my last post was published over and over and over again :: apologies if it showed up in your bloglines account over and over again :: after many frustrating attempts, finally got something that kind of resembles what was intended, needless to say I'm not a fan of the changes to typepad's new formatting tools
ella's announcements
Oh, how I've missed this space.
We finally have internet access at home.
Finally. After five months of waiting.
*l-o-n-g sigh of relief*
Now for the frustrating part :: we will only be here for another week and a half and...
MY LAPTOP IS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND
*extra l-o-n-g sigh of frustration*
So not only will our internet access be short-lived but I also have to use our old and very slow iMac. Which really isn't so bad - I love the design - it's one of these dome-style ones with a lovely big screen.
It's just so slow and somewhat temperamental. And it doesn't have any of my photos, documents or music on it. They're all on the laptop. Yes, the laptop that is NOWEHERE TO BE FOUND. It was somehow lost between our front door and my husband's office, which takes about three minutes to drive to. We're trying not to contemplate the fact that we *might* have put it on the roof of the car while we were loading the stroller and the car-seat and the diaper bag and ella and bailey...and possibly drove off without realizing it was still up there (!?!). It wouldn't surprise me if this is actually what happened, especially in our current sleep-deprived and distracted state {let's just say that planning an international move with a three-month old daughter who has just learned to roll over and squirm her way off her playmat/changing pad every time I turn away for even a second and who has also decided naptime is only meant to last for ten minutes at a time isn't conducive to accomplishing anything that requires even the smallest amount of concentration}. The laptop was in its case so even if it did smash into a million pieces there would still be something on the road or in the ditch. And if it was stolen surely other, more expensive things would have been stolen, too. It has literally vanished without a trace. Strangely enough I decided to buy an external hard drive a couple of weeks ago so I could archive all of my photos and documents - this means there's only about three weeks of photos/videos of ella that have been lost. Although this is still upsetting. it is nowhere near as bad as losing everything. I can't help but think that in purchasing the hard-drive I was, in some way, tempting fate. But I am SO glad I did.
I will now religiously archive everything.
And I'm pretty sure we'll never put ANYTHING on top of the car. Ever.
baby toes and bloomers
she laughs and smiles
and has her daddy's gorgeous almond-shaped eyes :: my beautiful japanese/canadian/scottish little girl, who just got her US passport in the mail, ready for our trip home to canada {a passport for a three month old :) still makes me giggle!}
{size 6 months, from this book}
Over the past week, Ella has started to sleep through the night. Well, from nine in the evening until four or five in the morning when she has a snack and then she continues to sleep until eight or nine. I'm not sure if this is a normal development for an eleven week old, but let's just say that I feel very lucky that she's such a good sleeper. Now if only I could sleep as well as she does. I'm having a very hard time falling asleep after her five o'clock feeding and have gotten into the habit of creeping into the studio and immersing myself in one of the many projects that got 'shelved' while I was pregnant. These early mornings have allowed me to finally finish this little top in a gorgeous grey and cream polka dot fabric from superbuzzy. The sleeves are 3/4 length, which I think is adorably stylish on babies, especially in the warmer weather we've been having lately. The silk charcoal ribbon is attached with a small snap so it can be removed for washing. I didn't align the polka dots very well while sewing so the hem looks a little uneven {although it is actually straight} but I'm okay with it. I just feel so good to have that little bit of time to get things done, in the still quiet of the early morning. Even if I am slightly sleep deprived!
Oh my.
It's been a while.
Although it really doesn't feel like it's been so long.
But I have missed this space and I'm excited to be here once again. What's most important though, is that I finally feel ready. Recovering from the c-section and all that Ella's birth entailed has been a slow process, charged with raw emotion, full of uncertainty, amazement and love. Someday soon I will share more about this, but for now I think I'll just say that becoming a mother has been the scariest, toughest and most beautiful experience I have ever had. And just for the record, I wouldn't change a single second of it.
So here's the reason I can't get anything done :: I can't stop looking at Ella. Perhaps this is all part of the phenomenon of being a new mother? All I know is that each moment of my day is spent trying to capture every smile, every coo and every adorable little laugh, not to mention her fingers, toes, cheeks and that gorgeous baby smell. Does it ever end?
{thank you}
:: to all of you who have emailed or commented to congratulate us on the arrival of ella - this online community never ceases to amaze me, the kindness of your words means so much to me
:: to two very special people that I have never met before, but whose advice and support will always remain close to my heart, as will their beautiful handmade gifts for ella who will no doubt cherish them for many years to come
an incredibly cute oobee from onegirl
the most beautiful, not to mention perfectly made, bloomers and kimono top from 6.5 st
crossover jacket :: ‘essential baby’ by debbie bliss, 0-3 month size
yarn :: debbie bliss baby cashmerino [2 balls] in dusky pink
pants | bloomers :: pattern from this book, with a ribbon-tied waist and elastic in the legs
fabric :: natural linen and ‘spring flowers’ in pink from superbuzzy
sizing :: for a newborn, reduce the pattern for the smallest size by 25% - with a drawstring waist and elastic in the legs they should fit as pants for the first month and then as bloomers for a couple of weeks after that {for a baby smaller than Ella - she's already 11lbs and very long, at only 26 days!}
There is something so sweet and so lovely about dressing a tiny baby in clothes that you have made, knowing that each stitch, knit or sewn, is formed with love and adoration. From the very beginning until the very end, planning baby ella’s wardrobe provided a place for my heart to go when things became that little bit too overwhelming or stressful. In my last few days of pregnancy, laden with anticipation, oh so uncomfortable and overcome with sickness yet again, I escaped one last time into the haven of ella’s wardrobe. The kimono-style top was a quick and relaxing knit, which I’d love to knit again in a charcoal grey, especially with those ¾ length sleeves. The pants | bloomers were also quick, although not quite as relaxing – by the time the pattern was traced, the fabric cut and the pieces pinned, my contractions were becoming more and more powerful. And that is why the ‘spring flower’ pants are tied on the side instead of the middle. I managed to sew the original opening for the ribbon tie closed and then sewed through my finger and fingernail. I was surprisingly calm throughout the whole thing – it didn’t hurt nearly as much as the contractions did and in an effort to put my husband at ease [after calling him over to help me get the needle out], I promised to finish sewing as quickly as possible. Which meant there wasn’t time for finding the seam ripper and some improvisation was needed. Ella arrived 48 hours later, her little outfit finished and ready to take her home in.
ella, looking like a little angel :: 10 days old and growing like a weed :)
{photograph taken by daddy}
