Sewing Mania

I'm a serial sewer. I.cannot.stop. It could be worse I guess. With all the sewing I've been doing I feel like such a domestic housewife. Next thing I know, I'll be making my own clothes. Actually, that sounds like an awesome idea! Really though, I'm even working on growing my own veggies and fruits in our yard. I'm really enjoying myself.

My most recent sewing creations have moved beyond the usual curtains, pillows, and bunting. I'm making clothes for Amélie. I was inspired after spotting this adorable dress. 

{cute, right?}

After seeing that dress, I thought I'd give it a whirl. Why not? I bought some red gingham (so cute!) and used some striped tan linen from my stash and away I went sewing. Well...my first attempt is looking like this...

{close, but not there.}

I started by making a pattern with some leftover flannel and using one of Amélie's t-shirts as a guide. I then cut out my pieces with an idea in my mind as to how I was going to attach it all together so that it can be reversible. Well, after working on it for about two hours last night, I went to bed frustrated because it wasn't working out the way I imagined. Once in bed, I couldn't sleep because the wheels were turning.

As soon as Amélie went down for her first nap this morning, I started on a design that I thought up in bed last night and almost finished it before she woke up. It worked!

{i used some Amy Butler fabric and some organic fabric 

from my stash}

{side 2}

{back side}

{side 1 with a view of the inside or reversible side}

Basically, it doesn't have any visible seams that you usually see on the inside of your clothing. I sewed the two different patterns together inside out and then flipped it to the right side. I also used Heat and Bond to stick the two fabrics together inside to prevent the design from becoming floppy. 

I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I'm such a perfectionist when it comes to the things I sew that I'm considering adding them to my shop. Would people buy this?! Either way, I'm really in love with it and can't wait for Amélie to wear it. It's perfect for spring. 

Here's a picture of her wearing one I made(in a similar design) first as practice using a fabric her daddy picked out at the store. This one is not reversible and I added snaps instead of the ribbon. 

{gosh, i love her}

{look at that crazy hair!}

I'm going back to the fabric store tomorrow for more gingham and trying it again. Also, I'm going to try out these other adorable designs from the same company. Love them. 

{cute gingham sunny dress? yes, please!}

I just learned how to use elastic thread, so that should be fun!

{linen shift dress. too cute!}

I don't know what the back of this little number looks like, but I'm imagining buttons all down the back and instead of that collar, how about a rounded peter pan collar? Oh, how about gold round buttons? Cuuuuute!

I've already seem a bunch of other designs that I think I can definitely tackle and am looking forward to making more clothing for my baby bean. 

Shoes for the Bean

Honestly, the bean doesn't really need shoes at this point. She has a pair of soft leather boots that she does regularly wear when it's cold out, but other than that her shoes have been purely decorative. Oh-so adorably decorative!

Yet, now that she's actually spending a fair amount of time with her feet on the floor while in her jumperoo or "walking" I've realized her socks are just not cuttin' it; especially her white socks that pick up dust particles like crazy. I started looking for an alternative to solid rubber soled shoes and found a tutorial for an adorable pair of cloth baby shoes.

I just finished her first pair. I chose some coordinating fabrics and bought a bag of remnant pieces of leather at Michael's that had enough to make two pairs with suede soles.

{i opted for using some suede remnants for the soles instead of fabric}

{the model in her new shoes}

They were really easy to make and they really stay on. I'm looking forward to making her next pair. Who wants a pair?

What's New?

Where to begin...Amélie and I (and the hubby) are having a ball! We've been in our new place for almost two months and we're in a groove. There's still things we're working on; like finding a mom group that will actually return my emails and calls (ugh), finding time to work out, finishing the decorating, and getting around with only one car... but I'd say that at this point we're doing great.

 {seven months. Whaa?! Where did the time go?!}

I'll start by saying that I love being a stay-at-home-mommy. I still can't believe that I really get to enjoy my baby girl every.single.day.all.day! We're just doing our mommy/baby girl thing. The location of our new place is really awesome. We have a really nice big park a block away and we usually go there a couple times a week if the weather is nice. The library is just a 5 minute walk away and Amélie and I have become regulars there. We'll usually go after lunch when the younger school kids have just gotten out of school from the cutie school next door and she'll get to see lots of kiddies moving around the busy library. Our little library is very much kid-centered. More than half of the library is devoted to children's literature, music, and videos. We love it. Oh, Amélie loves looking at all the bigger kids. She'll just watch their every move. We also live a few blocks away from San Jose's teeny weeny Japan town. It's adorable and now that I think about it, I can't believe the hubby and I haven't enjoyed any sushi yet. We'll sometimes go on long walks to the Downtown area and have lunch or do a little shopping. We also have a fabulous Children's Discovery museum, which, we have yet to discover. It's on our list and we plan on getting an annual membership for the us and the bean. They have some really awesome programs there for kids of all ages, even for our petite thing! At this point, we are not short on things to do. I still really love the later part of the day when the sun really shines in the family room and we enjoy some girl time together. We'll play, talk, laugh a lot, sing, have a snack, dance (she LOVES it when you dance) and sometimes even watch some girly television for a bit. "Say Yes to the Dress" is currently our fave. Oh, and aren't baby giggles and belly laughs the best EVER?! Oh my goodness, we're constantly telling ourselves how lucky we are to have such a smiley happy baby that loves to laugh. It's fabulous.

