Christine Chitnis: October 2010

Settling into the rhythm

Thank you so much for all of your loving words welcoming little Vijay into the world. We are home now...and so happy to be settling into our own routine. The days pass at a peaceful pace...sleeping, eating and every now and then, joining us for some awake time. His favorite place to sleep is right on his daddy's chest, all warm and snuggly, listening to his heartbeat.

I am cherishing each and every moment that we spend together, and now, with the whole family in town to welcome our new arrival, it promises to be a magical weekend .

Our newest addition...

We are so excited to introduce the newest, and cutest, member of the Chitnis family: Little Vijay. Weighing in at 7 pounds, 10 ounces, he joined us yesterday, October 25, at 5:16pm.

We are all doing well, just enjoying our time together as a new family. Tell me he is not the cutest baby you have ever seen (might I be a bit biased?!)?

The Pumpkin Patch

I just couldn't resist...I mean, he is going to be a Halloween baby, right? I am very late to the party here, but I finally joined Ravelry. Ummm...why didn't anyone tell me that it's the best thing ever? There are a ton of free patterns, and enough knitting inspiration to motivate even the laziest knitter (that would be me). I think I have found my calling knitting baby hats...it takes about 2 hours start to finish, and they are so small and cute when completed. What could be better?

I am going to try and finish up these abandoned baby booties this weekend. I stalled out when the pattern became a little intimidating, but really, that was back in June...its time to get over it! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

My Daily Rhythm

My days have slowed into a nice, easy rhythm. I lounge in bed in the morning, reading from a selection of baby books. I leisurely get up, throw on the only clothing that fits (I am down to 2 pairs of pants and three shirts, which I arrange in endless combos). I take a nice long, slow walk to my favorite coffee shop where I indulge in a pastry and decaf latte. I bring a book and settle into the morning.

It is an amazing feeling to have a completely wide open schedule, with nothing but a weekly doctors appointment on my calender. I don't think I have ever had this...not once, in my entire life.

I am so excited for our little guy to arrive, but I am enjoying these quiet moments. It will be the last time that I will have an endless stretch of hours to myself...ever. I plan on appreciating them one pastry at a time!

A Crafty Weekend

This weekend was devoted to Netflix and crafting...perfect combo if you ask me! I whipped up a set of felt blocks (inspired by Janine) which pretty much give away the little ones name!

He is going to be named after his dad, which was actually my decision. I absolutely love the name Vijay...it is a nod to his Indian roots, yet easy to pronounce for his future teachers and friends. Every Hindu name has a meaning, and Vijay is no exception. It means VICTORY.

I also knitted up this little hat...and with no baby to model it, I had to use this little piggy. While I was knitting, my husband came poking around, asking what I was making. When he felt the softness of the little hat, he decided he wanted one too. Could this be a cry for attention? I don't know many grown men who would actually request a pom-pom hand knit hat from their wife...maybe I need to put down the needles and give him a little TLC before the baby arrives! You know men...

Back to Regular Scheduled Craftiness

I had some pretty lofty crafting plans for our babe-to-be, and I am proud to say that I have completed almost all of them. Many of my crafty to-do's were for the nursery, but there were others. There was this Heather Ross quilt, and...

this Nani Iro play-mat...

Now, with my book manuscript turned in (YIPPEE), I am going to have wide open time to finish the rest of my projects!

I have definitely reached that uncomfortable phase of my pregnancy. Sleeping is difficult, sitting is difficult, moving is difficult, eating is difficult, breathing is difficult...so that leaves...nothing! I find that I am most comfortable when lying in bed on my side, surrounded by pillows, watching movies. That is exactly what I intend to do for the next week or two (or until whenever our little man decided to make his appearance). Of course I need projects to keep my hands occupied while watching my movies, so here is what I have planned:

Felt block inspired by Janine and...

a striped baby hat knitted with this beautiful yarn.

Speaking of knitted goods...I have been meaning to show you the AMAZING booties and baby blanket that my mom's friend made for our little guy. These were one of my favorite shower gifts...I could feel the love that went into each knit and purl. Aren't they stunning?

