Proud Mama

I appreciate everyone checking in, even though I've not been great about posting since Hosea was born.  Being a mama is my number one priority right now, but I hope to be back blogging regularly (or semi-regularly) soon. :)

For now, I hope you will enjoy a few new pictures of the newest love of my life.  He's six weeks old and such a handsome little chub.

Happy Belated Easter

All five of us had colds on Easter, so we didn't do much of anything but sleep, watch movies, and go through a ton of kleenex.  

However, the night before Easter was beautifully sunny, and I had the presence of mind to get the kids dressed up in their new outfits and take a quick photo shoot.  Here are some of the best shots.  I'm so thankful that in just five minutes I was able to get smiling pictures of ALL THREE KIDS.  Those of you with even one child know what a huge feat that is - it truly is a miracle (and nothing of my my doing).  :)

Our illness may have prevented us from dying and hunting eggs, but family is what is important.  Happy Easter!  He is STILL Risen!

Hosea

Our cousin Latisha came over when Hosea was 10 days old and did a photo shoot.  We are so pleased with the pictures!  Check out my favorites...

You might remember Latisha's work from our maternity photo shoot I posted about HERE.  If you are in the greater Seattle area and are looking for a photographer, I highly recommend Latisha and you can view her website HERE!

He's Here!

The long wait is finally over!  Our son, Hosea Jude arrived at 11:09 on Friday evening.  He was 21.5" long, and weighed a whopping 10 pounds!  It's a long story of a short labor, but he was welcomed into the world in our bedroom, and his birth was nothing short of perfect.  Both he and I are doing amazingly well - healthy and happy.

God answered all of our prayers regarding little Hosea's arrival, and we couldn't be more pleased with our little guy!  His name means "He will sing joyfully of the salvation of the one true God".

 

A few hours after his birth - so nice to be in my own bed.

 

 

One day old - cuddling with mama

 He has SO much hair.  One day old.

Two days old.

 

Harley scopes out the baby

Dave gave him a "faux hawk".  :) 

 

More Pattern Knitting

Well... still no baby!  I'm trying very hard not to be discouraged, especially since I'm still 1 week from my due date.  Today was my "wish" birthday for our son.  How cool would it be to have the birth date 3-6-12?

Anyway.... to stave off the late pregnancy crazies I've been knitting up a storm.  It feels good to keep the hands busy, and I can knit while sitting/bouncing on one of those giant exercise balls.  Supposedly this helps the baby drop into position.

So, I finished both designs for Knitterella's test knitting project.  I can't wait to show you the finished garments (once she releases the pattern).  They are really beautiful - and simple enough that even a beginning knitter will have great success knitting them.  I think the set would make a fantastic gift.  I've put aside my set for just one special person to receive.  Can't post names though - she reads my blog!

I also finished typing up all 4 of my patterns that were in the works.  Two just got submitted to Knit Picks for final approval.  I'll hear back (hopefully) soon about their release.  I'll release them in my Craftsy, Ravelry, and Etsy shops the same day they go live on Knit Picks if they are picked up.  Otherwise, it should only be another few days/week before they get posted.  That is the beauty of self publishing!  ;)

Not to be all teasing, however, I do have a sneak peek at a new sock pattern I'm whipping up.



This uses the Knit Picks Glimmer line of yarn.  Though it isn't a St. Patty's Day pattern, the green feels very festive to me, and it cheered me up just working with it.  I love the glimmer sock yarn, because there are small strands of sparkly fiber that wind through each skein, and it just makes the whole project feel magical.

Since that photo was taken, I've gotten another 2-3 inches knit.  If this baby keeps staying put, I could have a new pair of socks knit up in record time.  Sigh...

I'll leave you with one last picture - just because it makes me smile.  We had oranges and left over curry for lunch.  Ruby loves curry (all spicy food really), and her favorite food is oranges.  Sometimes she'll eat the peel if I don't grab it away fast enough.  Anyway... I just love this little snapshot of her.

Hope your day is delightful!

Ruby's Room and Banner

Ever since we moved into our new house in 2010, I've been on a quest to learn to be a better decorator (as well as a better housekeeper - but let's set that aside for now, shall we?).  I started with our living room.  It's not totally complete yet.  It will likely be a work in progress for many years to come.  But someday, when the kid crap is all put away, and my knitting isn't exploding all over the coffee table or end table, I'll share pictures of that room.

From there, I moved on to my craft room.  That is also a work in progress, and now that I'm not teaching classes any more, it is also continually evolving in look and function (and going from messy to clean to messy on a weekly basis).  So once again - not really something I'm ready to share at this point.

Moving on, I decided that our kids deserved to have spaces that reflected their personalities, and were enjoyable to be in, but also functional with regards to usable space and the ability to keep them clean.  That my friends, was where I hit the decorating jackpot!  This was finally an area where I felt comfortable, and I can truly say that the rooms are "done".

I shared Samantha's room a few weeks back.  If you missed it, you can check out this post here.

Last week I finally put the finishing touches on Ruby's room!  Here are the pictures...

The color is so much more vibrant in person.  It's a rich, turquoisey, tiffany blue.  I wish it transfered better in the photos.  This bookcase is from Target, and it used to be in Samantha's room (with bins).  But I found the bins were actually a hindrance to keeping her room clean, so for Ru the bins went away.  I love the she can easily see what she wants to play with, and easily put things away.

I bought pretty turquoise blue knobs for the dresser, but those of course will probably not go on for at least another year or two, so decided not to wait for that to post pictures.  ;)  

I found this little shelf at an antique show last fall.  I had read an article about how children read more books when they can see the covers, and had planned to do rain gutter book shelves (google it, it's cool), but when I saw this shelf, I knew it would do the job just as well.  Ruby loves it too - and she's reading more now than ever before.  I try to switch out the books every week or so.

She's not quite ready for a big girl bed, but I have a pretty, white iron child bed (from ikea) that will go there once she is ready.  And grandma is making her a quilt in the same fabric as her name banner, so it will be perfect! 

This little table was built by my grandpa when I was just 1 year old.  (He built the rocking chair in the photo above as well).  I recently painted the table so it would match Ruby's room better.  It is so sweet to see her play at this table, and remember all the time I spent playing at it when I was young!  I need to paint the matching chairs too, but that will happen at a later date.  (The chairs in the picture go with a different table).  

Here are some better photos of Ruby's banner.  I've had so much fun making these!  I just wish they were easier to photograph.  :)  I do sell these if you are looking for a custom name baner!  You can message me or check out my etsy shop.  I'm working on getting lots of new fabric styles in soon for custom banners.

Maternity Photo Shoot

About 2 weeks ago, our cousin Latisha Hale did a photo shoot of our family.  She asked if I wanted a particular setting for the photos, and I jumped at having it at Fisherman's Terminal.  Not only did this location jive with our plan to do a nautical theme for the nursery, but it holds extra special meaning for me as it is where my mom and step-dad were married 20 years ago.

The day was glorious - which is absolutely unheard of in February in Seattle.  It was sunny, and warm-ish (low 50s), and the wind was fairly calm for being right on the water.

Here are some of my favorite shots.  I was almost 34 weeks along when they were taken.  :)  We were so impressed with Latisha, and how comfortable she made us!  If you are in the greater Seattle area, and want photos taken, check out her webpage here.  We can't wait for her to do our newborn pictures too!  :)

this one is probably my favorite...

with this being a close second...

love, love, love these next two:

This is the little sweater I knit him:

The angle on this one makes me look HUGE-A-NORMOUS, but I still like it.  :)  I brought back that little boat from Mexico for Bubbah's room.

another fave...  the sea stars will be going up in his room too.