{hey lovers. Happy V-Day!}

Amélie has really adjusted well to the new environment. During the first month we were here she was having a somewhat difficult time sleeping well at night and we believe it was a combination of teething pain and just being in a new place. But, for the last month, she's been back to her old sleeping habits and has even gotten some full nights of sleeping in; 12 whole hours of non-stop sleeping! Its was great, but also not so great to wake up at 7 and realize she hadn't woken up (was she okay?!) and having rocks for boobs (from not nursing at her usual time around 3am). But, those nights have been sporadic and I'm totally okay with it because I enjoy our little night time reunions and it's much better than the three+ times she was waking up during that first month.

She's also growing like crazy! She's got quite a sprouting crop of hair in a coppery-brownie-blondie highlighted shade. I can't believe I have a green eyed blondie baby. Crazy. At her last doctor's appointment our baby bean weighed in at 16 lbs. 5 oz. She's close to 25 inches long and has a big head just like her parents. She's in the 20-something percentile for her height and weight, but something like 70 percent for her melon. Amélie has got some cheeks on her and they're definitely not going anywhere with the way she eats. We've ventured out of the simple baby foods and have her trying almost everything we eat. She still loves her sweet potatoes and squash and her usual breakfast of yogurt and pureed fruit. But, she's so far really enjoyed: butternut squash risotto from an awesome baby food cookbook recipe my bestie gave us, beef vegetable stew, sourdough bread, raisin bread, hummus, pita bread, hard boiled egg whites, chicken, pear spears (she'll gnaw on them forever), whole wheat bread, tomato bisque, greek yogurt, peanut butter and jelly, frozen yogurt, refried bean with homemade corn tortillas...basically this girl loves food! We're really crossing our fingers this will continue forever. This week I'll be trying out some new recipes for her; many of which I'm sure I will be enjoying as well. They all sound very yummy.

{just hangin' with my homie Boo}

She's super chatty. She's definitely fluent in Spanish as my brother recently made a quick visit and he noted that all her baby sounds are in Spanish; which, I thought was funny. But, that's not the first time someone has said that about her talking. Somone asked me if I spoke Spanish to her because her sounds have softer accent and inflections than English speaking babies. Uh, yeah; I only speak to her in Spanish. The only time she hears me speak English is when the hubby is around and it's never directed towards her. I'll still only speak to her in Spanish when Eric is around and then I'll translate for him. Although, he is definitely picking it up a lot more lately.

Amélie loves standing on her legs. So far is doesn't look like she'll be crawling since she detests being on her tummy for extended periods of time. But, when I say manos (hands in Spanish) and hold out my hands to her, she will immediately grab on and pull herself up to a standing position. She can stand and take steps for a really long time. She'll even give us attitude if we make her sit before she wants to. She can stand holding on to something for a while and will sometimes take little steps to the side. At this point, we're thinking she'll be walking before she crawls. We'll see. It makes me laugh to think about our itty bitty walking around on those little legs and that protruding belly.

Oh, and she got her ears pierced. It's very common for girls of Latin American decent to have their ears pierced as infants. My ears were pierced the day after my birth and my mom had hers pierced as a baby as well. I don't know why it's common, but it is. I would say it's a cultural thing. Amélie had her ears pierced shortly before her seven month birthday. She wasn't very happy during the whole experience, which, I understand, but once it was over she quickly forgot and moved on. She's had no discomfort and does not touch/mess with her earrings. I clean them as directed and she doesn't mind one bit. She looks freakin' adorable! She also cannot be mistaken for a boy now!

