Spring, She has Sprung

Everyone I know is pregnant.

This is only slightly an exaggeration.

As I do know some fellows.
But the ladies? They're all reproducing like it's their J-O-B.

You know what? When I was incubating the Munchkins I was not a big Social Networker.

I had a MySpace Account (yep. That dates me right there. I haven't been pregnant in a hot minute). But these days people toss belly pictures up on facebook, tweet about their morning sickness, and commiserate with each other via blog comments over swollen feet and weight gain. There is ZerO mystery surrounding pregnancy anymore. It's all laid right out there for ya' in black & white.

I would have LOVED that.
Not so much the belly pics, I've never been a big one for voluntarily  hopping in front of the lens, but the communal aspect of everyone bitching and moaning and supporting each other through the awkward moments and ickiness that can, generally speaking, be pregnancy? Priceless.
I've always adored that aspect of social networking that allowed me to be myself, insane one that I am, and not seize up with anxiety when divulging something private about myself in person.  I remember walking around terrified at least 40% of the time all during my first pregnancy, sure that I was forgetting to ask some question about the placenta that would be integral to the whole giving-birth process (I wasn't...but you get the idea, right?) See? Social Networking to the rescue! Guaranteed someone else already had that question, posted it as their status and has over 39 comments in reply going into more detail than you ever wanted to know about the placenta.

And then, there's all those who have just spawned and are posting like crazy about their new little bundle of joy. And I'm right there with the rest of the world wide web...oooh-ing and ahhh-ing over teeny tiny baby toes and brand new baby clothes... Posting and tweeting and blogging about the smell of the top of a new baby's head and the joy of that first night of four-plus hours sleep... And a part of me, a very tiny, hiding in the shadowed corner part of me, wishes I could do it all over again one more time.

And there, my dears, is the crux of the matter.
For all intents and purposes? This baby machine has done gone out of  business.

Ohhh, all the parts are still intact in the machine, but I've clearanced out my merchandise and put a big ol' Closed Sign on things. I am done having babies. I have several. I don't intend to have any more.

And it makes me a little melancholy to think that I'll never be able to rest a cereal bowl on my stomach again; never be able to slouch on the couch and watch my stomach move after dinner; never get that warm-and-fuzzy moment where you realize you're GROWING another PERSON.

Don't get me wrong, now. there are parts of new motherhood I wouldn't touch with a ten-foot-pole again (can you say, Meconium boys & girls?) But the good stuff...well...perhaps I just have selective memory? But the good stuff seems to far outweigh the bad...

I miss holding my babies all snuggled in the crook of my arm, feeling their entire bodies shudder in sleep. I miss having them so small that I could slide them inside a front carrier, without waking them up, and slip out of the house without having to pack a bag the size of a small, third-world country full of sippy cups and goldfish crackers to soothe cranky toodlers. I miss that feeling of contentment, like I'd just conquered the world, when my baby smiled for the first time; cooed for the first time; chuckled hard, from their belly, for the first time. And I know that there is a lifetime of firsts just waiting for me as my children grow, but those very first signs of personality? Those were some of my favorites.

Anywho, there are my two cents on the current state of the internal no-more-babies struggle.
And, for those of you who really only come here for the crafting?
Below are a few shots of what I've been working on of late...
Happy Tuesday, Gang.




The Gavinator's fully reversible cape + multiple masks for playtime

Circle Skirts!!!

With a little less than a yard of fabric, 30-ish inches of 2-3inch elastic and a solid half hour, you too can be the proud owner of multiple Go-To wardrobe skirts for your Mini-Me's.

A photo of that baby blanket I promised you.
It's not a fabulous photo of the blanket, but it does feature one of the most completely adorable pregnant women on the face of the Earth (Everyone say "hi, Megan!") These blankets have been occupying my every spare moment lately...you'll see a LOT more of these popping up very soon.