Bear hug for Baby B

In an act of domestication, I busted out the sewing machine to take on a tradition of my mother's: the bear hug blanket. It seems like many of my friends are having babies like it's going out of style and I am so incredibly happy for them. Parenthood is pretty much the best thing ever.

My mother has been making this adorable, quirky baby gift for years for cousins, friends, co-workers and more. I remember visiting my cousin in D.C. years back and her two-year old took her bear hug in the stroller pretty much everywhere.

I learned how to sew by helping my mother make these, graduation quilts and costumes for school plays growing up. Even as a busy career woman, she made time to teach me AND my brother how to mend, cook, garden and do other domestic work. I can't thank her enough for teaching me those skills. (Another day I'll tell you about how my father taught me to paint vehicles, change fuses and solder pretty much anything.)

You can get an idea of the actual size thanks to interested Boy Kitty in the top left pic. While it's tempting to buy people cute baby socks and minuture outfits at Babies R Us, I think a homemade gift is so much sweeter. So spoiler future-parent friends of mine: you can probably expect a bear hug if you're expecting. Now I wish I could go back in time and make blankets for everyone I know that's had new family members arrive in the past year or so.

I made my first attempt at crocheting a blanket in the spring for a new mommy friend of mine. But midway through I kind of felt like Audrey Hepburn's character in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" when she says she's worried she mixed her pattern up with blueprints for a home, "There's a good chance I'm knitting a ranch house."

Congratulations to the parents of Baby B, who are are expecting their first little one and are the new owners of the blankets feature here today.