to be working for the first 48 hours and it was worrisome(mostly to me) and extremely uncomfortable. Isabelle asked me if I was having another baby because I was so bloated. Yuck! Rosalind has pretty bad jaundice and has been prescribed a biliblanket for her to be under until it gets better. We should be getting it today and hopefully she'll get better in the next 48 hours. I'd like to stay out of the hospital--at least that's the goal. She almost had to go back in today, but luckily we could get the biliblanket at home.

Isabelle and Evangeline love having a new sister. It's been a bit of a roller coaster of emotion for Isabelle. She was a little bit moody over the weekend--probably to be expected at her age. Evangeline is in her own world for the most part. She likes holding Rosalind, patting and kissing her but having a new addition hasn't phased her much. Once we got back to the normal schedule(that's one of the reasons I wanted to go home so early), I think things will be less bumpy.

I'll try to update in a few days and post a bit more of a "birth story". In the meantime, here are some pictures.

Ready for takeoff

2011-10-12T20:16:00.000-04:00

In less than 48 hours, there will be 3 little girls in the Crouch family. I'm scheduled for a c-section on October 14, in the morning-afternoon time frame. I found out Monday at my doctor's appointment that they were considering taking me a bit earlier than anticipated because of the preterm labor issues I've been having. Initially, Saturday was the only option at that point because the hospital couldn't fit me in. I found out earlier today, that a spot opened and so they moved me to Friday. I'm nervous and excited. There is a small chance that she may have respiratory issues and need to go to the NICU. I'm pretty close to the 38 week mark, so it's a not a huge risk. I can't quite believe I'll be holding her by Friday night. Tomorrow, we are spending the day enjoying the two little girls already in existence(and getting some things ready for the newest arrival).

Now, onto the name. I've had a few guesses that were correct so I'll go ahead an announce it ahead of the birth. Rosalind. It's generally pronounced two different ways, but we like the flowery version. Actually, I really dislike the other way and I realize that I'm taking the risk of her being called it for the rest of her life, but I really love the name. So, the way we pronounce it is Rose-Uh-Lind. I'm sure her nickname will be Rosa. David initially picked the name for Evangeline so we were deciding between those two names for awhile. Then when we found out this baby was a girl, it seemed natural. There aren't many popular "Rosalind's" out there. Rosalind Franklin, a scientist, which is where the "double helix" clue came into play since she was an integral person in discovering the double helix of DNA on an X-Ray. She was born in 1920. Rosalind Russell, born in 1907, was a popular actress in the 1930's onward. Of course, the Shakespeare quote was from the play "As You Like It" of which a main character is Rosalind.

I'll update the blog once I'm able, hopefully by Friday night. Until then, I'm signing off. Kind thoughts would be appreciated on Friday!

Once upon a time

2011-10-06T20:00:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time, a little girl received three hand made Care Bears before her sister was to be born from her mother. That little girl slept with those bears for a very long time. The brown one was barely used(I didn't like brown). The yellow one, well it was a mediocre color so it was the second favorite. The pink one, years later would barely have any stuffing left. Fast forward twenty three years and the tradition has officially been passed on.

They are both pink and they are both almost identical(except for the i and e). Hopefully that will serve two purposes: no fighting and pink is a favorite color around here. I made up the pattern myself(wow, huh....ghost shapes are so creative). It took me a lot longer than I'd like to divulge and they certainly have that homemade touch. Nevertheless, I hope they treasure these as much as I did mine. Someday, maybe they will be deflated. I'll take that as a compliment.

Isabelle named her ghost/monster thing Sam. She likes her, but keeps trying to take off the dots. We're already down two. Evangeline named hers Ethan, although that seems to be a changeable name based on the amount of times you ask her.

I also made a dress for the new little lady. It might be slightly too long. Oh well, better big than small. After all, who knows how big she will be by the time she arrives? I think I'll make it another week. I'd be lying if I said I hoped to. After 37 weeks, I'm ready to have my body back. I"m pretty sure almost every pregnant woman feels like that. Anyway, here's the dress:

The tutorials I used to make this dress and diaper cover were based on, Itty Bitty Dress by Rae and MADE: The Perfect Diaper Cover. Both tutorials and patterns are free and come in a few different sizes. The Itty Bitty Dress pattern is originally for 0-3 month old but there is toddler pattern based on original you can download for free as well. The diaper cover pattern is made in four different sizes. If you are ever so inclined to make them, I lengthened the tie straps a little bit because they seemed slightly too small for me. The skirt length is a bit longer than the original tutorial I think, but I like bigger hems and I had that exact amount of fabric so I went with it. The ruffles on the diaper cover were made by serging two long strips(I want to say about 10 inches each for a 0-3 mo. cover) of cotton fabric on all sides(because cotton frays if you don't finish the ends--you could use a knit and skip this step). Then, sew a long gathering stitch down the center and pull one end of the thread. Voila, ruffles! After that, pin the ruffle to the diaper cover and sew normally down along the gathering stitch(I use that as my guide). That might have been confusing so if you have any questions feel free to email me: ash37marie@gmail.com.

