Cooking for Baby...

My mom gave me a little gift yesterday, and I love it! I've had to pace myself because I could just sit down and read the whole thing all at once. Cooking for Baby is a book about making homemade, wholesome baby food, which sounds intriguing. Obviously, I won't need to worry about this for about 6 months or so, but it's never too early to start reading about it, right? This book has beautiful pictures and high quality information. I can't wait to dig in.

Oh, and that saffron rice...nothing :(

Saffron Rice...

...John and I came home from dinner with my parents tonight only to find an odd little gift left for us in our (new) doorknocker. Upon closer inspection we realized that it was a package of saffron rice. My friend, Shelly, has been telling me about the labor inducing powers of saffron rice for awhile now, but I hadn't gotten around to trying it myself. While at the grocery store today she stumbled upon a package and was kind enough to purchase it for me. So tonight, John and I each enjoyed a hearty helping...if you don't hear from me tomorrow you'll know it did the trick. But, even if it doesn't help, it isn't everyday that a kind friend places rice on your door, so for the gesture we are sincerely thankful.

41 weeks...

...I was kind of hoping I wouldn't have to post these, but here I am...8 days overdue, (although, I can't help but be a tad flattered that our Wee Bee finds my womb to be so hospitable). I refuse to be discouraged about his/her tardiness, there is still much to be thankful for, and in the grand scheme of things as long as we have a healthy baby, the actual date that he/she arrives just doesn't much matter...

These should be the last of the weekly pictures as my doctor will not let me go much longer. So our baby should make his/her appearance by midweek or so. We'll keep you posted.

Now what?

My freezer is full...that means no more baking for me...

...but, the worst part of all is that my sewing machine is on the fritz. It simply won't turn on...hopefully it's an easy fix. Needless to say, my 2 main forms of domestic bliss have been snatched away. I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do now. Probably lots of reading & an embroidery project or two...or we can just have our baby, that'd be a nice project :)

40 weeks...

John has now taken to grabbing my belly and pretending as though he's going to throw a 2-handed chest pass... As flattering as this is, I think it's time for baby Wiebe to make its appearance.

Happy due date to us...

...but still no baby.

We decided to take a celebratory approach to the day none-the-less. We ate breakfast at a local favorite, the Red Wagon. Surprisingly, I'd never eaten there before, but we figured the sheer volume & fat content in their food might drive the baby right out...no such luck. Oh well, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of 2-inch thick by 12-inch in diameter pancakes & scrambled eggs. John finished his pancake, and I ate about 2/3rds of mine...not too shabby we thought. Although it appears as though the old cafe had no magical labor inducing powers, if we catch a hint of an early penchant for large pancakes in our Wee Bee we'll definately know why...

39 weeks...

Will there be a 40 week picture? Only time will tell.

Crib Skirt completion...

I've been putting this rather simple project off for far too long. I finally finished it Monday night. It was a free project (my favorite kind)...the portion that is under the mattress was a piece of an old ripped sheet that I saved for just such projects, and the white skirt was made from the leftover pieces that I cut off of the drapes in the nursery. Totally free. I used Amy Butler's Little Stitches crib skirt pattern and I think it turned out nicely. The crib has metal pieces holding the frame beneath the mattress in place, so it doesn't hang perfectly straight, but I'm okay with that.

What will our baby look like?

I'm almost more curious about the answer to this question than the gender (almost :)...

My stats:

• weight: 8lbs. 6 oz. (not sure on my length)
• arrived 10 days early
• full head of black hair
• very chubby...very.

John's stats:

• weight: 8lbs. 5 oz.
• 10 days late
  

So, if this baby is a combination of its parents, it will be about 8.5 lbs. & arrive exactly on time (according to the law of averages). My dad has red hair, so some wonder if we'll have a red-haired child...so many questions. We'll just have to wait and see.

38 weeks...

...the doctor says anytime now. But we've heard reports of other couples falling for the false hope of the early baby, only to deliver after their predicted due date. So, we sit patiently and wait for this baby's arrival. I guess it has officially begun...we are on his/her schedule now.

Handmade gifts...

...let's face it, I'm a sucker for anything handmade. I appreciate all of the gifts I've been given, whether handmade or not, but there's something about someone taking time to make something especially for you that is just plain special. Cases in point...

A nursing cover made by this lovely lady and with Amy Butler fabric to boot. I seriously could have something made in every single one of her fabrics, they are just that fantastic. My favorite part of this cover is the strategically placed section of boning inside the upper seam. It allows the cover to stand open just enough for mom to monitor baby while feeding...brilliant.

Childhood friend, Jill V, took this oft repeated nursery quote and jazzed it up with some rather special scrapbooking paper & supplies. It even has a little birdie on it...thanks to Grandpa Bob's shelf in the nursery, it is already on display (the shelf & beadboard, by the way, is another handmade gift. Thanks Bob & Sharon).

Oh, and this dress...in Amy Butler fabric...do I even need to say how I feel about it? Thanks to Grandma Sharon & Aunt Jill for the purchase from this shop. If the baby is a girl this will be worn to Ben & Kelly's wedding. If it's a boy...see below:

Yeah...doesn't get much cuter than this either. More Amy Butler. Also purchased here.

