Cristy Creates...

birth thoughts...

2010-10-15T10:19:00.007-07:00

Birth. It's a very hot topic, and one that elicits strong emotions. Thoughts about the births of my own children have been at the forefront of my mind lately. Not sure why, but now I feel a great urge to write about them: my thoughts and feelings.

I have shared each of my 3 birth-stories multiple times. Depending on which one I share, and who my audience is, the reactions I get vary greatly. I get everything from empathy, shock, opposition, and comradery. I have even been interrupted so a "friend" could discredit my experience in an effort to justify her own.

All three of my birth experiences have been vastly different from one another. I have learned so much about myself through each.

With my first, my sweet boy Aaron, I was the dutiful patient. This is what was expected of me, right? That's what I thought, and I didn't educate myself to discover another option. That realization is difficult and shocking for me. If you know me at all, it might be a shock too. I ask myself now, "How could I have not educated myself about what is beyond the confines of the typical hospital experience?" I justified it, at the time, telling myself that modern medicine in labor and birth was there for a reason. I know better now.

Aaron's birth was fraught with drama, as one medical intervention lead to another, and another and another. I was being the good patient and didn't know it was within my rights to say no to the pitocin, the 3rd degree episiotomy, and so many other things. I repeatedly heard, "We're going to do XYZ now." There was no human touch, and bed-side manners were nonexistent. Of course, the arrival of my son made much of that less-than-perfect experience fade away. But, now, more than 5 years later, I have much regret. I fixate on experiences within my life, and the memories associated with them. For the most part, it's the good memories that present themselves. But, not in this case. I remind myself of the beautiful boy I held in my arms, to again, make the negative fade away.

I figuratively kick myself that the education I gave myself during his pregnancy was through TLC (yep, Baby Story), the hospital's version of birth classes, and What to Expect... There is so much more out there, so much that is better. Thankfully, I did discover this, later.

Molly's birth was HEAVEN compared to Aaron's. My OB and Midwife were great, and I felt like a mother with choices. I *hoped* for a natural birth, but didn't educate myself on how to attain it. My body could, and did, labor and it really did know what to do!! How empowering! The pitocin just sat on it's shelf during Molly's birth. Relief.

At 8cm, I was tense. So tense, I couldn't relax, and I didn't know what to do with myself. It's not surprising that I tensed up. I can be quite high-strung, in case you were wondering. I was frustrated with myself, and caved in to the epidural. No other interventions, thank you. My Little Miss came into the world perfectly. I have little regret with her birth. Thankfully. It was the morning after her birth when my world came to a crashing hault. I'm tearing up now, so maybe I'll write about those feelings another time. Apparently, they want to be felt again.

A long while after Molly's birth, we realized that our family was incomplete. Nora joined our family a bit over a year later. I am forever thankful for her, for so many things. Her birth healed parts of my heart that were still raw from both Aaron and Molly's births. I needed to experience her birth, completely. I yearned to know the feeling of birth - unmasked, unmedicated, natural.

Thanks several amazing women, I became educated. I learned about what birth could be like, and that I was capable and deserving of the birth I craved, and had a right to have.

I've heard it many many times. "Why not just get the epidural?" "They don't give you a medal for a natural birth." A "friend" even said to me, when I told her I was planning an unmedicated birth, "Yeah, good luck with that." I don't call her a friend now. I realized that comments like that are justifications. They are trying to justify their own choices, because heaven-forbid there be another way, a different way than what they chose. Some woman feel their choices cannot be wrong or changed, especially their birth choices.

I educated myself, maybe to an extreme, this last time around. Clay and I took Hypnobabies classes to prepare my mind for a natural birth. We hired our doula, Rose to be another person of support. And we planned on having a midwife there to catch Nora. Afterall, I was the one that would be doing the delivering. I watched The Business of Being Born and read Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth. I knew I could do it!

