Welcome to my Blog!

Can I be honest?  I don't regularly read blogs.  It never even dawned on me to start a blog.  As a homeschooling mom of 7 and home based business owner, I think my plate is pretty full.  But after attending a conference for women in home based businesses,  I decided to start a blog for my business, Sebastianseven.  I crochet baby hats and photo props. I love receiving images of babies in my hats, why not post them here with their stories?  Who doesn't love a great baby story?  But in talking with other moms, I have been encouraged to share more of my experiences - our journey of homeschooling, striving to be debt free, homemaking, and life in general.  I hope you find some things that will be helpful to you in your journey.  And enjoy a beautiful baby story from time to time as well.

Baby Tova

Beautiful Baby Tova

(By Guest Author Tova's Mom)  Until I got married I wasn't really that interested in having kids. I really didn't like other people's kids and was never one to babysit in my youth because of that. I have a 6 yr old nephew, whom I love, but I was always glad to give him back after an hour or so.

After being married for a couple of years, I changed my mind. I will say, we were very fortunate to get pregnant so easily and within a timeframe that I was hoping for (selfishly I wanted to be pregnant over the winter for comfort's sake) - especially when most of our friends were having extreme challenges.

I likely had the most ideal pregnancy: no morning sickness, no emotional challenges or mood swings, and I was able to continue to run distance until the last 4wks - where I was about 40lbs heavier and just walked a lot each day. My little running buddy has 8 half marathons and a hand full of 5 and 10K's under her belt from her time on the inside. She was also super active throughout the pregnancy - which was always fun while at work because she would do her little baby dances during conference calls and meetings.  She's still a pretty active and happy baby.

About her name: before we knew that she was a she, my husband and I chose a first and middle name for both a boy and girl. Tova was a name that my parents wanted to name my brother if he were a girl - we liked that the name was traditional Hebrew, unique and not trendy - so we decided that it was perfect.

I'm most grateful that she is happy and healthy. I can't wait to see what the rest of our lives will look like with this little bundle of giggles and happiness.

The beginning....

 Ever since I was a little girl I dreamed of being a mama.  I loved babies and little ones and wanted to be a mom to little ones as long as possible, so I knew I wanted a lot of babies!  I played with dolls long after the "acceptable" age.  I made friends with moms I knew, helping with their babies, sewing clothes, and inserting myself into their lives in any way they would allow me.

In college, I often heard my peers talking about marriage and being on the "5 year plan" for having babies.  Not me, I thought.... I wanted babies right away.  I met my husband while in college, got married, finished college, built our first home 2 1/2 years later, and ..... waited.  

Throughout infertility I needed to do something to keep hope alive.  Something that was creative and well, would take time... LOTS of time, since that's what we seemed to have.  I made some sweet bibs, and crocheted some white lace to handstitch around a white blanket.  It was beautiful.  I loved the idea of an heirloom that would be passed down because it held special meaning.  When I had a nursery, I would decorate it with beautiful battenburg lace.  An old fashioned, heirloom look. 

Finally, the day came when we received word we were matched with a birthmom.  She didn't know what she was having so I forged ahead with my dream nursery with battenburg lace.  

 It came out kind of girlie.......

And, as it turned out, a baby boy entered our lives.  

Aaaaand..... as it turned out, it's a good thing I used my time wisely to make some sweet baby things before we became parents.... just 9 months later we received another baby boy, then 2 years later, a baby girl.  (3 kids under 3!)  God has since blessed us with 4 more -- including 2 "homegrown" at an age when most moms are long since done having babies..... That's a total of 7, thus the "7" in the name.  The first 3 are grown, and the "final four" are getting older and are much more independent so I have been running my etsy shop for about 3 years now. 

 Making hats and bonnets for babies for photo shoots and everyday life is my daily passion, along with homeschooling and being mama.  I loved hearing any of the little tidbits people would share with me about their story --  whether it was about a long awaited first grandbaby or a new baby girl after a family of boys.  This is why I started this blog, so we can hear more of your stories!  So take a picture of your baby in their hat from Sebastianseven, send it to me with your baby story (about a page) and you will receive a free hat.