Before this post goes from super long to a novella, the hubby and I have not questioned our move once. We're so happy. There are definitely days when I wish I could interact with some other stay-at-home moms (helloooo...where are you?!?!?!) But, I've got my crafts going full force and now that we signed up for our local gym I'll be hitting it up frequently; I've gotten some kind of reply from one mom group, and I've joined a book club! Oh, and I have an etsy shop in the works. Yup, I'll be a real-life "business" owner. I'll definitely be spreading the word on that soon. The hubby and I have been out alone on a real date since I have good friend from my credential program that lives close by that loves babies and will babysit for food! Although, when we got back from our date he did say it was the easiest job he'd ever done in his life. He got to sit around on the couch, watch television shows, eat the cookies I made for him and the soda I bought specifically for him while Amélie slept soundly in her room. Of course I didn't only pay him in cookies and soda. He and his girlfriend are coming over for homemade pizza and game night on Sunday. The hubby feels good about being closer to work, having his wifey take on housewifey duties (girl power!), seeing his baby more often, learning to play the piano, having guy nights playing poker with co-workers, and doing his manly duty of bringing home the bacon. Yet, he is most definitely helping with cooking it up and taking out the trash since this whole thing is still a team effort.

Once last thing. Amélie recently started doing this thing where if I'm holding her and someone starts talking to her and smiling and basically fawning over her cuteness she'll get really shy, smile, and then bury her head in my shoulder. It is soo freaking adorable! Yeah, I have a crush on my baby.

Okay, really, the very last thing...separation anxiety...totally dealing with it. She needs to be able to see me unless she's with her daddy. Did/do any of your kiddies deal with this?

Sweet

I am soo going to make this for the hubby. So sweet.

You can find more pictures, recipe, and instructions here.

Ballet Flats for my Baby

I think Amélie needs these. How cute are they?! Perhaps a Valentine's gift for one of my two loves?

{found here}

Can I just add that Amélie loves being on her feet. She's got some really strong legs on her. The hubby predicts she'll skip crawling. I'm pretty sure I crawled before walking. Although, once I did walk; I only walked on my tippy toes. Maybe I was supposed to be a ballerina? ha.

Sweet Sunshine

This is how we've been spending the later part of the afternoon. It's the sweetest part of my day. Sunshine and my loving blondie baby girl. Life is wonderful.

{i adore her}

What a Month!

I don't know where to begin. So much has happened in the last month for us. Instead of a complete detailed summary, here's the (long) gist of "The Johnson's Cram Everything plus an Elephant into One Month!"

• Once the hubby and I decided on moving, I gave my notice and promptly started looking for a place to live in San Jose. 
• Found a place a week later, right before our trip to Kansas.
• Packed LOTS and LOTS of boxes before Kansas and TONS more after we got back.
• Went to Kansas for a week and went to every family gathering with our baby in tow. 
• While in Kansas, we came to the realization that Amélie is teething. Teething + sleeping in a different place + different time zone = more night waking and tired mommy. 
• Baby's first Christmas. 
• Packed MORE!
• Amélie's eating solids like a champ! She loves sweet potatoes.
• Got the keys for our new place in Downtown San Jose on the first on January and started moving small stuff.
• Went back to work for my very last day!
• Movers came to pack up our stuff and realized they miscalculated the amount of stuff we have and brought a truck that was too small. That means they had to come back another day to pack stuff again. 
• Rented a van to move random little things and end up really wanting one. (eek! Am I really going to be a van driving mom?!)
• Amélie gets soo much better at sitting up her own. 
• Kristin, my Rose Pedder, came to help us unpack. So much help!!!!
• Started unpacking and when I started to feel like the chaos was getting better, more things are brought in again! aaahhhh...never-ending unpacking!!!
• The baby girl is not sleeping very well. She's been getting up at least two times a night since we moved. Our super duper night sleeper is really being affected by the teething at night. Poor baby.
• We've gotten everything out of boxes and I've even been sewing pillows and curtains. 
• Amélie does not like avocado. =( But does like bananas, yogurt, pears, frozen yogurt, berries, carrots, teething crackers, drinking water from a water bottle, and especially her sweet potatoes. 
• We are one happy family. The hubby gets to see Amélie lots more during the week, I get to spend all day with my sweetie pie and do fun stuff together (our fave time of day is baby-tummy-on-mommy-tummy time. I get lots of wet baby kisses and hugs during that time.), and the pups have a big yard to run around in. 
• Amélie's grown a lot hair! To some people it looks like nothing, but when she really started with nothing, what she has now is a lot.
• We really love our new house and neighborhood. Yay!
• Our baby turned 6 months old. Where did the time go?
• Oh, the elephant...Amélie's elephant table did make it home; although, with a small dent. Sad. 

Phew...now the pictures!