Plans changed, as they can and will in life. Nora decided to make her appearance a month early. That meant no midwife, but I was content with my OB being there to catch. I had terrible back labor, which was something else I didn't plan on, and hadn't experience before. But, everything else I could have hoped for with Nora's birth was perfect. All of my wishes were honored, and I gave birth the way I wanted and hoped for. Nora was brought to my chest immediately. I felt AMAZING! There is not a feeling in the world (to my knowledge) that compares with having my baby naturally. I felt strong, energized, and heroic. I could even walk afterwards, and take care of myself and my new baby girl. No one had to be my crutch to use the bathroom, and I could stand strong in the shower. It's the little things, you know.

I am content. I am educated. I know my choices, and am strong in my conviction that every woman has the same choices. Some choose to listen, others continue to justify. And that, is their choice as well. All I can do is what is right for me and my family.

Nora just woke from her nap. I get to go cuddle and nurse her now. I'm a happy and lucky mama.

just freshening up...

2010-08-06T07:52:00.002-07:00

I thought my little blog could use a little freshening up! Thanks to a sweet friend for giving me a few blog pointers. I think this new look suits me well.

I'll be back soon with some new posts. I'm sorry about my recent hiatus. I'm working, constantly, it seems, on getting my website freshened up too.

Coming soon:

new quilt blocks I've been working on

Molly's new school outfit

projects I want to conquer

other great stuff

Cloth Diapers can help the oil spill clean-up!

2010-07-04T06:51:00.005-07:00

I saw this and had to share!

There is a very unique way that we can help with the oil spill clean-up! Cloth diaper maker, Fuzzi Bunz, has started this program to help with the Gulf Coast's clean-up efforts. You can donate your old cloth diapers - you know, the ones that just aren't resellable. You can also donate other cloth, like receiving blankets, microfiber towels, and burp cloths.

They would like items to be free of velcro, snaps and elastic. If you can't remove those items, they will have volunteers available to sort and donate those items to families in need.

Donations can be sent to:

FuzziBunz Diapers
Attn: CFC
315 Weeks St
New Iberia, LA 70560

Anyone can help, whether you use cloth diapers or not! Let's help out this great cause!

I {heart} babywearing!

2010-06-19T20:53:00.004-07:00

I love babywearing for a million reasons, maybe more. Here's just a few...

*She is content and secure, and still close to my heart.

Yes, Nora really likes it "in there". Yes, she CAN breathe. Yes, it is comfortable, for both of us. NO she's not going to fall out. I keep her in the *kissing* position - her head is always high enough for me to give her a nice little smooch.

{Earthy Rainbow Girasol shorty}

*I'm hands-free! I can do *almost* anything!

Bending down to pick something up is my biggest challenge, which has allowed me to practice using my toes. Don't laugh! You know you've done it too.

With Nora on my back, I can do dishes, make dinner, take out the trash, vacuum, clean the counters, and sew! Yes, I can even sew when she's on my back. And usually, she's passed out within minutes of being back there. Makes for a cozy nap.

{Wrapper's Paradise Girasol 4.2m}

{reinforced ruck}

*She can look people in the eye.

No sitting on the dirty floor in a car seat for this little girl! It grosses me out to think about how much crap can float right into a baby's face when they are that close to the ground. Besides that, carrying around bucket seats with a baby of more than 10lbs is incredibly heavy and so awkward. I just leave it in the car, and wear her wherever we are going.

Nora can socialize and have the opportunity to learn early communication skills. {love it!} She LOVES to talk to people and give big ol' smiles when I'm wearing her. She gets a lot of attention, for sure.

Over the past few months, there have been some stories in the news about baby carriers. I want to stress that wearing your baby is a responsibility. Parents MUST educate themselves on proper carriers and wearing techniquess. I believe that most accidents can be prevented with education.

So, go on! Educate yourself! Babywearing is so much fun and stylish too! Some of my favorite places are:

www.thebabywearer.com - A message board and For Sale or Trade forum

www.granolababies.com - A great retail site with a lot of wonderful information

www.youtube.com - For great instructional videos on babywearing

The carriers I used here are wraps. I also use mei tais and soft structured carriers. I blog about those in another post.