The clues:

The N is the second to last letter in the name.

"The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool" William Shakespeare.

Big Lips

2011-10-02T20:16:00.000-04:00

Did I ever mention that I've had two ultrasound techs tell me that this new little girl has big lips? Yep, I guess her lips will hail from David's side of the family. He does have large lips for a man. It's always interesting to see what the baby looks like on ultrasound as compared to in reality. Isabelle had a large nose on one 3D ultrasound I had at the end of that pregnancy. I remember being worried that she would come out with an enormous nose. Actually, when she was born, due to the emergency c-section(and all c-section babies), her nose had to be suctioned out. One of the first things I remember when I saw her was thinking, "Gosh, she really does have a big nose". Of course, that was due to the suctioning and obviously her nose is no longer large. When they told me about the lips thing this time, it made me pretty curious to see if it will come to fruition. I also wonder if she will have hair. Both Isabelle and Evangeline had a decent amount of hair when they were born. Isabelle's never fell out--hence her long hair now, and Evangeline went almost bald(the hair she ended up with was so light blond that it was hard to notice) at about 5-6 months. I suppose, like all moms to be, I'm curious what she will look like.

My nesting continued to rear its head this weekend. Poor David was stuck cleaning and cleaning. We made a lot of progress. The Vietnam Veterans are getting a decent size donation. The condo we live in isn't extremely small but we sometimes lack in the storage area. Especially when moving from a colder climate like Nebraska and Ohio, we tend to have items rarely used but in storage just in case. I think we donated about 15 blankets. Other things, like coats and a few sweaters still remain in chests because when we return to visit family during the winter(or spring or fall) we do actually use them. All of our closets are definitely in use, but we're finding creative ways to store things. As of this weekend, our 3 bedroom condo can now sleep 5 extra people(without the use of an air bed!). Yeah, it would be a tight fit but a feasible one.

It was a very productive weekend. I also started and finished a knit dress for a friends little girl. It turned out very cute, but I don't think I'll sew with knits for awhile again. Cottons are so much faster. Anyway, I won't post a picture of the dress yet because I want it to be a surprise. I asked David for one day of sewing this weekend and he held up to his end pretty well. I figured that it would be awhile before I could get time to sew in the next several weeks, and I had a few projects I needed to do. My mom bought me a serger awhile back, and I love it. It makes finishing seams so much easier. Projects like burp cloths are a breeze. Now, if I just had my own room to devote to sewing.....oh and more time! Here is another dress I made a few months ago for another friend:

The name game. It's taken a turn! I received an anonymous comment last week with the right name! How in the world someone figured it out, I have no clue. Anonymous commenter(I think I might know who you are), you astonished me! Luckily, I have comment moderation turned on so it hasn't been posted. I won't post it until a little further into the game when more people have guessed it. I just wanted to give props to that amazing reader who managed to figure the right answer out. It's not that I think my clues were genius or hard, just that they were so vague I couldn't imagine anyone figuring it out. Great job.

So, here are the clues for this post.

1. Another letter: N
2. Another hint: double helix

Here is an ultrasound picture(that I had been meaning to post for awhile) for inspiration:

She says hello!

2011-09-28T20:27:00.003-04:00

I'm only a few days shy of 36 weeks pregnant! Will I make it to 37? I think I can, I think I can. Honestly, there is not a lot more to post about this week. It's a boring week in this household, but I'll take boring. I am nesting. Yes, definitely. I've cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. I've always thought it was kind of myth until I started nesting with Isabelle. My mom can probably affirm that it happened. I went from a laissez-faire attitude about cleanliness until a few months before she was born. I cleaned, a lot. With Evangeline, well I don't think I really made it to that point in my pregnancy. At this point, I can say with certainty that I'm nesting. Our condo was in tip top shape, until tonight, that is. David had an idea to rearrange some rooms(maybe I'll post about that later) and lets just say my house is in shambles that will inevitably fall on me to clean and reorder etc....I'm tired just thinking about it. Well maybe I'm just tired because I tried to lift an extremely heavy couch up the stairs while 9 months pregnant. Bad idea. Well, onto the baby name clues I suppose:

A. Here is another letter: L
B. Hint: 1920, 1907

So here is what we have so far:
Letters: A, I, L
Hints: It's an old name.
There are 8 letters in total.
The name reached it's height of popularity in 1942 but hasn't breached the top 1000 names in 30+ years(according to the social security name database)
1920,1907

Okay, I know that probably isnt' much help but we still have weeks to go so I cant make them super easy. From this point on though, I'll try to give a bit more info that should allow you to connect the dots. I'll sincerely try to get all the clues in on time for her birth!

Hope everyone has a great week!

