today is eli’s first birthday. i’m delighted to have a 1-year old! life feels easier as eli gets more independent, and i’m excited to see how he changes from one to two. this is a photo of me and my youngest brother. i was looking at old albums at my parent’s house and was amazed by how much eli looks like him.

discovering the world of beautiful children’s textiles has been so fun– and i’ve enjoyed having this outlet for posting about the lovely things i’ve come across. but it’s superficial, so i’m finding myself -especially this time of year- thinking about the more important things. it has been a very hard year for many of our friends. they’ve gone through tragedies that are among the hardest i can imagine. our close friend B lost his sister. our neighborhood friends M and S lost her young daughter. my friend J’s nephew has been in the hospital in a life-theatening situation. my aunt S lost her boss who was like a father. my friend W lost her father. two of my friends are trying to get pregant and haven’t been able to. i’m thinking of them all now, and appreciating all we have.

 

my friend wendy hanson and i made a trade– i drew a map for her wedding invitations earlier this year and she made three beautiful pieces of clothing for eli. wendy and i got together over the weekend (she was in new york from atlanta, on her way to romania for work) and she gave me the clothes. they are gorgeous. it’s a wonderful feeling putting handmade clothes on eli and knowing they were lovingly made by a friend. the jacket is reversible, with vintage japanese fabric on one side. and the pants are made with the softest jersey i’ve ever felt. thank you so much, wendy!

more photo of the fort standard blocks here.