Introducing Micah Haddon

We got an early Easter present this year, in the form of the cutest little bunny one could ever imagine! Our little guy's original due date was May 15, but he decided he couldn't wait any longer and came on April 20. (Happy anniversary, Aunt Marci and Uncle Matty!) Of all the scenarios I imagined might happen when our sweet boy came into the world, I never imagined that he would be a NICU baby. As it happens, coming 3 1/2 weeks early and having some fluid in your lungs gets you a five-day stay in the NICU...or at least it did for us.

There were obviously some challenging and emotional days during his hospital days, but these were nothing compared to the overwhelming love and delight we have for Micah.

(Micah with his nose hose...just like Pops!)

Even big sister, Ruthie Jo, has enjoyed having little brother home! We were a little concerned at first that she would only be jealous of the time and attention we give to Micah, but thankfully she has decided to adopt him as her own baby. She barks to let us know when he's upset, she snuggles with him on the sofa, and licks his head to comfort him. We are so grateful that she is doing so well with this huge adjustment in her little puppy life!

(Such a big boy!!)

(2 months old already!!)

Almost There!

Okay, this freaks me out every time I say it, but we are down to 6 weeks (or less) before this little guy gets here! Since I am definitely in the uncomfortable, late stages of pregnancy I am totally ready on one hand for him to get here. On the other hand, every time I look at my to do list and look around our house at everything I want to finish first, I feel like I can use as much time as possible before he comes.

I can happily say that the nursery is definitely coming along well! We still need to get some storage drawers for the closet to help with organizing little socks and shoes and other small items, and we are waiting on our glider to get here before we can finalize the furniture placement, but everything else is close to being finished! Thanks to my wonderful Granny, we have beautiful bumpers, sheets, and a bedskirt for the crib, and a great valance for the window! (Don't worry Granny...the curtain width was PERFECT!!!! No need to tweak it at all!)

I have to say, I LOVE the way the colors in the curtain enhance the colors in the striped fabric on the bumpers (a little hard to see through the crib slats in these pictures). Oh, and please excuse the mess on the bookcase and changing table in the pictures...organization is still a work in progress!

Progress!

Today was a great day! I FINALLY feel like I'm making progress on the nursery! We have a crib, changing table, bookcase, and bassinet, and I just finished buying all of the fabric! The theme for the nursery is vintage airplanes, so our creative juices are flowing. I will post pictures when we have a final product, but until then here's a picture of the yummy fabrics to hold you over. :-)

It's a BOY!!!

It looks like we've got a future seminarian!...He's already praying! :-)
This is definitely my favorite sonogram picture so far!

We are so excited to announce that we are expecting a sweet baby BOY, due in May! We can't wait to meet Micah Haddon Sharp!

At least I have a good excuse this time...

It seems that I'm always starting my posts with "Well, it's been a while since I've written anything..." and I'm beginning to accept the fact that I just may not be the best blogger. Not to worry, I'm not shutting it down or anything, I'm just learning to have a little more grace with myself when I don't turn into Super Woman and get everything done.

So, let me explain my title for this post...we found out right before Labor Day that we are expecting a little miracle. It is such a blessing to finally see our prayers being answered for a family of our own. I'm definitely having to tamper my excitement a bit, just so I don't go out and start "investing" in cute outfits and toys for the little one. Our little Snap Bean (long story for the nickname) is due May 8, 2011, which just happens to be Mother's Day...how appropriate! :-)

Since I've been tired and not feeling too great during the first trimester, I haven't sat down at my sewing machine to work on anything in quite a few weeks. I'm hoping that since we're almost to the second trimester I'll get my motivation for those projects back very soon. Yes Megan, I know I still owe you a bedskirt! ;-) In the meantime, I've been enjoying some knitting and crocheting, trying to be as productive as possible during my couch time. I'm going to try and post some pictures of my works in progress soon, but in the meantime, enjoy this fun tidbit. :-)

My first car seat cover for a boy!

Not too long ago (okay, I'm adding in my head and it's actually been six months...I can't believe how the time has flown!!!) I was asked to make a car seat cover and canopy for a boy. How fun! I love the way the coordinating baseball fabrics turned out, and I was a little nervous about how the canopy would turn out without the frilly ruffle, but I think it looks great!

Since my creative juices tend to flow towards all things girly, and I can find any excuse to put a bow or ruffle or flower on things, this was a refreshing change.

Custom Bedding

I still can't believe my baby sister got married! Probably the moment it really hit me, strangely enough, was when I had to change her name in my phone to her new married name. So strange!!!

I'll post more pics of the wedding as soon as they are ready from the photographer, but in the meantime, here are some pictures of the wedding present I've been working on. Megan and Michael supplied the materials, but my gift to them was making some custom bedding. The set includes a duvet cover, bed skirt, 3 euro shams, and 6 decorative pillows. Aside from worrying that everything looks good and has professional quality, I really have enjoyed working on the projects! I've learned tons of new things, including how to sew in a zipper, how to "southern engineer" flat trim to be sew-in trim (more on that later), and how to sew with cording. I'm sure to many of you those are simple techniques that you've been doing for a long time, but considering that last March was the first time I'd sewn anything since 9th grade, I think I'm learning pretty quickly. :-) I promise to post more pics when I'm close to finishing all of the projects.

(Do you think she likes it??)