shiso mama

I hate to brag, but we’ve been receiving the greatest presents lately. We really have a wonderful group of friends, and I can’t wait to brag some more and share the pictures with you, but first, I wanted to show you a present that Otis received recently:

It’s a handmade sticker book, with a pocket full of animal stickers, made by my friend, Carey.

Can you imagine how excited Otis was to get his hands on this? Just as I was handing the present to Otis and we were admiring the stickers together, Miss Bee started fussing so I went to go check on her. When I returned a short while later, I was surprised to see that EVERY SINGLE STICKER had been peeled off and stuck in his book. He didn’t save a single one. Hmm, I think this is a kid that would definitely eat his dessert first. Well, that’s it for that activity, I thought. But as we looked through his sticker book together, I realized that Otis had actually created little vignettes with his stickers. His animal play has expanded to include elaborate narratives lately, so this was really perfect for him.

Here’s a farm, with the horses climbing up a hill:

Here, the dinosaurs are afraid and running from the flying dinosaur:

One clever thing about the sticker book is that the pages are made of wax paper, so we can actually move the stickers around and create different stories (although I doubt that Otis will let me). I hate to advocate stealing Carey’s idea, but this is such a great, handmade kids’ present that I think that everyone should make one of these. What do you think, Ms. Carey, can we write a tutorial for this great project?

Today is my due date, but we are still waiting. And waiting (I think the landscapers are finishing their work as I type, so it looks like they’ve won the race to the finish line). Our friends, who were originally due 2 1/2 weeks later, even had their baby this morning! In the meantime, I continue with the sewing. Oh, and the waiting.

We have a baby friend, Oliver, who celebrates the same birthday as Otis, and despite how easy it should’ve been to remember, we actually forgot. Naughty naughty. So I made him a small belated present - a food related present, since he has recently been magically cured of some trying eating difficulties.

I sewed him a bib from fabrics collected from Otis’s baby clothes . Does that seem unsanitary somehow? But I loved all of these clothes, and they bring up such great memories for me, and it seemed like a shame not to use them all up. I embroidered his name on the bib, and it’ll go into a package with some dishes and utensils from Boon, whose new feeding products I’m rather enjoying. Oh, and the new layette looks nice, too.

What actually started this bib project is the idea that I wanted to make Otis a quilt made of his old baby clothes. After we found out that we were having a girl, I went through all the boxes of clothes that I had been holding onto for the past three years, figuring out what to keep and what to give away. I used to love buying these little button-up shirts with great patterns on it for Otis (yes, uncomfortable and silly for a 2 month old, so sue me), and I just couldn’t quite bear to give them away. So it seemed to make sense to make him a keepsake with them, especially since he doesn’t have a large enough quilt to cover his bed now that he’s moved onto a twin-sized one. So I took all of the clothes that were made of woven fabric, took a very deep breath, and cut them all to shreds. After the first shirt, whose destruction made me quite sad, it was actually quite therapeutic. I’ve actually had to stop myself from eyeing clothes that have great patterns but that he still fits into. And the verdict?

Otis had a lot of blue clothes, which surprised me a little.

But now I’m finding that I’m a little stuck, because in case you can’t tell, I generally don’t mix a lot of colors and patterns, and every combination that I’ve tried to work out seems to be just so darned busy.

See?

And see?

Is it just me? Probably, since thinking about more than 3 colors at a time usually makes me feel slightly tipsy. I think I’ll just have to sort of give into the (perceived) busyness. I’m not used to this whole concept of mixing and matching, but since I feel quite committed to using all of these little squares that I’ve cut up, I think I’ll have to just go with it. I guess Oliver’s bib was a sort of try-out, and it doesn’t look too bad to me, so maybe I’ll feel differently about it once it’s all put together. I think I’m leaning towards two rows of pieces squares, followed by a solid band of white or off-white (rather than the small squares, like the bottom photo), repeating this, and then putting a white/off-white border around the whole thing? Anyone have any opinions about this?

And here’s another question - I’m debating the fate of a shirt of Otis’s, which is one of my absolute favorites. I’ve only just stopped stuffing him into it because it’s cutting off circulation at his wrists (it’s an 18m shirt). A friend recently said, “Hey, that shirt looks like a girl could wear it.” and I had to respond, “Um, that’s because it is a girl’s shirt.” So it’s really something that could be passed on to Otis-ina, an idea that F likes. But it’ll really be Otis’s shirt forever in my brain, and it feels like it should be part of his quilt. Should I cut the mother up, or should I save it?

