The Love, Blood, and Rhetoric School

I've felt more movement today than to this whole point so far. I think there may be hiccups happening.

18 weeks and change.

So I've been spending far too much time on the Baby Bump app, in part because I can be genuinely helpful regarding pregnancy and baby info, but mostly because I can't avert my eyes from the sheer stupidity.

Very young women expecting their first babies regularly post on sensitive topics to let the rest of us know how we are doing everything wrong, and the ways in which they will be so much better than us once their baby actually shows up. Today's prime example of this phenomenon was an extremely young first time mom ranting about how disgusting it is when women breastfeed in public without a cover. Guys, she is going to pump at home first and only give the baby bottles whenever they're out in public. I will pause to let those of you who have nursed babies laugh hysterically.

I found this whole post extremely funny, especially after other women who are pregnant with their first baby started chiming in about how right she was and how gross all the rest of us are. And lazy, we're lazy too. So I went online and found this lovely picture:

which I then posted with the comment of "Disgusting!  Look at her breast just hanging out there while she nurses!! It's like she thinks her baby is God's gift to the world or something!!!"

Gentle readers, in the next 5 minutes I got about a dozen comments telling me what a horrible, awful, no good, very bad person I am for being so hateful to nursing women and their babies. My favorite was the one that called me a disgusting human being who should be ashamed of herself. Although that one and the other one talking about how "my baby will be the center of my world and I'll flip that bra open to let her nurse anywhere anytime she wants" have both unfortunately been deleted.

In short, this is ended up being so much more entertaining than I ever hoped for. I mean this is obviously a drawing of a woman wearing a halo; not a picture I took on my phone of some woman I saw at Target. I ended up adding a caveat saying that yes, this is intended to be humorous. I am in fact probaby, pro nursing, and pro Renaissance portraits of baby Jesus with his mommy.

new_blooz, save me a seat in hell, baby!

Well, dress rehearsal time. The show is tomorrow.

I am wearing false eyelashes for the first time in over a decade. I'd forgotten how hard it is to ignore them in my field of vision. Very strange.  Though I did manage to glue them both on on the first try, which is a small but satisfying success.

Katrina is thrilled that she gets to wear makeup on stage. She looks so cute and pleased with herself. She's all dressed and ready to go; we're leaving at five thirty, and I'll get dressed and put my face on at the theater. One of the girls offered to do hair for both of us since I can't french braid.

I got my boots last night! So excited they came from Ukraine in time! There was a tiny mixup where the wrong name was on the bottom and I was given a pair two sizes too big, but we figured it out when one of the apprentices couldn't squeeze into hers. So I have custom made red leather boots for dancing! Katrina is officially counting down the days until she's thirteen and can be an apprentice and get her own Ukrainian boots.

Can someone please come over and make me real mashed potatoes with gravy? Turkey or chicken, I don't care.

Stupid pregnant.

So, I actually had grown-up time today. Important grown-up time to go play dress up.

I was up until midnight sewing, but I think it was worth it.

I need to make the bodice close more tightly in front, the fabric gave a lot more than I had expected, what with all the interlining a, including the bias-cut ones. When I put it on in the parking lot it fit without wrinkling, after two hours you can see some bunching at the waist. :-(

Here is the back, including my lovely camicia sleeve poofs. I'm considering detaching the pleats in the back, turning the bodice under half an inch, and reattaching. It's a smidgen too long in the bodice.

The snood is from eclecticclaire on etsy. It's brown crochet with pearl beads. In this pic I'm wearing two cheapo pearl headbands spaced to look like a caul, but I ended up getting a very nice headband with three bead drops at the festival for 15 dollars.

Here I am attempting a selfie like all the cool kids. You can see the headband a bit. It has that lovely v shape over the forehead. I also lost the pun for the top of my right sleeve by the end of the day.

We're planning on going to the South Ohio faire next Saturday, and I want to fix some things up before then. Move the stomacher eyes in, made the forepart wider, and turn the awl holes in the sleeves to actual eyelets. And pearl beads. Gold couchwork and pearl beads everywhere. I want to clank when I walk.

I am really proud of this one. It's a new style for me, a new pattern company, and a completely new style of bodice making. For having no support underneath, I think it did a very good job keeping things in and up. Plus I made in in less than two weeks, and it was a job of work.

'Cause I'm tired and pukey, that's why.

In non-sartorial news, I had an ultrasound today. According to measurements I'm a week ahead of the math, but I'm already twelve weeks, so it's not super reliable this late in the game. Little critter was jumping about, and had a steady heartbeat of 169.

Here is the gown as of now. Overdress is done except for blind stitching half the lining at the waist and the hem. Stomacher is pinned in, I need to stitch one side and put the hooks and eyes on the other.

Pinning myself into this to fit was not easy. I'm frankly amazed it did it without skewering a finger or a nipple.

The fabulous clasp I got on etsy. It has gorgon's heads!

Detail of cartridge pleating.

My camicia is all done but for the hemming. The binding is not a great success, which makes me sad. It's supposed to be square in the front, but is rather droopy. And I'm not completely thrilled with the sleeve set.

Still need to make a forepart and sleeves.

I have a history of impulsive decisions while pregnant. It's the hormones or something.

In completely unrelated news, I have started making an italian renaissance gown, circa 1470. Because I really, really need one, obviously. And there were pretty curtains on clearance.

The main fabric is nutmeg brown curtain panels with a darker brown brocade pattern. I'm making a sleeveless open-front gown that clasps under the bust.

The stomached and underskirt are going to be a nice crispy coral colored faux silk. It's very flattering to my skin tone in small amounts, and looks very rich next to the brown.

If I have time, I'm going to make two part sleeves out of the coral as well. But I have to finish the gown and make a camicia first. My linen for that is in the washer right now.

Ideally I'd like to be able to nurse in this next summer. So I'm trying to make the stomacher tough enough to coral my breasts. I'm hoping one layer of fake silk, a bias cut canvas interlining, a buckram interlining, and a cut on the grain canvas interlining will be enough to do it. I'll permanently attach the stomacher on one side, and either lace or hook and eye on the other.

Here's Robs' garb for this year. I'm sad there wasn't enough turquoise for the hat, because I think it would have made his eyes even bluer.

He is very taken with the hat, though. He was peering in mirrors and petting the feather and laughing delightedly. So glad that hasn't changed from last year!

Please excuse the awful mess.

Not dead, or missing. Just pregnant (I knew it), and I get motion sick on the computer. It's funny and miserable all at the same time! Pregnancy is pretty much a cosmic joke, though.

I feel pukey most of the time, and it's a struggle to stay awake past two in the afternoon, but otherwise I'm all breasts and hair and looking pretty great.

In other news, spent ten days at my aunt's in Minneapolis, had a great time, took the kids swimming in Lake Harriet, did some great second-hand shopping (orange bulky tweed winter coat!!), napped every afternoon, and ate great food.

My 33rd birthday passed with very little notice, as usual, which makes me a little sad. It'd be nice to have someone fuss some year. Otherwise, great to be home, though I'm feeling pretty unmotivated due to the fatigue and nausea.

I did most of a step class this morning. I love step, my knee does not. So I try to compromise with my knee, but said knee is a whiny bitch.

I put down eight bags of mulch just now, which covers about half the area I thought it would. Mulch always covers half of what one anticipates. You'd think I'd remember this an double supplies accordingly, but I never do.