{head injury}

2010-05-21T15:27:00.007-07:00

Last night, on my way to my mommy group, Clay called me to come home. During the call, I heard screaming and crying. You know the kind; the kind that every mom knows and dreads. It was the cry of my child, and I felt my heart break. Aaron had an accident and gave himself a nice gash on his eyebrow.

I rushed home. Well, I went as fast as I could without needing to avoid being pulled over. If you know me, you know that I have been pulled over a time or two – wink, wink. When I got home, Clay’s parents were there and sent us on our way with Aaron. They kept the girls, which was quite the special treat for Molly (she got to stay up a little late). My in-laws are amazing, in case I haven’t mentioned that before.

Checking in at the ER was easy, but the wait was longer than we’d like. Finally, we were in a room and waited for the doctor. At this point, we knew he had a cut, but didn’t really know if stitches were necessary. Aaron was in a great mood and was being his usual jovial self. Once the doctor was ready to really examine him, he thought that giving him some Verced would help him stay calm for the procedure. At first he was a little calmer, but when he had to be restrained from his shoulders to his toes, he became a little clausterphobic and anxious. Yeah, this was NO fun for any of us.

The doctor cleaned out his wound with three huge syringes of sterile water. Then, he revealed the true damage that was done. All I can say is, woah. Really, it was SO much worse than I thought it was. Clay was right there when he slipped on his blanket and took a header into the side of his bed. From the way Aaron hit, Clay knew it was bad, but I didn’t realize. The doctor gently pulled the wound open and man was it deep. My heart sank.

Aaron was in great hands, though, and the doctor placed stitches through two layers of tissue and got him all sewed up. His eye is still puffy and swollen. A black eye is in his future, for certain.

Remember the Versed that Aaron was given, well it didn’t sit well with him at all. At first, it kind of made him drunk. Once we were at home, it was not a fun and goofy drunk. More like a mean drunk, who didn’t know he was drunk and just wanted one more drink. Aaron had a violent reaction to the Versed. He was fighting us and screamed, “Mama, I don’t NEED YOU!” Again, my heart broke. Clay reminded me that this wasn’t our Aaron.

Sleep finally came over Aaron around 11:30pm. Relief. With all he went through, I was certain that he’d sleep-in a little, but no, he was up at 6:30am. Damn. He needed the rest. I hope he gets more tonight.

Did you ask for pictures? Are you sure you want to see? Close your eyes if you have a weak stomach:

“I look totally handsome with this wrap on!” - Aaron

Cleaning the wound.

It's just a scratch, right?

WRONG!!

Sewing it up.

Ready to go home!!

~cute~

2010-04-07T21:33:00.007-07:00

Cute, huh!?

At one of the many quilt shows I've attended, I found this pattern and knew Molly would love it. This Flirty Skirty Apron was pretty easy to make, although next time, I'd do a couple of things differently. I'd make the neck strap adjustable, figure out a way to make the corners stay in place (they keep flipping out), and put a pocket on the top of the front.

Here's my little cook, all ready to whip up something delicious!

^^Birthday Boy^^

2010-03-19T22:31:00.006-07:00

5 years go by in a wink. 5 years can pass far too fast...

Our sweet boy, Aaron, turned 5 last month. We had planned a fantastic party at the park, but were met with winter rains the morning of the party. My in-laws, who are amazing, let us bring the party to their house. It was a tight squeeze, but I think fun was had by all.

Aaron is really into Transformers and Power Rangers right now, so they were the "theme" for his party. Aaron can't have dairy, so I made him a dairy-free cake with rice milk. I was very surprised to see, and taste, how yummy rice milk cooks up in a cake. I got a pic of the Transformers logo and made it into a stencil for his cake:

All of Aaron's friends were so cute at the party! They had so much fun, and were so well behaved. This is Aaron and one of his bestest friends, Riley.

Aaron really wanted a pinata at his party, so we bought one with the strings you pull on the bottom to make the pinata open. That way, kids don't have to swing around dangerous bats and such to bust it open. Well, the strings came off our pinata, so we went "old school" and brought out the bat. The dads kept the kids in line and everyone got a good whack at it. I took at tip from Aaron's teacher, and put the treats and prizes in individual bags for the kids. This little trick keeps the kids from bashing into each other to get the coveted candy. Smart huh?!

