This year, we are thankful for the healthy little lady that’s brightening our lives each and every day since she arrived to our family.
Happy Thanksgiving.
(not pictured: Pumpkin Soup)
This past week took our little lady to lots of outings!
FakeKnitter’s House Warming Party
(photo courtesy of fakeknitter)
Out for a walk with the fam on a beautiful day
A trip to SnB
(Sweater courtesy of Archiknist and blanket courtesy of WifeMomKnitter)
To pick up our turkey at Gozzi’s:
I think that’s all… I say we had a pretty busy week!
Yay! We made it to two weeks and she hasn’t gotten sick of us yet!!!!
Alright, I know, neither she nor we have a choice. This is for real! Yes, it has sunk in that I’m a parent now, and yes, I’m enjoying this tremendously.
So this past week, we had a few fits and long nights, but nothing unusual or unexpected. on Friday, CostumeChick came and paid a visit. It was so nice to have house guests!!!! Although my house is a mess! But I didn’t care then! I felt like a cave-woman!!!!
So yesterday, the official two week day, Samantha and I had a little outing!!!! I had to pick up a book from the library, or they would put it back on the shelf. I made sure Samantha was fed, changed, cleaned and dressed, which amazingly, we left right on time (I targeted departure time of 3pm and we did!!!)
I forgot to take a photo of her in her super cute cupcake outfit, with her “I Love Mommy” onsie. Although you can kinda tell the little butterfly hair clip on her right side. I got these most adorable hair clips from Pretty Pretties. Brandy is a work at home mom and the hair clips are really well made and the cutest I’ve seen around!
After the library, we went and pick up David at our mechanics, and we headed to the new Whole Foods! Did I tell you how excited I am about this!? I’ve never been to one before and always heard awesome things about that store. And let me tell ya, we (David and I) both love the store! It’s a bit pricey, but I’m willing to pay a little more if that means I get better, wholesome food for the family.
We were there for couple of hours, and Samantha was so good. She was just sleeping in the car seat inside the push cart! She only stirred AFTER we left the store (I think because of the temp change – it was cold out!) and she promptly went back to sleep once the car started moving.
We were out since 3pm and we didn’t get home till around 6:30pm or so. It was so great to know our little girl is so cooperative! Maybe this means a future trip to SnB this Thursday??? Maybe. We’ll see!
And I leave you with this beautiful bonding photo of Father/Daughter:
(alright, more like exhausting sleeping duo, but I thought bonding is a better word! 
)
Well… We all survived the first week!!!! And I have to say, both David and I are completely in love with our little Samantha!
If you know me before I was pregnant, you probably have heard me said that David and I had made a deal that I just need to worry about bring the baby into the world and he’ll take care the rest. Well, it doesn’t quite work out that way, which I’m sure you all already know.
On Monday, Samantha turned one week old. And I almost forgot to take pictures! (Can you believe that!? Me? Forgetting to take pictures!?) But I got one before the night is over.
Oh, by the way, that Sleeper she’s in? well, it’s probably one of the best purchases we made so far. We wanted to co-sleep, but were afraid of rolling over her, which I know, supposedly doesn’t happen cuz the human instinct, blah blah blah… But the fear is still there. So we were gonna get a Arm’s Reach co-sleeper, but it was kinda pricey and it was going to be used for only a little while. Then we came upon this and bought it on Halloween, talking about just in time!
David’s Dad, Sher and David’s brother Dan came to visit over the weekend. Sher was super helpful and cleaned the house that made lots and lots of beef stew, matzo ball soup and wild rice soup! YUM. Thanks Grandma GiGi!!!!
Some other milestones that happened this past week:
1. Samantha had her first bath!!! Well, that greasy hair look just isn’t gonna cut it. Gotta teach the girl how to have beautiful hair!
She was such a trooper! She didn’t fuss at all at the touch of the water! Or soap!
2. We went to the first week appointment with Dr. Jeff (yes, her pediatrician’s name is Dr. Jeff!). She was a good girl and didn’t fuss then either! She let Dr. Jeff do what he needed to do to examine her. She only let out one cry when Dr. Jeff put some silver stuff on her belly button to dry it out.
Oh! And she now weighs 6 lbs 12 oz!!!! Her discharge weight was 6 lbs 4 oz and she has surpassed her birth weight!!!! So she’s skipping the two weeks appt and going back in one month for her shots and stuff! So proud of my little girl! 
Of course, she’s gotta have some cute outfits on for her first outing, even though it’s a doctor’s appointment! I mean I had to! That girl likes to sleep only in her diaper! So any chance this mama gets, she’s gotta be all dressed up:
And underneath that cute outfit, is a cute onesie:
Excuse the hairdo. She got a quick bath this morning before the appointment and the fleece jacket made her hair all stand up!!! Although it’s kinda cute! (outfits courtesy of Grandma GiGi!)