A virus upon us

2011-09-21T20:20:00.000-04:00

David and I went to a movie this weekend sans kids. It's been months and months since we've had any
"dates". We took the kids to a local babysitting center so we could go to the matinee. In the end, $80 dollars later, and one movie that was interrupted by David's work and a brief electricity failure, I'm not sure it was worth it. Now, I'm positive. Ironically, the movie we saw was Contagion, about a flu pandemic, all the while our kiddos were picking up a virus of their own at the babysitting center. Funny. They both have a head cold or flu. I'm not sure which. I think the presence of a fever means flu or maybe infection. We're managing, albeit minus David. He's had to work a lot lately. Hopefully those demands will ease up in the coming weeks.

For those of you tired of hearing about all things baby, skip the next paragraph. I had my weekly doctor's appointment on Tuesday. He said he thinks I'll probably go into labor in the next two weeks, likely well before my c-section date. The baby is very, very low(which, I wrote in my last post) and since I'm still having contractions, though nothing like Labor Day weekend, he thought it will likely happen sooner than later. I've always thought she would come early, but that's mostly because Evangeline came prematurely. Obviously, nobody has any real clue or ability to predict when. I can say I've never experienced so much pelvic pressure, at least not this early on. That might well be because first babies don't usually drop early and Evangeline was born at this point in my pregnancy. Either way, it's only 4 weeks until my scheduled c-section anyway.

On to the name game. I'm going to try to step up my posting frequency in order to get all the letters in before I have her.

The second letter in the name(not the actual second letter) is: L
The second hint is: There are 8 letters in total.
Just for the fun of it, here's another clue: The name reached it's height of popularity in 1942 but hasn't breached the top 1000 names in 30+ years(according to the social security name database).

I have some funny things that I've heard or seen lately. Humor always brightens my day so I thought I'd share them with you. David saw a lady with a tiny top hat as a hair accessory. He said he asked her if she was trying to be like Michigan J. Frog. My youth betrayed me since I had no idea who that was. Still, it was pretty funny picturing a lady with a tiny top hat--where do you buy something like that anyway?

I bought these maternity leggings a couple of months back and despite them being super soft, I found out the hard way they don't stay up very well. I had to keep pulling them up every few feet while pushing the cart through Target with the girls. People looked at me oddly and I'm sure someone thought I was shoplifting. I didn't have much of a choice though....going through the store sans leggings was not an option(and probably way worse looking--hello cellulite). I was wearing a much too short dress(because I was trying to squeeze into a regular dress and my belly shortened it considerably).

This next one, every parent has probably dreaded or experienced. The girls and I had just finished grocery shopping and as we were headed to the car, a larger lady commented on my huge belly and asked what I was having(everyone assumes I am disappointed it's a girl). As we parted, Isabelle said, "Mom, that lady has a really big butt." I'm sure I turned red and was definitely hoping the lady was out of earshot.

Lastly, one day a few weeks ago I was working a 12 hour shift(aka David was working late) and things had become overwhelming. I was tired, I wanted to get the kids bathed and on to bed so I could relax and put my swollen feet up. BEEP(the sound of the surge protector thingy). The power went out. It came back on rather quickly but we have issues with our air conditioner working when the power blinks like that. Low and behold, of course the air conditioner stopped working. It was 90 outside and well, I'm pregnant and the a/c is the only way I make it through the day. So, I started crying, yes crying over the fact that the a/c was out and it was a Friday which meant nobody was going to be able to fix it. It was one of those pregnancy freak out moments. Isabelle and Evangeline became concerned, asking, "Mom why you crying?". Then Isabelle sat down next to me and said, "Calm down and take a deep breath, like this". Mind you, she's 3! When did my child become better at dealing with stress than I?? Hilarious. It made me laugh and a little while later, the a/c mysteriously came back on.

2011-09-18T20:16:00.000-04:00

It was a good week! In distinct contrast to last week, I am feeling much, much better. Somehow I managed to make it past 34 weeks. Although I am still having contractions, my body seems to be in fairly good shape. Well, despite the alarming amount of stretch marks on my stomach(perhaps the most annoying thing about this pregnancy vanity wise--I managed to escape with about 3 the last two pregnancies). They are itchy. I also found out I have an umbilical hernia. I just thought it was due to the stretching of my belly button. There is a bump on the side of it, apparently it's a hernia. Oh, how 3 pregnancies wreaks havoc on one's body. It doesn't really hurt unless I touch it. A hernia, from what I've heard, is where part of the intestine protrudes through the abdominal muscles, hence the bump. I don't know what mine was caused by. It only came into view the past few weeks. All of those contractions may have helped it, as well as, having multiple pregnancies. Anyway, it can be fixed and probably will be when they go in to do my c-section. Do you think they could give me a tummy tuck too? I'm kidding. Sort of. The last of my complaints(really not a complaint because I am so happy to feel so good this week) is the pelvic pain. The baby dropped a month or so ago(heartburn is much better), but now I feel as if there is a baby between my legs when I walk. It literally is a matter of inches away. Wait, maybe that doesn't sound like such a good week! I'll take it though!

