20

      Today Travis turns 20 years old. And just like that, my babies really are not babies anymore. I have 2 kids in their 20's. Which is a very weird feeling. 

     I have tons of photos of Travis, but here is just a sampling of Travis photos over the years. He has always loved to play with books, movies and DVDs. He would take them off the shelves and stack them up and look at the covers. And when he got caught he just gave me an adorable smile and laughed. Travis has always looked at me, though for awhile I was the only one. 

     He was an incredibly cute baby and had a lot of awesome facial expressions that I was lucky to catch on film (these were taken with actual film cameras!)

His first dog was an electronic dog he got for his first birthday.

     His next dog was Abby. On her last day he gave her a hug and said goodbye. According to Travis Abby is still his dog. (I miss her too). 

Travis has always loved notebooks

And costumes. He has been a cowboy...

and a police officer.

He's been a doctor...

and a pirate.

He really likes being a pirate!

Travis has always liked to take people's hats.

I think he knows he looks awesome.

How could he not?

Boots were fair game too.

This must be his tough biker face.

     When Travis was 2 and a half he was diagnosed with autism. Early intervention was recommended and we got him signed up with the Westfield Infant and Toddler group.  Here is Travis with his speech therapist Laurie. Laurie now works at East Longmeadow High school so she gets to see Travis sometimes. Which is awesome!

Michelle was Travis's first OT, but then she went on maternity leave.

      The next OT was Christa (on the right). And Duarji (left) was a supervisor, I think. She actually came with us to Dr. McQuistan's office the day we got Travis's diagnosis. She held onto me while I cried. They were a fantastic group of people and we were lucky to have them helping us. 

Travis has tried a lot of things. He played his uncle's guitar. 

       He loved going out in my boat.

      He met Batman, Wonder Woman and the other guy I don't know, when we went to Comic Con. 

     He got to "drive" a firetruck.

And he has helped a lot around the house. 

Travis looks really good in a graduation cap. Whether he is little...

... or big. 

      We have had a lot of birthday parties. On Travis's 3rd birthday (not at the party) he cut his head open and got 6 stitches (his first). It was also the day he first opened his own presents. And he got really into it. 

We have definitely had lots of parties. 

and lots of cake. 

and cool gifts. 

        When Travis was small I brought the kids out to the barn where I used to lead trails and they did some pony rides.

      That seems to have started a lasting love of horses for Travis. I think he might get that from me. 

      The first firm decision Travis made was when he decided he wanted long hair. Haircuts were the first thing he ever said no to. It was a good choice, he looks good with long hair. 

I started teaching him to cook very early. 

And he continues to cook now. 

He's pretty good at it too. 

      While I was looking through these photos I was noticing something I never would have noticed if my friend Krista hadn't pointed it out one day. Travis is always looking. A lot of kids with autism won't look at the camera. Or people. Travis will do both. 

Not only will Travis look, but he will ham it up. He really does love having his picture taken!

And usually you will get a big smile. 

Unless his eyes are closed. 

     A lot of people with autism struggle to make connections. Sometimes it's because they don't understand people or because people don't understand them and don't know how to act towards them. Travis loves people and is very good at making connections. Sometimes he just wants to be near people, and that is enough for him. Then there are times when he wants a hug or to walk down the hall holding onto someone. Life with Travis has had a lot of challenges but it has also had millions of smiles, hugs and new experiences. I'm ready for a whole lot more! Happy Birthday Travis!

The Kid and the Pig

      I noticed when I was loading photos to write this blog that I forgot to put a title on yesterday's post. So the first sentence was the insanely long title. And no one told me. Maybe no one noticed. I have weird titles, why not a super long one that sort of starts to tell a story. 

      Anyway, I finished up an order for a youth doll yesterday. She was going to be for my live sale, I had already started the prep work. and then I got an order for a youth doll. So I made a new shirt and continued on as planned. I am hoping I can talk myself into making another youth doll for the sale. At least one, maybe two. I know that people do like them. They are just not fun to make. 

      Youth dolls become surprisingly more fun when they are riding on pigs. I love this pig. He needs a name. Apparently when I first posted about my fancy pig in a saddle I said she. Well... the pig has a lot going on underneath. But I have been informed that this is a barrow. You learn something new every day. Anyway, my cute pig needs a name. 

