Some Edmund...

...just because!





Edmund turned six weeks old on Thursday. He has grown so big (over 11 lbs.) and already his newborn clothes are too small. I'm putting him in 3-6 mos. onesies because the 0-3 mos. sizes just aren't long enough anymore! He's started making more expressive cries -- more whiney at times, rather than just the "scream-your-head-off" type -- and has begun to give us some sweet smiles, too. His favorite activity is nursing, but he likes to be in his swing, on his changing table with a space heater blowing on him, or in the bathtub. He seems to have a fussy period most evenings when he needs a little extra comfort, but then he's usually in a happy mood in the mornings.

It's so fun to see his personality develop. I can't wait to find out what his interests will be and what activities he will enjoy!

Highlights from Christmas

We were blessed to be able to spend over two weeks at my parents' home in Nebraska over Christmas. Edmund was a great traveller and slept in his carseat the whole trip. We'd stop every few hours to nurse and change his diaper, and then be back on the road again. Edmund's now been in six states before he was six weeks old! His geography-loving daddy is quite proud of this. :-)


Because my mom spent the first part of December elsewhere (ahem), she was behind on her Christmas decorating. We all pitched in to get the tree up and decorated, the lights strung outside, and multitudes of Christmas knick-knacks distributed throughout the house.


Edmund with Uncle Nathan and Aunt Chandra
While we were in Nebraska, Edmund was able to meet all his aunts and uncles for the first time.


Edmund's Aunt Louisa is only 12.5 years older than him. She loves to hold him, and Edmund loves to be held, so everybody's happy!


Since I now live a cat-deprived life, I was quite glad to see my cat Basil again. Nothing is quite so cozy in the winter as a furry feline curled up in your lap. :-)

We are thankful to the Lord for the chance to spend so much time with our far-away families! Next visit, sometime this summer...?

A Homemade Christmas

I had great intentions of participating a bit more in my friend Emily's "A Homemade Christmas," but Edmund has kept me quite busy since his arrival! I did get one homemade gift made before he was born, which was a knitted hat for my brother, Nathan. I had some leftover yarn from a scarf I made him several years ago, so I decided to try to make a matching hat. I didn't have a pattern, but made it up as I went along. My friend Keturah helped me figure out how to decrease the stitches.


Douglas would like me to make him a hat, too, so that's next on my knitted projects list. I'm envisioning a tweed yarn...

Edmund Michael

Edmund Michael at one day old
Thanks so much for all your well-wishes and congratulations! This past week and a half has been a wonderful time of getting to know Edmund while recuperating from the birth. My mom has been here to lend a helping hand and what a blessing that has been.


Edmund is a deep sleeper, just like his Dad. :-) I have equal difficulty in waking them up at times! I love watching his little rosebud mouth and chubby cheeks while he's relaxed in slumber. What a thrill to have such a beautiful little son.


God has answered so many prayers surrounding this pregnancy and birth. I had a great, healthy pregnancy with no complications and an equally smooth delivery. I labored for about 24 hours -- about one third of the time spent with very light contractions, a third working moderately hard, and the last six hours... well, we'll draw the curtain of charity over them. ;-) Thanks to the Lord's mercy and Douglas' encouragement and coaching, we made it through!

Even the timing of Edmund's birth is a gift from God -- Douglas had Wednesday through Friday off of work due to Thanksgiving break, which meant he did not have to take additional time off to be with Edmund and me. My preferred midwife, who was to be out of town on the days surrounding my due date, was on call, so she was able to attend the birth. The fact that he was born early also gives us plenty of time to recuperate before our Christmas travels.

We are overwhelmed with thankfulness for God's goodness! Praise His name!

Praise the Lord, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise His holy name.
Praise the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all His benefits --
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.
--Psalm 103:1-5

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our son, Edmund Michael, was born November 26 at 1:10 PM. He weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz. and was 20.5 inches long. Mother and baby are both doing well!

Vignettes from Baby's room

My friend Keturah is coming for a visit, and thus provided me the incentive to get the baby's room cleared out and cleaned up. (It doubles as our guest bedroom, courtesy of an air mattress.) I must apologize for the less-than-stellar photos -- the lighting in the baby's room is horrible (one north-facing window on a gloomy day and one tabletop lamp!). But you'll get the idea!


You may remember these 1930s-style paper dolls my mom gave me a while ago. I glued them to gingham scrapbooking paper and put them in some inexpensive wooden frames (painted the same color as the baby's shelf). There are three altogether.


My youngest sister-in-law, Louisa, made this cute quilt for the baby. It's hanging on the railing of the crib she used as an infant!


Douglas bought these handcrafted wooden cars for any future sons over the summer. Until they get old enough to play with them carefully, the cars make a nice decoration!


I have a dresser in the baby's room for storage and changing diapers. The mirror has a photo of my dad as a toddler tucked in its frame. (Will my babies be that adorable??) The Baby Bee products, which are too cute to hide away in a drawer, were gifts from my lovely friends Robin, Breezy, and Emily. And in the mirror, you can (blurrily) see a wooden rocking horse made nearly 30 years ago by my Uncle Larry.


On the other side of the dresser, I have a vintage tin from Louisa, which can hold cotton balls, swabs, etc. The other photo is of my own sweet mother as a baby, looking cute as a button!