At my last doctor appointment, we discussed c-section dates. I found this to be kind of pointless because I don't know that I'll make it that far--nor does the doctor. I'm just taking it day by day. Anyway, the last possible day I will be pregnant is October 20th. That's about 11 days from my actual due date. They can't schedule an elective c-section earlier than that. It's a hospital policy. There are numerous articles about why elective c-sections before 38-39 weeks are frowned upon. It needs to be medically necessary--like going into labor earlier or another condition. For example, if I go into labor at 36-37 weeks and beyond, I will immediately be sent to surgery. Why? The main issue with me, since I have had two previous c-sections, is the risk of uterine rupture. Doctor's don't usually want previous c-section patients to go into labor at all because the contractions can make the uterus rupture at the incision site of previous c-sections. I'd hate to be my doctor with so many issues to contend with. Like I said, I'm taking it week by week but am much more relived to have made it past the 34 week mark. Babies normally do well born at this age.

The girls are doing great. My stomach gets lots of hugs these days. Isabelle and Evangeline spend vast amounts of time playing together. They fight, but many times they resolve the issues themselves. It's fun to sit back and watch them together. Isabelle is a great big sister. So caring and sweet(most of the time). Evangeline is polite and most definitely a mama's girl. She's also very stubborn but I can't say if it's due to her being 2 or just her personality. She also speaks levels beyond her age. I know, parents always think their children are above average. However, Evangeline has been speaking in complete sentences for a good many months. Sometimes I can't believe the words that flow from her tiny little mouth. It's in stark comparison to Isabelle, whom didn't start saying words until 18 months or so. Actually, I'm pretty sure Evangeline speaks so well because she learned how to from Isabelle. She emulates everything Isabelle does. It's adorable. I'm excited to see how the new baby will fit into the mix. Isabelle is most definitely excited about the new addition. She can't wait to, "hold her and rock her and feed her". She tells everyone we are in close proximity with that I have a baby in my stomach. The name of the baby would not be a secret if family lived closer because she declares it to everyone.

Speaking of the name.....just for fun(and because I really like puzzles), I will give one letter of the name or a clue every post until she is born. Hopefully, I make it to the last letter. I know, I know, it's not that earth shattering of a thing. It's just a name, after all. However, if you know me, you know I am eternally curious and love any kind of game like this. I spent many a years doing a treasure hunt with my mom, grandma, and sister in a nearby city where I grew up. I was so excited then, and I guess I'm that same kid now. I'm holding out that maybe some of you are like me in that way!

Oh, and I did happen to snap a picture while I was in L&D a few weeks ago.

It made me chuckle. I didn't even notice it until the last hour I was in that room. I'm positive it's not that funny, but I just wonder why they decided to take the time to put a pregnant woman laying in the bed instead of just a normal person.

Okay, here is one letter of the baby's name: A
Here is one clue: It's an old name.

Just in case

2011-09-12T19:58:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I had an unanticipated hospital stay on Labor Day weekend. It's a long story. I can assure you, it won't disappoint in the drama area.

Rewind to the week before Labor Day weekend. I hadn't really been feeling great. I thought it could mostly be attributed to being anemic and just overall last trimester tiredness. I had some contractions, but I almost always do in the last 3 months of pregnancy. I had some preterm labor with Isabelle and, of course, Evangeline came at 34 weeks 5 days so I do have a history. Then on Friday morning, I started having quite a lot of regular contractions(about every 5-6 minutes initially) and so I tried the usual, laying down and drinking fluid. It didn't change anything so I did end up calling my doctor's office, whom I figured would send me over to the hospital, and they did. Here I must say, I always feel like I"m overreacting. I really, really hesitate to call or go in to the hospital. The only thing that pushed me this time was Evangeline being so early and me not taking it terribly seriously then. So, David had to come home(another thing I always feel bad about) and drive me to the hospital(I had some sense this time, huh?).

I arrived at Labor & Delivery at around 11am and they saw the contractions on the monitor, so they wanted to run some tests etc... I was dehydrated so they started an IV since that can be a major contributor to contractions. I was checked for dilation, which was only about a fingertip. I can't say what time all the craziness started because I wasn't paying much attention to time, but my contractions started coming 2-3 minutes apart. Since I was a little over 32 weeks, they decided to try and halt labor rather than do a c-section. If I were say, 35+ weeks, they probably would have went ahead and delivered because the risks of stopping labor with drugs usually outweigh benefits of delivery. Normally, the lungs are mature by 35 or more weeks and a baby does well outside the womb. The first line of treatment was more fluids, bed rest, monitoring, a drug called Procardia, and an initial dose of corticosteroids to mature the baby's lungs faster just in case delivery was imminent. Let me just say, there is nothing like trying to pee in a bed pan while a nurse is watching. Apparently, I am pee shy because I couldn't do it and had to get a lovely straight catheter which is put in to drain urine and taken out. Yes, I know that might be too much information. It wasn't a lot of fun. In fact, now every time I see one of those commercials about selling catheters(they have one that runs a lot down here), I feel horrible for those people who have to do it daily(well, I don't know how frequently). Ugh, that must be unpleasant. My veins are really small which made it hard to find good ones to draw on and insert IV's, so I got poked a lot. Seven times on Friday night alone. By the end of the ordeal, I would end up with about 13 wounds on my arms and two in my derriere. Anyway, then came the Magnesium Sulfate, the end of the line as far as controlling the contractions would go. That went in Friday evening, shift change, and it was the start of a long, long night.

