The Owl and the PussyCat

Gardening in June

Our gardening is going well this year.  Much better than last.  But we also got an earlier start.  You have to get an early start here in the great state of Texas, because gardening season is over by July due to oppressive heat and the lack of rain!

I want to put in watermelon, but it takes so much water and with no rain it just seems like such a waste!  Please say this drought ends soon!  Bring on the rain!  Let's all do a rain dance!
 

We have had one set back in our garden this year. We lost all of our squash due to a red critter which weevils it's way into the stalk and then eats it from the inside out!  But, we still have our cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, snap peas, green beans, and gourds, oh and corn! 

Josef's quite proud of his corn!

Emma's cherry tomatoes, which she loves to pick in the early mornings.

And our sweet little snap peas which we have climbing up our bean poll.

Unfortunately, the peas and beans are already on their way out as well.  Too hot.  So, in place of them, we have planted this neat spinach plant which climbs up the poll and is a purple vine.  I think it will look gorgeous, once it begins to trellis. Will post pictures when it does so.  

The Fish

She's remembered how to swim from last summer and now she's even jumping off the diving board!!  I can't wait to see what she'll be doing by the end of the summer.

Big Sister

In a post prior to Neave's arrival, I wrote about how worried I was that I wouldn't be able to love another child as much as I love Emma.  Well, I must admit, now that I have two, my love surely has doubled in size!  It's incredible just how much we can love.  When I'm out of the house without both girls, which has happened quite frequently thanks to my wonderful husband, I think of Emma and then I remember Neave and I just feel my heart growing even larger.  It's amazing and so beautiful!  

Emma has taken on the roll of big sister with amazing force.  Wherever we go, she has to tell everyone that she is a big sister!  And boy, she tells it with great gusto!!! She is so proud of Neave, that it reinforces my belief when I first became pregnant I said that I was really doing this for her, than for ourselves.  It is so true!

Emma  wants to help out in every possible way to make sure that her sister is happy. When the baby cries, she lets me know right away and is really concerned if I don't immediately jump up and run!  She picks out Neave's clothes in the morning and wants to wear something simiar so that they match!  She has become a little mother.

As an only child, watching this beautiful sistership transform is amazing.  I'm so lucky to be able to witness such love and adoration.

Welcome Neave: One month old

These last 9 months I have to admit I have been hiding out.  So much has taken place, I don't even know where to begin.  But first, I must introduce to you our newest little one:  Neave

This picture was taken a hour after her birth.  And oh! what a birth it was!  It was amazing!

It was only 5 1/2 hours and through most of it I kept thinking that it may or may not be the real deal!  It wasn't until 25 mins before she was born that it became real! Emma's birth was so long and so tough that I didn't believe that it could happen like it did.  I made it to the birthing center at 5:00am and Neave was born at 5:24 am in the birthing tub. She is so calm and sleeps and eats like a champ!

Here she is at almost a month!  I couldn't imagine our life without her.  WELCOME Neave!

 

Quietly moving

We went out to the woods today, to relax and breath again. Listen to the wind blowing through the trees. Slow down.

Things seem to move so quickly now that we are living back in the city.  I have to remember how important it is to retreat to the woods every so often, when I need to slow down and live in the moment. 

I need to savor these last quiet moments of just the three of us, before our family  grows to four.

Happy Easter!

My parents are in town this weekend for Easter and to see us one more time before Baby Neave comes.  We took a nice drive to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.  It was an overcast day but the flowers were magnificent.

I made Emma an Easter dress, and the flowers on the dress seemed so similar to these flowers above. I think they are called phlox?

This week I got a special, special present in the mail for baby Neave. 

It's a beautiful day gown made my dearest friend Kate, who as you may know, has been making dresses for Emma since she was a wee baby.  The embroidery  detail is equiste.  I think I may never want to put her in anything else.  It's just beautiful. 

Well, I hope that you all had a lovely Easter weekend.  The big count is now on, 3 1/2 weeks left until my due date!  Everything is pretty much ready for the baby.  The diapers have been washed and hung to dry.

 

The bags are packed and all of Ina May's advice whirling around in head is ready to be put to practice.  I'm ready whenever she is.  Here we go!