What's next for our 5 year-old? Camping this summer and Kindergarten in the Fall. Time just keeps going by...

{a beautiful birth}

2010-03-18T23:14:00.004-07:00

Nora Jean came into our family on November 27th, 2009; 4 1/2 weeks early!! This is our birth story:

Thanksgiving was really nice, and I even took a nap that day. I had my usual preterm contractions, but nothing out of the ordinary and certainly not painful or regular. I went to bed that night with some contractions (ctxs), but they usually go away when I go to sleep. Well, that didn't happen this time...

Around 1am, I really started to notice that I wasn't sleeping through the ctxs anymore. That was a big sign that things were changing. By 2 am, I couldn't stay in bed anymore and went to the couch. If it were the real thing, I wanted Clay to be rested so he could help me. I also realized that if it were real, I had NOTHING packed for me or the baby. So, in between ctxs, I did laundry and packed bags. By then, I had to stop what I was doing and use my Hypnobabies cues to get through the ctxs. I found the most comfort when I would lean over the washer (or whatever I could get to FAST) and sway my hips back and forth, kind of like dancing.

Once the ctxs got really hard, I got in the bathtub. I thought that would feel great, but no. I was having horrid back labor, and it just made it worse. I wish I had thought of getting on my hands and knees in the tub. That would have felt much better. I got out, and by then it was 5 am. I woke Clay and we got the rest of our things ready. His mom came over to watch the kids and we left for the hospital around 6am.

I was really really hoping that I wasn't progressing and they could stop the ctxs, because she was coming TOO EARLY! The car ride was the worst part of the whole labor. I couldn't do anything to help ease my ctxs, so DH kept giving me relaxation cues (THANK YOU Hypnobabies!) to get me to focus. He was so good, and it got me focusing again.

When we got to the hospital, I could hardly walk because the contractions were were so strong and coming on fast. And talking was out of the question. Clay had to do all of the communicating with the hospital staff and the phone calls too. They took me right back to triage and checked me, first thing. To my utter shock, I was already 7cm! DH called our doula, Rose, right away. She showed up 30 mins later - YAY!

I got in a room really fast and because I was so early, they gave me a dose of antibiotics. Otherwise, I had nothing through the IV. They tried to give me fluids through the IV, but I told them I didn't want any and I was happy to drink LOTS of water.

By 8am, I was 9cm and my water had NOT broken yet. I labored over the edge of the bed with Clay and Rose giving me counter pressure on my lower back. I had really bad back labor because Nora was posterior. I knew she was posterior when I went to the chiropractor on Wednesday! My chiro told me that she thought Nora was posterior too, but I had plenty of time for her to turn, HAHAHA!

Because of her position and my water not breaking, I was stuck at 9cm for 2 1/2 hours!!!!!! Finally, I had my OB break my water. I continued to labor on the edge of the bed for a while, then on the bed, then on my side. Pretty much any position to get her turned around. Nora turned shortly after that and I got to 10 pretty quickly. Whew, that was tough!

My legs were like jello from laboring on my hands/knees and over the bed. I only wanted to be on my back, so that's how I birthed Nora. I only pushed for 20 mins or so, and out she came. The relief was amazing!! Nora's birth was awesome and I am so happy with how it all went. I couldn't have done it unmedicated without Hypnobabies, Clay and Rose. Natural childbirth is hard, but SO SO worth it! My recovery was amazing and I felt wonderful right away. Yeah, I was sore, but compared to my medicated births, EVERYTHING was better. I was planning on my midwife being there for Nora's birth, but because Nora was early, my OB had to be there. He was fabulous, though, and even my doula commented on how great he was and how he even suggested positions for me to move into to get Nora to turn around.

Nora was born at 10:35 am and weighed 6lbs 5oz. For being 35 wks and 3 days, she was a really good size. My dates were accurate, so we know she was early, for sure. After she was born, she had some breathing issues, which resolved by the next morning. After that, I was able to nurse her. She did get a touch of jaundice, but nothing too bad. Once we brought her home (she had a 3 day stay - not bad at all!), we had to take her for weight checks at the pedi and bloodwork for jaundice. Her jaundice is better now and she is putting on some weight.