I knew from reading that Magnesium is not a pleasant drug to be on. The nurses tried not to delve much into the unpleasant side effects and I wanted to think positively. So, another type of catheter gets to go into my urethra because the Mag relaxes all of your muscles(hence the reason they use it to stop the uterine contractions). Yay. The mighty Magnesium started flowing to my veins along with an antibiotic and some fluids. It made no dent and I was still in a lot of pain so morphine was added to the list. The morphine knocked out any pain, but did nothing to the contractions nor the unpleasant feeling of the Magnesium. I didn't sleep at all on Friday night and was pretty weary by Friday morning. I felt guilty David was stuck with the kids, not knowing what the plan of care was, feeling like I couldn't go through more of this agony. Nobody seemed to know what was going to happen if the contractions didn't cease. Would I be stuck in the hospital a week or two? Would my mom need to come down and help? Luckily, it's a long weekend and we had some time to wait to make the decisions but not much. I was overwhelmed. I just wanted to go home and be done. I wanted out. If I could have, I would have left. I hadn't seen my kids and husband in 24 hours, and I was feeling worse and worse. I was vomiting up everything I could get my hands on to eat and drink and stuck in a tiny bed confined by a catheter. It got better---the contractions started to ease up but then it became worse. I was talking with my sister when I started feeling really, really bad. I found out later, it was the magnesium becoming toxic to my body causing the misery. I noticed the last time the nurse checked my reflexes they were non-existent and about 30 minutes later I started feeling really bad. I turned extremely pale, couldn't breathe very well or move any muscles. My eyes went blurry and even though my head was upright, it wobbled uncontrollably to the side. I pressed the nurse call button and she arrived on the scene promptly, saw all of this craziness going on and immediately became concerned(I later heard her recount the ordeal to a fellow coworker). I was crying and literally begging her to turn off the Magnesium, which she did. I was terrified in the instant, having no control over my body and seriously doubting whether or not the medical staff was doing the right thing. Not in the sense that I felt they should deliver the baby, but in how everything progressed. Actually, up until that point, I had been a good trooper. I did whatever they asked, whenever. At the end of the Magnesium ordeal, I was trying to run for the door as fast as possible and never come back. I wasn't feeling well and still having a few contractions, but at least I wasn't feeling like I was going die. Of course, that wasn't going to happen. Allowing me to go home would have been the least medically responsible decision. I had to be monitored. Things started to slow down during the later afternoon and I received my second dose of steroids and an ultrasound to check the status of the baby. Everything came back fine and since it didn't look like I was dilating, I was able to start recovering from the Magnesium incident and look forward to probably going home soon.

From later Saturday evening, until I was discharged Sunday, I was moved up to the Mother/Baby floor and monitored intermittently. Since my contractions had pretty much ceased, they allowed me to get up to go to the restroom and walk around. I begged and begged the nurses/doctor to let me go home on Sunday, and I finally got my way. I think the joy of walking out of the hospital overshadowed any symptoms I was having, at least for awhile. That's the reason it has taken me over a week to post. I've felt that bad. At this point, I'm extremely grateful that I can walk up the stairs without feeling faint. Last week, getting out of bed was a task. I spent a lot of time sleeping and laying down. My mom ended up flying out here to help out because I knew I couldn't do it by myself and David needed to work. Thankfully, she was able to get here because I would have been in poor condition if not. I saw my doctor twice in the past week and he kept me on bed rest(or as much rest as possible). Apparently my body is not handling the last weeks of the pregnancy very well(although the baby seems to be fine--she measured at 5lbs last week via ultrasound). He confirmed that the magnesium is a horrible drug but that it was a necessary evil in my case. I'll do what I can to stay off my feet, although I do still have to take care of the girls from this week until I deliver. My doctor and I are hoping to make it to 36-37 weeks. It doesn't seem like a very far off goal....only 3-4 weeks. Unfortunately, if I do start having consistent contractions again, I have to return to the hospital. I'm scared of that happening. At this point, my doctor said they will still attempt to halt labor, likely with magnesium. I'm at risk of uterine rupture because of the two previous c-sections, so I'm not supposed to be contracting for that long(or at all).

I'm very, very happy to be mostly contraction free and out of the hospital. I'm slowly(at a turtle's pace) getting back energy and strength which I thought might not happen until I deliver. As you can imagine, I'm trying desperately to get better and stay away from the hospital. Though, maybe I should pack my hospital bag just in case.....

