Ahhh, Maternity Leave

Today was my first official day of Maternity leave... and it... was... WONDERFUL! I loved every little second.

The best part was taking my shower this morning and getting ready. It is so nice to not have to dress for work, but to dress for myself again. Especially since one of the biggest hurdles at this point in pregnancy is to NOT feel hideous.

Here are the pics of 38 weeks. I have taken my photos at the very last day of each week. So, now that I'm down to the end, my photos are slightly off... but after having taken weekly shots, I'm not stopping now!

This is what happens when you watch too many episodes of Little Miss Perfect. That show is such a train wreck. It is nauseating and scary, but you can't take your eyes off of it.

After I spent the morning taking care of leftover weekend chores, I decided it was time to hunker down and start on the baby project that has been on my mind for weeks. A hand sewn teddy bear. Every kid has a teddy bear right? I didn't finish today obviously, but I got a good start. Today I created my pattern, which is pretty basic. I used newspaper, because it was available... I like the way the bra image shows on the final pattern. I am trying to create a teddy bear that is unique. The fabric I'm using is all leftovers from other creative family members, including my Mom, who hand sewed a stunning quilt for my new little man. The teddy bear will be light blue, charcoal, red, black and white. All the colors of the nursery. The fabric is a nice soft flannel, perfect for cuddling. After pinning and cutting, I got straight to sewing. I don't have any fusible interface so I'm using stich withchery and then reinforcing with a whip stitch with embroidery thread. The best part of this project: I didn't have to go out for any of the materials... aka: I get to sit on my butt and not go anywhere. Isn't that what maternity leave is all about?! The due date is in one week, so rest and relaxation is the name of the game.

Today's Random Trivia:

In 1903 in Giengen, Germany, Margarete Steiff made toy animals out of felt in a small factory owned by her family. Her nephew, Richard Steiff, encouraged her to make a bear based on his sketches following a visit to the Stuttgart Zoo.