Having trouble posting, but here are some pics!

More journal pages

Here are a couple more pages for the baby journal:

LOVE your SMiLE

Another layout for the week!



So far I've been able to scrap here and there. During naps I'm always asking myself, "What should I do for this nap time?" And then I try to prioritize things, like cleaning a bathroom, making dinner, etc. But sometimes I just want to sit and relax, so I find myself scrapping.

It's amazing how many philosophies there are out there are on all aspects of raising children. From sleep to potty training, from bottle feeding vs. breastfeeding to when to start feeding solids. For every subject you can find countless information and different ways of what works. I'm one of those people that doesn't like to be surprised. I'm not always good at flying by the seat of my pants. I'm not spontaneous. I read books while I was pregnant about baby stuff. It was a good and bad thing. It's good to be informed, but babies don't come with a manual. Jeralyn didn't read the books I read. So guess what I've been doing?--learning to be flexible--learning to 'fly by the seat of my pants'. It's not always easy for me. But I am learning. I'm adjusting. We find our groove, we lose the groove, we find another groove, we lose that groove, and then we make more adjustments. I can see that smile on some of your faces. Yeah...

I'm really enjoying Jeralyn's smiles! The interaction is just so sweet!

J

Have you ever had one of those days where you are really confused about what day it is? I felt like that all day today since Quent had today off of work due to Columbus Day. Anyway...last week I created this page. I'm finding time here and there to be creative, so I'm thankful for that. I'm having so much fun scrapbooking Jeralyn! And of course creating those memories!



I have Bubble Talk for 50% off at MScraps for Tuesday!

Goodnight!

Baby Weekly Journal

Hello! How are you this fine Saturday? It's raining here...gasp...I know, big surprise for Southeast Alaska in October. *wink* But that's ok! I kind of like knowing it's that time of year to get cozy indoors. Plus it's a good excuse to scrapbook. *smile*

So onto the subject of baby books and documentation...

I bought a bright pink 12x12 We R Memory Keepers ring binder scrapbook album for Jeralyn months ago. So far it's filled with stuff like our hospital bracelets, some cards she received with gifts, and other such things. For a few weeks I've been thinking about how I want to document her first year. I decided to do a weekly documentation. From her first week I've kept a journal through my Hotmail account. Babies grow so much and change so much in the first year. I wanted to do more than just document monthly. Maybe when Baby Smith #2 comes along (in at least a couple of years--don't worry--I'm not thinking about that yet. Whew!) I will only have time to document monthly, but weekly is what will work best for our first. (On a side note, have you ever read The Birth Order book by Kevin Leman? There's some interesting stuff in there! He teases middle children about not having many photos in the family photo album. I think it's quite true!)

In the beginning of this week I started to play around with some ideas of what I would want the weekly pages to look like. Knowing myself, it has to be something I won't get bored with too quickly since it's going to be a year of journaling/documenting. I know that I need to leave room for creativity. One of my favorite scrapbookers is Kayleigh Wiles. I am drawn to her collage style and I never seem to grow tired of it, so that's what I'm aiming for.



So each week I'm planning on having the photo frame collages. And then I like to draw the color out of the photos using a bit of color from paper and elements. Some weeks I will use more circles, some weeks more squares. It will just depend. Like I said, I want to leave plenty of room for creativity and flexibility for myself. I'm picking my favorite pictures from the week. Some weeks there will be more pictures than others. Maybe for some weeks it will just be one picture. It will just depend.

I'm not really into the traditional baby books. I think they are fantastic, don't get me wrong, but right now, for me, I wanted something more, something different. I really hope Jeralyn will appreciate this some day. I know I would. I struggled with what I should do for her baby book because I didn't know how I should go about it. I really like what I have come up with--I just hope I stick to it. I think the format I am using will keep me motivated though, so that will be good!

For our regular scrapbook album, I will scrap the pictures that mean the most to me, just like I normally would. I struggled with that too. I wondered if I should print 2 pages, one for her book, and one for ours. But again, I think what I have come up with will take care of that.

I will update this project more in the future.

Have a blessed weekend!