      I don't love doing pigtail braids, the process makes it like hairing the head twice, but the bows can be cute. I usually make them a bit smaller but the customer wanted larger bows, which some kids do wear in the show ring. And she does look cute. Hopefully I can talk myself into more youth dolls. I have another one started. And her clothes are cut out, so there is that. 

      Yesterday Ethan and I got some more house work done. It was not great. It was hot, Ethan was having some allergy issues. Definitely not one of the best days. Not too horrible. We finished up fairly early and it occurred to me that Travis had not been out of the house in a long time. He might have been outside a bit here and there, but he has not been out in a long while. So we went out. He came to Big Y with me and we went over the rules. You need to wear your mask. You need to keep your mask on. You need to not touch your mask. And don't touch anything in the store, just walk with me. And Travis was a rockstar. He could give lessons on how to wear a mask. The only time he touched his mask was to pull the ear loops over his ears when they slipped (there is a connecting strap in the back so the mask won't fall off, but sometimes the ear loops slip). After a quick trip to Big Y, where Travis stayed right with me, didn't touch anything, and also didn't remind me we were out of ketchup, we went through the carwash. Then we went for a ride for a bit with the sunroof and windows open. I asked Travis if he had fun and he said yes. I think he was happy to be doing some normal stuff again. Even if it was a quick trip to the grocery store. 

I Didn’t Give This Post a Title

     Most people know that when I make driving dolls it is because I really like making fancy hats. The most recent doll was interesting because she was a driving doll but also could be a showmanship doll. I really liked the concept. I didn't like the hat. So I made a new one. I like this hat. It's not overly fancy, but it's still elegant and fun. 

     I feel it improves the entire look of the doll. And now I like her. 

     I was also asked if I could show how to remove the heads. Well, it's hard to show in photos, but here we go. Wrap your hand around the head and basically hook your fingers under the chin and bun. It should be possible to do this without putting a ton of pressure on the sides of the hats. Then just pull straight up. The head should pop right off. When you go to put the other head on just line up the peg with the hole in the head and push down. It should go on fairly easily (I tested it). 

      Switching the head and taking off the apron turn your driving doll into a showmanship doll. Neither type of doll can really be used for tons of classes. So here is a way to make the doll a tiny bit more versatile. 

      My Maggie's Monthly Micro for May arrived yesterday. He's cute, but it's another I am not in love with. I think this one, last months and a couple of others will be for sale. 

      I realized yesterday that I was working on a whole bunch of English dolls all at once. Working in batches can be incredibly efficient. I like that. The one on the far left is going to be a cross country doll. The other 3 are all going to be more formal hunt seat dolls. Funny enough, they will all have navy coats. 

      The male rider was a bit of an experiment. I have never turned one of the Type-S guys into a hunt seat rider. They are really beefy and I was not sure how that would work out. But I put a bendy neck on him, adjusted some patterns, and he seems to have worked out fairly well. Both of these riders have bendy necks so they should work great for over fences or flat classes. 

      There are only about 2 and a half weeks left of school. All of a sudden I found some students who would like my help. They can't seem to answer the simple question of when they are available. I have the super vague answers of "any time". I don't think they really want to have a Zoom meeting at 9:30 in the morning, but that is time I probably have. A bit early for house work. Usually Travis is not up for school then. So I think they might get offered that time. And then I need to relearn some Algebra...

The Perfect Fabric

      Things are going well for me this week. I finished up the needed number of saddlebags on Sunday. I lost an entire finished bag, but then the next day I found it, finished the set, and that puts me definitely ahead of schedule, since that is next week's work. I have a nice variety of saddlebags and just 3 more sets to finish. And all of them are started. 

     Another thing I finished was a doll idea that I am not yet sure if I like or not. I wanted to make a second driving doll and I wanted to do a second showmanship doll so I decided to combine the 2. Changeable hats is a tricky prospect, but it's actually pretty easy to change a doll head. He driving apron comes off of course and her head can be switched to either the driving doll head or the western head. I am still not sure whether or not I like her. I sort of like the concept... but I have to think on it some more. I know, it seems like changeable hats would be simple. Driving hats really only stay on well if they are glued. So unless I can think of a different way to attach a hat I have two different heads. I also don't really love the hat. Which is another detail. I might need to tweak some things with this doll. 

