Taking care of our babies

Our priorities are to love and take care of each other and our babies.  And that has been true all of our lives.  

Our babies are our children and our grandchildren.  We have eleven children (including our son/daughter in-laws) and twelve grandchildren.

Forty-four years ago, when I was carrying my first child, I immediately started to sew my very first quilt and a blanket for my baby.  My baby was going to be held and cuddled in warm clothing that I had lovingly made with my own hands.  

I made that special quilt with all the scrapes of cloth that I had saved through the fifteen years that I had been sewing.  (I had taught myself to sew at age 12.)  I used small pieces of material from dance dresses and school clothes I had sewn while in junior high, high school, and college.  I had fabric from the pheasant blouses and hip hugger bell bottom pants I had made during my pseudo hippie days.  And there were several lengths of material from the uniform shirts that I had made when I put myself through college as the manager of the local Taco Time in Pullman, Washington.

My babies’ quilt and blanket that I sewed in 1978:

I held my baby deep within me.  I sang to my unborn child, talked to my baby, and loved her and each of my babies beyond measure.  And I used every minute while I waited to see her, to hear her cry, hold her in my arms, and to nurse her.  I used that time while each of my children were inside of me to sew and knit and to love them.  

The baby quilt is now faded, stained, and has slight rips.  It and the blanket were very well used by every one of my children.  

Forty-four years ago my baby quilt and blanket were bright and shiny with all the hopes and dreams of a full life to be lived by each sweet newborn baby.  

And I used my time well when all our grandchildren were deep inside their mothers' bellies.  I lovingly sewed quilts and knitted blankets, hats, and sweaters to keep our precious grandchildren warm and cuddly.

All these blankets and clothes have been well used, and each of our children and grandchildren have been very well loved by us.