Memories

Memory is selective. Sometimes it is involuntarily selective - we don't remember anything else; but sometimes it helps to be deliberately selective in our memories, and choose to not remember/think about/dwell on certain events. This week has had plenty of moments that I will forget, and several that I will choose to not remember. However, there were plenty of moments that I don't want to forget.

I never want to forget the strength and determination I received from Thomas as I looked into his eyes and felt his hand in mine, as he helped me breathe through strong contractions.

I don't want to forget the support and encouragement from my labor and delivery nurse. She was amazing.

I don't want to forget that I had the doctor I knew best deliver my baby. And she was so helpful, informative, encouraging, professional, supportive, and took really good care of me.

I never want to forget the feeling of the little child on my stomach as he took his took his first breaths - his little squinty eyes and his pointy upper lip and the relief to actually see him and hear his cries.

I know I won't forget the certainty of knowing his name was just right. Thomas said something like, "What do you think of Malcolm Frederick?" which was the name I thought was the right one.

I don't want to forget the Mother and Child nurse that reminded me of my mom and let me relax that first night.

I don't want to loose the sense of thankfulness for everyone who cared for me and the baby while we were at the hospital.

I don't want to forget Eamon's little voice as he said "Malcolm" and "MacMac"

I don't want to forget Mom's and Dad's beaming faces as they saw him for the first time. And how much fun Eamon had with them. And their hugs and kisses as they congratulated us.

I don't want to forget the relief of being at home as a little family.

I don't want to forget the way Eamon wants to hug Malcolm and play with him, and doesn't quite understand why Malcolm doesn't do anything.

I don't want to forget Thomas' help making meals, playing with Eamon, holding and rocking Malcolm, washing dishes, not getting any alone time, and getting me a huge bouquet of flowers.

I don't want to forget little baby cuddles and snuffles and sweetness or little boy cuddles and kisses and sweetness.

I don't want to forget Mom's support and encouragement in dealing with Eamon's getting used to not being the center of life. Or the way she and Dad took him out for an hour or so to watch big machines with Edmund. And brought dinner.

I don't want to forget that although I began to doubt God's love and provision, He gave me far more than I could have hoped for.

The things that were uncomfortable, disagreeable, stressful, inconvenient, I don't mind not remembering, but I will choose to remember these things and be thankful - so thankful - for the birth of our second son.

Rosette Tutorial

Sorry, no pictures yet. I will update it with pictures sometime (probably after the baby is born). I just have been wanting to post this, but I keep forgetting.

I was looking for a good tutorial for a fabric rosette, but all I could find were ones that began either with a ribbon or a strip of fabric. I had some scraps that were circles, and I knew there was a way to make a circle into a rosette, but I couldn't remember how. I did a quick search for a paper rosette, and found one that I adapted this from.

Start with a circle of fabric. Any fabric will work, but it looks best with fabric that doesn't fray very much. I have now made one from lace, an old sheet, and "broomstick" fabric. The circles I used were between 8-12 inches in diameter, but you could probably use a larger one if you had it. I don't think much smaller would work very well though.

Cut the circle into a spiral. Or cut a spiral into the circle. Either way, the circle should turn into a spirally strip of fabric about 1.5 to 2.5 inches thick. Again, you could probably go wider if you have a bigger circle, but I don't think narrower would work very well. The wider the spiral, the floppier the rosette. The more even the spiral, the better looking the rosette.

Starting at what used to be the center of your circle, sew around the smaller or inside edge of the spiral with a large stitch. You could do this with the widest stitch on a machine, or with a small to medium hand stitch.

Gather along that edge, then roll into a rosette. This is the trickiest part because the fabric will want to keep twisting. You can "un-gather" it a little as you need to if it helps. All I can say is just fiddle with it until it looks right. If your center keeps popping out, you can hand sew it as you go. If it is easier to just hold it, you can sew it all together once you are finished rolling it. The kind of fabric will determine which method you use. With the broomstick fabric, I had to sew it as I went along, but it was easier to wait until I was done with the lace.

Then hand sew it onto a pin, hair tie, barrette, outfit, purse, or whatever else you want a rosette on.

Because it doesn't have a hemmed edge, the rosette is not neat and trim, but kind of floppy and "country" but I think makes a really cute accessory. They are fun and somewhat easy to make, so once you make one, you might want to make lots more!