Start them Early

Paul and Miles are drinking coffee at Cloud Seven Cafe on Jamison Square.
If Miles would drink his own coffee, then Paul could reach the cup on the table.

Miles! You look like you've had coffee....hmm.

"Smiling is great fun," Miles smiled.

I can look at you and laugh

Because you look funny

After all, you're always making funny faces at me

Miles with Grandma and Grandpa Speed

Miles with Daddy and Mommy. - Someday Miles will read Dwell.

"There be peaches yonder!" shouted Miles.

Hark! What peaches be these?

They be from Miles's first visit to the Portland Farmer's Market!

The tomatoes looked particularly...red.

More fun things that grow on vines...

And less interesting things that grow under the ground.

Today (Sept. 23) Miles took his first ride on the MAX Red Line from Kings Hill to Galleria!

"Yay Flowers," thought Miles apathetically.

The roses are still blooming in Portland!

Miles makes his first journey up to the Rose Garden at Washington Park with Daddy and Mommy

It was a nice, misty, wet afternoon...

But who cares about flowers anyway?

Mr. Miles is 4 Weeks Old

Kurth Family - Everyone smile!

Miles with Uncle Sam

Ahhh! Lady bugs!

Daddy, why are you taking so many photos of me? I haven't changed since the last one!

Just waiting on the curb...

Sleeping

Not sleeping

Miles and Daddy

Sir Miles of Portland

These are my hands!

I like to eat them!

Miles with Daddy

Why do you make me wear this hat?

First Week

I'm so cute!

Feed me Mom!

My diaper is huge!

Hey good-look'n.

Miles Daniel

Miles Daniel. Born August 18, 2010 at 1:55AM.

Start and Stop

What an exciting week so far! (I say that somewhat sarcastically.) After yet another weekend of all-day errands and organizing for the baby's arrival, Paul and I finally feel ready. "Now the baby can come!" said Paul after testing out the new showerhead attachment he got on Sunday evening.

I woke up early Monday morning with contractions. Unable to fall back asleep, I found that they were 15 minutes apart. I told Paul and he patted my head as he fell back asleep. I got some food and dozed off for awhile between 5 and 6am. Then they started coming 10 minutes apart. Paul went to work and I sat around all day, resting and eating little bites as the contractions slowly picked up speed and intensity. By dinnertime, they were about 5 minutes apart and made the process of making a pizza sort of difficult.

We took a walk and visited our neighbors to pass a little time. At 4 minutes apart already, the midwife was thrilled (and so were we!), and suggested we both rest as much as possible in case the night was filled with activity. We chugged some extra-strength Nighty Night Tea and fell asleep. Around 2:30am we woke up and had a snack together. The contractions hadn't increased in intensity at all (hence my being able to sleep through them) but were still 4 minutes apart. We went back to bed and both slept until 8am. Amazing! I felt so well-rested even though my muscles had been working hard all night!

The contractions started to slow down. We took a walk after breakfast, rested, ate lunch, took another walk, and still the contractions slowed down. A dear friend brought us dinner, by which time there wasn't much activity anymore. Just baby kicks, infrequent contractions, and some serious disappointment.

Paul went back to work yesterday while I lazed around the apartment. My body felt so worn out and heavy, and I was afraid to start any projects. I had more contractions in the morning, but they slowed down and got lighter again throughout the day. I napped a lot and tried hard to get over my disappointment. I'm still disappointed. I hate this idea of a "false start," because it wasn't false, things were happening!

Something encouraging our midwife said was that whatever work my body has been doing with these contractions is work it doesn't have to do again later. Well that's a relief! It's all progress, and when the time is right, nothing will stop the baby from coming. Another of our midwives had a similar experience with one of her children: contractions 5 minutes apart all day long, which stopped, and then the baby came 2 weeks later. 2 weeks!!! I really hope I don't have to wait that long.

Nesting

I guess it's nesting. I haven't felt compelled to clean anything, but I've been crafting up a storm lately!

I went on a fabric shopping spree yesterday (thanks Dad and Lynne!) and procured some fun flannel for cloth wipes. These are all cut up and ready for sewing into 2-ply pieces. The gold will be the backside for all of them. Banana butt! I think it'll make diaper-changing a little more fun.

I just love those monkey fabrics, so I also got some cotton to go with this organic cotton terry for burp cloths. Again, making spit-ups tolerable with monkey prints.