Nora is so lovely and sweet. We are all in love with her! She looks just like Aaron and is SO tiny.

{in progress}

2009-08-25T08:10:00.003-07:00

My fantabulous friend Maggie asked me to make a quilt for her mom out of some old fabric of her mom's. There were SO many amazing scraps - I wish I could have used them all!! But, I needed to sort through and find the ones that were big enough to cut pieces for blocks. And I wanted them to coordinate too. So, I'll be making an Irish Chain quilt for her mom, and my mom is going to quilt it for her on the Statler Stitcher (Gammill). I can't wait to get it all done and have it ready for Maggie to give to her mom at Christmas.

These are some of the pieces and a sample of one block (there will be 40 of these and 40 white blocks too!). I've decided that I don't like the cutting part, but man-o-man, I LOVE to sew!!!

More pics and progress to come...

~Cristy

<< going digital >>

2009-08-05T14:10:00.005-07:00

I've been trying to get into digital scrapbooking for 2 years, or so. I have always ended up quiting because I didn't "get it", didn't have time, or didn't know how to do what I wanted to do with it. A sweet mama I know, Tracie, is an amazing digi-scrapper and even designs her own stuff. She has inspired and encouraged me to finally give it a try. A while back, she shared a link to a free class by a fantabulous digi-scrapper, Jessica Sprague. I took the class the other day and loved how easy she made it. Then I discovered that she offers more classes which teach all the things I wanted to learn (although they do cost a tad bit of $) and couldn't just figure out on my own by looking at my Photoshop screen - just looking at the screen teaches you nothing, by the way. I think I must have been waiting for some sort of inspiration or something.

For years, I have been a paper scrapper, and loved it. My friends and I use to go out to crop nights and have a fabulous time talking and scrapping, but boy did I make a mess and often didn't get as much done as I would have liked. I still have all of my paper scrapping stuff, and there is still a time and a place for it. With 2 little ones at home and a third on the way, there's just not the place or space for it like there use to be. That's where digi-scrapping comes in and I'm so excited about it.

I love that there are so many freebies out there for digital kit, and even when I do buy something, everything is reusable! If I cut up a piece of paper or crop a pic, I still have the originals - LOVE THAT!! In the long run, I think it may be less time consuming and cheaper - love that too!

I better get going on my kids albums. I'm only 4 years behind ;).

Right now, I'm in the middle of the beginner course by Jessica Sprague and have already learned SO much. I haven't even had to pack up all my paper goodies and albums to go anywhere. It's all right here, on my computer.

Wanna see some of the stuff I've done?:

~Cristy

Sweet Dress for a Sweet Girl

2009-06-12T14:23:00.004-07:00

The daughter of a good friend of mine just had her second heart surgery. Knowing what it is like, first hand, I wanted to do something special for my friend's sweet girl. I couldn't be there for her - she lives half way across the country - so this was my small way of being there.

Her sweet girl is doing awesome and will hopefully go home soon.

I smocked the dress on my Juki TL-98Q and did the raw-edge applique with fleece on my Bernina.

{delish}

2009-04-26T19:46:00.004-07:00

yummm...

I adore delicious potato salad.

Recently, I started reading "A Homemade Life" my Molly Wizenberg. It's a lovely book about the influence of food and cooking on Molly's life.

The first recipe in the book is for her father's potato salad. The recipe is simple, yet yummy.

I adore how the colors blend together - the purple of the potatoes, the green of the onions and white and yellow of the eggs. I made it for Easter dinner at my dad's house. Besides needing salt, I think it was very yummy.

I can't wait to try more recipes from the book.

::a little smocked dress::

2009-04-20T20:26:00.006-07:00

I remember my mom making smocked dresses for me when I was a little girl. They were my favorite dresses in the world! I would spin around in circles, making the skirt of the dress raise high into the air (I did wear shorts underneath, ;)). Those dresses were very special to me.

