What a lovely weekend! It was certainly cold in these parts of California but we bundled up and enjoyed the sunny chill. There were sugar cookies made, oranges plucked from the tree, rolling over by a certain little one, sweaters on dogs who refuse to go on walks, lunch at a local eaterie, mini hikes to beautiful views with the grandparents and a visit from Ellie’s Great Gramma. How was your weekend?
“A single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.”
-joining Soulemama today! Happy Weekending!
Sometimes people show up at the perfect time, when they’re needed the most. An overly fussy baby and a tired mama make for dismal company but when the company is Gramma and Grandpa, the fussiness seems to subside and the tired mama is quickly woken up with a nice stroll downtown and a new area in the outskirts of town to explore.
What a beautiful day it turned out to be!
7:30pm
I lay propped up on pillows, a warm little body snuggled up next to me. The white noise machine has now become a familiar song, relaxing not only the littlest among us but my own weary body as well. She stirs every so often, grabbing hold of me, making sure I am still there. Then she lets out a sigh and I go on reading.
There has been a shift. I am upstairs and he is downstairs. I spend my early evenings now curled up next to a small, sweet-smelling body while he relaxes downstairs. Unwinds from his day with out me. We used to spend hours on the couch curled up with each other at night, now we unwind separately. This shift seems to have gone unnoticed by him. It’s funny how men just go on and women think about things and worry and think about things and worry some more. He unwinds and comes up when he’s ready. I don’t mind being up here with a sleeping babe. I like the quiet, the sounds of the night, the angel face I get to stare at and fall more deeply in love with every night. Her sleepy smiles making me melt with Mama love. But I think about this shift often these days and I do miss that man and our pre-baby unwinding together. I wonder if he misses me?
joining Extraordinary-ordinary today with Just Write.
I wanted to share the most wonderful of handmade gifts from Ellie’s first Christmas. Ellie is very lucky to have a Gramma who sews. She sews mostly quilts but since Ellie has come along, her sewing is certainly branching out. She always amazes me with the things she can make! While we were away in Boston this year for the holidays, Gramma was sewing up a storm for her little grand daughter.
These wonderful fabric boxes were the highlight. Made from A Walk In The Woods fabric, the same fabric used in her Gramma made quilt before she was born. They are soft and squishable, and stackable in two ways.
And as you can see, Ellie loves her Gramma made boxes!
Gramma also made a set of lovely quilted bibs to catch all of that drool my little teether is producing.
And this last gift was not entirely made by Gramma. She put it together and then sent it off to be made. But, it was so darling to not include.
A little board book, just for Ellie with all the names and faces of the people she has come to know so far (on the west coast. East coast will need a book of their own too I think).
My Mom is such a wonderful presence in Ellie’s life. I hope Ellie learns a lot from this incredible person. I know I certainly have and I’m still learning every day from her. Thank you Gramma for all the lovely Christmas handmades! Ellie loves them and I will treasure them!
Five Months! My goodness you are growing fast! This was a whirlwind of a month. Another trip to the east coast, Christmas, a New year and all the little things you’ve been learning along the way (almost rolling over, teething, raspberries, screaming and growling at us)… fun, fun, fun and busy, tired mama and daddy. We are excited to see what this year will bring watching you grow and develop. We love you Miss Ellie Lou hoo!
“A Single photo- no words- capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.”
– Joining Soulemama today. Happy Weekend to you all! Please link to your {this moment} in the comment section!
As is New Year’s tradition, I made a list of resolutions for 2013. My resolutions this year were less about losing those extra pounds or cleaning the house more (two things that certainly should be on a list) but were more ways of living life resolutions; ways I could live a simpler life, a more homey life, a sustainable life. One resololution sticks out a little more than the rest for me- Make more and Buy Less.
This is kind of a broad resolution and means many things. It’s more a reminder to myself to try and make as much as I can. Instead of buying that bath mat I saw in Target, how about making one myself out of the old bath towels I was going to toss. Or instead of buying cookies at Trader Joes, how about making them. So this morning I started my resolution of making things when I got an inkling for some breakfast muffins. I pulled out a cookbook I plan on using a lot more regularly this year and found a recipe for some spiced muffin goodness. I love using this cookbook. It was my mom’s very loved copy. It’s fun to come across a recipe I know was loved because of the worn look of the pages or the oil and milk stains splattered on the pages. I like knowing that here I am with a baby of my own, feeding my family from the same recipes my own mother used to feed hers.
So here’s to a New Year. I welcome 2013 with open arms (and usually a baby strapped to my chest). I know resolutions aside, it will be an interesting one with this continuing role of Mother I am now playing (and enjoying very much). I hope to be cooking more, baking more, and making so much more… join me here as I document the makings of this Mama and everything else that happens in 2013. I sure hope you will.
Happy New Year!
We made it home safe and sound from snow to sunshine!
Wishing you a lovely New Year!
This was the first time we took the cloth diapers while traveling. I was a little reluctant but since we were going to be gone for two weeks, I didn’t want her in disposable for that long and a little part of me wanted to see how hard it actually would be. It turned out to be pretty darn easy. Luckily, we had the in-laws washer and dryer. I ended up bringing more diapers than I needed but I only had to wash every few days which was nice. We did occasionally use disposables at night and while on the plane but I feel better about taking the plunge and bringing them. I brought a wide assortment. I had about twelve pocket diapers, two Grovia covers with about seven inserts. I brought my cloth wipes (in that little stripy bag) and two wet bags. Next trip I may dare myself to go complete fluff- even on the plane.
summerplayshouse 