Announcement + Heart Quilt

So Eric has been dying to tell everyone that WE’RE PREGNANT! As of today, I’m 16 weeks along and due on October 4th. Of course, there’s nothing like a quarantine to add to already crazy emotions, but otherwise I’ve been feeling great. I actually didn’t have any nausea and have been able to continue most of the things I love.

The hardest part was the exhaustion in the first trimester… I don’t think I was prepared for that. Remember back in January when I was practically crying on instagram about exhaustion and getting old? Well, apparently I just didn’t know I was pregnant. I was nearly falling asleep in client meetings, and no amount of coffee could save me.

AND THEN THEY TOOK AWAY THE COFFEE.

And I nearly cry every day I can’t have more coffee. Ask Stefanie. I’m an addict. What can I say? I make pretty strong coffee, so I can really only have 1 cup… and then for the rest of the day I’m a little sad. I miss it. My personal world domination plans rely heavily on caffeine.

Moving on.

Two crazy things about pregnancy:

First of all, the “you just know” thing. This is not very helpful information before you’re pregnant. However, there’s a moment when you fall over asleep at, like, 7pm when you think, “oh maybe I’m pregnant.” I got pregnant very quickly, so my realization came a little later than someone who might have been looking for the signs.

Second, the fact that the pregnancy “clock” starts the first day of your last period. Which is technically two weeks before conception. So by the time you realize you’re pregnant and go to the doctor, they tell you you’re (usually) 6 weeks along!! 2 weeks of your life are gone.

Not complaining. This is just something I didn’t know, so I feel obligated to share it.

Funny Story: at the end of January, I ran a half marathon before I knew I was pregnant. I had indigestion the whole time (thought it was just the pasta from the night before), and then around 10 miles I hit a wall. I said to Stefanie, “No, I’m tired. I’m not running anymore.”

People would run by and cheer us on. One guy said “come on girls, almost there!” and I was like, “No, thank you. Have fun!”

Stefanie and I signed up to run another half marathon today (April 19), and I planned to wear a “Baby’s SECOND Half Marathon” tshirt… but that didn’t happen. THANKS CORONAVIRUS.

Also, I haven’t felt like running anything longer than 6 miles lately, so it worked out.

By the way… Not totally sure whether the bump is baby or quarantine snacking, but let’s blame it on the baby. Very thankful my doctor doesn’t talk about weight at all.

posing with Lucie was a little more difficult than we imagined…

I’m feeling very grateful right now.

Most of my friends know I’ve been super hesitant about having children, and right now honestly feels like perfect timing. I know they say you’re never ready, but I feel strongly that you can be MORE ready. While I’m not ready for sleeplessness and the feeling of your heart wandering around outside your body, Eric and I are so stable in our lives and careers. Obviously, not everyone has the choice of when they can get pregnant, but I’m so happy we didn’t start this adventure any earlier.

To be honest, I was having literal panic attacks for years when I thought about pregnancy/raising children. And it was only maybe the past 2 years that I’ve been able to talk about it without crying. Part of this transformation may have been all the quilts I made for friends last year… I was praying over all the babies and my dear friends while I sewed for hours, and God was working to tell me it was time.

Now about this great quilt!

Scrappy Heart Quilt

I signed up for this quilt-a-long before I knew I was pregnant. Once I found out, though, I knew it would be the perfect backdrop for my bump photos.

I may have been inspired by the Emily’s actual baby on the quilt.

Emily Dennis does the QAL as a “first time quilting” project, and I learned so much from watching her videos! I definitely became a better quilter through the process.

I primarily used my scraps, but needed to supplement. Some of my pinks weren’t perfect for mixing (once I decided it would be used for all my bump photos, I needed it to be perfect), and the pattern required a few more fat quarters to make a twin size…. I only make twin now because Eric is a giant. The pinks were magenta-y/ purples, and I kind of pictured it more light pink/peach like her example, but I’m happy with it ?

Process Video

I made another video! Aren’t you proud of me? This shows a little more of the entire process of trying sandwiching/quilting/binding. I’m trying to do more process videos, so people see all the work that goes into making a quilt. I don’t sell them anymore, because most people don’t appreciate the value that goes into making them.

I used a full-sized sheet from Target for the backing… but it was EXACTLY the same length as the quilt… so that was cutting it kind of close. BUT I will say that this sheet is very soft. And I believe I only paid $10, which is great for a backing.

It’s almost flannel, but not as heavy to sew with as a flannel. I like to use sheets for backings on anything twin and up, just because the fabric can get SO EXPENSIVE. They’re also a little easier to work with than putting backing panels together.

I’ll be making more quilts with the solid white edges, because they just look so modern and beautiful. I’m literally obsessed and want to take it everywhere with me.

Pregnancy Reading

As I do, I immediately read several books about pregnancy. BECAUSE I KNOW NOTHING. I’m an expert now. Eric has read… less that I have. He doesn’t know what he’s in for.

• Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy (yes, I read the whole thing)
• Nurture (a little too woo, but recipes sound good)
• Expecting Better (yayyyy statistics!)
• 52 Things to Do (this one is a little silly. Like… we all know how to take maternity photos)

Thanks for sharing in our excitement Enjoy a beautiful weekend!