Year of Mornings 13

Year of Mornings 13
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Warm projects for a cold day. A morning of cleaning up the craft space, getting the quilt top stitched, and finally (hopefully) a baby project or two. I had so many ideas of things to make her but time is quickly running out and I've decided to catch up on my son's scrapbook instead. Figured it would be fun for him and I to do during those long nursing sessions and keep the jealousy at bay. I finally got in a zone and feel comfortable scrapbooking now so i'm making good progress. That's the agenda for my day.

A Year of Mornings 11

A Year of Mornings 11
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Time to clean up!

Lovely news.

Doctor: Wow.
Me: Hmmm?
Doctor: You're measuring big. How big was your son?
Me: 9 lbs, 4.5 oz
Doctor: Wow. Looks like she's going to be the same. She's put some pounds on in the last two weeks.
Me: Yeah i thought so.
Doctor: Did you have problems delivering him?
Me: Oh yeah! Broken tailbone, dislocated hip, lots of tearing, vacuum, forceps, prolapse, physical therapy for a year, his poor little head all bruised up. I fought a c section tooth and nail.
Doctor: We may want to induce if she keeps growing so fast.
Me: (sigh)

deja vu!

I waddle out of the building looking forward to hours of tortuous labor again. I actually do look forward to it. There's something beautiful in that pain. Don't get me wrong, i will take the epidural first chance it's offered unlike the last time where i kicked myself for two hours for saying "i think i'm okay. i'll pass." Yeah, not this time. I'm taking it right off. It'll wear off by the pushing anyway like last time i'm sure. I'm also blessed with long labors. Thanks Mom. Feeling your tailbone break while a big head makes its way into the world is not fun. Good thing the feeling of my beautiful boy's wet body soaking through the hospital gown to my stomach crying "illa illa illa" knocked all pain away as i got lost in him. Well until i tried to walk. But the pushing. The pushing was fun. I do remember yelling at everyone. It went something like this. Boy's head was stuck. Really stuck. I'm pushing with everything i have and i keep hearing "push! push! push!push harder!" I lost it, and yelled "I AM PUSHHHHHHING!!!!!!!!" as i gave a big push. I heard a lot of laughter which i didn't think was funny at all. I opened my eyes, wondered where all the people came from and there came my beautiful boy. I can't wait to push this baby out too. I really do think that pain is beautiful and kind of fun. I feel like a martyr.

I knew I was gaining weight fast now because people quit saying "you don't look 7 months!" etc. I was hopeful she would be a bit smaller but it looks like another nine pounder heading our way. At least she'll have meat on her bones and insh'Allah be nice and healthy and chubby like Little Dude. Nursing her will beef her up even more. Lots of chubbiness to nibble on through the winter.

A Year of Mornings 8 - Countdown begins

A Year of Mornings 8
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

35 days until my due date. We (LD and me) made this paper chain together this morning to begin the countdown with something concrete LD can be a part of.

He's a glue and scissor freak. We've gone through an entire bottle of glue in 4 days. Crazy! But it seriously keeps him occupied. The kid doesn't sit - ever. But now with the glue and scissor (ah, glitter too) craze, he sits for a long while. I just may get this quilt done next week.

Creative thinker

mixed media
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

I love the way my son thinks. He always thinks outside the box and never does things like other people, probably one of the reasons he prefers to play alone. Here are a few recent examples. He took a tissue and laid it over his train tracks for snow. The wrap (unbroken) from a ball of yarn for a tunnel. Buttons are a favorite "tool" for him as are magnets. He LOVES magnets. When a thrift store shoved a bag of those magnetix things into my bag, i thought they were going to go right to another thrift store but he took to them right off.

refridgerator art href="http://www.flickr.com/people/wayfarersjourney/">wayfarer

He stole a quilt square ("Mommy, i need just ONE! (after i said no he couldn't) I need just one. A polka dot one.") He took it to the fridge and hung it and decorated it with the snowflake. Stepped back and said "Pretty." I hadn't looked at what he was doing until he said Pretty. Too funny. I love that he's such a boy and loves all things boy (bugs, cars, construction equipment, trains, etc) but also loves pink, princesses and buttons. The other picture has a felt tree top with apple buttons that he stole from the sewing table and hung up saying "it's art mommy." Big grin from me. It finally made it's way to the shirt but several times went from my table upstairs to the fridge. Stubborn guy.

make a face on the pumpkin
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

I love this drawing. I drew the pumpkin and asked if he wanted to put a face on it. It was the week of Halloween i think. He drew the circle for the face and then added the face, arms and legs. I love the concreteness of the circle to make a face on. He is so orderly/structured about certain things.

And here is his detail oriented side coming out. "Needing" to make a train switch while playing play doh because the trains won't work right otherwise...

train track switch
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

My little engineer. Always building things, breaking things to figure them out and constructing. His latest thing is taking some yarn, attaching it to things around the house and calling it "pipes" - "some go the river, some to the house". He is such a hyper boy but these moments when he slows down and focuses are truly amazing to me. I can't wait to see how his little sister is going to rock his world or totally disrupt it.