Don't Waste It

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. --Steve Jobs

I was watching The View yesterday morning when they played a clip of Steve Jobs giving a speech, and this is what he said in the clip. When he said, "don't waste it living someone else's life" I started to get choked up. It's exactly what my heart has been feeling in these last few years. For so long I felt like it wasn't safe to be me, and so I wasted some time trying to cover up the real me. But now I feel free! Free to be me! I still am challenged by some things. I still feel nervous at times. I'm still a pretty private person and won't share everything, but that's just who I am. But I'm glad I know that I can be the best person that I am--that God has created me to be!

The Belly Story

My Girl

Yesterday after dinner I asked Quent if I could scrapbook a little before Jeralyn woke up from her nap. So I left the dirty dishes and kitchen clean up for him. He's awesome like that! And then I scrapped! It was so much fun, but I felt myself feeling like I had to hurry. I had to scurry around my digital stash to find what I was looking for, but I was able to complete the page! Yeah!



I have to say that there have been some frustrations with being a mother. Whew! It's not been a smooth sail every day. I'm learning. I'm making adjustments. What I am figuring out about myself is that I'm not very good at being flexible or just 'going with the flow'. I get these ideas stuck in my head about how I think things should be working and then I have a really hard time letting go of those expectations. Maybe it's the perfectionist side of me? I think I can be so hard on myself at times. Well, I don't just think that, I know that. I've had different moms tell me that this stage is one of the hardest, that the first month and a half is challenging. I have no other stages to compare it to, but I can say that I've definitely had some challenges along the way so far. Please don't get me wrong, I LOVE my little girl!! She's so precious to me!

I'm learning. I'm growing. I'm so thankful!

You had me at HELLO

I think it was last week when I scrapped this page. It was so much fun and wow, just so awesome to be scrapbooking my very own daughter! I have dreamed of this for so long!



I think some of the pages I create of her first year will go into her baby book, which is more like a scrapbook. And then some of the other pages will go in our regular books. I'm not quite sure how to go about that yet. I keep on thinking about what Ali Edwards has done. I should look into it more. Any suggestions or ideas?

I scrapped another page today! I'll share that soon!

I hear her waking...

On Being a Mother--the typed version

I meant to post more than just pictures in my last post, but our other computer is having an issue with typing any words while posting, so...I am posting this from our older computer.

Jeralyn is 3-1/2 weeks! I can’t believe how fast time has flown by already. I will admit I was pretty much in a fog the first 2-1/2 weeks (maybe I still am). Our house finally feels like our house to me again. What a huge, beautiful change and adjustment to our lives! Our daughter is so precious to us! I have experienced such joy in having our little bundle of joy and love in our home and in our arms. There have been some struggles along the way, but we are smoothing out those wrinkles as we figure out what is working for us. And that has led me to thinking a lot about parenthood and how everyone has their own way of doing things.

Quent’s aunt sent me a book about finding your own mothering style. It’s a quick read with tidbits of information about how different mothers have found strategies that work for them and their children. In all of the years I have preached about being true to your own style, I realize that one’s unique style applies even to being a mother. And I realize that what works for one mother may not work for the next mother.

There were a few days I was feeling a bit stressed and frustrated because things weren’t going in the direction I was hoping (I still have those days). I felt guilty for wanting things to go a certain way because of what others had said to me. But I realize that their recommendation is what works for them; it doesn’t work for me. So once I realized that I have the freedom to do what works for me and for what fits my personality, it was like I could soar! It was a HUGE relief to me! So I’ve been making some adjustments and it’s already paying off! Whoohoo!

I love being a mother! I have dreamed of this for so many years! So many times I have tears come to my eyes knowing that this is really happening, that I am really holding our little promise. She’s so beautiful and sweet! And funny! And I can’t wait to see her personality bloom more and more.

I'm also learning a lot about myself. Like that I have this independent spirit that is having a hard time going away. I can't just do whatever I want, whenever I want...and I thought this was going to be more of an issue for my husband...hahaha!

The other day I had to set aside some of her newborn outfits since she’s already outgrown them. It makes me sad to know that she’ll never be that little again…that we’ve already passed that stage. It makes me realize even more how I want to relish and cherish every single moment I have with her. I do look forward to the days when she and I can bake cookies together, when she coos and smiles more, when she takes her first steps, etc., etc., but I so want to bask in these moments.

