AJ's Antics

Aden now reaches out for things...including his Mummy! He can sit unaided for up to 10 seconds at a time before falling sideways or face planting! He can pull his knees up under himself and almost makes it into a proper crawling position...but looses his balance and falls before he gets anywhere...we think he is pretty clever anyway! Look how much my little one is growing!! He now weighs 6.2 kgs, adding 900 grams this month! Starting solids will do that! He loves them! I was hoping it would make a difference to his sleeping...ie getting more of it for both of us but that hasn't happened yet...we are still slowing getting back into a more regular routine after moving house! First solids....Apples Teeth!! Yep 2 of them at just over 4 months. He has bitten me only once so far and boy does that hurt!! I found the first one while he was having a bath on Wednesday the 8th of December and by Sunday the other one had come through too! And of course he was spoilt for his first Christmas! It...

Merry Christmas!!

Finished just in time...The baby is due in 4 days and we are going to visit tonight! I'm not totally fussed on this quilt, but the fabric is cute and I'm really gald I got the chance to FMQ an all-over stipple. There is definately room for improvement but I'm really happy with how it turned out. Next time I won't quilt as close together (using less thread, this has over 500 metres in it!!) and it won't make the quilt as stiff or as 'wrinkly' looking. I think it will work well for a baby cot or floor quilt though. The close quilting will make it more 'wash proof' from all the mess babies can make!

I think Aden and I are both winners with this one...look how cute he is in his new Christmas Playsuit that I won from Emma!! It is a perfect fit for him and beautifully made too!

I gave the last Summer Hat I made away, to the only girl in our Mothers Group....it didn't fit Aden and was a bit to girly for him...heheheheh. But now I feel a bit bad for the boys in Mother's Group as they didn't get anything, (and they gave me a lovely going away present) so first up on the sewing list for the new year is some more of these hats. They are easy to make, don't take much time and look good when they are finished...although there is a few wrinkles in one of these hats that I'm not too happy about but I have no time left to make another one.....7 days til moving day!...hopefully the hat wearer won't mind!

My boy is now 4 months old! And he is still as wonderful as ever!! He is now longer than the giraffe!! Sleeping/Feeding/Routine: After a week of screaming and yelling at around bed time every night, I decided that Aden wasn't getting enough sleep during the day and was therefor over-tired and getting himself worked-up to frustration. I did some reading and taking with other Mum's and embarked upon a more structured routine to get Aden to sleep more during the day. It worked! Aden went from having 3 1/2 hour cat-naps during the day to 2 longer structured sleeps, with a 3rd afternoon nap if he needs it. We are still flexible of course as nothing even really goes to a strict routine with babies, but so far so good. Aden's day now goes something like this: 3am - Feed, back to sleep with no crying 6am - wake (has been as early at 5:10am...poor Mummy!!) play on mat and with Daddy while he gets ready for work 6:45am - wave bye to Daddy, nappy change and feed 7:15am - Outside wit...

I'm so excited...after a disastrous first attempt today and some unpicking...not a lot as I knew is was bad so I stopped...a new needle, some different cotton thread and a little bit of confidence.. (oh and a stippling foot attached properly...opps!!)...I am finally doing it!! What is it you non-quilters may ask... FREE MOTION QUILTING !! And I'm doing it! and it doesn't look half bad! Trust me to take a picture of the and only (fingers crossed) loop...*sigh*...oh well...I'm going to finish this whole quilt! And despite my fingers and wrists starting to ache and my teeth hurting from clenching them while I concentrate I'm determined to do a bit more tonight....I now know why Emma stays up so late...it is addictive!

Too big for my little super model!! Edited to Add: Yes Lily it is the 'Lazy Days' Hat

Helen gave us a Wadding tutorial that didn't quite work out the way she wanted and so I told her how I join pieces of wadding left over from other quilts. So here it is for everyone. Generally they are long thinner pieces that get cut off the side of the extra wide wadding I buy. But nothing goes to waste and I fold it up neatly (most of the time)and pop it in a 'green' shopping bag and store it on the shelf. I lay out the quilt on the floor and drap pieces of wadding over the quilt top til I can't see it any more. Like a jigsaw puzzle. I then work out which piece needs to be sewn to where and in what order. This particular quilt will need 3 pieces of wadding to cover it. I trim and even the edges of the wadding by using the rotary cutter and quilting ruler. Then I lay them over the iorning board so that the pieces butt up against each other but don't overlap at all. I find the ironing board a good hight for this and the wadding grips slightly to the ironing board c...