Because of all this, i'm going to go through his toys in the next week and get rid of the "stuff". I like this creative side of him and realize that he functions well and more focuses with his prized toys and creative supplies. I won't get rid of his favorite toys (legos, playmobil, trains, blocks etc) but i am going to get rid of the odds and end stuff that accumlates. I'm going to invest in nice art supplies to encourage that and will never cut back on his books because he loves to be read to. I sold a few things on Ebay this past week that i got at the thrift store for usage in the next year or two (Star Wars legos and bionicles). I can't believe we made $100 off $5 that i originally spent. I want him to have good paper to draw on and good art supplies. I would also love to invest in good wood stacking toys for the new littlest one. I hope it doesn't backfire on me! I think i need to take the same approach to my crafting area...reward would be some nice Japanese fabric. Mmmmm.

A Year of Mornings 4

A Year of Mornings 4
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Early lunch at the train station cafe near our house on the way home from library story time. Kid loves the electric train that goes around above. Posted a few minutes late but that's only because we had to watch two trains go by before i could get him in the car. Apparently he knows the train schedule as well as i do. Sigh.

A Year of Mornings 3

A Year of Mornings 3
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

A Year of Mornings

A Year of Mornings
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

If you haven't seen the book "A Year of Mornings" you should. Inspirational. Qalballah started a group with this idea in mind and I've decided to participate. I'll post a picture every day in my Flickr set and sometimes here with the same rules as the book had - picture must be taken that day by noon and posted. I hope to find little bits of inspiration in my own home. This is my first one.

Pumpkin Junction

waiting for the train to come
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

A month or so ago we went to the nearby "old style" train yard as (little dude calls it,) train station and train ride then did a little outlet shopping after (that's where the station is).

train to the pumpkin patch
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

taking his ticket serious
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

The trains are from the early 1900's and are originals.

railroad car
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

It takes you for a half hour ride

view from the train ride...
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

and then drops you off at a pumpkin patch and train shaped maze. My kid LOVES trains. Always has. He's a bit fanatical really. Obsessed. Other things are starting to take over like legos and playmobil but trains are still number one in his book. He had a blast and loved seeing the conductors dressed up "old style" and yelling all aboard. We dressed a little too warmly for the maze but it was such a fun day.

corn train maize
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

I love the bounce in that last picture. I was so hormonal that day that i actually cried when seeing how happy he was on that train. Such pure innocent boy joy. I love his little heart. He's so sentimental and pensive for such a wee one.

This is what i love about New Jersey. These things are available for kids. There is not a time we go out where we don't pass by a station, train or railroad crossing, a farm, etc. The trade off is that nothing is close by (drive thru is 25 minutes, bank drive thru 20 minutes, walmart or target 25 minutes, etc). And like this weekend, our garage door broke and there's no one to fix it until Monday or even call us back. We are trapped inside. Things are inconvenient here but there's so many wonderful things to see on daily drives. I love that even if we move from here in the next few years that little dude would have experienced this side of life. I grew up with 50 cows in my backyard and i always look back on that time in a special way. I love that he knows where food comes from, "cows give us milk, chickens give us eggs, pigs don't give us anything!" He says that and by no direction of my own - he naturally believes that pigs are no good for food because he's smelled them. I'll never forget the day that we went to a farm to pick strawberry's and he saw some pigs and went hightailing it over to them only to stop short, cover his face, run back to us burying his face into my stomach saying how bad it stinks. I'm just happy he gets to see this side of life in these impressionable years. A Thomas train ride is one thing (and we will do one soon) but there's something magical about a train ride that is on a real train used in early times that only passes through farms and small towns. Something about the smokestack smoking, the train whistles whistling and a man who quite likely has worked in the yard his entire life giving little ones these magical moments. He reenacted the day for many days after filling his hot wheel cars with marbles/pumpkins while his trains chugged around.

Monster trucks

monster truck drawings
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

My son goes through waves of drawing. He'll draw a thousand things in a day and then go a month or two with drawing nothing. The other night we were trying to distract him while trying to get something done. Don't remember now. He blew us away with this drawing. For the next few days he would draw the same thing. I absolutely love these drawings and surely one will make it into the quilt that i'm working on for him. It's a quilt with his first year of drawings with fabric borders. I can't wait to begin the embroidery on them this winter.

winter work

winter work
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

I've realized over the last few weeks that i truly enjoy embroidery. I thought i was doing it because i like the way it looks but i really enjoy the process. We have been watching back seasons of 24, addictive show that it is. We don't really watch tv much besides CNN so it's unusual for us to get hooked on one. Well except for me and the latest World Poker Series but that's another story.