Ok. You are probably all wondering what happened to all the hand knits!? Well, she’s still itty bitty so none of the handknits fit her!!! I KNOW! Imagine my dismay at the hospital when I was trying put a going home outfit on her and found out none of the handknits fit right now! Don’t worry, they will be used!!!
But one handmade item got used a lot! See the orange tag blankie underneath her? She looooves sleeping on it! She isn’t old enough to play with the tags yet, but she likes the added soft feel of the blanket itself. So Thank You so much to PeacefulKnitter!!! Now I gotta go make some more myself!
3. She doesn’t hate the swing/bouncer!!!
Well, she doesn’t like the swinging part, but she likes the vibration of the bouncer part! We tried the swinging part and I think even in the slowest setting, the swing is too fast and swings too wide for her. Maybe when she is older. But she slept on the bouncer for like 3 hours the other day! Phew! Although her favorite place to sleep is on my chest/tummy. But it’s nice to get a little break for myself if I could.
I think that’s the major milestones of the first week of her life. At least that’s all I can think of anyways. And unfortunately for you, I have not knit or sew at all. And I don’t foresee too much of crafting in the near future either… I’ve been trying to nap while she naps during the day. Although she sleeps through the night pretty well so I don’t know why I’m doing it, but it feels good!
Oh, that girl is hungry…
Have you ever seen the AT&T commercial? The one that the guy was trying to save money by calling collect, so when the operator said, “Name?” He answered, “Bob wehadababyitsaboy”.
Well, this IS my blog after all, so we don’t have to have shortcuts… So lets properly introduce you to our new life:
Samantha Alexandria
David and I welcomed our little girl into this world on 5:40 am on Monday November 2nd. She is 6 lbs 10.5 oz and 19.5 inches long.
There are lots of things I want to share, but they are all very lengthy and not easy to describe, so I’ll have to think through the whole thing and organized my thoughts. In the mean time, I’ll let the pictures do the talking.
Yes, I’m bragging! Just want to make that clear! 
I’m getting really close to my due date, and I’m running out of time to make things!!!! My Bradley classes bud Kristie came over last weekend to motivate me to make stuff. Plus it’s just more fun to have others doing the same craft with ya anyways!
Pattern – Chickpea Infant Bib by Chickpea Sewing Studio
Fabrics Used – 100% Cotton Rib Knits in Whale Pattern & Organic Bamboo Loop Terry
Accessory Used – KAM Plastic Engraved Snaps, Monkey in Bright Blue, Size 20
Sewn – October 18, 2009
Yes, I made another bib. This time, I used a piece of scrap I got, it is rib knits, and I decided that I really don’t like working with it because of the stretch! It worked out fine in the end, but there were lots of cursing and swearing while making this.
Bib:
Pattern – Chickpea Infant Bib by Chickpea Sewing Studio
Fabrics Used – Fleece in Cow Print & Organic Bamboo/Hemp Fleece
Accessory Used – KAM Plastic Engraved Snaps, Ivory long prong, Size 20
Sewn – October 18, 2009
Pants:
Pattern – Kristie’s
Fabrics Used – Fleece in Cow Print
Accessory Used – Approx. 12″ of 3/4″ non-roll elastic
Sewn – October 18, 2009
Aren’t those cow prints awesome!? Kristie got like a million yards of it so we decided to have fun with it. She made up the pants pattern by following a pair of baby pants I got for my shower. I just follow suit and copied hers! I plan on making a little hat using the leftover fleece she shared with me as well.
Besides making items for myself, I decided that PeacefulKnitter’s baby needs a little sewing love as well. So for her shower, which I attended yesterday, I made up these cute little alphabets:
Pattern – Plush Alphabets by Chez Beeper Bebe
Fabrics Used – 26 100% Cotton Prints in Color Wheel effects and Warm & Natural Cotton Batting in Natural from Joann’s Fabrics
Accessory Used – Fray Check
Sewn – October 21, 2009 to October 24, 2009
I love these! They are so cute and I think every baby should have a set! Just not made by me! HA! If you look closely, you’ll see the flaws on many curve part of the letters, but hey, it’s handmade, what did you expect? As long as PeacefulBably likes it, that’s all it matters! Oh, one modification – I didn’t put the magnets in there.
And to contain those little alphabets, I decided to make a draw string bag for it. Of course, I was too ambitious and wanted to do a patchwork one and didn’t finish in time for the shower, but I did finish it after I came home from the shower!
Pattern – Reversible Patchwork Bag by Pink Penguin
Fabrics Used – 18 100% Cotton Prints
Accessory Used – 44″ of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky in Tinsel White
Sewn – October 24, 2009
I used the fabrics leftover from the alphabets so they coordinate. Granted the patches don’t all line up, but I have to say, for first time “quilting”, that ain’t so bad! And here is what’s the inside look like:
It’s just one color instead of the patchwork, but I really like that print! So this will go to the Peaceful household the next time I see PeacefulKnitter.
I think I’m gonna go make something else now… D-Day: T minus 1!!!!
