Building a Baby Cradle (Days 4-6)

Not really sure what days we have been working but it is pretty much a few hours each day. Today was "Day 6". Days 4-6 have been spent doing the rough cuts of all the pieces. Things are beginning to take shape!

The leg posts were already finished but one out of four of the feet and supports got finished today. I can't believe how much time it takes to do things the right way. We spend at least half of our time planning and practicing and my father in law spends the other half of the time actually cutting. For the foot and support piece, he used so many different tools and machines (table saw, ban saw, router, chisel, etc).

Wordless Wednesday {36 weeks pregnant}

When you are too pregnant and exhausted to climb upstairs for a photo in a proper mirror.



Words to be added later, after a trip to the CF clinic.

Wordy Update: I can't believe in approximately 4 weeks, I will be a mother of two children, Nathan will have a little sister, and we will be a family of 4. I am beginning to feel like August is going to be an extremely rough month. I don't recall it being this difficult when I was pregnant with Nathan. I am now taking the liquid iron supplement with prune juice, it helps the tiniest bit.

Click here to see more baby belly photos.

Are you 36 weeks pregnant? Learn more at PregnancyCorner.com

Building a Baby Cradle (Days 2-3)

We didn't do any work on the cradle yesterday for several reasons:

1. It was my birthday
2. It was unbearably hot
3. Nathan was and still is sick

He dozed off on the arm of our sofa yesterday afternoon which is extremely rare. He was only asleep for twenty minutes at the most because he woke up coughing and gagging on mucous.



Now back to "Building a Baby Cradle". Thursday and Friday my father in law and I worked on the legs to the cradle. We started off with newel posts (the post at the top or bottom of a flight of stairs) because they are already turned on a lathe which we don't have (for the decorative curves).

He used a drill press to make the holes and then a router to hollow out the grooves. Here he is using a chisel to square of the grooves created by the router.



What did I do? I held wood, fetched tools, flipped switches, blew dust, offered suggestions and double checked all measurements. I think that is enough considering the safety of Baby Girl.

27 and 35 ½

Today I will be celebrating my 27^th birthday while 35 ½ weeks pregnant.

Nathan is not feeling well. Two days ago we started noticing more congestion and coughing. Yesterday he developed a slight temperature, glassy eyes and began wheezing. Today he is just pretty miserable. We have an routine appointment at his CF clinic on Wednesday but if he gets worse I may reschedule the appointment for earlier in the week.

I had planned on taking Nathan to see hot air balloons for my birthday but may try tomorrow instead if he is feeling better. I don't think he would be up to doing too much of anything today.

I did not have a chance to get a 35 week belly photo this week but here is a photo from when I was 35 weeks pregnant with Nathan. The photo was taken the day before my 25^th birthday, 2 years ago. I barely look pregnant with Nathan, what do you think?



Click here to see more baby belly photos.

Are you 35 weeks pregnant? Learn more at PregnancyCorner.com

Cradle Bumper: Project Complete!

I am completely shocked that I was able to complete the cradle bumper yesterday especially since I got a rough start to my day.



First I couldn't find the foot or power cord to my sewing machine (this happens way too often).

Then I couldn't find the piece of paper where I did all my brainstorming and planning (since I very rarely use a pattern I usually have to create my own). This piece of scrap paper had all the interior dimensions of the cradle and the dimensions for the cuts of fabric. Poof! the day I need this paper it disappears into thin air.

And the icing on the cake, I ordered the batting over a week ago online. FedEx was supposed to deliver the package on Monday, then the delivery was rescheduled for Tuesday, and finally they transferred the package to USPS and it was delivered on Wednesday (yesterday). Of course our mail doesn't arrive until the afternoon, much too late.

But, determined to socialize with my girlfriends, I still packed the car with what I did have, sewing machine and fabric, and left for a day of sewing or not sewing. I picked up a fruit salad on the way and arrived only a half hour late. I was very relieved not to be the last one to show.

After sitting around for about a half hour trying not to blow a gasket, I hopped on my friend Kelly's computer and began to research the measurements, again. I think Kelly realized how flustered I was and helped me with the brainstorming. Sometimes you just need an extra brain in the room and if it weren't for her I probably would have sat around all day doing nothing and throwing a pity party for myself. Thanks Kelly!

I was also determined to make the most of this sewing day. It is not often when you have a roomful of women with different experiences and suggestions to ask advice. Because of this I was able to sew the perfect ruffle for Baby Girl's bumper.



All in all the day, which didn't begin so smoothly, ended with a completed project. My husband even hand delivered the batting after the postman delivered it to our house.