The Day Before

A notion on my mind in recent months has been the feeling of that moment when your entire universe changes, particularly those occasions when it happens with no warning.  I also can't stop thinking about the hours and days right before that moment...the time when you had no idea what was about to happen to you.  Unfortunately, many of those moments involve something terrifying or otherwise negative, but sometimes they are also created by events that are wildly positive.  Maybe you find out something shocking about someone you love, or maybe a beloved pet is harmed unexpectedly.  Maybe marriage was proposed when you did not expect it.  Perhaps there is bad news about your health, or you are victimized by one of the many severe weather events that seem to come more frequently now.  Maybe, just maybe, your baby arrives a month early, but still completely healthy.  Suddenly, your entire point of view has been altered, and other problems which loomed prior to said event become minor; correctly repositioned in the grand scheme of things.

Curve Ball Trifecta

I'm pregnant.  Finally, I'm saying out loud what's really on my mind and what has been on my mind for six weeks now.  Technically, we should wait even longer to spill the beans, but since this situation colors my thoughts on most other situations lately, it's been very hard to keep quiet.  Also, often things do not feel real to me until I put them in writing (possibly the result of a liberal arts education?), and while my body gives me significant clues that this is real, it still seems murky and far-fetched.

It has been a season of surprises, pretty big ones.  We shouldn't have been completely surprised by the pregnancy, since we are people who paid attention in health class back in the day, but still.  I just never thought that I would be one of those people who would basically think about pregnancy and then become pregnant five seconds later.  So that was our first surprise, just before Christmas.

New Skirt and New Life

Many people close to me have heard me go on and on about my love for the work of Alabama Chanin, a company which not only creates beautiful couture garments using earth and people-friendly methodology, but also open sources their methods so that people who enjoy the making process, or want to get the look without the price tag, can still wear their uniquely Southern and feminine styles.

I recently completed my third Alabama Chanin garment, and I have been very happy with it so far.  It is longer than I expected, and also a little bit roomier than I expected.  This turns out to be a fabulous for me, since I also recently learned that I am pregnant.  The comfy, stretchy waistband is turning out to be exactly what I need, since slowly, one pair at a time, my pants no longer comfortably fasten.  More on that later, but in the meantime, here's the skirt: