For the last 5 days since OWOH ended we have been in Texas! We went out to meet the newest member of the family, our great nephew. We were already in love with him before he was even born but NOW......well it's a true love affair. He is a 3 month old bundle of pure joy, delight, heart-melting deliciosness. His wee toes are like bits of candy you just want to chew on and his smiles light up the room like fireworks. We got to feed him his bottles and change him, and play with him and laugh with him and make funny faces and sounds with him ALL the time we were there. The first day and a half we were there we got to take care of him all by ourselves while they were at work.....BLISS I tell you, BLISS. He is THE best baby who really only cries when he's hungry and that's only because this boy loves to eat! He is a morning guy who wakes up smiling. My nephew and his wife are VERY important people in our lives who we love dearly and are in constant contact with....we had THE best time with them as well and were quite sad to have to leave yesterday. (there were tears). It's really something to look at this baby and have it seem like yesterday I was doing all these same things with and for my nephew....and now he's a husband and father...you realize how time flies. They are fabulous parents who share parenthood 50/50....both extremely hands on, even alternating nights for night feedings. It's an extraordinary thing to watch. This baby is very lucky to have had that stork land him in their lives...and visa versa. It was really sad to wake up this morning and know I wasn't going to get to kiss his cheeks and feel his wee hand around my fingers and to see that giant wide smile he does. Thankfully with technology there are quick digi photos that can be sent and Skype where we'll be able to see him and hear him in real time. I know I may be going back again before the year's over.
Look at that face, look at those cheeks, those lips!!!
Is he cool or what? He likes Francine the octopus hanging above him from his little floor gym. I am thinking of doing some illustrations and a story for him about her and Arthur the whale. (he's there too - my nephew named them)
We brought him some gifts. One is the tie dye onsie he's wearing in the above photo I bought from an Etsy shop. (2 different sizes). My nephew wore tie dye as a wee boy so he wanted the baby to have one too. The other gift was a quilt I made for him, he's actually laying on it in that above photo.
I knew I wanted to make a quilt but just couldn't pin point the design I wanted to use although I knew it needed to get his attention and that I'd use batik fabrics. I finally decided to print out some of my illustrations on a paper back fabric made for ink jet printers. Once it's printed you peel the paper off, let it dry thoroughly, wet it under tap water and let it dry again. I used 20 different illos and a special one I did on PS using all 3 of their images. I then cut them out and sewed each one together.
(believe it or not I was doing this during the last part of OWOH....nothing like last minute AND doing two things at once. What can I say?)
No matter how I tried I could not get the lighting right so it's not as sharp in the center as it could have been....but you get the idea.
The bird on the left has part of my nephews face, the bird on the right has part of my niece-in-law's face and baby L in the nest from a photo they had sent me. It's hard to see but in front are their 3 dogs from a photo of theirs. Yes, they have 3 dogs and they are so WELL behaved and one of them(the black one) we wanted to smuggle home with us! (not that we didn't adore all three dogs) They don't go near the baby, except the occasional quick sniff they know better. One day though that will change as the baby gets mobile and starts to chase and pull on them! ha!
Look at those toes! Those squishable thighs! Those kissable cheeks! Look at that smile! Ok, I know I've already said all that but I can't help it..... I tell you we both are missing him SO bad! BohoHandyman changed and fed him too....we felt like "psuedo grandparents" for a few days and it was amazing!
I could gush on and on but I think you get the feeling we have!
We now have to get back to reality.....I have parcels to mail to my winners....emails to answer....unpacking to do and I HAVE to get back to work in my studio actually creating some long over due art.
PLUS, we came home to a refrigerator that stopped working and the smell was so beyond description I had to wear a mask. EVERYTHING had to be thrown away and the inside bleached. Now a repair person is coming later this morning and we have our fingers crossed it's something that can be fixed relatively easy as getting a brand new fridge is not in the budget right now. Ah the yin and yang of life.
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The OWOH link list is now on a separate page...see the last tab above that says OWOH Links. I have received a few things in the mail that I will address in my next post. I hope everyone has sent out their winnings or if not have communicated with your winners. Thank you again for the amazing comments and emails and snail mail you have sent to me. I am still going through them and they melt my heart!
I need to end this loooooong post now.... I don't want the repair person to catch me in my jammies.....or you all to fall asleep reading this. ;)
I'll be back again soon...
Much love,
Lisa
XOXO