The Baby Barrel

Hope Chest, Despair Barrel, Baby Barrel Full of Hope

As most young women at the time, my great grandmother was given a hope chest to help her on her way when it came time to marry and settle down. In the 1930's it was typical to marry right away and start a family right off the bat. Dorothy Bellamy was untypical compared to peers. She went off to college, became a teacher, and in these years of waiting for a young man to propose marriage, she nick-named that old hope chest the "despair barrel". She did one day end up getting married to George Nelson and having three beautiful children.

In my own life I see the congruencies that I have with my great grandmother. We both know what it feels like to have to wait. Going to baby showers, walking through the mall, people asking, "When are you guys going to get to the business of having kids?"-- these all made me feel like I was at the bottom of my own despair barrel.

Now that we are finally paper pregnant, I am starting my "Baby Barrel Full of Hope!" Who knows if we will adopt a boy, a girl, or maybe twins! We may be waiting a few weeks, months, or even years. But now that we are hoping, I am getting to the business of filling this baby barrel.

I have heard stories of Birthmothers placing at the last second. For example at our first adoption orientation they told of one family getting a call on a Tuesday and the mother delivering on that Friday. 3 DAYS TO PREPARE! Well, let me tell you what. If that happens to us, we will be ready!

Check out what is going in our barrel! As always... work in progress!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

A quilt for the munchkin

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law and I were walking through a craft show and saw some really cute rag quilts. The crafter was kind enough to tell us how they were made and it seemed easy enough so we tried it, and this is the fruit of my labors! It is a really soft flannel with little monkeys on it. I figured it would work for either a little boy or girl. I can't wait to wrap our little baby up in this lovie!