Vintage tablecloth

My parents sent this vintage tablecloth to us as a wedding anniversary present. My mom wrote, "The colors reminded me of your kitchen and the yellow wall of your living room. The vintage print of fruit and flowers reminded me of your love of history and tradition. It also reflects your wedded life -- fruitful and beautiful!"

It has brought cheer to our meals -- although not when tomato sauce or turmeric are in the lineup! ;-)

Signs of fall

Potted mums... mine are on the left, Douglas' on the right. Also note that they are dripping wet with October rain.


Apple-blackberry pie with REAL whipped cream, sprinkled with nutmeg. Luscious.


Out come my woolly yarns and halted projects are begun once again.


And of course the leaves are turning all kinds of vibrant, warm colors.


My handsome Irish husband digs out his flatcap and sweaters! I love it when he wears stuff like this. ;-)

Grandpa's cradle

In honor of my 26th birthday, I am going to stop being a lazy bum and post on my blog! :-) In all fairness, Douglas and I have been on the road the past two weeks -- first visiting his family in Colorado, and now we're staying with my parents. It's great to be "home" for my first birthday as a married woman!


The family has helped with "baby fever" by digging out all kinds of old baby clothes, blankets, toys, etc. Everyone enjoys this walk down memory lane. One item I'll be taking home with me is this beautiful wooden cradle, made for me many years ago by my skilled grandpa. Nestling inside is a vintage quilt, given to me with the cradle. I didn't realize until now that it was made for Arvid, my grandma's baby brother, who was born in 1929. That means it is 80 years old! I will probably use it as a wall hanging, since I don't want the old fabrics ruined by baby spit-up or other stains.

Three mothers on Mother's Day

Covered bridge

A few weekends ago, my father-in-law and brother-in-law came out to join Douglas and I on a work-related road trip. One of our first stops was at this pretty covered bridge, dating from the late 1870s. According to one website, it was actually washed down the river about a mile during a 1913 flood, but the bridge was put on rollers and taken back to its original location, where it has stood ever since.

The morning was very tranquil and the spring greens were just lovely. I'd like to go back for a picnic sometime!

Six months

Last Saturday was our six-month wedding anniversary. Those of you who have been married for years and years are rolling your eyes right now, but half a year seems like a very long time when you are newly married (in a wonderful, blessed, joyous way!). :-)

For a retrospective look at our wedding, here's a sequence of photos that's one of my favorites:

Reception

We had our reception at a family friend's Georgian-style home.


The lawn was set up with tables and chairs.


Guests were served tea,


along with sweets (strawberry macaroons, cream puffs, butterscotch scones, and cupcakes with rose petals)...


...and savories (cucumber sandwiches, chicken salad on mini-croissants, and open-faced roast beef tea sandwiches).



Douglas and I sat at a small table on the south-facing portico...


...but this didn't last long as we soon began greeting our guests, table by table.


And lest we forget the cake, here it is!


Complete with vintage cake topper from my grandmother's 1947 wedding.

Wedding travels

En route from Brother's Wedding to Cousin's Wedding we find ourselves in the hills/mountains of Tennessee -- a far cry from I-80!


A field of cosmos, and beyond, the landscape of North Carolina.

Bridal shower

My sisters-to-be threw me my first bridal shower on Friday evening -- as you can see, they know me pretty well and decorated the tables accordingly. It was a lovely evening and I so appreciate all their effort!

Ribbonwork

My mom made this pretty little sachet from a kit she ordered at HelenGibb.com. Helen's books tell us that ribbonwork had its heyday in the 1920s. There are some beautiful examples of vintage ribbonwork currently at Vintage Textile: garters and an evening coat.

Bride's scrapbook

In her cedar chest, my grandmother also kept a scrapbook of all the cards given to her and Grandpa upon the occasion of their marriage.


I enjoyed browsing through the cards, ranging from beautiful and elegant to sassy and humorous. I giggled at how "un-P.C." this card would be considered today:


"Here's hoping that the Bride knows how to wield a wicked skillet..."


"And hope the Groom can bring a lot of bacon home to fill it!"

Hope chest

I've never actually had a hope chest, but upon learning of my engagement, my Grandparents Ackerman gave me a cedar chest in which to store items for my future home! It was made in the late '40s or early '50s by my Great-Grandpa, who was blinded in World War I by a mustard gas explosion in France.

Mom and I went over to their house yesterday to pick it up. Grandma had emptied its former contents onto the bed, none of which I'd ever seen before -- and boy, were there some treasures! I'll share more about what was inside in the next few days...

Great-Grandma Irene

While at my uncle's in Ohio, I found this old photo of my great-grandmother, Irene. Judging by the style of the hat and coat, I would date this in the late '20s or early '30s. (She married my great-grandfather, Jim, in 1931, so it could've been taken sometime around then.)

Irene's maiden name was Dembinski and her family came from Poland (can you see the eastern European look in her facial features?). Photos of her as a young girl are few and far between, so I was especially delighted to find this one.

(I've previously shared Great-Grandma Irene's recipe box and Great-Grandma Irene's pie crust recipe, if you'd like to put a face to the name.)