Category Archives: Eva

super stripy picky pants

stripy picky pants

This week I finished knitting this pair of pants for little Eva.  They are oh so soft and oh so cute.  I used the Picky Pants pattern from Little Turtle Knits and Malabrigo Worsted Merino yarn (which I also used on her newborn diaper wrap a while back).

stripy picky pants

I made a size medium hoping that would be the right size to fit her through this winter and it looks good.  They are pretty big now, but she will grow.

It’s bittersweet, this growing thing my baby is doing.

wiggle time

On the one hand it is so much fun to watch her open up to this world– to see her eyes light up when she looks one of us in the eye, to hear her squeals of delight as we coo and talk to her,

busy

to see her serious concentration as she bats at her toys.

On the other hand I just want her to stay tiny– just a tiny sweet smelling little lump I can hold up to my cheek.  Growing is good, though.  There is no way to resist all the chins and the rolly thighs…

and the smiles and giggles!

:)

tongue out concentration

But I digress.  This post is about pants, right?  I really want to tell you about the waistband.  The Picky Pants pattern gives 2 options– and elasticized waist or a drawstring waist.  I got a wool diaper cover knit by a friend and she did this genius thing.  She put elastic inside her i-cord.  I love how it looks, so I thought I steal her idea and do it on these pants making them a pair of drawstring-elastic waist pants.  I just made a 4 stitch i-cord the length I wanted the waistband to be (in this case about 16 inches) and threaded a 16 inch piece of 1/4″ wide elastic through it with a safety pin.  I wove that in and out the eyelets in the waistband, sewed the ends of the elastic together, then closed up the i-cord around it.

the waistband

Love it.

(And for those of you who are wondering, Eva is playing with the baby gym I made Hunter and she loves it.  She bats and bats and bats away and often just wiggles herself to sleep.  Super cute.)

 

2 months

2 months

Eva has been with us for 2 whole months and I’m tired.  I think I’m the most tired I’ve ever been in my whole life.

But look at that face… that makes it all worth it.

And I have a lot of help.

brother and sister

brother and sister

I love that Jonah has taken to just carrying Eva around and hanging out with her.  It makes me thankful that I homeschool and that my big kids get to be HERE for this babyhood that goes by so fast.  Sometimes the baby is the lesson- a lesson they can only get by being home.

1 month old

1 month

My freshest baby is already one month old.  It’s been a whirlwind and feels like she’s always been a part of us at the same time.  I love holding her with her soft little cheek against mine, feeling her baby breath, and thinking that this is my very most favorite thing I’ve done in my whole life.  I LOVE having a newborn.  I love the treasure of having a little person that is both a part of me and its own at the same time.  I love soft skin and fuzzy shoulders and whispery sneezes.  I was going over old posts about my other babies and love what I said when Ian was tiny:

I just look at him and say to myself, “Remember this–how he looks, how it feels to hold him. He won’t remember this time– it’s all mine. These short months of tininess are God’s gift to mothers. The sweetness, perftection, complete dependence are just for me– to treasure, to see everytime I look at him, for the rest of his life.”

I don’t know how to say it any differently.  I love having a baby.

I thought I’d show you some handmade gifts from lovely friends on Eva’s 1 month birthday.  I waited until a bit too late in the day to have good light, but here are some more pictures anyway.

1 month

My kindred spirit April made Eva a super cute quilt.  (You can see better photos of the whole thing here.)

And the sweet gown and flower are from my talented friend Jodi.

big flower

Thank you friends for being excited about my little girl too.

And happy one month birthday tiny Eva.  We’re sure glad you’re ours.

the SweetPod SleepPod

SweetPod SleepPod

I love having a Moses basket for a newborn.  It is so nice to have a cozy place to lay baby down right next to me wherever I am in the house– on the couch while I’m reading to other kids, on the floor next to my sewing table, in my room next to my bed.  It’s her own little sanctuary that even the 2 year old understands is the baby’s bed.

So, when I was dreaming about Eva coming I decided I wanted to make a Moses basket and write up the pattern to add to my SweetPod collection.

SweetPod SleepPod

Here it is!  It’s been in constant use for the past 4 weeks (Really, it’s been 4 weeks?!) and I’ve decided it passed the functionality test.

SweetPod SleepPod

It has a removable, washable quilted bumper pad,

SweetPod SleepPod

and a mattress with a removable, washable cover.   I’m just about done with the pattern writing.  I have had such a hard time making myself sit down and write it, but I made a lot of headway today and will be ready to send it out to testers by next Friday for sure.

perfect place for the fresh baby

I have to say up front this is not a quick project or an inexpensive one, but as a mama of 6 I definitely think it is worth the work and money to have a super cute, comfy place to lay my perfect little bundle.

Anyone want to try it?  **I’ve got all the testers I need, thanks!** I’ll need 2 testers.  If you’d like to be one send an e-mail to jessica {at} seedpodcraft {dot} com and let me know how quickly you think you could get it done (give yourself at least a week) and what kind of sewing experience you have. Luckily, all the supplies should be available at your local JoAnn’s and quilt store.  I’ll let you know whether or not I’ll need you as a tester by Wednesday and get the pattern e-mailed to you by Friday next week.