Entries Tagged as: baby
Seven Pounds, a Guest Post by Eileen Valazza
May 18th, 2011, Comments (8)
Seven Pounds
Oh little one, you made everything so big.
The love.
I was pretty sure the love would be big, and it's true. I could stare at you for hours, with that soft giddy new-parent look on my face. The one that every parent in the world ever has had.
I saw a couple pushing a stroller down our street the other day and it occurred to me, holy crap, they love that baby as much as I love you.
And it seemed impossible, that there could be this amount of love in the world. We should capture it, use it to power everything and solve the global energy crisis.
The Fear.
Maybe I wasn't thinking about the fear ahead of time, or I underestimated it. Because the fear really blindsided me. I remember the moment it hit me, a few weeks after you were born.
Before that, I worried that I might do something wrong, that I might mess up and not do the right things for you. But in that moment I realized that we won't always be here, together, all day every day.
You are going to go and be a part of this world, and other people will put their marks on you. Someone might hurt you. Someone will likely break your fluttery little heart.
I think, how can I exist knowing this? That there is this living, breathing fragile piece of me so open to the entire world? How have other parents done this before me?
It seems impossible to go on living and be this vulnerable.
Me.
But you also made me so much bigger than I was before.
I used to be able to get lost in my own dark corners for days. Now I don't the option to indulge in that. It's scary to hit a wall, to be at the very end of yourself, and realize that not going on is not an option.
When leaving is not an option there is only surrender. And so again and again, more space opens up.
I don't know how you brought so much with you, inside only seven pounds.
........
Eileen Valazza is mama to 5-month-old Zane, and serves up moonshine for your creative business at the Hopscotch Distillery.
Introducing
May 6th, 2011, Comments (83)
My sweet princess, Annabelle Sophia Kolidas, was born May 2nd at 8:38 pm, 6 pounds, 8 ounces, and 19 inches. The hubster and I are smitten!!
I've got some great guest posts lined up for your enjoyment this month,while I spend some time bonding with my little family!
Nursery
April 27th, 2011, Comments (67)
There are still a few tiny touches to put into the nursery, but I couldn't wait any longer to share this little room that I've been working so hard to create. I'm in love with it (it's definitely my favorite room in the house!) and hope our little girl will love it too. I've shared where I got some of these items at the bottom of this post, just in case anyone is curious.
At first I was thinking of doing a yellow and gray nursery, but the hubster didn't think it was feminine enough, so I went with aqua and yellow. Looking around for inspiration, I saw a gorgeous nursery that used the Robin's Nest paint color with yellow and happened to have a very similar crib to the one we bought! So we started with the crib and wall color and went from there.
I loved adding all the personal touches along the way. Customizing and hand-creating items really made the space magical for me. I sewed the crib skirt and curtains out of fabric I found online and painted the sweet, simple wall mural of trees, each with its own bird and/or woodland creature.
I enjoyed customizing items, like the mirror and lamp, which I painted to match the nursery. I also loved adding hand-crafted items from loved ones, like the quilt hanging over the chair, created by my talented cousin, Kim.
Looking to put something in the space to the right of the dresser, I combined the idea of the hubster (to paint another tree) and my best friend (to hang a growth chart), and painted a growth chart tree with a little bunny rabbit. I love how it came out. I'm planning to use white cut-out leaves (or birds or butterflies) made of contact paper, to mark her growth on the wall.
Here are some detail shots:
I fell in love with this clock from Decoylab early on (they make the coolest clocks!), but it was a bit translucent and looked off-white on the wall. So I painted it white to make it opaque. Perfect!! I love how it also looks a bit like a round moon on the wall.
This clothesline was hand-crafted by my best friend for my baby shower. Isn't it adorable? I love the little "A."
Here are some close-ups of the lamp. It fit so perfectly with with the little birdies and was easy to customize with some paint and a white lampshade.
It was fun combining items and art, my own (like "Lucy and the Elephant" and "Owl and the Pussycat" paintings) and that of others (like the Amy Ruppel encaustic above, and the polka dot bucket full of fans from Judean), that I already had in my possession, to decorate the room.
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I'm sure I'll be adding/subtracting and changing things up over time on the shelves.
And I had to share the little squirrel because he's a bit hidden, but so sweet. 