Week 35

I can't get over how fast this pregnancy has been moving along.  I have been feeling great!  There are days when I really believe that I am superwoman, but I guess that's what happens when you have a 3 year old!!  I had my midwife appointment  and she told me that the baby is yet again posterior!  Bah!  But, at least I know this time, unlike with Emma, and I have 5-7 weeks to really make sure that I'm sitting correctly and not slouching.  I will be delivering at a birthing center, which I'm really excited about.  It's supposed to be an amazing experience, and all I keep thinking about is how good that birthing tub will feel!!

Emma has been super excited about having a baby sister.  I worry though, about her.  She's my first and I love her so much that I truly don't know how I could love another.  But, in my heart I know I can, it's just the anxiety of all.    And anxiety is what I have been feeling a lot of recently.  I was in complete bliss when I was pregnant with Emma, even going through the aftermath of Katrina. I never worried, and maybe that's why she was such a calm baby. 

But this time everything is so different.  I have the perfect daughter and it's so hard to imagine anything as perfect as her.  I know this must be a common anxiety of second time mothers, but boy, it is so hard to stop thinking about! 
So, to keep the anxiety at bay, I have been doing lots and lots of sewing and knitting for Emma and baby Neave!  But that my friends will have to wait until next time.  Have a great weekend!

Already February!

Were oh were has the time gone?  I promise myself every time I get on this site that I will post more often, but then, as in this case, a whole month just slips by.  The month of January was great!  I am now in my 26th week and feeling good.  Emma has been having a good year so far as well.  She's getting really excited about her new baby sister.  She's been busy lately as well, taking a Music Together class down at the Armstrong Community Music Center, a Christmas present from my mom!  Thanks mom!  She's been making some really sweet friends so thats been making her very happy, Miss Social Butterfly that she is. 
Here are some pictures from a picnic we had with friend, along the Austin Town Lake.  It was the most perfect day to have a picnic.

Pedernales State Park

 

Handmade gifts and a brand new 3 year old.

 
Now that the season is behind us and all the festivities are over, I can finally show you all the different handmade gifts that were given this season.
I really tried my hardest this year to give every family member a handmade gift made my moi.  Unfortunately both my father and father in law weren't so lucky.

This is a lace scarf that I gave to my mother.  It came from Last Minute Knitted Gifts and it was so nice to make.

A little softie doll from Wee Wonderful for Emma's dear, dear little friend Char.  I've heard that she now sleeps with it every night, so the sweat and hisses that went into making this doll is all worthwhile!! 

 

You may ask why there are no facial features.  Well, I had such a hard time at the end putting on the arms and legs that when it got to the eyes, I was worried that I would completely botch it.  So, she's sort of a Waldorf doll.  Imagine your own expression.

Emma really enjoyed watching the whole process of making her, and now I really feel that I need to make her one.  I thought that she would not like the idea of giving the doll away, but she didn't even seem to mind.  You never know with those little ones.  They have all sorts of surprises hidden up their sleeves!

A cable knit hat using this pattern.  I like it so much that I'm in the process of making a couple more.  I love, love cable knitting. It looks so good for not a lot of extra work!! 

Here's a scarf that I knitted for my brother-in-law in Chicago. (Pictures terrible, but I had to show you how cool it turned out) The pattern is called the Seaman's scarf and it's seriously warm.  I hope that he's enjoying it in that below zero degree weather!!!  Ahh, not for me.

I also made some cute drawstring bags, a knitting needle holder bag, and a couple of other odds and ends.  All and all I'm quite surprised that I actually go that much done.  Emma is needing a lot more of my time  and mental attention these days, so I can't get to the sewing machine as much as I would like.  It's definitely not a bad thing that she wants my full attention.  I'm very happy to give it , but it just leaves me with a lot less "me" time.  But, the whole reason I'm home with her is to spend quality time with her and not just do my own thing ALL the time, though that would be nice. 

Speaking of Emma, she just celebrated her third birthday a couple of days ago.  Hard to believe that she is already 3.

She's grown into quite a "big" little girl, as she like to call herself.  She's so confident and out going.  She loves meeting new friends and is so sweet and kind to all of her friends.  She also loves to be on stage, literally.  Gee, I wonder here she got that from? 
The world is her stage!  I keep telling Josef that we're living in the right city for her to take up an early career as a singer song writer!  She's a great improvisor of songs.


Happy Birthday, my beautiful three year old!!