Oh and these lovelies. Sewn by master seamstress & childhood friend, Laura B. In the nursery fabric even. Love them. But wait, there's more. Do you see the "Learn to Sew" lace up cards in the picture. Yeah...can't wait to teach our Wee Bee how to use those! And if it's a boy...um...I'll probably still teach him how to sew using these cards...just don't tell John :)

But moving on to my Fast family...I don't know if I've really made it clear how talented & creative my family really is. Obviously my Grandma Net is a master seamstress & quilter, but her children inherited her fine motor skill flair as well. My Aunt Debbie is just like my grandma, excellent with all things sewing related. My Aunt Lori is pretty much good at it all, although her craft of choice is knitting. And my dad, can be a jack of all trades himself, at least when he wants to be. His 2 favorite things to do are restore old car engines & work with metal. He has a shop behind his house and custom built all of his metal cabinets. It looks pretty professional to say the least.

But, beyond my dad's generation, my cousins Jenny & Julie are bursting with creative talent as well. Jenny is a fantastic seamstress (She actually taught me how to sew my first pillow almost 4 years ago with some of her fabric remnants...remember that, Jenny?) and Julie can sew & crochet with the best of them, but lately she has been dabbling in graphic design. Either way, handmade items from these folks are always a much anticipated treat! See what I mean...

The shower invitation...courtesy of Julie (this picture really doesn't do it just, but it will have to suffice).

The "wee bee" bib...courtesy of Aunt Debbie (it just couldn't be any cuter)

And this sweet little 9-patch blanket & dipes/wipes case...courtesy of Jenny. Isn't it perfect?!

So there you have it. My most recent handmade gifts courtesy of family & friends. Thanks to them all for their thoughtfulness.

37 weeks...

1 more week left of work. Hard to believe. I'm slowing down quite a bit, which is a bit hard for me to accept, but necessary I suppose.

Rosedale Shower...

The Fast family threw a shower for me yesterday. Both my aunts & John's aunts have me pretty well figured out...my showers were nothing short of perfect for me. Lots of vintage, lots of books, and lots of great food. Here's a few pictures. (I learned my lesson last shower, and did not allow a certain sister camera privileges... :) So, thanks to Kelly for being the paparazzi for a day...

Dick & Jane theme...the blocks & Jack-in-the-box were used as decorations, but then given to me by my Aunt Debbie...I love them.

The table decorations...in the foreground of the picture you can see the remnants of a strawberry yogurt parfait...pretty perfect for me, I'd say.

Kelly, former college roommate/paparazzi extraordinaire, Denise, and me

Pictures of this gift to come in another post

My mom's friends even showered her with baby necessities

I had a little helper for awhile...

A cute little outfit from Grandma Sharon & Auntie Jill...they also gave me a boy outfit too, so we'll see which one I get to keep :) (outfits found here)

A knitted basketball blanket for baby...which will be perfect come next year's basketball season. I'm pretty sure this is John's favorite gift. My Aunt Lori has a few rows left to complete, but when she does it will be an instant favorite in this house.

The 2 new great-grandbabies (in utero, obviously) for Grandma Net.

Somehow Denise got her hands on the camera...and this is what I found when I loaded my pictures this morning...

I think I tend to forget how incredibly special showers are for the recipient (whether wedding or baby) when I attend them as a guest myself. But, now that I all of my baby showers have come and gone, I am left with fond memories of wonderfully supportive women in my life. Sure they helped us financially by giving us gifts (both practical, fun, and sometimes just plain cute) but more than that, they offer wisdom & advice that is just priceless. I can have all of the baby gear in the world, but without special people in our lives, all of that stuff would be completely meaningless. So, thanks to all the lovely ladies who both planned & attended my showers, your presence was indeed a present in itself.

Sweet little lion...

...thanks to this crafty lady. A sweet surprise in the mail for our wee bee. It's just about the cutest little lion I ever did see. I'm pretty sure it will become an instant favorite once our little one is old enough to appreciate such things.

(and, ahem...that's its tail between its legs...bad picture positioning on my part).

Tidying up the nursery...

...(anyone catch the Mary Poppins reference?) **Insert "A Spoonful of Sugar" here**

Anyways...after an absolutely lovely shower last Saturday, thanks to the gracious hostessing of John's family, our nursery is filling up quite nicely. (If anyone has pictures of the shower...do share. I have none :(
Here's the pictorial tour:

The tower o' diapering supplies (purchased here)

Note to self...finish the crib skirt!

Hopefully this Friday night, as I have a sewing date scheduled with a few lovely ladies :)

Is is just me or is putting a sheet on a crib mattress a real pain?

We can now officially bring the baby home from the hospital

Grandma Net's quilt & an assortment of board books. Have I ever mentioned how much I love children's books?

Go, Dog, Go...with the stuffed dog to boot. (Luckily for me, quite a few elementary school teachers attended the shower so they indulged my passion for books & literary accessories)

A wooden toy...I'm obsessed with wooden toys. I just love the way they look.

"Wee Bee" burp rag purchased here

And, of course, the onesie to match.

Our new wheels...providing us with transportation to and from Grandpa Bob & Grandma Sharons, church, the high school, and of course, the public library :)

The diaper cake

Curious George