Last week my friend Jamie came over to meet Jeralyn and after she had held her for a little while and put her in my arms, she said she could see Jeralyn relax more, like she knew it was her mama holding her. I know this might sound weird, but it was at that point I realized that I’m her mother, the one who will comfort her and kiss away those hurts. Wow!

“A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.”

--Washington Irving

I feel so honored to be Jeralyn’s mother, to be there for her in all of the ways that I can.
So with these thoughts I have shared, I want to stress again about the importance of being true to your own style! No matter what the subject might be (scrapbooking or being a mother)! Be true to who you are!

On Being a Mother

Hello there!

Hello! I thought I'd post something and give a little update on how life with baby Jeralyn is going. She's such a good baby! She sleeps a LOT! My days are full of her and I just love it! It's funny to think back to weeks ago when I was desparately trying to find things to keep myself busy as we were waiting for her arrival. Oh how things have changed! Before she came a lot of people would say to Quent, "Your life is about to change!" It certainly has! Sometimes I wonder where the hours of the day go. Or the days! Quent is taking such good care of us. He cooks, he cleans, he changes diapers! And he just loves Jeralyn! The cats are doing really well, too. They are used to a baby crying now and sometimes it seems like Shadow is trying to help. It's sweet! I feel bad because I feel like I don't show them as much affection as I would like, but I think as time goes on, it will get better. They are such good kitties!

Remember the dress I knitted? It's too big for her right now, but I just had to try it on her. *smile*

I just love her!

I've been thinking about how I want to document her first year of life. I am pretty sure I'm going to do a weekly kind of project. So far I've been keeping a Word document open and just journaling that way for now. I've never done anything like this, so I'm hoping I won't lose motivation.

Well, this is all for now. Happy Labor Day!

She's here!

Jeralyn Promise Smith
August 24, 2011 @ 9:38 am
7 lb 13 oz
20 inches

She's perfect!

40 Weeks

Hello!

Today is Baby Smith's due date! As of 8:07 am Alaska time, there are no signs of labor...yet. Only 4% of babies actually arrive on their due date, so we shall see. Quent is still convinced since he was born on his due date that she will still come on hers. Only time will tell. Yesterday we went for a long drive, in the pouring rain, on some bumpy roads. I never thought I would be someone who would go to that length as to induce labor, but there we were! I think we'll have to go on another long drive today!!

Have a good one!

39 Weeks & 1 Day

Hello! I just wanted to give an update. No baby yet. I thought I felt some mild contractions in the middle of the night, but I was in and out of sleep, so who knows! We are anxiously waiting...

I started knitting a hat days ago, but I think there's something wrong with the chart for the pattern, so I'm going to stop working on that. I was just practicing following charts anyway. I did start on another little project that I had been collecting patterns for last year. The Point (the local yarn shop here in Ketchikan) had a calendar scarf project last year. Each month we would get a new pattern to add to our scarf. So I started working on that yesterday and also started listening to another book on cd. This one is called The Help. I'm enjoying it so far and find myself cracking up!

Have a blessed week!

Fair Isle Knitting

It's Friday! Are you ready for the weekend?

After finishing the quilt the other day I started looking for some other projects to work on to keep myself occupied while waiting for baby. I've been wanting to learn how to Fair Isle knit, which basically means knitting with more than one color at a time. As with cable knitting, this looked really intimidating to me, but I knew that if I could just get my hands on a simple beginners project that maybe I wouldn't be so intimidated. Ravelry is the best place to look for such patterns, so I searched on there and found this pattern called First Fair Isle Anything. So I found some leftover yarn and got started. It took me less than a day to complete this.


It's supposed to be a head band or cowl, but for me it's too wide to be a head band and too small to be a cowl. So it's just a "thing" of practice, I guess. Quent did wear it around the top of his head for a little while last night. Ha! Anyway, so that is what the pattern looks likes. I had never followed a chart before, and I have to say that it was really quite easy. Now I want to do more and more Fair Isle!

This is what it looks like inside-out. All of the yarn just carries over until you use it again.

I'm starting yet another project. This time it's a hat. And there are hearts involved in the pattern! I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Oh, I wanted to answer my friend Jamie's question/comment. She asked how you will know when Baby Smith arrives. I will do my very best to create a quick post after she is born to announce her arrival. *smile* And hopefully that will include a picture! 9 more days until my due date!

