white apples . a blog

impish

snippets, updates, recaps, and such

Juniper, our little late-talker, is finally erupting with a barrage of new words in past few weeks. Her burgeoning lexicon is still mostly focused on identifying animals - giraffe, bird, llama, etc. Here is a little video of her trying out her newest and thus current favorite word - owl - though you will notice that, when put on the spot, she falls back on her first love - bee.

Juniper is still thoroughly enjoying the Carolina summer. She is all sweaty-baby curls and skinned knees and dirt-under-the-fingernails. While I'm counting down the days until Fall, Juni is loving popsicle afternoons and baby pools and green grass and doesn't even notice this mama-wilting heat and humidity.

We hosted Charlie's summer lab party last weekend with a characteristically over-the-top menu in both quantity and variety given that we were feeding twelve undergrad and graduate students who have never heard of edamame, Thai satay, or soba noodles. We could have saved ourselves a busy, stressful Saturday by throwing some burgers on the grill and opening a few bags of potato chips. The three different cupcakes on the menu, however... those were for me. Far from being intimidated by the dozen adultish people who invaded our house all at once, Juniper was the life of the party, basking in the attention (and the cupcakes). She showed off her iPhoning skills, her toy piano playing, her twirling, and her dancing (to our music playlist, which was described as "old school" by one of the young punks).

Speaking of old school, I turned thirty-two this week. Thirty-two is one of those ages that is neither here nor there. I'm far enough into my thirties that I just need to suck it up and stop bemoaning the loss of my twenties, yet I'm not quite old enough to be worrying about the downhill slide into forties. So the big three-two was celebrated by spending a nice, low key day at home with the family. Charlie made delicious, decadent chocolate chocolate chip pancakes with blueberry sauce for breakfast that Juni spurned in favor of plain yogurt. He also took the day off, which was gift enough for mama, who didn't have to change a diaper or do the dishes all day long. ahhhhhh... 

 

{this moment}

 {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. 

*** *** ***

inspired by Amanda Soule. join in on her blog.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. 

*** *** ***

inspired by Amanda Soule. join in on her blog.

27 weeks and sewing for mama

At 27 weeks along, our little bean is moving and stretching and tumbling quite frequently, especially at night when his big sister snuggles up to the belly for her bedtime story.  The excruciating lower back pain I had been experiencing has given way to a persistent but entirely bearable little ache, now that I have stopping doing projects hunched over on the floor in from of the TV and I have cut down on unnecessary hoisting of the constantly-eating, ever-growing toddler. Much like the last time around, chocolate and fruit cravings have kicked into high gear, though I get far fewer chastising lectures about dessert consumption from my Durham doctor than I got from my San Diego doctor. I tell myself that the fruit balances out the chocolate. Does eating an entire watermelon in one day negate that brownie binge? It does, right?

Speaking of mama indulgence, the first project I chose from Anna Maria Horner's newest book, Handmade Beginnings, was one just for me. The Four Corners Blouse is a nursing top ingeniously constructed entirely from rectangles of fabric. This was a pretty quick, simple project, though for most of the time that I was working on it, I was utterly confused about how it would all come together. I just chugged along, step-by-step, and it all worked beautifully (except for those straps... the placement of those are a bit wonky). 

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. 

*** *** ***

inspired by Amanda Soule. join in on her blog.

of buzzing and butterflies

Summer days in Durham are bright hot and unbearably heavy with humidity. Juniper loves every minute of it. She begs to go outside in the wilting heat of midday. Unfortunately for her, at 26 weeks, this pregnant mama wants nothing to do with Summer heat indices north of 100.

When we do indulge our little nature girl, she zig-zags around the back yard, gently smelling every flower and sinking her fingers into the clumpy clay dirt. She says "hi" to every butterfly and dragonfly. We sit and watch them dance from bud to branch. Young deer hover around the perimeter, waiting for their chance at the peach tree. Giant fuzzy bumblebees nestle in the zinnias. "Bees!" she yells, giggling with delight, unaware of stings and such things.

She mimics her daddy, inspecting the grass, pulling up weeds. She delights in any little breeze that might come our way. She wanders and explores.

Back inside, we watch the birds on the feeders - extravagant cardinals, impossibly tiny hummingbirds, noisy little finches. I think of all that she must be learning, every moment of the day - things I don't have to teach her, things she learns just by being in the world. It is humbling, dizzying. The swiftness of it all. And the simplicity.

kitty cat love

Juniper loves picking out her own clothes. She briefly studies her options and then chooses some article of clothing that she absolutely must wear that very moment. Now she has a new favorite pair of jammies that keeps making the top of her list at beditme. With the previous two pajamas I made, I selfishly indulged my own Amy Butler and hedgie loves, but this time I used a fabric pattern that I knew Juniper would adore, given her obsession with all things kitty cat. These Bedtime Story pajamas are made from the Alley Cat print in Amy Schimler's On a Whim 2 fabric line (part of the Robert Kaufman collection). The orange trim is Poppy Pindot by American Jane for Moda. We lie in bed at night and point out all the different stripey kitties before she drifts off to sleep. Success.

 
 

nineteen months and far, far away

At nineteen months, she loves to read and scribble and run and squeal at the top of her lungs. 

She loves to feed herself and then clean her tray. In fact, she loves to clean anything. And throw things in the garbage. 

She helps me empty the dishwasher and knows where most things belong.

She loves Greek yogurt and calamari and lima beans. She hates carrots and anything carrot-colored.

She has particular opinions on how scrambled eggs should be prepared. And grits, as well. Don't even think about serving her overcooked eggs or bland, soggy grits.

She loves to scold me for spilling ice on the floor, which I do every time. She also puts each fallen cube in the sink, whereas I would otherwise let them all melt on the floor, leaving a minefield of slippery little puddles for the rest of the day.

She is finally, finally starting to say several words consistently, though she has already earned a referral for a speech evaluation in August. She loves to point out animals (Bee! Pig! Duck!). She is also particularly fond of declaring herself a "good girl". I can't argue with her.

Somehow she understands everything that she is told. And she knows things. Things that I don't remember ever teaching her.

When I am spending too much time on the laptop instead of playing with her, she will push the button that puts the computer to sleep.

She knows how to unlock my iPhone and choose her particular apps of interest. She also dials my mom on a regular basis. And has called Poison Control.

She gives the sweetest hugs and kisses. Even to the dog.

She is alarmingly fearless and independent. I, on the other hand, was a big, clingy chicken for the majority of my childhood.

She dances just like her Daddy.

She savors a chocolate chip cookie just like her Mama.

She is hilarious.

 

The dress is another reversible sundress with fabric from Heather Ross' Far Far Away collection (unicorns on one side, snails on the other). This pattern is just too irresistible since it take perhaps an hour to cut and sew up. Instant gratification. The fabric is a soft, airy double gauze, making the dress perfectly sweet and twirly for a little one on the move.