Month Ten

Whoa Baby,

It hit me the other day that you are almost ONE YEAR OLD already. I admit, I was a little sad. Even though I try and stop everyday and soak in the moment, I find I already can't remember how tiny you were, and the days I spent holding you in my arms for hours at a time are fuzzy memories. You are so, so busy now that I can't even imagine you sitting still for a minute, much less an hour.



This month, you started clapping, waving bye-bye, and shaking your head no. The one surprise to me was you didn't start walking, even though you stand on your own all the time and push random objects around. I promise I'm not rushing you, but learning to walk would be nice. You're loath to sit in your stroller for long and walking would alleviate a little of this aggravation when it's not safe to crawl. It's ok though, take your time.



Another sweet thing you do is lie your head on pillows, pretending to go night-night. And you've started showing us more deliberate signs of affection, like lying your head on our shoulders or trying to give kisses.



Everything still goes in your mouth and I'm constantly fishing random things from between your cheeks and teeth. It doesn't matter how often I vacuum, you still find that one little piece of dirt.



You're so smart, baby girl, already. Curious and vocal, the light of our lives. Even when I get a little overwhelmed, I still thank God everyday for choosing me to be your mama.



I love you, Little Bit.

The Crazy Thread Lady

I've always wanted to learn to sew. I thought it would be super cool to whip up costumes for the kids, an airy shirt for me, or a lovely baby blanket. I also know me though. I'm bad about running head first into a project or new activity and not thinking it through. I love to give people my money and not get any return ( see Southern Living at Home debacle). I've gotten better over the years at reeling myself in, but I've still been leery about taking the could-be-expensive steps to becoming a seamstress.

But then came Elizabeth and Pinterest. Oh, at the precious baby clothes I could create at a fraction of the cost. And once again, I was hooked on learning to sew. The problem was, I didn't have a machine, nor a job. Add to that the fact that I had never actually touched a machine, I was pretty much in the dark on where to even begin.

My Mammaw had a Singer that was tucked away in a cabinet that had since taken residence at my mom's house, so when the kids and I went to visit in November, I had mom lift it up and show me some basics. I thought if I played around with it for a while, I could determine if I really wanted to learn a new skill or if it would fall away like so many other "interests".

Well, long after mom left to take care of other things, I tinkered and cleaned and *gasp* read the manual to get a better feel for everything her machine could do. And I was hooked. When my mom offered to bring the Singer and Mammaw's sewing chest to my house over the holidays, even though I took a while to answer, I said yes in my heart right away. Mammaw wasn't a master seamstress, in fact, I don't really remember her ever sewing at all. My mom would sometimes hem our clothes, or fix a tear, but sewing wasn't a focal point of my childhood. However, the cabinet with her hideaway machine and the incredibly cool chest with a rainbow of thread and other neat doodads was. Without getting overly emotional, let's just say, I'm so very happy to have it in my home and wanting to use it.

I've now become the woman who scours the Internet for new fabrics and free patterns, who awaits Elizabeth's naps with anticipation so I can create something new. My floors have gotten a little dirtier and I'm covered in loose threads, but I'm having fun and hopefully learning something that I can pass down to my little ones. Maybe one day, they will bring the memories to their houses.