Quilt--finished!

Hello! Well, yesterday I finished the quilt. I have to say I really enjoyed hand-sewing the back of the binding. I listened to a book on cd while working on it and I found it quite relaxing...minus the neck stiffness afterwards. Ooops!

I have to embarrassingly admit that I actually started making a different quilt top for our bed months ago, but when it was all finished I didn't really like it that much. It wasn't making my heart go pitter-patter...haha! I still have the top, but I don't know what I'm going to do with it now. Another project for another day I suppose. What inspired me to make this completed quilt was some fabric I saw on Etsy called Sweet Nothings. I bought a baby blanket for my niece and when I saw the blanket, it was love at first sight! I just had to make something using the fabric. So...I ordered about 5-6 yards of fabric and got started.

I love how intricate and creative some quilts are, but that's just not where I am at with quilting right now, so I decided to just cut plain ole 8x8 inch squares. Without the binding, the quilt is 91 x91 inches. It wasn't my plan to create a square quilt, but I guess when we make the bed we won't have to wonder what's up and what's down. Haha! The quilt is bigger than needed for a queen size, but I like having extra blanket (since I can be a blanket hog). It's perfect for us!


I love all of the colors on the quilt. I'd have to say these have been my favorite colors in the past year or so. Another simple thing about this quilt is that there was no actual "quilting" involved. I just did tying. Simple! Someday I would love to learn how to make those intricate quilt designs, but like I said earlier, that's just not where I'm at right now. Someday...

Quilting isn't my favorite hobby, I have to say. It's not like knitting where I feel relaxed and ok with mistakes when they come up. The sewing machine was yelled at a couple of times and I wasn't too happy to become aquainted with the seam ripper, but I suppose that's all part of the game, right? But I do have to say I enjoyed the process.

When I was working on laying out all of the layers, I told Quent, "I'm 3 weeks from my due date and here I am on the floor laying out a quilt." I bet this process would be a lot easier without a belly. Haha!

I'm still not very good at taking pictures in the house on cloudy days, but here's a picture of the quilt on our bed. One day (maybe) I'll make some pillow shams...or I'll just buy some decorative pillows. Or make some pillows. Hmmm... I could even knit some!! I'm working toward making the colors of our room turquoise, brown, cream, and orange. It's slowly getting there.

Some resources that were very helpful to me in making this quilt were some YouTube videos (I love YouTube!):

How to Join Strips for Borders and Bindings

How to make and attach quilt binding

Binding Your Quilt - Quilting Tips & Tricks

And of course, phone help from my friend and step-mom, Kelly! Thanks Kelly!

Hello

I'm 38 weeks and 4 days pregnant. I'm playing the waiting game. I wonder when she will say, "It's time!" I'm ready. I'm excited! So what have I been doing with my time?


I've been working on a quilt. I'm almost finished! More pictures to come...soon!

I've been reading. I sit in this chair on our deck in the sun reading until I get too warm and have to go back inside.

And growing a baby!

37 Weeks

I am now 37 weeks! Well, today is 37 weeks and 2 days. During my appointment last week the midwife said I was measuring more like 38 weeks instead of 36 weeks, so....she could be here any time. We shall see!! Let's just say that information kicked me into my final "nesting" mode. I haven't gone too crazy, but I find myself wanting to be as ready as possible.



It's funny how in 9 months the color of our bedroom walls have changed 3 times! First it was the original color (taupe), then it was mostly turquoise with two walls partially taupe. And now it's cream and turquoise! I'm so thankful to Quent and Natasha for finishing up my painting job!

I have to buy another 3/4 yard of fabric in order to go on to the next step of the quilt I am making for our room. I plan to do that today. I wonder how far I'll get with that project?

Have a beautiful day!

Friend

Hello! Happy Monday! While it seems the rest of the country is having extreme heat, we are having fall type weather. It's been a cool and wet summer here. I can't imagine being pregnant and in the kind of heat some are experiencing! Whew! I feel like I've forgotten what that kind of heat is like. Growing up in Michigan, I experienced many hot and humid summers. I have to admit I like living in Southeast Alaska where you can pretty much wear the same thing all year round. I hope you have been able to stay cool! I'll send you some rain. *smile*

I created this page well over a month ago:



4 more weeks until my due date (August 21st)!