Learning to Sew (by hand & the internet)

I'm pretty handy with a drill... but sewing??! No idea...

It all started with a wooden kids kitchen. Felt and wooden food is where it's at and the former has patterns online, if only I knew how to sew. But of course their directions for what stitch to use were entirely incomprehensible to me and I've taken on the task of learning how to sew by hand...

I've fixed a button. I resewed a knit cap that came loose on the top. Then I decided to get a google education.

Here are the resources I've found helpful so far:

The best knot ever:
http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/photos/my_favorite_knot/knot5.html

Sewing a (four-holed) button:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Sew-On-A-Button-1/

Overview of hand-sewing stitches:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Sew./

Blanket Stitch, including what to do at corners and if you run out of thread:
http://www.futuregirl.com/craft_blog/2007/09/tutorial-hand-sew-felt.aspx

Blanket stitch (I was doing it totally wrong before I saw this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXkSE2TTF4s

Material considerations (e.g., length of thread):
http://alabamachanin.com/journal/2012/02/the-physics-of-sewing/

Whip Stitch:
http://www.futuregirl.com/craft_blog/2007/1/tutorial-hand-sew-felt.aspx

We're secretly married!

Baby was our something blue. Ben, Anna and Nina in attendance. At the garden at the UU Shadyside church. The sky deluged on our way over and out, but in the eye of the storm, we had our ceremony in hazy sunshine. Look forward to adding a photograph (by Ben) when we get them. Jason & I had matching shoes and I curled my hair for the second time in my life... first time was our first Valentine's Day. I'll try to get a copy of the ceremony text. I HAVE A HUSBAND! I can't believe it.

The Sleep Training Begins

Legal marriage tomorrow. Sleep training today. His 4-month-birthday Saturday.

Aiming for 1pm and 5pm naps where he can actually sleep on his own rather than in my lap. Just tried the first time. He took 40 minutes to fall asleep, I can hear him moving a bit now. Think there must have been a noise in the kitchen that slightly woke him (I actually am getting to make myself a little something for lunch - decadence!)

I need to start doing research again.

He is an age where he can still learn this stuff (self-reliance to fall asleep) and I don't want to miss the window before this becomes much harder (yes, I may be a product of American culture and our massive amount of sleep literature).

Right now he can fall asleep when we're walking, when he's nursing in a chair, when we're side-nursing in bed and when dad swings him in his car seat. He occassionally falls asleep driving, but it's rare. He's not a fan of being in a car seat.

It's a tiered solution. Bedtime, naps and feedings all tie into this solution. So does my sleeping in in the morning. Last night he (side)nursed to sleep, we put him in his bed 11pm-5am. He ate and slept 5-7am by himself in our bed while I went to the spare room. Then, I came back in bed with him from 7-9:45am.

Alright, serious crying now.. so it's 2:15 now, he lasted 20 minutes sleeping by himself... The internet recommends checking in on him in increasing intervals. Not too back for a start. Gotta go commend the little dude.

Update 1: Uhg... he ate and fell asleep on my lap with intermittent sucking til 4:28. So much for that!

After googling, think that first nap should be way earlier. Like 11. Especially if it takes him an hour to actually be asleep at first. 11 & 4:30?

Update 2: Spent close to two hours preparing him for bed tonight, he went to bed nursing in the end, but I had a long talk with him about how we believed he could do this on his own if he tried. Thought it was a fail, but he woke up an hour later, and something surprising happened. I gave him a couple minutes to explore if he could go back to sleep himself before heading up the stairs, but on the stairs, I heard the crying start to slow and paused... he went back to sleep himself! Yay X!

happy to be a mommy - 2 weeks

Little X has had many adventures in his first two weeks. Two trips to our local park -- daddy played some basketball, mommy and X checked out the swingset. The second time there was even a punk band playing by the softball field. (That's Polish Hill for you.)

We also brought him to CMU last Friday to meet my advisor and some other students in our research group, then to Jason's work for more admiration. We'd brought him to his first party (for 45 minutes anyway) a few days before, as another Robotics student was having a viewing party at a local restaurant. That was his first time meeting some of our friends.

Then Jason's mom came to visit Sunday thru Tuesday. She cooked up lots and lots of food and enjoyed meeting her grandson. My mom will make her appearance on Mother's Day this Sunday, with my dad joining her later. Calling all grandparents! ;-]

Xavier seems to be getting the hang of this real world thing. He's spending more time with his eyes open and checking out the surroundings. He even hints at smiling now, since the last two days... excited for that one.

Definitely feeling a lot like more like parents now. You know you're parents when we lose our real names, and become a mommy and daddy permanently. 

You also know you're parents when you pause to enjoy a romantic embrace with the baby between you, reflecting on the magic of creating a little person together, start to declare "I love you," and baby simultaneously lets out an enormous fart. 

Well, I think mommy needs a nap. I'll catch you guys later. Enjoy the pics!

happy to be a mommy - 1 week

Xavier's one week old today. I'm totally captivated and recovering pretty well. Jason's happy to be a daddy too. He's mostly sleeping, eating and making adorable noises and faces *all the time*... less frequently there are alert periods where we see his slate blue eyes evaluating the room.

Some stats:
Born 10:45 pm, weds, april 24, 2013.
11:01 first sneeze.
11:04 first yawn
12:25 first nursing

Measurements:
22.5 inches
8 lbs 13 oz
9/10 apgar score (blue feet)
Cone head

Jason discovered that Xavier has a love for screaming rock music that pretty much calms down any tantrum... until it gets to a quiet part of the song when he starts crying again until the music gets loud again. Terribly amusing... !!

Jason's taken 2 weeks off work, so we're having fun being a family. I'll take off the summer. We're mostly in Pittsburgh but then in San Francisco for July (Robot Film Festival July 20!!).

Can't believe how many hours a day that I spend with only one arm open (one if I'm lucky, sometimes there's none). He eats so often!!! Hello motherhood!

Robotics Institute Formal

Confessions of a Pregnant Roboticist V

Xavier's last flight in my belly!! BOS-PIT. 

Writing you from the sky. After this, I'm officially cut off from air travel. Hello cabin fever...

Wonder how soon til we get Xavier his first passport? Next week, I'll be eight months pregnant! I *think* we have all the basic necessities should he be early. We might even try installing the car seat tomorrow -- not allowed to leave the hospital without it.

Naturally, my mother went a little crazypants on my family baby shower in Boston last weekend. Nothing like translating motherly love into enough food for 150 people (there were thirty attendees). Thanks mom. Loved seeing everybody!! 

Here's a photo of the awesome cake, X's first photo-bomb:

My cousin Deirdre's beautiful house was draped in robots, and more overwhelming for me, Heather photographs. Everywhere. Heather with robot. Heather on everyone's nametag (?!). Even a few with Heather and Jason. Thanks Mother dear. You're officially banned from bell-ringing forever (her attention getter for the shower games that she enjoyed just a little too much) but it really was a GREAT event. Thanks to those that joined, helped out and sent their love too!! X and I felt super special and loved!!

So what now? Tick tock...

I'll be keeping busy with research, hoping to finish my qualifiers in the next two weeks and continue collecting data for a research study I'm doing on expressive motion. Jason's taking Sociology and Calculus II. I can peek over his shoulder. Looking forward to sampling his ever increasing bartender talents in May. Don't worry, I'll make sure not to pollute baby's milk-bar either. Even my boobs are watching the clock.

Besides that? Hmmm... Anyone want to come over and watch a movie?