Today is my niece, Ashley’s first birthday. I can hardly believe that the past year has flown by so quickly. I mean, do any of you remember when you were all giving me great suggestions for her name? She’s walking now, and really becoming quite famous - she’s been in a number of newspapers, and she’s going to be in a yogurt commercial with my sister-in-law soon. I mean, the kid gets more positive press than Violet Affleck! (She must have good PR people….)

Happily, my brother was just in town, and I was able to hand off her present to him. No big surprise, it’s a baby bag, a little tote made with my favorite Etsuko Furuya fabric that was left over from my homasote bulletin board project. I stitched on some felted leaves, and some leather cord for the stem. My sister-in-law loves handbags (she’s otherwise a jeans and flats kind of girl), and I guess I’m getting Ashley started early on that path as well.

We’ll get to see Ashley this summer when we go back to Taiwan. Happily, my brother is going to move to an apartment much closer to my parents’ place, so hopefully we’ll get to spend a lot more time with her. Otis will love to have a playmate to order around. Happy birthday, Baby Ashley!

As much as I wish I were lazing about, eating bonbons and having my feet rubbed (uh, my birthday IS coming, hint hint), I’m trying to take advantage of these sad, last days of my mother’s visit by cleaning, organizing like a fiend, and working in the studio. Here are some recently completed projects:

It seems that every boy in our lives receives a baby man-purse for one birthday or another. This is one that I just finished for our friend named, well, you can guess:

My mantra while making this: “Do a good job on this one, because his mama sewed Otis an excellent quilt which lies draped on his bed at this very moment, and his grandmother is an accomplished seamstress and knitter who seems to make everything cute that he wears. Plus, you are harboring a not-so-secret hope that she will unlock the secrets of Korean cooking for you.”

I tried my hand at embroidery for this project. It was shaky at first, but it got better. I think I actually rather like this project. Do you hear that, Gods of Self-Doubt? I defy you! Here’s a closeup. You can also see how my poor mother has been spending her days: sculpting Playdoh hats for each and every one of Otis’s animals.

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A scarf for a friend, who’s going home to a very cold place.

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A bib for sweet baby Hazel, whose parents run one of the tastiest establishments in town.

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When it was almost time for our friend, Emmett, to celebrate his third birthday, we asked him what homemade present he wanted. “A black scarf, like Mama and Baba. But with animals.” I was happy to oblige, and even happier that he made such a specific request:

It’s two rows of animal appliques on fleece, which is a material I feel conflicted about, but which seemed like a good idea for its washability. I was trying designs out, and ended up with enough materials for an extra for Otis:

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A denim man-purse for Jack, who’s a big fan of trains (there was a tremendous homemade train cake at his party and everything!):

There are still other projects I’m working on. I’m hoping to get as much done as I can while I still posess my sanity and my nerves. It’s felt good to make some things with my hands, but you know, I still feel a little weird about making presents sometimes. I was talking with a co-worker, and she told me the story about a friend of hers, who wasn’t sure how to tell all her crafty friends that their taste just wasn’t her taste, and would they quit it already with the crappy presents. Sometimes I feel the same way, when I receive a lukewarm response to a homemade present. Now, I mostly ask what a person would prefer, or make things for people whom I know well know to know that they’ll appreciate it, or who have hinted to me in the past. What do you guys do/think about homemade presents?

Hey look, we got to meet our new niece/cousin, Ashley. She’s tiny and sweet and adorable and has oh so much hair. Wait, that picture doesn’t paint a vivid enough picture. Look at this one:

That’s fantastic hair, isn’t it? They’ve been finding it rather impossible to tame, plus she’s just got so much of it.

Hm, but then again, if you were able to see my hair in this photo, you’d see that my hair is also rather poofy and large and sticking straight up. Maybe the humidity is doing a job on both our hair!

Otis adores his new cousin and can hardly refrain from covering her with kisses whenever he sees her and although it does not prevent him from screeching and running around her in circles while she sleeps, it does inspire a deep desire to ask that she do all kinds of inappropriate things with him. Ashley play with car? Ashley sit here [on the massage chair]? Ashley eat pork chop?

We’re slowly adjusting to the new time zone and weather. Jet lag is treating us real baaad and no matter how much you complain about it beforehand, you just can’t really prepare for the heat and humidity of a tropical country. This is pretty much how we feel whenever we go outside (uh, except we’re actually inside here):

We look like we used an entire container of gel on our heads. You know, wet look style. So we’re enjoying the air conditioning.