Labor Day

2011-09-06T20:21:00.000-04:00

Ugh. This Labor Day weekend was one I will never, ever want to repeat. Since I'm still recovering from the whole ordeal, I just though I'd write a quick post to say, yes I'm still alive! Beyond that though, I'm not contributing much. I suppose I am growing a baby girl in my uterus. Right now, I"m taking it one day at a time. I'll write about the whole hospital ordeal in a few days when I can actually articulate what went on. Let's just say I'm not eager(in fact, I am very scared) to be back in the hospital in the near future and I'm a feeling a little let down by my doctor. My mom will be here helping me out the next few days because I didn't feel like I could do it all by myself(and technically I am on bed rest) and David needs to be back at work. Thankfully, my mom is able to make it down here....I'd be so much more stressed if not.

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers! I'll try to get a post up soon!

E6! E6!

2011-08-15T10:04:00.000-04:00

E6! E6! My sewing machine was flashing this message and beeping. E6 means "the motor locked up because the thread is tangled". In this case, the more accurate meaning would have been "the motor locked up because your finger is tangled". Yes, somehow, I managed to sew my finger. It was after a few hours of sewing one evening and I suppose I got careless. As I was sewing together one of the last pieces of a dress I had been working on, I slid the pin out with my left index finger(the sewing machine speed was pretty fast) and apparently it got caught in the feed dogs(they pull the fabric through the machine). The next thing I knew, my finger was impaled by the needle. I have no doubt my machine has a powerful motor....the whole needle went through my finger. It didn't hurt going in. Coming out, well I think the shock factor took away any pain associated. I have to admit I didn't even realize right away my finger had been sewn. I heard the beeping first. Frantically, I tried pressing the "needle up" button(I'm not sure it's actually named that, but that's what it does--pull the needle up after sewing). It didn't work. I debated whether to yell for David to come upstairs to help. My mind decided to find the fastest possible way to get my finger out. So, manually I turned the hand wheel to pull the needle up. My finger was released and I surveyed the damage. A surprisingly little hole remained with a bit of blood....and the white fabric I was sewing remained blood free. I survived the trauma(or rather drama) of a sewing machine needle going through my finger relatively unscathed. What luck! How did the dress turn out? Adorably. I had to pull it off a mad Evangeline who would have worn it all day and night if she could.

Vintage Recycle

2011-08-11T14:49:00.001-04:00

It's August! Yay! That means the end of summer heat is coming(I hope) and I'm closer to my due date. Everything is pretty much going swimmingly with the pregnancy. I've had an admittedly shameful amount of weight gain(I can't tell you the number without crying) in the last 6 weeks. I didn't know I was getting so huge until my last doctor appointment. It was a traumatic day and I'm still in denial(the scale had to be off, right?). Moving on, I have been making some very cute dresses so let's focus on that.

One of them is my first mostly(the thread is new) recycled dress. I used an old vintage tablecloth from the 50's for the fabric. It may be my favorite dress thus far. I had been storing the tablecloth for quite some time, knowing it would be perfect for some project. It had a few stains so, naturally, it couldn't be used for it's actual purpose. However, I loved the print so with a little creative cutting and matching, it came out very well. I wish I had remembered to take a picture of the tablecloth pre-cutting, but I didn't. I browsed around trying to find a picture of the style:

So I was able to cut out most of the stained parts, and used the bottom border of the tablecloth for the skirt and ruffle. Here is what became of one vintage tablecloth and a recycled upholstery zipper:

I had made another dress earlier in the week from the same pattern for Isabelle:

Isabelle likes her new dresses(one was supposed to be for Evangeline but it turned out too big)....and she likes to pose for pictures even more!

Model

2011-08-03T10:29:00.000-04:00

Junebug Dress Part 2

2011-07-30T21:30:00.000-04:00

I finished my second Junebug Dress, as promised, for little Isabelle. I'm not sure which one I like better! I don't think I can alter the pattern down to a newborn size, but we'll see if I feel really confident. Anyway, I enlarged the pattern a bit, added 8" of elastic for the sleeves, and made the skirt part larger. It turned out almost flawless. I'm not a perfectionist in every part of life, not at all, but I am with sewing. If there is an imperfection, and there almost always is, I can probably tell you where it is in every single project I have made. It bugs me. It also makes me a better seamstress because I learn quickly. If you're just starting out or thinking about sewing, jump! Despite a bit of a cost in the beginning(and you can find a lot of sewing items on sale), one can learn everything from the Internet and books. I've never taken a single class nor do I have anybody around to show me the techniques, and slowly, but definitively I've become better. How time consuming is it? Well, however much time you want it to be. It's a good hobby for me, staying at home with the kids because a) my free time is limited to whenever the kids decide to take a nap or have quiet time and I might get some cutting or prep work done for projects and b) I actually have someone to sew for (and use as models). I do most of the work when the kids go to bed and have never finished a single project in one sitting. For me, at least, I get antsy which equals more errors so I try to break it up. I really, really study the pattern before making any cut on fabric. Sometimes it takes me hours just to think it through in my head. Then I do all of the prep work: ironing, measuring, measuring, cutting, and pinning. After that, the actual sewing part is a breeze. For example, the first Junebug Dress took me probably 8 hours altogether. The second one took maybe 3-4 hours.

