The "Last Moment" Welcome Baby Package

I hesitate to blog this one, as it is going to one of my two regular readers  (hi mom! ). It isn't about sharing something my readers already know so much as potentially over-sharing a little. 

But this blog is for me, more than it is for anyone else, and this is something I need to 'say' as best I can. 

I had planned a very different quilt to go with this package,  though making a quilt for another quilter is intimidating to say the least. And maybe I let myself be too intimidated, because I never went beyond a secret Pinterest board of pattern variations and fabric shopping. 

So, I decided not to make one. 

I gathered up a few other things. I made the usual towel and a very simple coordinating bib. I picked up only a couple books.

Then, someone else announced their pregnancy.

And in wandering through my finished but waiting pile, I rediscovered Happy Go Lucky, and I suddenly knew where 'she' belonged. 

Not languishing in my cedar chest. Out, getting used, getting stained, giving off a bit of the love that went into each stitch. 

You see, Happy Go Lucky was the first quilt I made for my hope chest, for my hoped for child. Only, when that child arrived a couple years later, Happy Go Lucky wasn't right for him (though he loves the backing fabric as much as I do). So, she has continued to wait. 

The time for waiting is over. 

This quilt, like the first 18 months of gently used clothing, needs to be used. Sitting here waiting, taking up physical and emotional space isn't doing any good to anyone. 

Unlike some of my friends, I don't look around the dinner table or at the back seat and see a shadow where a child not yet conceived should be sitting. I am happy with my family of three plus cat. Yes, I wonder all the "what ifs" and yes, I do suddenly see some siblings potential in my kid.  But I can no longer justify holding onto things "just in case" -- especially when I know people who could put those things to use (whether they need them or I need to give them something). 

As always, this quilt comes with all the best wishes I can give. It turns out, it was never mine to keep, and I'm so glad to know it is going to the right place at last. I am so happy for you and your growing family, and I cannot wait to see what the future brings for you all. 

Welcome (soon but not too soon) Baby!