I hope you enjoyed the peek into my baby girls' nursery! We've got less than 2 weeks til my due date, so we'll soon be adding the best part: her!
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Sources:
Paint: Benjamin Moore Natura paint in Robin's Nest, applied by my step-dad (thanks, Gil!)
Crib: Babyletto Modo crib from Amazon.
Wall mural of trees, woodland creatures, and growth chart: Hand painted with acrylic.
Rug: notNeutral Seasons rug purchased from csnrugs.com
Curtains and Crib skirt: I made these myself with Premier Prints Suzani fabric in corn yellow from fabricguru.com. I used a slightly modified version of the Young House Love no-sew tutorial to create the crib skirt. I did sew the hem of the skirt, but I used her (brilliant) velcro idea for the top. There are blackout honeycomb shades hidden behind the valances.
Mirror and lamp: I purchased both at Home Goods and painted them to match the nursery. I changed the lamp shade to a simple white one.
Dresser, toy box, night stand, and bookshelf: Land of Nod (love their furniture!)
Nightlight: Oxo "Tooli." The hubster and I love this thing. It's super cute.
Baskets/buckets: The ones in and on the dresser (except for the small white one, which was a gift), book shelf, and next to glider are from The Container Store. The elephant bin next to the crib was a gift from my dad and step-mother, but I've seen them at Giggle.
Clock: Decoylab on Etsy (I painted it to make opaque white.)
Glider: Dutalier from Baby Furniture Warehouse (gift from my mom.)
Wall shelves: Home Depot. Artwork on shelves is by me! I'm not sure where the little bird/votive holders came from. I bought them for myself ages ago. The letter A was also a gift.
Mobile: Pottery Barn. I have to say, the mobile is super cute, but the music that went along with it was dreadful. We ended up buying a clearance mobile to change the music box part.
Art on top shelf of book shelf and hanging above it: Two paintings by me and "Urban love" encaustic by Amy Ruppel that I've had in my collection for years. The yellow polka dot bucket and adorable fans were created by my best friend as baby shower decorations. I had to take some home with me!
Clothesline (on the back of the door): Also by my best friend, Judean as part of a baby shower decoration. She hand-dyed the clothes and constructed them, which totally blew me away!
Any other questions, ask away!
Some small things I’ve been up to
April 22nd, 2011, Comments (10)
Keeping with the small theme, here are some of the small things I've been up to in the last week. I finished up a total experiment in sewing, using some fabric scraps I had from my first big sewing project, to make this little bird. He's perfectly imperfect.
My littlest pal (my best friend's 3 year old) and I made beautiful play-doh art (this was entirely directed by her.)
I've been taking loads of tiny photos with the Instagram app. If you use the app, have you heard about postagram? It's a cool way to get your instagram photos in hard copy, in the form of a postcard. I'm going to have to try that out.
I've also been putting the finishing touches on the nursery, including painting a growth chart tree which I'm in love with. Here's a sneak peek of it in progress. I promise to share photos of the whole nursery in all its glory very soon!
I also got a copy of the small and lovely new book by Patti Digh, What I Wish for You. I love Patti's writing. You can find my painting, The Unknown, on page 70!
I hope your weekend is full of small beauties!
The Sweet, Small Touches
April 5th, 2011, Comments (24)
I've had two baby showers, one in New York for the hubster's side of the family, hosted by my mother-in-law, and one here in Massachusetts for my local family and friends. My best friend, Judean, offered to host the local shower in her home, along with my mother, sister-in-law, sister, and step-sister. Both showers were wonderful and I had a blast at each!
I thought it would be fun to share some of the beautiful, creative details that my best-friend created for the local shower because they fit so perfectly with this month's theme of small!
Here's a pic of the hostess with the mostest with the super cute polka-dot balloons. I was so blown away by all the little touches she did. It made for a delightful environment and I was so touched by all the thought she put into everything. Thanks, luf! You rock!
Above, you can see the makings for an abc book. Guests were instructed to select a letter and draw their own page (for example, they could do L is for Lion and draw a lion on the page.) The pages will later be bound into an abc book for our little girl. How cool is that?
I was smitten with these painted polka-dot buckets, filled with buttons and topped with these gorgeous fans that were throughout the room. So adorable! You can also see a glimpse of the shower favors in this pic, They were baby jars, filled with a homemade brown sugar scrub, covered with adorable fabric, ribbon, and the sweetest little labels that said, "From Leah's shower to yours."
In this picture, you can see the guest book, a copy of Prudent Advice: lessons for my baby daughter (written by one of the authors of the very cool Prudent Baby blog) with instructions for guests to sign their name next to a bit of advice that resonated with them. You can also see the adorable badges (with magnet closures on the back!) made for me and the grandmothers-to-be. And do you see the polka dot table cloth? It was made from sheets! Love that!
Speaking of the grandmas-to-be, here you can see my mom, myself, and my mother-in-law with our badges on. They're just a little excited. And above us you can see the beautiful bunting my best friend made in my nursery colors.
And oh, the gifts. It's a workout opening shower gifts, but oh my, the little dresses, teeny-tiny socks, onesies, hair bows, toys, handmade blankets and sweaters, and a gorgeous handmade baby book. I'm overwhelmed by how loved this little girl is already. We'll be meeting her soon! We've got a little more than a month to go, give or take! And here's one belly shot for you guys, that does not fit into the theme of small, more like the theme of basketball. 
Nesting Sneak Peek
March 3rd, 2011, Comments (22)
I've had the Nest theme on my list of possible themes for awhile now, but this month it just seemed so fitting, both with Spring around the corner and also my fervent desire to nest at the moment.
This winter, I've been learning to sew, so I put some of my new skills into practice by ordering some fabric and making some very simple valances for the nursery windows and a matching crib skirt. I didn't do much sewing on the crib skirt, as I followed the general guidelines of the no-sew version here. I simply sewed the sides and bottom of each piece and then used the nifty velcro technique suggested in the tutorial to attach it. Fun, simple, and easy!
I've also painted the wood frame of a beautiful mirror to match the room and I'm about to start painting some trees on the walls. I don't think I've ever had so much fun (or gotten so giddy about) putting together a space! I hope you enjoy the little sneak peek! I plan to have as much done as possible this month (some things like the rocking chair might not get here til April), so I'll continue to share little sneak peeks and a bigger reveal when it's all complete.
New Passions
February 12th, 2011, Comments (11)
I've become slightly obsessed with a couple new creative outlets. Things tend to come in waves with me, but for right now I'm feeling passionate about sewing and Instagram. How fun to have these new means of expression and creativity!
Sewing has been a good lesson for me in accepting imperfection, laughing and going ahead anyway. I think if I was too much of a perfectionist about it, I would have given up 500 times already. As I was making this latest project, a sweet little hoodie for baby from Anna Maria Horner's book, there were a lot of little mistakes made. The sleeves were hard to attach, I'm not always the best at sewing in a straight line, and I had to re-do a few things. I remember at one point thinking, "Um, I'm not sure this is going to look anything like a jacket at the end."
But I kept going, and magically at the end of it all, there was a sweet little baby jacket that I'm immensely proud of. I asked my blue bear to model it for me and he happily agreed.
Instagram (an iphone app) is another creative tool I've been enjoying. All the pictures above were taken with Instagram (if you join, I'm there as leah_art.) There's something about snapping pictures throughout the day that wakes you up to the tiny moments of beauty all around you. I love that. And it's fun to see the tiny moments captured in others' days as well. Times like this make me madly in love with technology and all it has to offer for creativity and connections.
Are there any new creative passions in your life this month?
Sewing Adventures
January 30th, 2011, Comments (17)
Here's the bag, all finished up. I was happy to get through this first project. I made a whole lot of mistakes along the way, but they were all good learning experiences.
All that sewing got me excited to try my own project. Using the Anna Maria Horner book I got from the library and some fabric I ordered online, a nice cotton outside and flannel inside, I set to work on making a pair of baby booties.
They're a bit lumpy, but for my first go, I'm quite pleased with them. Cute, eh? Next up on my sewing agenda is a baby hoodie.
p.s. The pictures above are from two different iphone apps. The top one is from Hipstamatic and the bottom two are from a super cool app called Instagram. The neat thing about Instagram is that after you take your picture, you add a filter to it, and then you can share it with your Instagram followers (much like Twitter) or post it on places like Facebook. If you join Instagram, you can find me under the username leah_art.
p.p.s. One of my oldest blogging friends, who I simply adore has set up this fabulous blog, La Salonniere: Interviews for the Creatively Curious. And her most recent interview was with me! I loved Marilyn's thoughtful questions. I shared a bit about my own creative history, my love of trees, and how I came to the style of leading I have for the Creative Every Day Challenge. You can read the interview here.