One of my joys, is sewing for Molly and I hope that she enjoys what I make for her.

Recently, I ordered Weekend Sewing, by Heather Ross. I LURVE IT! It is full of fun and simple projects, including directions for making a smocked dress. My mom was out of town, so having the directions in the book was very helpful.

Sewing the elastic on. I wound it on the bobbin, by hand. Worked great! Drawing the lines on the fabric is a MUST.

After the elastic is all sewn. It's not "scrunched" up yet - just you wait!

All "scrunched" up! Spray the smocking with water and press with a hot iron. Then, like magic, the elastic contracts. This is my favorite part.

My beautiful model! I did add an appliqued bird on the front, but that pic is stuck on my phone ;).

Sweet shoulder straps.

I'm considering posting a full tutorial on smocking a dress, or even a shirt. Humm...

{fabric I adore}

2009-04-07T20:14:00.006-07:00

It's a strange thing to adore fabric, I know, but I always have. Fabric is comforting, gentle, calm, and so very comfy. Of course, that is if you have some of the good stuff. I adore a wonderful, soft, brushed cotton. Heather Ross has incredibly touchable fabric. Her stuff is amazing.

BTW - I blame my addiction, er, love, on my mom.

This love of beautiful fabric lures me into quilt shops, online and IRL (in real life). I have accumulated quite a lovely collection. It is filled with cotton woven prints, hand-dyes (thanks to mom), and batiks. Batiks and hand-dyes are my absolute favorite for quilting. Cotton woven prints are perfect for making fun projects for my kids. I love when they search and find the perfect one to match their personality, at that moment in time.

At this moment in time, Molly was a princess and Aaron was a prince with quite the royal cloak. And I was "Queen Mama" - who could possibly argue with a title like that??

Well, inadvertantly, I have hidden away much of my fabric. I thought I was storing it for when I would really need that perfect one, but no. Really, what that does is reinforce that "out of sight, out of mind" principle. I have forgotten so much of what I have, beacuse of those "convenient" storage bins. So, reorganizing was next on my list. Otherwise, I risk buying the same print or batik again, which I am completely guilty of.

So, I decluttered and reorganized! Wanna see?? I do have to apologize for not having "before" pictures. I forgot.

Folding up my fabulous fabric onto boards. I bought these fabric organizers from Polar Notions. The are absolutely wonderful. I love that they have them for fat quarters too!

Walking in:

Ah, so much better. But you can see that I still have stuff in bins. I ran out of the boards and need to order more.

After I go through these bins, I have a feeling I'll actually have empty space on my shelves!

My cutting table and more fabric to the left. Again, ran out of boards...

So, it's a start! And it's a much better family space too. Clay can work on the computer and not lean on thread and be threatened by straight pins. On the cutting table is my newest creation. I'll have pics of the finished product soon!

More to come...
~Cristy

:sweet stitches:

2009-03-19T17:32:00.007-07:00

When I was young, I watched my grandma crochet. She was so speedy, and every stitch she created amazed me. I also watched my mom sew, and sew, and sew. I don't remember a time when she wasn't sewing. It still amazes me. And now, my own son watches me with wonder and curiosity. He wanted to learn to sew. He is a tad too young for machine sewing, so hand sewing was the next best choice. So I went shopping...

Shopping list (inspired from the book The Creative Family - Soule Mama blog in blogroll):

Burlap

Embroidery Hoop

Tapestry Needles (so he doesn't poke his fingers)

Embroidery Floss (lots of fun colors)

Here is my boy creating beautifully sweet stitches:

So proud of himself!

Some handiwork...

2009-03-19T17:07:00.009-07:00

I think it's a lost art: handiwork. People don't make things for themselves and friends as in days past. I do think it's making a comeback though, with sites like http://www.etsy.com/ and wonderful books like The New Handmade. It is an art that has been in my family for many generations and I hope to carry on the tradtion with my own children.

My wonderful friend Maggie (she's in my blogroll!), photographed our family last Fall. In exchange, I am making her some props for pics and some fun stuff for her kids. I love trades!!