    In much better news, I think I have finally found the ultimate fabric for doll breeches! The stuff I ordered from Califabrics seems to be pretty much perfect. It is thin, but not see-through. It's a good color and it doesn't run as easily as most thin fabrics I have used. And it is a one-way stretch. So I think I have finally found the perfect fabric. And I feel like I should order lots more because I am afraid of running out. Even though I currently have plenty of it. 

     So I finished a doll, but I might still turn her into just a showmanship doll, I have not decided yet. I am starting to lean that way. I might just make a different, separate driving doll. I do like the concept, I just don't really love the result. I have several other dolls in the works this week as well. I have a couple that are partially finished. It's supposed to rain today so we are most likely not doing any work on the house. I might be able to finish up my doll quota for the week, which would put me even more ahead of schedule. But we'll see how the day, and the weather, play out. 

Is it Pig-in-a-Saddle Fancy?

     I don't particularly like making youth dolls. You basically have to cut up a doll, into a lot of pieces, and then rebuild it until it is usable. These days I prefer to build a doll to fit on the larger of my pony saddles. Not a lot of people seem to have the tinier size saddle, this one is more average. I can't reach my pony at the moment, but I thought my newest pig might fit in my pony saddle. And she does. And she's awesome! I also am thinking that any time anything is fancy I am going to have to wonder if it's pig-in-a-saddle fancy. It's a valid question, this a pretty fancy pig. 

     The pig makes a good solid base for the saddle so I can check the size of the youth doll I am building. Plus I get to play with the pig, and that is a lot of fun for me!

      Other than building youth dolls I have been putting together more saddlebags. I finished 4 and a half sets on Sunday! I know, the half set sounds really odd. But I somehow managed to lose an entire, finished bag before I glued it onto the base. I have no idea where it went. I will have to make a new one. I am not happy about that. But I did get my 4 sets for the week finished already, which is awesome. As long as I can manage to get 3 dolls finished this week I will still be right on schedule. Anything I get finished beyond that will be a bonus!

      The weather is supposed to be pretty good this week so I know we have more house work in our future. There are still a few more fairly major things that we need to try to finish. Then there are bunches of other less major things that need to get worked on. So far I am managing to keep up with school work for me and for Travis, prep for my NOT Breyerfest sale and helping Ethan work on the house. I have even managed to do some things that are not any of those things that are fun for me. I have still read some and I have been watching The Big Bang Theory. So I am having a good time. 5 weeks left until my live sale! Then maybe a short doll break and working on miniatures and figuring out when in August the miniatures sale will be. I'm really looking forward to it!

Ahead of Schedule

      I found out that there is a way to switch back to the older blogger from the new blogger. And even when the new blogger becomes a thing in late June apparently I will still be able to keep the old blogger. Good. I like how it is set up and it has worked well for me. I am fine with change if it makes sense, but not just for the sake of change. I only replaced my cell phone when it started having function issues, not just because there was a new model out. I also save a lot of money that way. But I'm off topic.
     I mentioned last week that I was not sure if I was right on schedule with my doll goals or if I was ahead. I had all 16 sets (4 planned weeks) of saddlebags in the works all at once, all at different stages. Friday I was working towards finishing 8 sets, which would put me right on schedule. 

      I did manage to get them finished (and packaged up) so technically I am in fact ahead of schedule. I have 5 more sets of bags that are all the way to bag shaped with liners in. They just need the front pockets made and put on, the inside flap liner and then Velcro. After that I have 3 sets that still need ironing and shaping. I also have to do the backings for all of them and a few other things. There are so many steps to making saddlebags. But I am starting week 3 a bit ahead of schedule and that makes me happy

     Friday evening I also worked a bit later and finished up this western pleasure lady. That was my 3rd doll for the week and that also puts me right on schedule. I did the math again and at this point I just need to make 3 dolls in a week once, and then as long as I can manage 2 dolls in a week I am all set and will reach my goal. Things are looking pretty good.

     So this week I am working on a cross country doll, an interesting driving doll (we'll have to see if my idea works for her or not) and I have the body cut up to work on a youth doll. I need to rebuild her and then I can sew the clothes to the correct size. I already have them cut out, so it's all progress. I'm really happy that I have managed to stay on my schedule so far. If I keep managing to get more done in a week than planned I might be able to make more for my sale than I planned. Or maybe I can take a few days off, who knows.