Anyhow, I've really loved stitching these bibs. A couple are vintage patterns from the 50's and others are more current. I love them all and a baby can never have too many bibs. The linen piece is for pants pockets for a pair of Spring pants for Little Dude. Working on a few Spring things now since i know time will be short(er) when it comes around.

PB050078
Originally uploaded by wayfarer

Finally!

We're finally feeling better. This cough is just horrible. Contractions have been coming too probably from lack of sleep but doctor said everything is good. It looks like we may not induce so that's good too. We'll see after the 37 week ultrasound. I can't believe my little babe will be here in a little over a month! I'm so excited, so anxious (just want everything to be done and ready - organized mostly because that is something i am not). I can't wait to hold the little one. It's been so long since i had a baby in these arms. Little Dude is starting to get a little jealous i think. He's going around talking like a baby and acting like a baby but he's also super excited for her. He keeps talking about her while i don't really mention it anymore because i don't want him to be jealous.

Not much else going on. I've been nesting. Making things and cleaning. I finally have some energy again. I haven't sewn for so long but i think with the cold weather, a comeback is coming. Also been working on the baby room. I'll post some pictures during naptime. We're off to the library program. Last one for the season. Fall is wrapping up around here and winter setting in and I'm really excited about that. I also love the time change (more before LD than now because now he gets up super super early but oh well, at least it's around fajr now). I like it getting dark earlier. Makes me want to cozy up inside and not leave the house which is exactly where i want to be all winter.

Go Obama!

This is an exciting year for elections. The two are so distinctly different. I don't think there's any question to who I'm voting for since I don't like McCain and especially don't like Palin. I'm actually excited for Obama. He's so different than anyone else we've had run for president. The other years, I was voting to avoid Bush but this year I actually WANT the Democrat. I think it's cool too that this is a historical election and something I'll be able to discuss with my kids when they are older. It is really big and for the first time I'm actually emotional about the election and hopeful for this country. I'm ready for peace which i think we have more of a chance with Obama. My vote is for nonviolence and understanding - that war and stubborness is not the solution. I'm ready for a grown up to run this country and no more hotheads with tempers. I want to be proud of my country again. I'm ashamed of how we've treated the rest of the world. Yeah, Obama won't fix it all but it'll be the start of a movement i hope towards peace and understanding.

Get out there and vote! And you can get a free cup of Starbucks coffee after. We're going to Dunkin' Donuts after for sprinkly donuts per LD's request. It's walking distance while Starbucks isn't.

Little Dude is running around saying "We're going to Obama soon!" He was there with me when i voted in the primaries and when he sees him on tv he always points him out. He calls McCain a ghost. lol. He's excited to go vote today although he has no idea what it's about. :-)

Still sick over here. LD is getting better it seems while I seem to be getting worse and now hubby has a touch of it now. The house is disinfected though and the laundry done. Not folded but done. I also embroidered a few things yesterday for baby that I am absolutely in love with. Will take a picture this afternoon and post.

Germs germs everywhere

I took little dude to the pediatrician on Friday because he's had a cough for over two weeks. They said a week ago that it was just allergies. I let it go because there were no other symptoms and so that indeed seemed to be the culprit. Until i started coughing and wheezing too. Bronchitis for both of us, a touch of pneumonia for him. Insh'Allah i won't get that because that's very dangerous for pregnant women although i think i'm headed that way. My lungs ache from coughing and i've been contracting all weekend - i hope from lack of sleep. They gave little dude some medicine, a nebulizer, etc. He spent much of the weekend throwing up. Every quilt, blanket and sheet in this house have been in rotation, within 8 hours. Took him back yesterday and they said it was a reaction to the medicine. Lovely. He's not used to medication. We use homeopathic for almost everything. He's finally a bit better. I'm miserable. Lots to clean today. Send some good thoughts this way today please. We're all feeling worn out and a bit miserable between this nasty stuff and lack of sleep.

On a side note, the pediatrician said it was okay to go trick or treating (this was before the real sickness set in) and since he's been so excited to go i took him. Hindsight this was a mistake. But this kid LOVES Halloween. He keeps saying "I don't like Christmas, i just like Halloween." I think because he keeps seeing Christmas stuff start to go up and Halloween stuff coming down. He doesn't want it to end. To keep him comfortable and warm i just put him in some of his dress up bin clothes - he ended up being a very cute surgeon in scrubs his size. I did figure out how to do the airplane but it would have been cumbersome for walking around the neighborhood we did. Huge houses with huge yards. He had a blast trick or treating with his best bud though. I think they had more fun with flashlights and trying to find acorns, bugs and leaves in the dark than trick or treating. Pretty funny. Speaking of which, while trick or treating we found another fuzzy caterpillar so now we have two! One is already beginning to hibernate...little man keeps waking him up though which i'll have to stop soon but it's quite cute to see him be so gentle and loving with them. He takes them on train rides and has long conversations with him about all sorts of things.

Okay, off to sanitize this house!