Who Am I Now? Who Am I Now?

Vintage Dress
Originally uploaded by brapps

I can't remember when I got this vintage 1950's dress pattern ... A few years ago. I began cutting out fabric using the pattern probably 3 years ago, I figure, because not only was James not born yet, I wasn't pregnant either. The fabric is this stretchy cotton, white with bright pink, orange and yellow butterflies - not ideal for this dress (I'm making the version on the right) but some spare fabric I got for cheap years ago that will do well to "test" the pattern out and know what to do or not to do when using a more expensive or unique fabric. I think it's still going to be super cute, if I ever finish the damn thing.

Can I just talk a bit about motivation? Making time for things that matter to ME? What matters to me? I have to get more creative, I really do. I've sewn a few seams on the dress over the summer, proclaiming that I'll try to sew once James is in bed or when he's napping. That just isn't happening. I have to get it together and make it happen.

We're going to L.A. for Christmas and I intend to buy fabrics for making curtains and blinds in our new house. Don't even get me started on the new house!!! Anyway, I am hoping that 2009 is going to be a productive one, in lots of different ways! I'll finish the dress and make others, I'll get our house all sorted and decorated. It will be fabulous!

Me and my Big Boy

reading is fun
Originally uploaded by brapps

In my last post, I was really caught up in a different world than the one I live in now, mentally and physically. Things were truly challenging up until James was about 9 months old. All the puree prep for the weaning and debates about how long to breast feed. Not to mention the irratic sleep patterns and teething (an ongoing saga, but thankfully the sleep is in order - touch wood!) and then what to do about Maternity Leave!

I ended up staying on Maternity Leave until June and it was great. I've gone back to work at the weekends in a ticket office at a tube station that is just under an hour's journey from home, so much better than the commute would have been had I kept the same position I had before my maternity leave started. I've worked 2 days and am now mid-way though 3 weeks of Annual Leave. as of mid-July, I'm back at work every weekend until November, when I have a week of Annual Leave. But I am grateful that I'm able to take 3 weeks off over Christmas to go to California to see my family and friends there.

In March, we got a notice that the owners of the house we were renting were planning to sell it, so we could have first refusal. Having just moved in when James was only a few days old, we weren't too keen to move again, and were looking to do whatever we could to avoid moving. We didn't think we'd be buying a house until next year at the earliest, and weren't sure if we had enough of a deposit saved up to get a mortgage. We found out that we *just* did, and then when it came down to it, I couldn't imagine being happy to stay in the house we were renting for 5 years minimum. We had a look around and saw a house just one street over that has a fireplace and a 3 bedroom, bigger loft space and a bigger garden, and they were asking for £5000 less than the house we were in. So, we made an offer, and ended up with a compromise. When our Homebuyer's Survey was done, the surveyor valued the house at £7,500 less than our agreed price, so we were able to negotiate the price down to match the survey's valuation. By 30 May, we were moving in! So, Ben and I are homeowners now. With all of this housebuying stuff happening, I didn't worry so much about going back to work.

James is doing so well with his eating and learning to walk and talk. I started giving him expressed breast milk in bottles during the day from the time he was 10 months and just a breast feed before bed. When he turned 1, we switched him to cow's milk in a cup during the day and he was getting the breast feed before bed up until 2 nights ago. Now he gets a bottle of cow's milk. He seems to be taking it pretty well. It's weird to think that I'm done breast feeding him now. His meals are really easy, no more purees, he just eats what we eat.

Now we'll see what happens when he starts to walk! Any day now!