onesies for rhys!

Cate, Ellen, Kendra, and I did a reprise on Sunday of last year's onesie day to celebrate the very-much-anticipated arrival of little Rhys, due to join the world on August 6. With Ellen last year and Kendra this year, this is becoming an annual event! And following last year's tradition, it was again a marathon 6-hour work session, starting with girls' lunch and ending with cake. We had bulgur burgers with oven fries and Cate's yummy broccoli salad, and then got to work.



We took onesies to a new level this year, adding fabric and wool felt applique to our repertoire, and I think they came out adorable. Ellen did an Obama-themed onesie, with the slightly adapted slogan "I need a change." An errant brushstroke at the end of the saying was turned into an exclamation point, and we decided it looks like "need a change" with Spanish punctuation. Looks like Rhys will be helping Obama campaign for Hispanic voters! (He probably needs the help.) And unintentionally on the other side of the political spectrum, Kendra drew three little elephants, which immediately prompted Dan to ask "what's with the republican symbols?" Cate also did her "Hello" onesie again this year, and since the name is chosen, Kendra wrote it in. Rhys' name is now confirmed in PERMANENT MARKER; there is no going back.






I really loved the applique and spent most of the afternoon at the sewing machine, turning tight corners. Finally Ellen took over much more capably. All of the ones I sewed are "artistically wonky," as it was termed. But look how freaking cute the little monster is!! And the squid with his free-kicking legs! Cate also took a turn at the machine, sewing a little lowercase "r" at the request of dad-to-be, Ryan.

The cake this year was a truly collaborative effort - I baked the cake and frosted it, and made the fondant (an experience, truly); Ellen made the frosting and decorated the cubes; and Cate rolled out the fondant and covered the cakes. The individual cakes were meant to look like little alphabet blocks (note the table decor above - I'm still going for Martha Stewart-dom!), and OF COURSE, spelled Rhys. Hooray for short names! Anyway, such a fun day, and we all can't wait to see Rhys in his cute little onesies!