Here's some of my recent handiwork for her:

Apples & Ruffles for Peach

Pretty Birds for Peach

Apron for Peach

I also made Maggie a fun little headband for her birthday. It's from the book The New Handmade:

(me modeling it)

For many many years I resisted machine sewing as a hobby. My mom sews and is amazing at it. I never thought it was for me. Now, as an adult and a mom, I find peace at the sewing machine. I love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I complete a little something special and it puts a smile on someone's face. It tickles me that my kids know what a bobbin is and that they actually ask me to make things for them.

What have we been up to?

2009-03-08T07:55:00.004-07:00

Gosh, it's been too long, once again. I've slacked and and will just jump right back in.

{{side note: I'm sitting here giggling, while watching Molly play hide and seek with some coins and a little stuffed pumpkin. She says, "Where'd it go?" as she covers the coins with the pumpkin. Then replies, "There it is!" after she enthusiastically lifts the pumpkin from the coins. Gosh, I love that girl.}}

Since I last wrote, we have had lots of fun stuff happen in our lives. Which is quite welcome, in this household.

Our first big news is that Molly officially learned to use the potty! WOOT WOOT! I found out about the 3 Day Potty Training (www.3daypottytraining.com) technique from some wonderful friends. Haphazardly, we had been trying to teach Molly how to use the potty, but it was quite inconsistent. Using the 3DPT techinique worked great for Molly, and she stays dry day, nap and night. Of course we still have an accident here and there, but it's all manageable.

So, NO MORE DIAPERS! For me, as a cloth diaperer (and as my other cding mamas can attest to), it is bittersweet. I love that fluffy bum that comes with some sweet and sassy cloth. Maybe there will be a chance to use all of those fabulous diapers again, someday...

Not sure if it was the smartest timing, but just 2 weeks after PTing Molly, we went on our first family vacation, ever. We spent Aaron's birthday in Disneyland, and had a wonderful time. I'm going to create a separate Disneyland post, complete with pictures. :)

After getting home from Disneyland, (and this is NOT so fun), my laptop got a virus and I had to get it removed. Everything is okay, now, so maybe I shouldn't go into all of the drama that came with that terrible virus. To make a long story short, I didn't back up some VERY important data, and am having to reinput 5 months worth of business transactions. Needless to say, I will be backing everything up, and often, from now on.

As of today, we are all happy and healthy. Molly is so content playing with an old burp cloth, trying to fold it and unfold it, Aaron is playing some computer games on www.noggin.com, Clay is sleeping in, and I'm, well, typing ;).

I do have some great pics from the past month or so. I'll be adding those in with some upcoming posts.

Big hugs, everyone!
~Cristy

::coming back::

2009-01-18T12:40:00.004-07:00

I've been gone for a while, well, a whole month actually. It's been a hard, emotional, exhausting month. Now, I'm feeling more myself and welcoming the energy I need to keep up with my life.

2009 will be a wonderful year and I'm excited to share it here.

Eva is the new girl in my house. Eva is a Didymos wrap, and I absolutely adore her. Molly seems to like her too. Molly likes to wear her babies too - don't you just love it?!

I'll be back soon with more pictures and stories from our lives.

::lots of rolls::

2008-12-18T22:05:00.005-07:00

Aaron loves his friends at school and decided that they needed a Christmas gift. What is more perfect for a group of 3 and 4 year olds than some crayons and a felt roll to hold them in?? So, Aaron and I sewed (he likes to sit on my lap and "guide" my hands) and filled each roll with a rainbow of brand new crayons!

I also made each of his teachers a pen roll. When I taught school, I received very thoughtful, but not terribly useful, gifts. I hope they enjoy and use them. I think they really turned out lovely.

As Christmas quickly approaches, I find my list not getting that much smaller. I have great intentions of making some dolls for the kids and other handmade things for friends and family. I think some of those things will be given at a later date, maybe for a birthday or for no reason at all.

::Decluttering::
It's coming along! I have gone through my closest, which needs another sorting, and Aaron's room. Keeping the house clean and tidy is becoming more natural and something I want to do because of how I feel when it's all done. Believe me, cleaning is NOT my favorite thing to do.

