For the LOVE of Blankets

We received some wonderful gifts from tons of people with the birth of Gillian. I was amazed, however, at how the new baby seemed to bring out the creativity in everyone around me. Who knew my family and friends were so talented? A lot of the craftiness seemed to take the shape of blankets. Gillian received some of the most beautiful blankets I have ever seen..

She has knitted blankets (this one is from my friend Liz):








(this one is from my Aunt Pris):



















She has crocheted blankets (this one is from Rusty's Aunty Becky):














And she has quilted blankets (this one is from Rusty's sister Betsy, Aunt B):














(this one is from Aunt Pris):













Blankets have always been a personal favorite of mine. The afghan my mom made me when I went to college is constantly fought over whenever a movie is watched in our house. And when I was a baby/child/adult I loved my blankie "OWIE." I carried Owie everywhere. He (yes, it was a he) lovingly got his name because whenever I got hurt (aka - an owie) I needed my blanket. Laura used bandaids to cure everything, I used my blanket. If things were really bad, my dad would rub the corner of Owie on my nose, and somehow everything was better. Owie is still around, and Gillian is even getting to use him.



But, of course, thanks to the super talented Rozzy Baby - Gillian has her own Owie too.






Too add to the special collection of blankets, my mom saved some blankets that my Grandma Arlie made for me when I was a baby. My Grandma passed away several years ago, so Gillian will never get to meet her on this earth, but she will be literally wrapped in her love.



I can only hope that Gillian appreciates all the love that family and friends have shown her already. And, I truly hope she enjoys snuggling in blankets, because since her mom loves it, she's not going to have much of a choice for a while.

Gillian's playmat

Learning

Gillian is learning every minute of every day and it is amazing to watch! She is gaining control of her arms and legs, she is making a lot of new sounds and she has already figured out how to get both of her parents to stop whatever they are doing and lavish all of their attention on her. Supposedly babies need to hear 32,000 words a day for language development. But, the average adult only speaks 16,000 words a day. So, I have started narrating my entire life: "Look Gillian, this is a leaf. Leaves grow on plants and trees. One day you'll get to plant a seed and watch it grow leaves ." "Now we are going to play on your playmat. Look at the airplane. It flies in the sky." You get the idea.

The above video gives you an idea of Gilli's growing vocabulary (lovingly referred to as her various squeeks!) and arm and leg movements (some controlled, some sporadic).

The beginning of a new reality...

Since Gillian was born on August 13th, our lives have changed forever. No more sleeping in (or for more then 5 hours in a row for that matter), no more going out to eat without thinking about how patrons will react to a little crying, and no more going anywhere without a bag full of supplies (for being so small babies come with A LOT of stuff). The little 9 lb girl has changed everything...

and we couldn't be happier. Gillian has changed our lives completely, but I can hardly remember what life was like without her. She is totally dependant upon Rusty and me for everything, and it is such a joy to be able to provide for her. I feel such a sense of responsibility that I have never felt before. This is truly the most important job that we will ever have.

I wasn't necessarily going to start a blog, but as my friend Bethany reminded me, there are people miles away that want to know what's going on. So here it is, the Eriksen blog. This will be a record of all things new, exciting, hilarious, and difficult (because I'm sure there will be those moments as well).

The beginnging of a new reality ...