Baby + Serger = Awesome

To begin, PICTURES OF FAT BABY IN A BATHTUB!!!

Which are really the best kind of pictures, you know? But only when they are involving my baby, so I understand if you're all, "Ho-hum, fat baby in tub, I've got a couple of those myself, MOVING ON." Whatever, hater. I bet your baby isn't this pale and red-headed and BRILLIANT. So there.

But seriously, he's just SO FAT and LONG. I am struggling to keep him in 9 month clothing because, as anyone who has ever dressed children before knows, it is a fact that clothing manufacturers decide that when babies get to the 12 month size, suddenly they are into STYLE and COORDINATING OUTFITS instead of, I don't know, comfort and mobility. My child isn't even 4 months old yet. It's (albeit a freakishly warm) February in northern Illinois. He needs to just be cocooned in rompers and sleepers until he's ready to spread his wings and wiggle his fat thighs around this house, which won't be for awhile. But because he is ridiculously long and squishy, he is fitting into 12 month clothing and suddenly I can only find onesie-uncomfortable pants-sweatshirt combinations. Or fussy overall-onesie-hooded sweater. Whaaa? Gurrrl. His mother doesn't even wanna wear that. We are into comfort. Corduroy tends to chafe our cold, wobbly thighs. Make a note, clothing manufacturers.

Can we also talk about how he is grabbing toys and flat-out communicating and also grabbing his feet??? Today I put him in a Bumbo seat with a tray and toys and he went to town with those toys. I experience 10 million heartbreaks a day.

I had The Professor take these tub photos because, as I said, I am not very good at remembering to take pictures this time around (there are so many children, Lord, there are so many) and as I was bathing him last night I realized, hey!, we have no embarrassing tub photos of H! I explained to my husband that said photos are crucial to his development; otherwise, what to show future girlfriends? I thoughtfully covered his privates with a cloth and his dad said these future girlfriends would probably make fun of him more for that (the covered privates) than anything else. Whatever. I'm protecting his dignity on the internet.

(The Professor, imitating future girlfriends: "Ha ha, when you were a baby you had such a little weenie!")

Moving on!

Behold, my birthday gift:

Please imagine the heavens parting and angels singing and also confetti.

If you're scratching your head, then please know that this is a serger. If you don't know what that is, allow me to google that for you. This is, specifically, the Bernina (!) serger that my grandmother bought several years ago and, for all intents and purposes, never used, as she was happy with her Bernina (!) sewing machine. She passed it on to me a year or so ago, and it's needed a new part and some maintenance and has continued to not get used. I told my husband that this, working and alive, was all I wanted for my birthday, and he rallied the troops and came through. If you were a part of the group who made this possible: Thank you. Thank you so much. I am so excited.

Now I must teach myself how to thread it and then use it and, while I am excited, I am also plenty nervous. I mean, using a serger means I maybe have an inkling of what I'm doing, right? And, as I've stated repeatedly, I taught myself how to sew from very little beginner knowledge. Allow me to be a little self-conscious.

I'm off to contemplate my fat baby and my working serger now. At the same time. Don't be jealous.