So, anyway, if you are looking to get into sewing, here are some helpful sources:

1)Burdastyle.com
It provides help with basic skills, free projects, and is a good overall resource.

2) http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/ This is a blog from Sew,Mama,Sew! which offers many wonderful designer fabrics, patterns, books for purchase, but the blog has many, many invaluable tutorials. They have a handmade holidays list that has some great, great projects: http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2010/12/the-ultimate-handmade-holidays-master-list-2010/

3) Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts. Very helpful and has many projects. I learned how to dye fabrics from this book as well as some cross-stitching.

4) Sew Everything Workshop by Diana Rupp. This book is a great beginners book. I still reference it.

5) Fabric.com Well, I've found it has pretty good deals on fabric--especially during certain times of the year where one can get 20-25% off their purchase. Good prices, free shipping.

6) JoAnn Fabric: I frequent this store, especially when I get the coupons in the mail. They have 40-50% coupons all the time and sometimes have pretty good sales on fabric. I prefer shopping online because I think there is a better fabric selection, except for fleece and flannel--that I'll buy at JoAnns because they have some great sales for those items.

Anyway, there are many, many more websites devoted to sewing and you can find tutorials everywhere. It's a relatively inexpensive hobby, and pretty rewarding.

So, here is what my dresses look like:

Isabelle's dress---she specifically picked the yellow buttons. I love it.

Side by side of the two dresses. As you can see, one is slightly larger than the other. Both so cute and fun!

On a side note, does anybody have advice of getting rid of leg cramps at night? They have been severe, interferring with any sleep I manage to get. Between the bad indigestion that keeps me up and jumping out of bed in the middle of the night in pain from my legs cramping so bad, I've been not sleeping so soundly. Any advice is welcome.

The Junebug Dress

2011-07-27T19:46:00.000-04:00

I discovered the cutest little dress tutorial--The Junebug Dress(you can get the pattern and instructions there), and wanted to try my sewing skills on something with sleeves. I highly recommend making one of these little dresses. Mine turned out great, although the sleeves were a little bit tricky. I'm not sure what kind of skill level it would be measured at(the buttons and sleeves that include making an elastic casing were the hardest techniques) but if i can figure it out, it's probably not terribly hard! The only things I changed from the original sew-along tutorial were the elastic lengths for the sleeves(I used 7" instead of 8") and the skirt(I didn't have much fabric left at the end so it ended up a little narrower) Here is the finished project(it's Evangeline sized, but I'll be making another for Isabelle):

Evangeline loves buttons, so it's perfectly suited to her. I love when sewing projects that turn out well!

Sugar, Sugar

2011-07-25T19:19:00.001-04:00

She had a great 2nd Birthday!

Evangeline!

2011-07-21T00:00:00.001-04:00

A lot has changed in 2 years......

Happy 2nd Birthday Evangeline!!

Aye, Aye Captain

2011-07-17T19:51:00.001-04:00

I made an unfortunate mistake in the last post....I haven't spent $600 on baby gear!! It was supposed to say $200. I didn't want to edit it later because I just noticed the error today and it would have seemed odd had it suddenly changed. I can't say I won't spend that much by the end, but I highly doubt it(not on baby gear at least). Anyway, that was a typo--although there is some pretty neat, unnecessary baby stuff out there. Well, alright, even if we had the means, I still couldn't justify it.

I'm feeling better. I still had an infection going on from the week before, but I'm definitely doing much better. No contractions, no pain! It was a long wait in the specialist's office last Thursday, like usual. I've been scheduling appointments after 5pm so that David doesn't have to take off of work, but that also means a lot of waiting(at least an hour). I'm usually prepared with a magazine but sometimes it's more fun to listen to the conversations around me. A room full of waiting pregnant women almost always delivers some entertainment and it's also really interesting to see all the different pregnant body variations. Last time there was a younger girl, pregnant for the first time and at 20 weeks. She had no sign of a belly whatsoever. It just so happened that every woman there, but me, was at 20 weeks. I found this out after an awkward conversation between two of the other women. One asked how many weeks, while the other replied 20 and also mentioned she had fibroids, which made her belly stick out bigger. Well, it sounded a lot like she said "five boys" instead of "fibroids" and so someone commented that she looked like she indeed had five boys because she was bigger. Somehow the conversation continued(I don't think she was that offended--although, she had made it clear that anxiety was a major issue for her, so maybe she was just good at acting) and moved on to other pregnant lady topics.

Isabelle decided it would be fun to put a Band-Aid on her eye recently. The tiny little ones, square in shape. It looked like a patch. Evangeline, in true sister fashion, promptly did the same thing. I couldn't get to the camera in time to snap a picture of the two because Evangeline realized fairly soon after that it wasn't as much fun as it looked. Can you imagine pulling a Band-Aid off of your eyelid? For a moment though, we had a good laugh and everyone escaped with eyelashes intact. Here is the only picture I managed to get:

The terrible two-some roll on to another week!

