36 Weeks!

It's like crossing the finish line. 36 weeks is considered full term for twins, and we have made it to this critical milestone!

This means our little guys are less likely to have extended hospital time and the developmental problems of preemies. Yay! Fingers (legs?) crossed that we can make it to 38 weeks, which is the optimal time for twins to be born.

Maybe the babies are just waiting patiently for me to finish my WIPs ;o) The list is steadily dwindling.

I completed the little ball this week (pattern from I Love Patchwork: 21 Irresistible Zakka Projects to Sew by Rashida Coleman-Hale). It is so cute! I love the feel of the linen, the interesting pictures in each hexagon, and the size, which is perfect for little hands. I also enjoyed making something totally by hand.

Right in the middle of taking pictures, Mr Awesome couldn't resist playing with the ball. What in the world am I in for with three boys in the house?

That book, White Butterfly by Walter Mosley, is pretty good, by the way.

Notice that my camera is "fixed"? Um yeah, I had it on the wrong setting. How pro.

I also finished up the Gobbi mobiles. What in the heck, you ask? They are part of the series of infant mobiles recommended by education pioneer Maria Montessori.

I've long been intrigued by Maria Montessori and her methods and philosophy. It resonates with my husband and me, and seems like a natural extension of the way we already live. While we'll probably not have a perfect adherence, it's been a wonderful inspiration as we choose purposeful ways to begin our parenting journey.

One thing I wanted to invest in from the start was the lovely infant Visual Mobile Series. I've bought two Montessori mobiles from the lovely bellascasa on Etsy, the Munari and the bell and ring. But I figured I could easily make the Gobbi and octahedron mobiles myself. Okay, so it wasn't actually easy...but they came out alright.

One of Montessori's key ideas is freedom of movement. Here is our babies' play space in the living room. It features a futon covered by a quilt (someday I'll do a post on that one), a low mirror, the Munari mobile, and a couple of low shelves with items that will interest the babies. The bookshelf is bolted to the wall, so it is earthquake-safe (a genuine California concern), and won't topple when tiny movers use it to pull themselves up.

The babies will have access to the toys on the low shelves (when they are able to creep and reach), and just out of their grasps are some beautiful picture books that we look forward to reading to them. Yes, including some of the Philosophy for Beginners series - Mr Awesome's picks :o)

My final WIP is the second baby quilt. I've started the quilting, some by hand with perle cotton thread, and some by machine. I need to make some choices about the quilting pattern - only horizontal like it's twin, or horizontal and vertical to match the piecing?

Celebrate more progress here: