Our Little Lad's Name

We are happy to let you in on a little secret - our new son's name will be:

Gordon was the name of my paternal grandfather and Charles, the name of Brad's paternal grandfather. This little boy is getting a big name - I'm so glad that both Gordon Addington and Charles Kidder loved Jesus and left a legacy of faith for their families. We pray the same for our Gordon, that he would love Jesus with all he is and that a love for people would flow out of that. Both of these men also loved popcorn and reading, so naturally, we're hoping he loves those things too!

Here are a few other fun memories/facts about our grandpas:

Grandpa Charles hated cheese (with a strong passion) but loved peanuts, he served in Europe during WW2 as a medic and made a living farming in Hastings, MI while driving a school bus during the school year. Brad would follow him around as a small boy and ask, "What doin' Grandpa?"- this is a favorite story for Grandma to tell. :) Another favorite story: Brad, as a young boy (around 3 years old) was so proud when he "tricked" his Grandpa into eating a cheese puff, he recounts that "Grandpa didn't want to eat it but I told him he would like it and that he needed to try it and finally he gave in. After tasting it he made a disgusted face and spit it out! I thought it was hilarious and tried to get him to eat more over the course of the evening." :)

I've written a pretty extensive post on my Grandpa Gordy, which you can read here, but I wanted to write down a few fun things I've been remembering lately. He loved riding bikes - really anything that had wheels was intriguing to him. He had a special affinity toward trains* and loved to ride them. He had an amazing reading-out-loud voice and would read a favorite book to all the grandkids as he and grandma would travel to see everyone (my favorite was Summer of the Monkeys) over the course of a year. I think I remember his favorite animals as ducks. According to my dad, Grandpa didn't like eating Sloppy Joe's and wasn't a huge fan of mexican food. :)

*Completely off topic, but Michael has shown a love for trains developing too! We're excited to make him a train "table" for his birthday. Shh - don't tell him though. :)  

We, or I, hit the 30 week mark yesterday! 3/4ths of the way done - wow! I keep telling people that I'm trying to keep my expectations in check with reality, which can be difficult to do toward the end of pregnancy. I'm thankful for the experiences I've had with my first two kiddos and so I'm trying to live and learn with some of those lessons in mind (example: preparing for Gordon to come AFTER his due date).

Brad took some head-shots (for the shop) for me this morning before church and snapped a 30 wk, 1 day picture for me too!

Gordon,

We can't wait to meet you! Your sister keeps trying to talk me in to buying things because, "Gordon really likes this!" or "Gordon needs it mom!" We hope you can develop your own tastes and likes despite her strong opinions, she's already decided your favorite color is orange - but I want you to know you're welcome to change your mind on that topic. I hope you're not offended by the fact we've called you by a number for quite some time - I may still call you #3, affectionatly, just for fun sometimes. It makes me happy I have an ultrasound picture of you as a "girl?" from the day you were being stubborn and wouldn't let us see your gender - I also have some clear images of you as a "boy" but you can be confident that I'll embarrass you someday with the "girl?" picture. :) We love you already little guy, I can't wait to hold you in my arms, but now - even as I type this and feel you move like crazy - I'm content to wait until you're closer to 40 wks.

Love you,

Mom

Delightful Seams

Hi friends,

I just wanted to let you know, although most of you have probably seen it on Facebook and Twitter AND Instagram, that I've taken the plunge and opened an Etsy shop! :)

So far I'm selling table runners and banners but will soon add nursing covers and burp cloths to the "for sale" items. :) I hope to eventually sell swaddle blankets too! If there is anything in particular you'd like to see, let me know! I've added a link to the left hand side of the blog - you should see some pictures of current items I have for sale with a place to click below that will take you directly to the shop. Take a glance over there every now and then to see if anything catches your eye. :) 

I WELCOME custom orders and would love to work with you to find fabrics you love!* I'm working on collecting pictures of items I've made in the past so I can give examples of what I can make. I've received one custom order for baby bedding already and am anxiously awaiting on the fabric to arrive in the mail so I can get started! In the meantime I'm working away on MY baby's quilt - it's almost done - I'm hoping to get it done by Friday (when my 9lb package of fabric and supplies is due to arrive). :) 

*To place a custom order head over to the shop and click, "request a custom order" below my picture on the left-hand side - that will start a conversation between you and me so we can chat about what you are looking for. Once we agree on all the details (colors, fabrics, price and desired items) I'll create your order and we can get started! :)  

Thanks to all my friends who have shared the link to my site and said such nice things about the quality of my work - I SO appreciate your support!