Yes...this is one loved baby. Now would he hurry up and get here already!

A Little Bit Country

First off...thank you so much for all the nursery love! I cherished each and every comment, and I love that you adore the space as much as I do. It was so fun to share it with you, each and every little detail...so thank you for indulging me! I have some other fun news to share with you today...something I have been wanting to tell you about for well over a year now!

Come on, look a little bit closer...

That's right my friends...yours truly has written a feature article for Country Living magazine. A SIX-PAGE spread on the fantastic Susan Gibbs and Juniper Moon Farm. This has been over a year in the making.

After meeting Susan at the very first Squam Art Workshops that I attended (back in June 2009), I got the idea in my head to pitch her story to Country Living. I happened to be vacationing on Martha's Vineyard that summer, so I paid Susan a visit, conducted a short interview and sent the idea off for consideration. To my shock, Country Living not only accepted the idea, but agreed to make it a feature article and fly me to Virginia (where Susan moved her farm) to write the story. Then came months of waiting, an intensive period of writing and revisions...and finally, it dropped in my mailbox this afternoon.

This is why I write... why I continue to submit story ideas in the face of so many rejections. Every once in a great while, I get to tell the story of someone living their creative dream...and it makes all the rest of the struggle worth it.

Please run out and pick up the November issue of Country Living, and if you like what you see...drop them a note. Wouldn't it be nice to see more stories featuring women living out their dreams?

The Unveiling

It's time...finally! The nursery is all done and today was the first sunny day we have had all week, so it was perfect picture-taking time. I am so nervous and excited for the big unveiling. I feel like I have been talking about it and building it up for months now! I really hope you like it!

I was going for a sophisticated, yet playful feel for this room. The long linen curtains, antique chandelier and simple color palette add to the sophistication and all of the fun accessories, many sourced from the various craft shows I attended this summer, contribute to the playfulness.

One of my favorite things in the room is the ABC wall hanging, which my mom made. She spent the entire summer collecting fun little trinkets to fill each pocket- a little stuffed bear for B, a colorful pinwheel for P, and a vintage Raggedy Ann doll for R. She hand-stamped each letter onto white fabric, and sewed on the pockets with a zig-zag stitch. She backed the entire thing with a thick, upholstery weight fabric, and then used quilt binding to finish off the edges. It is hung with a dowel on wall hooks.

Furniture:
Crib: Graco Charleston Classic
Changing Table: Craigslist (originally Pottery Barn)
Glider: Craigslist
Glider Fabric: Calico Corner, Sundance Stripe
Rug: Dash and Albert
Curtains: Ikea (I added the red pom-pom trim)
Antique Highchair: Portland Architectural Salvage
Chandelier: Local Antique Shop
Bookshelf: Pottery Barn
Red Wall Shelf: Joanne Fabrics (I spray painted it red)

Accessories:
Crib Quilt: Plum Cozy Cottage (a gift from my mom)
Stuffed Gnome: Fruitcake Designs
Stuffed Pig and Elephant: Jellycat
Waldorf Baby (on highchair) and Striped Pig (on red shelf): Marcy Schepker
Balloon Print: Sarah Jane Studio (Ikea frame)
Wooden Car: Bearded Seal Woodcrafts
Robot (on red shelf): Miaow

DIY:
ABC Wall Hanging
Pillow on Glider
Switchplate Cover
Flags

A Blessing

As the birth draws closer, I find myself reflecting on my journey through pregnancy. It seems like a lifetime ago, but in March/April of this year, we were in India, and I was in my first trimester. It was a difficult trip because I was experiencing terrible morning sickness, and the (normally heavenly) smell of spicy curries was enough to send me running for the door.

But it was a beautiful trip as well. We took time out of our busy travel schedule to have a puja (blessing) for our child. It was a long ceremony (2 hours!) and I didn't understand what was being said...but I appreciated the beauty of the ancient rituals, and I was moved by the many offerings made on behalf of our baby.

I thought it might be fun to show you a few pictures of the ceremony... Let's hope the blessing extends to the birth, which I am hoping will be healthy (and quick and painless too!).