Loving Your Body
January 26th, 2011, Comments (35)
I saw Jamie Riidler's post on Roots of She asking about how your relationship with your body has changed over time and I wanted to respond because I've noticed (and the hubster has noticed too) that since becoming pregnant, I've been more comfortable with my body than ever. I feel strong and powerful. I'm growing and it's a good thing. I'm taking care of myself with regular exercise, and eating well (while still eating chocolate.) I'm wearing clothes that make me feel good. I rub my body with yummy smelling lotions every night. I'm treating myself like the precious being I am.
I have to say that I didn't just start treating myself well because I'm pregnant (although that helped a lot.) I had some good practice in taking good care of myself in the months prior to getting pregnant, when I was deep in grief. Last spring I got pregnant for the first time and had an early miscarriage. I don't know that I've ever felt so heartbroken.
In the days I was going through it, the hubster (who was amazing) said to me, "Please take all the time you need to grieve. Feel sad when you feel sad, don't hold it back." And I really needed to hear that because I can be the type to try to brush things off and/or stuff things down. But this time, with the help of the permission I felt, I grieved and felt sad when I was sad. I also greatly simplified my life and felt intuitively that what I needed to do was to focus on self-care.
One of the things I did for myself was to get up early (because of the summer heat) 4-5 days a week and run. I'd been jogging off and on previously, nothing consistent, but during the summer, it became like medicine to me. Now this may not sound like self-care to some folks, but for me, it was. It helped to be out in nature, moving, breathing, and putting one foot in front of the other. So simple. I could manage this putting one foot in front of the other. I'd come home red-faced and sweaty, feeling strong and connected to my body. I didn't do much that summer, but I did what I needed to do.
By the time I became pregnant again, I felt more connected to my body than I ever had and so ready to embark on this new adventure I'm on now. I've also learned a few things from being pregnant that I want to carry with me.
- *Your body is an amazing creation. Treat it as such.
- *Regular movement helps you feel more connected and your body will thank you for it.
- *Buy and wear clothes that make you feel good. Yes, sometimes cheap stuff will do the trick, but don't be afraid to buy quality pieces.
- *Know that you're beautiful. If you feel that way, it radiates off you and others will feel it too.
Now I just have to remember these things postpartum. I'm going to take inspiration from beauties, like this woman, as I do so.
Head over to Roots of She to share your own story about how your relationship with your body has changed over time.
p.s. I took this self-portrait yesterday at 25 weeks.
Being a Beginner
January 14th, 2011, Comments (27)
I'm learning to sew. Crafty skills, where precision is key, are not my forte, but I want to learn well enough to make simple things like pillow covers, curtains, little baby items, and some things for myself. So I signed up for a few lessons at a local fabric shop. Last week we played around with the machines and today we started on a simple bag.
We used samples from a fabric book to make the outside of the bag and pocket, and other remnants for the lining (which you can see sticking out the top because I haven't sewed the lining and outside together yet.) And next week we'll make straps and sew it all together. I'm excited about this imperfect little bag. How fun to be a beginner, learning to do something new!
Next we'll be working on a pair of pants (loose, pajama-like pants, that I'll be able to wear after the baby), so that we can learn to sew from a pattern. But what I'm most excited about tackling is these little booties (on the cover, below) I saw in Anna Maria Horner's book, Handmade Beginnings. Gosh, they're cute!
Trying something new is always good for the creative soul. It sparks the imagination while getting us excited and thinking in new ways. Are you learning anything new this year?
While learning something new, can you allow yourself to let go and embrace imperfection? I sewed the back part of the pocket inside-out by accident today and just laughed it off, but sometimes it's hard to not get frustrated when our first experiments are a little off. I know I can get easily frustrated when I'm not naturally good at something (like all sports-related activities), but I'm really trying to let go of that while learning to sew. Give yourself the space to be a beginner, to make mistakes, to play, and see what happens. So much of art and creativity is about happy accidents and what you do with them.
p.s. For those of you who sew, where are your favorite places to buy fabric?