Using thrifted fleece and cotton flannel,  as well as some scraps from my own fabric stash, I'm making my own nursing pads. I'm using Lindsay's tutorial, but with the fun cotton print on the inside. Yes, now you all know what my underwear looks like.

Paul picked out some fat quarters the other day in black and white. I added a little green from my scrap stash and got inspired to make this quilt!

I took a cue from Elizabeth of Oh, Fransson! in this helpful wonky cross tutorial. I decided to make some pluses and minuses and mix up the directions.

It's only about 25" square so far, so I'm going to put a border around it to make it a bit larger. Then the backside will be a solid blue cotton.

My friend Bethany made a ring sling and encouraged me to try the easy pattern she found online. The green linen was a gift from my friend LaVonne, who commissioned a ring sling for her own little baby Anders. The rings are from SlingRings, which are tested, safe, and very inexpensive.

We thought about putting Olive in the sling to model it, but then remembered she has claws. But if she was a more docile cat, we might have tried it. Here it is, ready for baby!

 

All these crafts can be added to our growing supply of baby goods. We've got diapers (thanks Lynne & Michal!)...

...We've got kimono shirts (thanks LaVonne!) and little diaper covers...

...And cute onesies! These are just a few of my favorites. The elephant applique onesie is from the Etsy Baby Shower; the hand-embroidered "homemade" onesie is from our friends Donna and Corey; and the apple onesie is from BeeZoo Exchange, a local children's consignment shop.

Look closer! Little wiggly worms going for the apples! I just love Petit Bateau.

And a sweet collection of handmade flannel blankets and burp cloths, from my mother-in-law Susie. The jungle prints are so cute! I must have a thing for monkeys.

Ok, this has nothing to do with the baby. This has to do with trying to keep my business running: YARN!!! I've been dyeing up vats of yarn to stock up my shop during the baby sabbatical. You can see some silk/merino lace there in the middle--a new yarn for Bumblebirch!

Sadly, I haven't been able to get any knitting done in months. My hands are just too tingly and get numb and stiff very easily. Sewing has been much easier than trying to knit, so I've got a list of baby knits to work on after the baby's born. Sweaters for fall, little vests and socks, and all kinds of goodies.


Whew! I totally deserve a nap, don't I?

Baseball Action Night! and Knitting!

Tonight, Sarah and I went to PGE Park to watch the Portland Beavers play the Reno Aces (AAA baseball). It was "Stitch and Pitch" night - local knitters got together (many with their non-knitting husbands and friends) and took in the game while working on their knitting projects. The Beavers lost 5-2.

Around the fourth inning or so, a foul ball came screaming towards us on the first base side. It headed straight towards Sarah, and literally straight towards her belly! I instinctively reached my left hand out to protect her, and the ball glanced off my finger and hit her thigh. It would have hit her straight in the baby otherwise, and the baby is due in three and a half weeks! She suffered only a small bruise on her thigh and is fine, but I sprained or bruised my finger and required ice for the rest of the night.

Baseball is so exciting! (and it's very hard to type with only one hand)

Baby Kurth almost catches a baseball in the face at Week 36! Sarah shows off her knitting project and the offending baseball, as the Beavers lose on the field.

Preparing for Baby

Today was our home visit with our midwives. We're at week 36 already, and the midwives needed to know how to get to our place and what our apartment looks like. It's their "practice run" for the big event. We made our hospital transfer plan (in case of emergency, we are within a few minutes of several hospitals), finished up all of our paperwork, and got our birth supplies ready. That's it! Now we'll just have to wait until the baby decides to arrive!

A quick exam confirmed that the baby is head-down and slightly dropped into my pelvis (preparing for departure!) and doppler confirmed the baby's heartbeat is still strong and steady. I love hearing the baby's heartbeat! I wish I could give you a picture for this update, because I'd really like to see a picture too, but we'll just have to wait and see what it looks like when it gets here. I know we can't wait to meet this little person!

As much as I've heard about nesting instincts, I either haven't been bit by the bug yet, or I have the mildest case ever. I haven't had any midnight urges to deep-clean the kitchen, or desire to paint any rooms. It does give me pleasure to organize all the sweet baby clothes and blankets and diapers. It makes me feel like a mommy finally!

In the meantime, when I'm not napping, I'm trying to finish up my sewing projects in the next couple of weeks. Wish me luck (and send more cotton thread).