and just like that...

...our family grew by two {tiny} feet, our hearts grew two sizes {at least} and our love, collectively, could power the earth {and more}. thank you, wee one, for the great gift of YOU.

our sweet baby boy was born at home friday evening, may 7th. he is a lovely little package weighing 8 pounds and 5 ounces. i will share more of him and his entrance into the world with you very soon, perhaps after we decide on a perfect name for this perfect being.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~ Elizabeth Stone

happy mother's day, dear friends!
erika

belly blessings

39 week belly.

henna by my sweet friend liz.
photos courtesy of harper and esme.

and one photo from mama... the current view from up here.

wee sewing :: itty bitty layette

these little tee shirts had been cut out and ready to sew for months- i finally buckled down and stitched them all a few afternoons ago. and just look at how sweet!!

it occurred to me when i got outside with my camera that i had intended to iron them before taking pictures. and notice how i am not fickle at all about which direction the fronts cross over. i made duplicates of most of the prints to add to my baby gift stash.

and here are the cute little hats to match. again, i made a few extra to pass along to our expecting friends!
the tees and hats are all sewn from the new conceptions baby essentials pattern. i love this pattern somuch- if you have a little one to sew for go check it out!

now... moving on to receiving blankets and changing pad covers...
three weeks to go, three weeks to sew!

blessingway for baby!

a couple weeks ago some of my girlfriends helped me celebrate this new baby-on-the-way with dinner and a blessing shower. a wonderfully fun celebration where i had my camera with me but forgot to take it out of my bag! that's right- not one single photo the entire evening.


but here are a few of the lovely gifts from my lovely friends! we are feeling very blessed indeed and more ready than ever to meet this little one. 3 weeks or so to go!
there are a few more photos and descriptions of each gift over here- check it out!

mountain mama, river belly

on the salmon river - 33 weeks

this weekend we took a brief but wonderful road trip. we stayed in a favorite lodge on our favorite river. we spent the days swimming, hot tub soaking, throwing rocks into the river and watching people catch fish, both big and small. the kids crafted fishing poles out of driftwood and string. the evenings were filled with board games, more swimming and soaking and hot cocoa and fresh cookies, compliments of the lodge. i spent a fair share of the weekend knitting and drinking tea. while we drove we spotted several deer and a beautiful red fox.

we are home now, and home is a good place to be. home... made even better by mountain getaways and family fun!

there is no place like right here, friends- happy monday!

wee knits :: show and tell

just a few little knits i have completed over the past weeks for our new baby on the way!

a little kimono knit with fluffy inspired mama organic merino in the earthy rainbow colorway.
{there just happens to be two skeins of wool dyed in this colorway available in my shop, waiting and wanting to become something wonderful... just saying!}

the little button was made from a scrap of the very fabric that inspired this colorway.

a pair super girly bloomers with leg warmers that button on and off. remember the "guarantee i have a boy shorts"? will this handknit bring the same results... we'll see!

gender neutral wooly wonder pants
{have i ever mentioned that i love stripes!}

little faux cable sleep sacks knit from my own pattern.
{the terra cotta sleep sack has not been washed yet, hence the wonky drawstring!}

teeny, tiny socks!
{again, one pretty girly pair! if i do indeed have a baby boy i will have plenty of baby girl gifts in my stash!}

and here is what they look like all folded up and ready to wear. *swoon*
counting down the weeks!

hellooooo belly!

big ol' baby belly, just about 30 weeks, and a sweet little 2.5 year old who wants to be picked up and carried all. the. time *sigh* lately i am beginning to question whether i can realistically get any bigger. of course i know that the answer is yes and the chances are quite likely. 10 more weeks of growing just seems like a whole lot...

spherically yours,
erika

fungus obsessed

currently i am planning a whimsical woodland baby quilt collaboration with a group of my friends. how sweet is that?! i simply cannot wait to see the finished quilt, lovingly stitched by friends and family- and even better yet, the day i can wrap my new sweet babe in our wonderful creation. daydreams and discussions of said baby quilt resulted in a lengthy flickr browsing session where i viewed nearly every single mushroom project i could find. here are a few favorites. who knew a large dose of fungi could make one so happy?

1. dqs6 from cathy gaubert, mushroom girls, 2. OMGMUSHROOMS: YIP.52, 3. dqs6, 4. mira_and_maga, 5. Normy, Hefty, and Lil Gnome, 6. Mushroom House: Red

love, currently.

:: this belly ::
26-ish weeks. every single wiggle and kick brings a smile.

:: new mitts ::
goldenrod cestari merino + coconut buttons = happy hands indeed.

:: cute thrifted boots to wear with cute thrifted skirt ::
maternity skirt mentioned above has an elastic waistband and a button fly! how funny is that!

:: color, color everywhere ::
we have painted every day this week and have no plans to stop.

:: this weather ::
spring in january. 'nuff said!

:: new fluffy fiber ::
what will i knit? oh, the possibilities!

yours in loving life and making happy,
erika

the view from here

:: six month belly ::

belly half full...

...20 weeks!

smile, smile, smile!

random things that made my weekend happy::

hand dyed wool felt sewn into little bits of wonderful!

velvet rick rack!

new baby knitting... in STRIPES!

and quite possibly the very best part of my weekend, strong little baby kicks felt from inside. yes, i think baby is smitten with the stripes too!

beans being spilled!

oh, this boy! he is silly and cuddly and mischievous and loud. whatever would we do without him? he is growing up like nobody's business, changing a little everyday. and, he is not going to be the baby of the family for much longer...

a new little life is on the way, expected this spring, and we couldn't be happier!

he will make a fine big brother indeed!