When I was pregnant with Michael I can honestly say that I felt great all the way through. Sleeping at night was a little uncomfortable at the end but other than that I felt energetic and strong. I finally felt truly uncomfortable the day before I went into labor. This time, at almost 36 weeks I am tired, slow and uncomfortable, with four more weeks to go! My legs and hips have become so sore and numb at night that I have trouble sleeping. But, I'm not complaining, really!
I'm slowly realizing that some of my projects will have to wait and I will get to them eventually. It might be 5 minutes here and 15 minutes there, after Owen's born, but that's ok. As a beginning sewer I've had a few personal triumphs as of late. One are the pajama bottoms that I've been making for Michael & Owen. All you mature sewers are probably saying big deal! But I can't tell you how exciting it was to finish my first pattern projects.
Another sewing triumph, a pair of pants I made for myself. I used a favorite pair of old pants that I love the style of as my inspiration. So, without a pattern I made them longer and wider legged and out of a better quality fabric. They should take me through the rest of my pregnancy in comfort and then because they're yoga pant style, should be perfect for postpartum and after. I''m loving how they turned out and after a few times seam ripping I'm amazed they are finished in tact. Here they are, in chocolate brown of course.
This allows me to get a few belly shots in for posterity too!
Belly flap up, which by the way, is so comfortable at this stage of pregnancy.
Belly flap down.
Most of my craft projects (see mobile & wall hanging & elephant) have been a beautiful way to create the kind of babyhood I envision for Owen and also meditate on the fact of another little being joining our family. These are wonderful, productive reasons to nest, crafty style. But, recently I realized it's also been a beautiful and absurd way of avoiding some lingering fears about birth. I've kept myself so busy that I haven't had time to think and be present with those fears. As I've shared in earlier posts, I was very fearful of birth throughout Michael's pregnancy. This time I'm not nearly as afraid but still of course there are fears, fear of the inevitable laboring process and pain.
So here's my absurd list of projects. The funny thing is since I realized I was avoiding my fear with this list I don't feel quite the urgency to finish it immediately.
~newborn flannel pjs for Owen
~pants repurposed from a gauzy red shirt for Owen
~finish bird mobile, see instructions here, (almost done)
~make burlap storage containers to organize our art/craft area
~make freezer paper stenciled T-s for Owen & Michael, to match pj bottoms
~make infant hats for Owen- gnome style! (how cute will these be!)
~Buy wool felt and make Halloween mushroom caps for Michael and Owen
~make wool felt gnome play hats
~make wool felt baby blocks from "The Creative Family" by Amanda Soule
~Sew wool felt owl and toadstools on terry cloth bibs
~make Michael & Owen cloth dolls
~birthday bunting from "The Creative Family", & a mini one for around Owens changing table
~birthday crown for Michael, from "The Creative Family"
~make pillows for my rocking chair
~make myself a summertime bag from Amy Karol's "bend-the-rules Sewing"
~I'm sure I'm forgetting some. LOL. Better get cracking!
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Those pants r great I need to make a pair for myself! I spent the night at your moms with the girls last weekend and with her help I made two skirts for the girls from the directions you gave me that were on that one blogspot, they turned out great, I will post soon. I am going to make a couple more for the girls to were to the tractor pulls this summer. I havent really had the urge to get back to trying to do patterns yet, the thought scares me. Anyway nice work you must tell me how you did those pants.
ReplyDeleteI love the pants! You should start selling maternity pants on Etsy...so comfortable and stylish. Have a peaceful, pleasurable, powerful birth! Good luck getting all of your sewing done. :)
ReplyDeleteYou beautiful mama you. I remember pregnancy being a lot more uncomfortable the second time around too. Sitting to standing position just about killed me everytime in those last 2 months.
ReplyDeleteYour pants look great and I'm so impressed that you are taking on the sewing machine. Good for you.
Good luck getting your sewing done. I can't wait to see the bird mobile!
Lisa :)
You are just glowing! You look so beautiful and I enjoyed reading about your nesting/crafting desires. The pants look so cute. I hope you post a picture of the boys wearing their new pj's! I'd love to try my hand at making some for the girls. Can you recommend a pattern or direction of some sort? Thanks for sharing and blessings to you and your little ones!
ReplyDeleteThank you all!
ReplyDeleteStacey, I'm actually not totally sure how I made my pants because I messed up so many times. If I brave another pair someday, maybe I'll try and write the directions down. I do have to say tho that the tutorial for baby pants in Amanda Soule's The Creative Family book, helped me to have the confidence to try it. Her tutorial is simple and translates to any size pants. Then I just had to figure out how to make the yoga style waist ban myself. Which took much brain power! I may have had smoke coming out of my ears at that point.
Oh and Etsy! Thanks for the compliment! But I don't think I'm ready for that yet. Thanks so much for the birth blessings!
Lisa, I hear you about the sitting to standing. My, my how the body changes from first baby to second. I'll be sure to post pics of the bird mobile. I just need a branch now and I can assemble it.
Jen, thanks so much! I will definitely post a pic of the boys wearing their pjs. Can't wait to see that myself.
The patterns I used were given to me. Simplicity 2742, for Michael's pjs. And McCall's 3665 for the baby pants. I have to say though that I've seen some great and simple looking tutorials around the blogosphere. This is one I've thought of trying. http://handyprojects.blogspot.com/2005_04_03_handyprojects_archive.html
Also that book The Creative Family, offers a simple tutorial for baby pants made from a t-shirt. Love that book for many reasons.
Becca
That's quite a list! I have to say I am impressed with your sewing projects b/c am just a wanna be sewing mama. A friend is giving me her machine sometime this summer when she splurges on a new one, and then my needle and thread adventures will begin in earnest.
ReplyDeleteAs for birth -- close your eyes and think of all the other women, all over the world giving birth at that exact same moment you are and harness their strength and warmth. You can do it!
Oh, I love that! Thank you, I will think of all the other women giving birth. How empowering will that be!
ReplyDeleteBecca, I'm a total non-sewer, but for whatever it's worth, I'm super impressed with your sewing projects! It makes me almost wonder if there would ever be hope for me learning...Your creations are beautiful and they exude loving care.
ReplyDeleteThanks Nora! I think if I can learn anyone can! I'm so right brained it's really hard for me to follow directions or a pattern. But it's been fun mostly.
ReplyDelete