Okay, so I didn't really leave my heart there... it left me and is wandering around this country in a semi. After two weeks of orientation in Iowa, we got to see John for one day before he took off to Richmond to meet his trainer. This is his first week of a 5-week training period. I think we're holding up pretty good, although I've been so absent-minded lately, I even forgot to thaw out the chicken. I know this will only get easier, especially once he has his own truck and can be home every weekend.

Yesterday was our first Sunday of not being at CCFuquay, and that was, well, weird. (By the way, they should change that grammar rule to "I before E, except after C, or when sounding like 'ay' as in 'neighbor' and 'weigh,' or unless you're just plain 'weird.'") But yes, it was strange. Church was great, but I miss my church family. Life has changed so much in the last month, I'm still feeling like I'm having trouble getting my feet under me. I know all that will come in time. Until then, I guess I'll just keep expecting the chicken to thaw itself out.

In Brooke World, the little munchkin is learning to walk (she was taking 2 and 3 steps together on Sunday), but she still just wants to hold Mom's (or anyone's) hands to walk around the house. You can tell she wants to, she just hasn't worked up the courage. She is not very verbal, but definitely a smarty pants. She picks up on so much that we don't even realize. And boy does that girl love to dance. She finds rhythm in everything, even the sound of the washing machine. We love her to pieces and she brings so much joy to our lives. Can't imagine how boring life would be without her!

Sometimes I wonder if my non-parent friends get annoyed with my baby-paparazzi overload and my obsession with little baby things like sitting up and rolling over. I'm sure I would have been annoyed with myself if the situation were reversed. But having a baby really does change your whole world... and not just by being overwhelmed by toys and diaper changes and feedings and the color pink. This tiny little thing has come into my world and she's got me wrapped around her tiny finger. I think it's because she is such a miracle... her very life is proof of God's hand working in her little body and spirit and soul, and also in our lives. I hope I never lose this wonder. I hope years from now I still grasp just how blessed I am to be Brooke's mom. God has been exceedingly good to us, and this awesome little girl is just one more example of His goodness.

Wow! Apparently I'm really bad at this... it's been 3 months since I last wrote anything. Of course the big news is the perfect little angel who's sleeping in my arms (yes, I'm typing this with one hand). Brooke Catherine Clutter was born on August 28th at 2:28 in the morning. I had to be induced since my water broke (at the doctor's office) and labor hadn't started after 9 hours and the midwife didn't want to risk infection. So labor didn't go at all like expected (does it ever, really?) but Brooke came only 5 1/2 hours after induction and was a very healthy and alert 7 lbs 6.7 oz and 19 1/2 inches long. And she's absolutely perfect (I sound like a mom, right?). John did great and was such a huge comfort and support through the process.


Brooke is now almost 7 weeks old (wow!) and is absolutely beautiful. She is growing so fast and I can't believe how quickly these last couple months have gone! It's definitely a life-changer... my life now revolves around this little 11 pound thing. But she is so great... she's smiling, making lots of eye contact, and starting to vocalize. I'm afraid I'm going to become that mom who is always bragging on her baby to the point it becomes obnoxious... I'll try to restrain myself.

... What century am I living in?
Our first harvest started with realizing too late that we had zucchini in, and so we ended up with 10-12 inch zucchinis.

The first one John picked, size 10 and a half:


So far we have enjoyed zucchini, squash, green beans, and lettuce. The cucumbers and peppers are still small, and the tomatoes are still green, but still gorgeous:

The corn is getting closer as a few of the stalks have formed "tassels":

Here is a photo of our fabulous harvesting crew (I was working, so they all got to deal with the heat without me ;)

With one of the foot-long zucchini, I made some delicious sausage and mushroom stuffed zucchini, smothered in cheese and spaghetti sauce - delish!

So on to my other project. Here are the pieces to the quilt (just the first 1.75 rows). Please ignore the gray carpet and the fabric softener sheet:

I'm super excited about the fabric and the colors and have about a million ideas to bring all the colors into Brooke's nursery. One of those ideas is a coordinating pillow to go on the pink chair that's in the room. I brought in the birdie theme by cutting out a silhouette that I'm now stitching to the front of the pillow:

So that's it for now. Just looking forward to meeting Brooke Catherine Clutter in less than 3 months!

I hit the 25 week mark yesterday, so in a week I'll be in the 3rd trimester. Crazy! This pregnancy has flown by so fast! Before I know it, our little girl will be here and I'll wonder why in the world I thought I was ready to be a mom. My summer will consist of subbing as much as I can, working on all the crafting projects I have given myself, trying to get this house in order, and staying in an air-conditioned house as much as I can (I should probably help John with the garden, too, but that involves being outside). I've already got a few days scheduled at a year round school, but I'm going to try not to stress too much about getting work. Even one day a week would be sufficient.

As to all my crafting projects, I have most of the material chosen for the quilt and will post pictures soon (once I get the last bit of fabric for the front). And of course, the scraps will go toward making the mobile and whatever else I feel like making. My mom and John have helped me by doing the nasty job of spray-painting shelves and frames. Mom has promised to help with the quilt project as much as she can between 40 hours of work - I especially need her artistic eye and moral support. She was also kind enough to let me keep her sewing machine for a while, which I was so excited I actually remembered how to thread it! Now, if I could just remember how to load the thread on the bobbin.

So far, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm getting bigger and bigger and have a feeling this child is going to be large. I was 9 lbs 8 oz, and I hope she comes nowhere near that. My uterus measured big on the last appointment, so we'll see how it is at my next one. Also, my weight gain has slowed down after my 11 lb jump in 4 weeks, for which I am grateful. The glucose test will be next week, so here's hoping everything turns out well. I also have a feeling my daughter is going to be very active. She jumps and kicks and does somersaults in my womb. I can even see her punches from the outside.

The vegetables in our garden are growing very well. Unfortunately, so are the weeds. I guess this is one of those learning experiences. I still think we'll have good produce, and we even have some tomatoes already. I will post pictures of that as well.

For now, I'll leave with a picture of our little girl in utero at 20 weeks.

With the anticipation of the new baby, I am waxing creative. Mom and I have decided to attempt quilting, which should be interesting. I've already starting making plans, but nothing will be solid until we found out if Baby Clutter is a boy or a girl (3 weeks until we know!). Until then, we're just in the planning stages.

I have also decided to make a mobile (or maybe an immobile since it probably won't spin around like the store-bought ones). If it's a success, I'll post pictures. If it's not, I'll pretend I never made it. I haven't done any sewing in the last 8 years, so this should be interesting. For the mobile, I'm going for the oh-so-trendy woodland theme (I just can't help myself). Here's a picture of a nursery wallpaper that is sort of close to what I'm going for.

Our other new endeavor is a vegetable garden, which I'm excited about. Here's hoping my black thumb doesn't doom those poor veggies. Either way, I'm excited about the whole learning process. We're just in the planning stages, but we'll be starting pretty soon.