Once we adjust to the time and weather and the great-grandparents have had a healthy dose of Otis, we’ll start taking a few small excursions into the city (unfortunately, just about when F is ready to go home). I’m not sure what we’ll do with Otis otherwise. If the relatives had their choice, he would spend all his time singing songs, dancing and eating lots of food in front of them. But it’s so hot that he gets droopy quickly outdoors at the playground, and he’s already growing restless being indoors with the portable yet favorite toys I brought and keeps insisting, “Go home? Go home!” If anyone has any other suggestions for indoor entertainment that don’t involve the purchase of many new toys or the watching of a lot of TV and can be done within sight of adoring family members, I’d appreciate it.  Unfortunately, his attention span for drawing is still rather short.

My friend, Takako, and I met in birth class more than two years ago, and I’m so terribly fond of her, despite the awful fact that she packed up and moved to Boston shortly after the birth of their son. She is the kind of friend who will remember your unhealthy obsession with the country of her birth and send you goodies when she visits home. She is the kind of friend whose mother will send you gifts. She is the kind of friend who, on this most recent visit, not only bought you treats from one of your favorite stores in the world, but also this wonderful bundle of fabrics:

I think the apple fabric on top is my favorite. Did you notice that cup of Japanese cuteness?

That’s the kind of friend who deserves a little gift in return. So when her birthday rolled on by (she shares a birthday with Otis) and her son’s birthday approached, I made them matching bags! A baby man-purse for Tamaki, and a tote for mom. I know, matchiness can be annoying, but somehow, mom and son matchiness seemed OK. Plus it’s complementary, not identical. Plus…yes, I’m just justifying now.

The baby man-purse:

It’s made of a denim-y linen material, with a freeform denim shape stitched on top, edges left raw, and some felt balls (which Otis referred to as “trees”). I wanted Otis to model it, but after taking a series of these pictures, I questioned the setting and the wardrobe of the photo shoot:

I PROMISE, Takako, no bare baby butt touched that bag! He’s wearing (under)pants!!

So we went outside with clothes on, but this is what happens after you teach a baby to smile for the camera:

A lot of whipping around of the head to mug for the camera, and turning of one’s body so that the bag that one is ostensibly modelling is not at all visible (look how he’s even posing with a prop!). So he had to be tricked into running towards the door to look for Baba:

A train whistle made modelling mom’s bag a little easier:

Same idea with the freeform shape and raw edges, but with some snaps sewn on for decoration.

We hear the family is sick, but hope that they will be able to take an outing soon with their new bags.

Speaking of packages, I received my own extremely exciting one of my own from Stephanie. She held a contest for her one-year blogging anniversary, and wouldn’t you know it? I got chosen from her enormous pool of readers. She sent me this wonderful little pillow:

If you’ve read her blog or seen her shop then you’ll know what I mean when I say that it is every bit as beautiful and wonderfully constructed as you would expect. Check her out. Thank you Stephanie!

Oh my oh my, I’m so excited.  I even shed some tears of joy this morning. Shiso Bro and Mrs. Shiso Bro had their baby today!!  Look at that full head of hair!  The report from my parents is that in addition to the good health and sweet naturedness of the baby, she’s pale (the crazy Chinese love that) and has two swirls of hair on the top of her head (which, according to even crazier Chinese superstition, means she’ll be ill-tempered).  Mom’s OK, but has a complication due to her epidural, so she may need to stay longer in the hospital than planned. 

Are you holding your breath for the name?  It’s Ashley.  As in Laura Ashley.  Or Ashley Wilkes.  But NOT Ashlee Simpson.  They had narrowed it down to two names - Audrey and Ashley (there had been much objection to Chelsea) and decided that if the baby looked like Mrs. Shiso Bro, it would be Audrey, and if it looked like Shiso Bro, it would be Ashley.  They even thought to post it on the blog and let everyone decide whom she resembled more.  But once the baby came out, everyone around them started exclaming, “She looks EXACTLY like Baba!”  so they decided not to bother asking everyone’s opinion.  Although hmm, I hope eventually she’ll stop looking mannish, or Shiso Bro-ish, and starts looking more MODEL GLAMOROUS!  She hasn’t opened her eyes much yet, so it looks like she still has a chance to look like Mama.

Here they are together, right after she was born, with Ashley looking a bit prune-y from her long, luxurious soak:

The curse of the Shiso Family nose strikes again!! Baby Girl, I can’t wait to hold you, squeeze your little feet, and dress you up in an outfit that coordinates with Otis!!