Next... I'm hoping to get the office done. I want to redefine the space as a family creative room, which will take a lot of work, but will be completely worth it.

off to bed - sleep awaits..

::crafty time::

2008-12-16T15:44:00.011-07:00

We put up our tree this weekend. Aaron was SO excited about it. He helped put it up and give it all the proper decorations. He likes to group a bunch in one place on the tree and Clay would try to encourage him to spread them out. Aaron would have no part in that! He wanted it to do it his way, which meant big bunches on one branch. I giggled. Aaron is our oldest and is truly showing the colors of an oldest child lately. I'm an oldest. I completely relate.

We also had some impromptu family craft time. We painted and decorated some decorations for the tree. I had the biggest smile on my face - just watching them was pure delight. M was napping, but she was able to "help" afterwards.

Our tree is quite lovely. It's decorated with a mixture of handmade and store-bought ornaments. Some were also gifts from students whom I taught. I enjoy putting those on the tree because I think back to those little faces.

Aaron takes a lot of pride in his decorating. It's very serious business. He created a paper garland for the tree and took so much time to make it just right. There was so much joy in his face as he connected each paper loop and stapled them with intent.

And our tree:

More to come... I've been sewing a bit...

{:a creative space:}

2008-12-04T22:19:00.007-07:00

::a beautiful, inspiring, calm space where laughter and creativity reside::

I have been inspired by SouleMama (in blogroll). She writes of creating a creative space in your home for the family. This idea speaks right to my heart.

Right now, my "office" is a cluttered mess and it is on my list to purge and declutter it. After reading about the creative space, I decided that I want to empty the whole room and start from scratch. Not an easy task! Right now, it holds our desktop computer, 4 huge shelves filled with scrapbooking, quilting, crocheting, and sewing stuff as well as a TON of fabric. I can't forget my 4 sewing machines (I so use 3 of them) - thank you mom!

I visualize a space where I can work/sew and A & M can come in, get some art stuff and do their own projects.

I think this idea has become so important to me because I have gotten much busier with my business. I find myself trying to get work done while the kids are otherwise occupied and at that time I'm not as connected to them as I want to be. And when they do come in while I'm working, they don't have anything in there that's FOR them. M presses buttons on my machines, searches for straight pens and strings my spools of thread from the office to the kitchen! It's like walking into a spiderweb! And A does like to play on the computer, but for the most part, he just asks questions about what I am doing. I love how he questions, but he would be much happier and more creative with his own things there for inspriation.

Now, I just have to talk to my hubby about it. He really doesn't use the room, but maybe if it were a creative family room, he would.

In the meantime, here are some of my latest creations:

A's Super Why costume:

When he wears this costume, he completely transforms himself! He even prefers to be called "Super Why"! I love him, no matter what name he prefers.

Goodnight. Tomorrow is a big day of decluttering, working and a dr. appt for my hubby.

...a journal.

2008-12-02T13:41:00.004-07:00

I began journaling when puberty hit. I wrote all about my friends, the fighting and making up. I wrote about what I wanted for Christmas, how my brothers were SO annoying and how fat I thought I was (I really wasn't).

Journalling was a huge part of who I was, from adolescence through the beginning of motherhood. My entire dating relationship with my hubby is well documented, wink wink. When A was born, I was constantly tired. Laying my head on my pillow was my priority and I began to lose my bedtime journalling routine. Life changed. I let it go. I want it back. And now, I find myself here. Finally...

I'm so proud of my journals; they show my commitment and diligence to my life.

These days, with my business and all (I'll write more about that later), I find myself at the computer more and more, and much less sitting on my bed, before I fall asleep,ready to write about my day. Now, I can take a few minutes and type away. I'm faster at that, anyway, and I can attach pics - can't do that on my paper journal. Although, it still has it's place. In there, I can jot down notes, practice my handwriting (I've never really liked it anyway), and doodle.

So, here we are. I'll be writing more about fun stuff that I do and other things that I hope I get done. There's always a project on my list! I hope you enjoy, but if not, that's okay too.