A special thanks to my sweet husband Brad - who was the one to encourage me to take this step. I've been afraid to do this for a long time even though I've had the desire to. I'm afraid of being busy (aka. stressed) and taking on more than I can handle and Brad pointed out that if those things did happen it would mean that the Lord was blessing us with success and that's nothing to be afraid of. Thanks for believing in me Love and for encouraging me to take steps of faith, turning from fear.

Well friends, you now know where to go for things made-with-love for the beloved people and spaces in your life - I'd be honored to make something for YOU!

Go Tigers - Happy Birthday Grandma!

In celebration of Brad's mom's birthday the whole family loaded up in our mini van and we headed to Detroit for a baseball game! :) It was Lucy and Michael's first MLB game and my first Tiger's experience - so fun!!! 

 Lucy and I in the car, the kids and I were backseat buddies. :)

Walking to the stadium.

 I love that these two are such buddies. :) 

Tiger's Stadium aka Comerica Park

 Inside the park - of course there were tigers everywhere, this was very exciting for Michael who kept pointing and squealing/screaming (If you call it squealing it sounds much more pleasant). :) 

 Our view - we were in the shade the entire time, so nice! It was a beautiful day. 

 Many of you know, I LOVE the number 11 - for many reasons, it mostly just makes me happy - so I was thrilled when my seat held my favorite number. :)

 Isn't she adorable? These seats filled up, we had 5 seats for 5 adults and two toddlers - there were a few moments of frustration (mostly due to not wanting to bother others around us with fidgety kids) but the kiddos did SO well! Especially considering the game STARTED at the beginning of normal nap-time. :) 

 I've never seen this girl eat a hotdog (in it's bun) so fast! Apparently baseball makes her hungry! 

 Michael, probably pointing out a tiger - I think they were his favorite part of the whole day. :) 

 Grandpa, Michael and Brad - three generations of Kidder men! :) 

 Aren't we cute? Haha

 Talking to Grandma - she thought switching hats was fun. :) 

 Watching the game with Grandpa - it must have been a nail-biting moment. ;)

 After the game, walking back to the car - TIGER'S WIN! :) 

 These kids collapsed in the car and slept all the way home to Lansing. We grabbed dinner at a local restaurant we've come to enjoy - Leo's Lounge - and then headed out for dessert! :)

We ended the day in the perfect way - with Ice Cream from MSU's Dairy Store. Seriously, if you are ever in Lansing, this has to be a stop for you. Wonderful! Mom graduated from MSU, so it was fun to spend a bit of time on campus with her on her special day. :) (Michael loved trying everyone's ice cream - you can see him mid-steal above)

Thanks for having a birthday Grandma! We loved celebrate YOU in a most fun way! 

Baby 3 is a....

BOY! 

At my appointment this last Thursday (by the way I LOVE my new midwife!) I asked if there was anyone who could do a low-key, no frills, gender search, ultrasound for me. Brad and I had decided that if there was someone who could do it - we'd find out, but if not - we'd wait. :) It just so happens that a patient hadn't showed up for their appointment so I was able to see my SON!

Here he is! 26 wks 5 days. (Face, arm, abdomen)

We haven't decided on a name - we think we're close - but aren't 100% yet. :)

Lucy is excited to have another brother - she and I have decided we'll stick together and do girlie things just the two of us! :) Michael has no idea what's coming - but Brad and I think that it will be great for him to have a brother to rough and tumble with (in a year or two!). Brad's in a bit of shock - he was anticipating a girl (and he's been right for the first two!) - so working on adjusting his thinking (but he's super happy). :) I'm thrilled to know - I didn't have an inking ether way (mostly because I was scared of being wrong!) - and have begun prepping mentally for another son. :)

I've ordered fabric for the little guys quilt, pillow case and 1st-birthday banner and also some gauze and flannel for some swaddle blankets - I'm super excited to get started sewing! He'll use the boy crib sheets and crib skirt I made in preparation for Michael - and the crib vacant for him since we've transitioned Michael to a big-goy-bed already!

Here's the main "inspiration" fabric for his fun stuff:

I'll focus on the green and blue, and pull out red (and a bit of yellow) instead of orange (since Michael has orange in his stuff). I'm thinking it will coordinate w/ Michael's well but I'm excited to see it in person! :)