Taaacky

2011-07-13T21:00:00.003-04:00

Tacky. I always hate when people use this word in reference to looking down upon someone else(I also just don't particularly like the way it sounds--it reminds me of some northerner saying, "that's taaacky"). I really think that people who use that word are the true definition of tacky anyway. What got me started on this tangent? Oh the mecca for all hormonal pregnant women--a birth club group. Basically, if you don't know what one is, it's a website where you can join other women who are due the month you are(so for me, it's October Due Dates). Anyway, there are always tons of frivolous, sometimes legitimate, guaranteed hormonal comments and topics going on at all times. It normally provides a lot of laughs. You might also be surprised how many nice and kind people exist on there as well. Anyway, there was a specific post about having baby showers for 2nd, 3rd, time moms. Someone always, always, says it's tacky. I never did understand the reasoning behind the disdain. I think every single baby deserves a party. Oh no, we already celebrated the birth of your firstborn, nah those second and third borns, they just don't matter. No wonder last children feel so jilted....it starts before he/she is even born. I don't think the mother to be should expect to get the big ticket gifts they may receive the first time around. Maybe just basics like diapers and such. For me, it's always been about celebrating the birth a child with close family and friends. Just a fun get together, regardless of gifts.

I had a traditional baby shower with Isabelle. Two separate ones actually. With Evangeline my mom threw a surprise shower while we were back in Nebraska which was a lot of fun. We also had a get together with part of my family--a kind of barbecue baby party. I just like celebrating a new life. Financial wise, we have bought everything for the new baby so far. There isn't a lot of storage room in a 3 bed 2 1/2 bath condo and so we were unable to store all of our old baby stuff. Hence, we sold it. This time around, we've probably spent $600 on baby gear etc..... Nevertheless, if I lived in Nebraska I would almost certainly have another shower. I'd love the ability to celebrate with all my family and friends. Teleportation needs to become real, super fast.

I'm not sure if I am recovering from the urinary tract infection I went into the hospital for last week or not. I feel like a wimp. I'm still having a lot of pain in my lower abdomen and oddly, in my left side. I'll leave it at that until I know more, maybe tomorrow when I go in for a specialist appointment(not because I want to keep the suspense, just because I don't want to sound more complain-y than I already am). So far, the ultrasound count stands at 5--soon to be 6 tomorrow. She seems to be very comfortable. I can't tell you for sure how many, but I think in the last 3 she has been in the same exact transverse lie position. I remember them vaguely remarking about that in the last few ultrasounds, but it's completely of no concern. It just means she is laying sideways instead of head up or down. There is plenty of time to turn. One would think, after 2 babies I would know that she was in this position but I can never tell head from feet. I never feel her doing somersaults, just a lot of kicking and punching.

I absolutely cannot believe Evangeline is turning 2 next week! I'm mixed between feeling amazed that her birthday is next week and that she's only 2. I've told my mom and sister over and over that she seems so much older than 2. Developmentally, goodness the kid is leaps and bounds ahead of Isabelle in the talking department(Isabelle was leaps in bounds ahead in the physical department). She has been talking in complete sentences for a few months. Seriously, I'm not exaggerating. Yesterday, David was joking with her that she was naughty and she retorted back with, "I'm not naughty daddy". Most of the time I can only understand part of the sentence she's attempting to say but it is pretty funny to see those words coming out of such a tiny little girl. Whenever I take her to the store alone, she jabbers on and on about everything she sees. "Look at that!" is a common phrase. I am convinced she talks so much because she's the second born. Isabelle is a great learning example--apparent in the naughtier aspects as well.

Evangeline has most people convinced she's sweet and innocent...even her own dad. Oh, but I was a first born so that shtick doesn't work on me. I recall my mother telling me about a certain instance between my own sister and I when we were quite young. My mom gave us a snack every day of "fun fruits", basically fruit snacks. She couldn't figure out why my sister's snack disappeared so fast, and hence blamed me for stealing some of her fun fruits. Of course, I had to give her some of mine. One day my mom saw what was truly happening, Brooke was shoving her fun fruits into her mouth as fast as possible and I was getting blamed. Not only was she eating hers, she also got some of mine! So, needless to say, I see the mischief in Evangeline's eyes. Occasionally I witness the pulling of Isabelle's hair just to annoy her or poking her when she's in time out.

I made these! Well, I had some help. Ok, so that actually applies to both pictures! Ha. If you want to make the dress, go to the Itty Bitty Dress tutorial made-by-rae.com. It was very simple and easy, and the pattern is free. I'll give a more in depth post on the dress in the next few weeks. If you want to make the diaper cover, go to the Perfect Diaper Cover Tutorial from Dana-made-it.com. It was also super easy and free. The whole thing turned out adorable. Cannot wait to have a little baby who will fit it! Anyway, I have a sewing post that I have been working on lately. I'm not sure when I'll get it up, but I have a lot of good project ideas.