Morning mess, Afternoon Applique, and a little laugh

I have been making one mess after another around here and only cleaning enough in between to keep the brain clear. As it turns out my brain operates pretty well in the midst of a physical mess, which you might have guessed by now.



As long as there is one clean pretty space in the process of becoming something, like the quilt on the board in the background. Roman, no surprise, has a front row seat to all the goings on here in the studio. That sounds easier than it is. It doesn't always please him to sit and watch. It doesn't always please me to do instead of cuddle. But we both give in a little and mostly I am just happy that our days are becoming more routine with each passing one. Small rituals arise out of no where.... like making sure to fold large pieces of fabric in front of him, because he really likes following all the motion and color flipping through the air above him.



I felt myself almost striking that balance today that I haven't known in a few years...nurse, cut, rock & pat, sew, cuddle, sew, diaper change, email, swing, sew, nurse.....and so on. Both of us getting in all our varieties of daily duties alongside each other.



And this would be the binky/swing soothing his afternoon sleepies in the background while the needle/thread soothes my long day in the studio in the foreground.

No day would be complete without laughing a little, and here's what did it for me today:

Listening to our Patsy Cline Radio on Pandora has of course given us some Johnny Cash as well (gladly). Eleni was balancing and walking along one particular plank in the hardwood floor today and when I asked her what she was doing she replied "Ohhhh... just walkin' the line."

hope you balanced along a nice line today xoxox Anna

What a baby doll doesn't prepare you for....

... is just how wiggly a real baby can be. And how they seem to have many more arms and legs when you try to change their diaper (even though the arms, legs, toes and fingers were counted within seconds of birth). Baby dolls also don't prepare you for what you find inside the diaper once you open it....but she's proven a willing mommy-in-training nonetheless.



The willingness could have something to do with getting to hold a sweet, dry, and thankful baby afterward. Yes, that's it, I believe. Real babies are totally the best.

Very busy in the studio this week, and Roman watches all from his swing, his bouncy seat, or the breast....which I can now manage with a laptop at the end of my lap and I'm mastering my one-handed typing. As long as he's not set on maximum wiggle mode.

Oh, and speaking of baby, baby, we can't get enough of Pandora with Patsy Cline set in the search field. So, so good, and nostalgic, and almost summery too I think. Maybe just cause its all so southern and sweet and heartach-y.

xoxo, Anna

Two girls + 4 dishtowels + lots of trips to the library = something even I can manage

Our particular towels are found here (of course).

Now that they're busy I think I may sneak off to do this.

xoxo, Anna

They do this to you, don't they?

Turn things upside down, I mean, of course. Mostly in a good way, naturally. But, ohhh, my dear friend, Sleep, where for art thou? He's one whole entire month today. How did this happen? And explain the tiny (yet heartbreaking) pile of clothing already too small??? Sigh.

I'll be back tomorrow with a simple sewing project that me and the girls came up with. And if I can do it (running on fumes) I know that you can. I wish I could say it's for Father's Day. But well. Not right side up enough for that just yet.

kisses, Anna

(yet another cute photo of Roman by Angela)

A weekend

From my spot at the living room table ~



I saw this through the window~



So I went outside and noticed the marker on her hands ~



A few movies and markers made for a very fun Friday night ~



(above my bed) And a very funny Saturday morning ~



It looks like some shopping was done at the playroom bookshelf ~



Oh, I should get back to nibbling the newborn ~

Hope you're enjoying your weekend. xxoo AM

And you thought your summer reading was hard to put down

A rare moment alone and uncuddled.

We spent the day with my friend Angela today, which is a good thing to do when you have a new baby and loads of kids around. Roman was very cooperative and we got so many beautiful shots- even one of the whole gaggle (see new summer banner above-see, see!). I find the prospect of getting a photo of 6 children who are related to each other tends less on the challenging side if their mother is not the one taking it. Angela is amazing. (You need to see more of her gorgeous and quirky and clever baby photos here!!) And believe it or not, we were working too. I will confess that the word "work" has taken on a strange and weird new reality these past few (almost 3!!!) weeks. But for reals. Some of what we did with this little baby counted as work towards a very exciting project thats been underway here for several months. More on that soon enough!!

Thank you for continuing to drop in here and coo with us. I'm thinking of that day when I can offer you a little more than baby photos. But right now anything else feels almost wrong. I'm getting there. My brain is slowly remembering myself again, and I sorta like that. Its always a new me though. New all of us. Remember these thoughts? Yup. Every time.

He's just so hard to put down. Sigh.

(going to pick him up.)
xoxo, Anna

The Boy, Himself

Yesterday was Roman's due date. Tomorrow he is two weeks old. Today I already cannot imagine our lives without him. What were we doing before he arrived? What funny noises did we giggle at or who's soft head did we stroke our cheeks against?

When I was 10 weeks pregnant, I dreamed about a boy born to me with a round face, glowing complexion, golden brown hair. He was so peaceful and smiled as soon as he arrived. It was such a euphoric dream~ an indescribable joy surrounded me nearly to an ache of sorts, and I woke up with the name of Romanos in my mind. This little one seemed to reveal himself to me that morning and I didn't want to wake up from his sweet face. It was then that I began to know him, if thats even possible. It is, I think. Most mamas would agree. And I let everyone know he was a boy before we found out officially. I've had inclinations with most of my pregnancies, only wrong about gender once, I think.

What has been such a gift with this boy is that his demeanor at this stage is just like my dream. Peaceful. Attentive. Tolerant. And smiles, though they be accidental and not what one would describe at the social smile yet, abound. Constant smiles. And I keep saying to Jeff, my mom, and everyone, it's just like my dream. This isn't answered with much acknowledgement of significance. No one says, oh wow, yea you dreamed all this, thats amazing. Rather. Its our sacred little secret. That we've known each other.

And these early days are not filled with only blissful, angelic moments. There are exhausting, sometimes painful, sometimes frustrating moments, but all bridged by interludes that can only be described like our dream~a joy that I don't want to wake up from. Perhaps he dreamed of me too. And so we rest within each other.

xoxo