Hey, I seem to remember someone suggesting Ashley. If you did, contact me for your PRIZE!!

So Shiso Bro’s weighed in. He likes Jasper, Morgwn, Hudson and Avery, but his own short list includes Addison, Audrey and Chelsea.

Of those, I probably like Audrey the best. But I also really like Jasper and (especially) Jules.  Chelsea makes me think Clinton.  Anyone else want to weigh in?

Friends,

Doesn’t it seem like such a short while ago that it all started with a model and a wedding? Yes, my brother finally got hitched last year, and Taiwan’s tabloids were there to record it. And I think it’s time you knew the latest - they’re having a baby and SOON (like in a week!!). Those kids function on Chinese time! I wish I could see Mrs. Shiso Bro with her big pregnant belly, but she’s probably such a luminescent, glowing pregnant lady that not only will I NOT be able to stand next to her statuesque model-ness, I will never be able to get pregnant again. (Although as a side note, when she was starting to show but was not obviously pregnant yet, she overhead some people on the subway say, “Hey, isn’t that that model? Man, she got FAT!”)

It’s so weird thinking about my brother as a father. Even though he’s five years older, to me he’ll always be the same guy making inappropriate jokes and comments that he was when he was 16. I’m excited to go back to Taiwan this summer to meet the baby and squeeze her little feet.

And yes, folks, I did say “her.” They’re having a girl! And of course I had to make something to welcome her to this world. Ah, but choosing the colors was a little difficult. My sister-in-law doesn’t like girl-y colors (NO pink!), and is all about gender-neutral - in fact prefers neutral colors and few to no patterns, so I wanted to make that would suit her tastes. I ended up sewing her a quilt in shades of whites, off-whites and ivories. Maybe not the smartest, since the little one is sure to get baby bits all over it, but it seems appropriate at the same time to give a baby something white. Not surprisingly, it’s a pretty simple, spare design. Here it is, starting to get that quilt-y, just out of the wash look (perhaps also known as the “I can’t quite sew a quilt that well yet” look):

It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but there are these subtle variations not just in color, but in fabric weave and weight, and I loved how they looked next to each other. I managed to find a lovely Japanese print that I adore for the backing, hopefully subtle enough for Mrs. Shiso Bro - it’s a maize yellow color with small, subtle splashes of green, tan and deep purple. I hand-stitched a brown binding to finish it off.

Gender neutral, just as the mom-to-be likes. Now, anyone have any suggestions for gender-neutral girl names? Anyone? Anyone? A little more creative than Pat or Chris, please. And if your name suggestion is actually chosen, I promise to send you a prize of some sort. Free stuff, people!!

(Edited to add: not something too unusual that my people can’t pronounce or understand since they are in Asia.  When I first told my brother we were naming our son Otis, he said, “Oh, is that final?”) 

** PS - As though it weren’t unfair enough to be born with the right parts to be a model (or to be married to one), they are getting all kinds of discounts and free stuff, including free cord blood banking. Am I the only one who thinks that this is just an evil plot to clone models and fill the world with them???

Today, Otis and I went to visit one of his girlfriends.  We were supposed to see her entire family yesterday, but I drove us to the Oakland Zoo while her family was left waiting for us at the San Francisco Zoo.  Damn this Bay Area with its vague, undefined limits and its multiple zoos!

While we were at Stella’s house, catching some Elmo action, I inched my way over towards Juliet, Stella’s little sister.  It’s been a while since I’ve held a newborn, and I wanted to bury my face in her soft, fleshy body (and immobile, too, in that “I’m cool just hanging out on my back most of the time” way).  I rubbed her tummy and talked to her, and she turned her head and smiled broadly at me.  I worked my way closer and picked her up.  Oh, she was so squishy and pliable.  She strained like she wanted to sit up, so I walked her around for a bit.  She was in a fantastic mood.

Elsa, her caregiver, said, “Oh, she’s almost ready for her nap.”

Uh, really?

“Sure,” she said.  “She’s tired.  You can tell just by looking at her.”

You can?  You mean, a newborn doesn’t have to be clawing at his eyes and yawning frantically before the big windup to an inevitable crying session to show that he’s ready for a nap?   I handed Juliet back to Elsa and the two disappeared into the other room.  I heard Juliet protest a diaper change before the door was closed.

Wah
Wah
Wah
Wah

And out came Elsa.   You gotta be kidding me.  I need to get me one of THOSE babies.  Before I knew better, I prayed for a baby who didn’t spit up.  Little did I know I was wishing for the wrong thing!