{the best Christmas gift, ever}

{Christmas in Kansas}

{the hubby's brothers}

{getting ready to feast on Christmas. the hubby's serious eating face}

{our first night in the new place}

{before the movers arrived}

{dining room after day one of major move}

{ahhh....formal living room after first visit from the movers}

{our six month old cutie}

{half a year already!?}

{getting ready for her first art project}

{contemplating her masterpiece}

{the artist concentrating}

{one last picture of our cutie patootie. gosh, I love her!}

Rice and Beans: Month Four

I wrote this a week before Amélie's four month birthday and never posted it because I never got around to adding pictures...she's over five months now. oops!

Dearest Amélie,

Every month of your life has brought forth many changes, yet this fourth month was full of the most dynamic changes we have seen. Therefore, I will characterize this month in one word: Change.

The most drastic of all the changes was me going back to work. You and I had been in our blissful "mommy and me" bubble; with days overlapping and the routines, smiles, playtimes, and kisses running one unto the other. I could have lived the rest of my life enjoying every second of every one of those days and I'm very thankful that I really took advantage of that time. No awake time was spent with me finishing laundry or washed dishes. Nope, you became the center of my universe and I absolutely loved it. I'm not sure your daddy loved taking on new duties, but he never seemed upset. I dreaded even the thought of returning to work and those feelings were quantified once I actually did start.

That first week was extremely hard for both of us. I was not and still am not getting enough sleep, I miss you soo much, and you had a difficult time with waking up earlier and not napping enough during the day. But, by the end of that week, you had adapted quite well, where, I, on the other hand, have still not gotten used to it. People say it gets easier, people say I'll get used to it...well, what if I don't want to? It's been a month and it's still not easier and I'm definitely not getting used to it. Work is work and it's really not that bad. But, I miss you every day and I would rather be with you a million times over being at work. I try not to think about all the little things you're doing while I'm not there and I hope that they will be as shiny and new to you when I see them for the first time. I'm taking the time we have together and putting those memories somewhere where I can bring them up when I feel like crying when I'm at work and I'll treasure the moments we have together in the later hours of each day and every weekend because  they are what get me through each work week.

You, little bird, have changed and grown so much. You've acquired some new blondie/brown growth on the crown of your head. As your daddy pointed out, this will probably be the only time that I will ever purposely make your hair stick up because I absolutely love the way it curls at the end and makes you just a little more unique. The rolls on your legs have also gotten a little bit bigger and those cheeks have filled out just a little bit more. You're love for the milky is undeniable and we're seeing it in your growth. Your eyes continue to change, one day they're true blue and other days they're green. My guess is they'll be similar to your daddy's with blue around the edges and green close to the center.

As I share what you are like with others and from the kinds words of people that have met you, we have decided you have a golden personality. You have the most beautiful gummy smile where you stick your tongue out just a bit and lift your shoulders as your whole body smiles too. You are not quick to make judgements on people, instead you observe and then provide smiles as your way of approval. Also, fussing, crying, and grouchy faces are not your style. You much prefer being a happy laid back baby and we love you so much and appreciate that since your daddy and I are in fact pretty laid back people as well. We see this in the way you're okay with just hanging out in your crib while I get things ready for you and as you laugh hearty giggles randomly and purposefully throughout the day.

Your keen observations extend beyond people. Color and movement attract your attention and you're taking it all in and learning. You're a perky little thing with a lot of interest and we hope these characteristics stay with you for the rest of your life.

Thank you, mi amor, for allowing us to be your mommy and daddy. You have been the best change in our lives.

Love,
mommy and daddy

Back and Better Than EVER!

In two weeks I will officially be a stay-at-home mom. I.cannot.believe.it!

I've been away from the blog a while because life has been full. Full in a good, but also in a not so good way. There's lots to say, but I think I will save it for another day or perhaps only save it for our close friends (you'll know soon, girls!) because it really is very complicated. But, the gist of it is that we're moving out of the City, closer to the hubby's work; I'm not going to work anymore, the doggies will get a yard to run in again, and I get to be at home with my baby girl every.single.day.

I turned in my letter of resignation today and I can breathe just a little better and forget the fact that I'm tired on this dreary Monday morning because life will be less complicated soon.

There are lots of pictures and stories to be told about our growing girl and I'll get to those as soon as life slows down a bit.

source

Just Because: Paris versus New York

Everytime someone new finds out Amélie's name, they very often will say,"Oh, like the movie!" Yes, just like the movie; although that is not the reason we named her Amélie. We do love that movie and I do love anything French, but we also simply loved the name. It fits our cutie patootie perfectly.

So, when I saw this, I just had to post it. Not only do I love Amélie, the movie, but I also really love Sex and the City. 


hehe...after rereading my post, could I have used the word "love" anymore than I did? I LOVE it!