As promised… some stats on this cutie!
Pattern – Chickpea Infant Bib by Chickpea Sewing Studio
Fabrics Used – 100% Cotton Knits in Volkswagen Bug Pattern & Organic Hemp French Terry
Accessory Used – KAM Plastic Engraved Snaps, Volkswagen Bug in Bright Blue or Jade, Size 20
Sewn – October 5, 2009
I actually saw this pattern at another blog, which I can’t remember where currently. I was prepping a diaper pattern and thought this would be a perfect experiment project before the complicated diapers.
The pattern came in pieces. I cut up the pieces and taped them together. Of course, it was only half of the pattern, just like the diaper ones. So after having a nice little discussion with CostumeChick the other day about how to approach the half pattern, she gave me a great idea to use up all the paper bags I had from going shopping with my parents! (She said to use the brown paper that the kids wrap their books in.)
I folded the paper in half and drawn out the half template. Then I just cut and viola! One full pattern! Oh, and that’s part of the Kenneth Cole bag.
And the bib currently doesn’t have any snaps on yet. I ordered the snaps tonight so it should come in couple of days. If you clicked on the link above, and scroll down, you can see the snaps I plan on using. I did buy the dies awhile ago though. David’s friend had a spared press laying around and he gave it to me for free. David had the press modified to fit the dies that I purchased and now I have a working snap press for 10 bucks! Not too shabby I must say. (the complete set of press and dies cost about 100 bucks!)
So there you have it. I think this definitely boost my confidence on sewing. And CostumeChick, HedwigBC and BackstageKnits will be so proud of me!
MY FIRST SEWN BIB!!! FOLLOWING A PATTERN! USING MY NEW-OLD MACHINE!!!!
This is probably the worst picture I’ve ever took, and the bib is not complete – still need to sew the little opening (for turning the thing inside out) and put on a snap, also you can see the crookedness on the right. But you know what!? I don’t care! It is the BEST DAMN BIB in the world right now!
NOW, I can finally go to bed. Stats and pattern tomorrow!
ps. In case you are curious – they ARE the old Volkswagen Bugs pattern. I mean, it is David’s kid after all.
The showers are over, but the baby continues to get items… I am absolutely floored on how generous my friends are. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
So here is another item we received after the two showers (actually, it came via FedEx today!):
Isn’t that quilt gorgeous!? My friend Esther made it!!!! She couldn’t join us for shower #2, but she took her time and made this for me baby. It really means a lot to me.
A little history of how Esther and I had become friends – I was a poor sophomore, living off campus, trying to figure out how to work and made enough money to pay my $300/mo rent and everything else that comes with living, without a car. So one of the things I did was work study. Now, you don’t always get to pick where you want to work study, but I got lucky that year and was placed for my #1 choice. Granted, I had no idea what I would be doing, but I figure at least I get to work in the engineering building, where most of my classes are held.
I remember my first day – I walked into the little office, and Esther was facing her computer, which was away from the door. I was a bit intimidated, not knowing what to expect. Esther set me up on what I need to do, and our friendship started on that day.
Esther is sassy and funny. She is also sarcastic and have lots of common sense. And did I mention she makes some mean sauce and meatballs? When I graduated from RPI, she offered to teach me how to make the sauce and meatballs, from scratch, and that recipe is permanently glued to my fridge, so I can always reference it when I needed it.
Thank you Esther, for being a great friend, and for the beautiful quilt for this baby.
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On a completely different note, but still related to baby, I went to Babies R Us this past week for one of their workshop on breastfeeding. Now, I’m not expecting much. The workshop was sponsored by Medela, which I thought would be good if a rep was there so I can ask questions on the different breastpumps. Well, it was just a video. Yup. Run by a girl who looks like in her early twenties that doesn’t know anything about breastfeedining or pumping. All she did was put the video on, gave us a coupon to use for the day, and promoted BRU. I guess I was still expecting too much.
After the video, I decided to shop around since I had some gift cards and there were still some items we needed for the baby. After being in there THREE HOURS – yes, you read that right, three freaking hours… the place is freaking huge and there are so much stuff! I was completely overwhelmed and I read slow, so that didn’t help… I came home with these:
The car stuff that I completely forgot we need!!! And to make the coupon works, I picked up two sets of the organic mittens so the baby don’t chew/scratch him/her-self. I don’t think I’ll be going there all by myself anymore… Just saying.
Oh, and I also got this in the mail:
I had entered a contest on Sew, Mama, Sew! last month and won this book. The unique thing about this book is that all the items identified in this book look liked they are sewn into the book. It’s really cute!
Well, it’s getting late… Time to research on diapers… Yes, we need those too! And we are going to the Big E tomorrow! YAY! We didn’t get to go last year because of the wedding and honeymoon. Not gonna miss it this year!
Oh, and I should probably do a post on all the things I had purchased along the way for the baby, huh? That’s a post for another day then.
