Namaste, Amelia!

Tomorrow morning we are off to Yogawood for our first Baby and Me Yoga class. Amelia is very excited and has already picked out her outfit.

Finally...

I finally posted a (very) few of my greeting cards in my etsy shop. I wanted to get them in before Valentine's Day but sadly was only able to get two "love" styles up in time since the others won't be ready until the beginning of February and I don't want to risk not getting them in time. Luckily, love notes aren't just a Valentine's Day phenomenon so I'll be putting the rest up when they get back from the printer and some jewelry once I have the photos ready. I have a lot, a lot, a lot to post. Very exciting!

Happy Sunday!
Love,
Jes

Thoughts On Giving...

We had a wonderful Christmas and received gifts this year that were far less consumery and far more thoughtful than ever before. My mother gave me a photo of myself at 6 months along with the very dress I was wearing in the photo and a gift certificate to get Amelia's photo taken when she reaches 6 months. My inlaws gave us a night's stay at a fancy hotel along with babysitting for the night so that the two of us can go on a nice date. Me and Beck are going to a class to learn how to knit. What creative and thoughtful people we have in our family.

It makes me think of this article about helping kids cultivate a giving identity. Growing up, whenever we'd ask what my mom wanted for Christmas, she'd tell us to make her something. We never really believed her, but now that I'm here, I totally understand. Who wouldn't want a pasta necklace created just for them over a sweater that other people have too? The pasta necklace after all is nearly couture (*and if made in Paris in a building where 10 others are also making one-of-a-kind noodle necklaces actually would follow the rules of couture). And, as they say, it really is the thought. How lovely. For Amelia to understand this is one of my wishes for her. One of a great many and one that my mother succeeded in instilling in me. Me and Beck each wrote her a love letter for Christmas this year and gave her tickets to the Love Letters Mural tour in Philadelphia. So we'll make her some memories to fulfill the "make me something" request this year.

The Luckiest

Amelia has taken to napping for 20 minutes every 3 hours or so. When she is sleeping, I've been trying to work on a handmade gift for Dan loosely inspired by Elsie Larson's 12 Dates of Christmas. I thought it would be important to do something like this because babies ain't easy...and I want him to know that even though I'm exhausted when he gets home, I haven't forgotten him. He's been doing the same by bringing me or sending me flowers every week. Yeah, I know. How lucky and smart of me to marry him.
I realized we needed to reconnect when discussing this photo. It's called The Human Nest and you can actually stay it in for the night. I saw it when Jordan from Oh Happy Day blogged about it. I told Dan that I'd like to live there with him and he said that he'd like to live there with me too. I realized that I could easily be happy living in a little ball of sticks with him and Amelia. That also means that I'm really lucky to roll with such a rad crew.

P.S. Dan has off for a whole week starting tomorrow. I feel like I won the lottery.

Here's hoping your day is full of winnings and windfalls too.

Love,
Jes

2 months!

Amelia is two months old! Here are some of my favorite moments with her so far:
-her first smiles were all in her sleep and I suspect resulted from gas, but I loved them so much anyway.
-her very first day, she started stretching like an adult. She throws her arms up in the air and arches her back. Me and Dan decided that it's her way of reminding us that she's a real person and not a doll or a robot baby.
-When she gets excited, she kicks really hard and fast and I usually can't help but think, man, I should do that when I get excited too.

I love that girl.

Love,
Jes
photo by Matt Walker

30...fabulous

I had the best 30th birthday wherein many of my dear friends somehow (through the powers of Dan) ended up in the same little room. We all ate greek food, drank wine and laughed a lot. Man am I lucky.

Lucky Indeed

I just came across Lucky Jackson's 365 Lucky Days Project and I'm a combination of mesmerized, inspired, impressed and jealous. Lucky makes a new piece of art every day, most of which involve intricate embroidered illustrations. My favorites are the mixed media projects with flowers and lace and the strange pop culture references she makes in her artwork. I have no idea how she's able to complete one of these every day...embroidery, though easy, is the most time consuming medium I've ever worked in. But I love and miss it and hope Amelia will let me embroider again some day. (Lucky's 52nd day is shown above)

Happy Hooping,
Jes