Little Mouse

As I was working on this lightning bolt applique for Little J (Easy Applique) I started feeling inspired by my felt collection.

I originally began collecting felt for a "Quiet Book" project (like this one)... but I haven't gotten around to it yet, so I just have an embarrassingly huge assortment of felt.  After I sewed my yellow lightning onto the grey onesie, I was just in a yellow and grey kind of mood.

I began cutting more shapes, and this just sort of came to me...

 

My patronus is a mouse, so it seemed fitting.  I cut a mirror image from my coordinating grey felt, and added little ear shapes as well.

First things first, I sewed my teardrop ear shapes to each mouse piece.  Then I added some grey yarn between the felt for a tail and sewed my mouse shapes together.  Normally, I would sew with "pretty" sides together, then turn inside-out.  But since felt doesn't fray, and I want my mouse to retain his shape as best as possible, I didn't bother with this unnecessary step.

I left a small hole in the bottom, so I could add some stuffing to my little guy.  Once stuffed, I sewed the hole shut.

I thought he would be cute with some whiskers, so I left my thread a little long on his nose (I did end up trimming his tail though).  Jared thinks this looks like a cat toy, but our house is "No Cats Allowed" so I'm not too concerned for his safety (although, I'm betting my puppies would enjoy ripping the stuffing out of my mouse, so he will be living securely on a shelf.  Just in case).

I'm so pleased with this cute little guy, that I may add to his family and make a mobile for the babe.  He likes mice, just like I do, so I'm sure he would appreciate a mouse clan in his room :)

Easy Applique

I have this habit of purchasing every single item of baby clothing that I find at Goodwill - as long as it's in good condition and the right size, it's mine!  Even if it's not exactly my taste, I figure I can easily make a project out of it...

The problem I have, of course, is that I forget about my project queue.  I have an enormous backlog of "projects" that I have never found time to complete.  I have to squeeze sewing in here and there, whenever I happen to have a free moment (which isn't very often nowadays). 

After a long, frustrating weekend, Jared and I decided Sunday night that we would set the DVR to record Mad Men so we could have a little (separate) hobby time (we watched Mad Men the next night, don't worry!)

I locked myself in the office/craft/storage room and, free of babies and dogs and household chores, I sewed!  I found a couple of baby clothes projects that I had forgotten about and began.

This onesie was in almost-new condition for $1.49, but I'm really not a fan of cars/trucks/planes etc.  So the fire engine had to go.

cute, but not my taste

I found my stash of felt (which I have been saving for a different project) and picked a color that I like with the grey of the shirt. 









I cut a shape that I know will be big enough to cover the fire truck - and it suits Little J, since I can tell he's already a Harry Potter fan.

Felt is nice for this project because it won't fray.  I could have probably attached my lightning bolt with a simple straight stitch, but I like the look of a thick zig zag much better.  I accomplished this by setting my sewing machine to sew a zig zag and adjusting the length and width (a shorter length will make the zigs and zags closer together).

I sewed around the edge of my shape, making sure I catch the edge of the felt (we don't want any loose edges!)

And now I have a shirt fit for the Chosen One!

I had to wrangle my naked babe at 7 AM for his photo shoot

Once the shirt was on, he WOULD NOT smile for me

I tried a box of socks to get his happy juices flowing

But he just wanted to chew on them

More Homemade Baby Food

In my previous post about Homemade Baby Food, I focused on yummy food combos.  These were a big hit with the babe, but were a bit more work that I am willing to do on a regular basis.  Once my freezer started running low, I bought some more ingredients to replenish my supply...

For this batch I decided I would focus on prep speed.  I want to streamline my process and be as efficient as possible, while still providing Little J with some fun variety in his meals.

While my Young Chap munched on his finger food, I devised a cooking plan.  Only about half of the produce I bought actually needed to be cooked before pureeing, so I planned the order in which I would cook these items, then got some water boiling.

My Prep Plan:

1. Start boiling water while peeling and coring my 4 pears
2. Drop my pear bits into the pot to cook until soft (for 10-15 minutes, depending on their ripeness)
3. While cooking pears, cut pineapple and cantaloupe, removing skin and cores
4. Puree pineapple, pour into containers, rinse blender and repeat with cantaloupe
5. Remove pears from stove and allow to cool before pureeing, meanwhile bring water back to boil
6. Pour frozen green beans into pot to cook until soft (this took longer than I expected, 20-30 minutes)
7. Puree banana, pour into containers, rinse blender
8. Remove beans from stove and allow to cool before blending.
9. Repeat bean process with frozen peas (needed less time to cook, 10-15 minutes)

1 oz. servings

This batch was just as large as my previous batch, but took only a little more than half as long to prepare.  The downside for me when making big batches is that I only have 2 freezing trays, so I am forced to refrigerate my purees until the first round of freezing is done and I can transfer them to bigger containers.

2 oz. servings

I make sure to label my containers (I use a washable marker, like Vis-a-Vis) with the type of food and the date it was made.  I don't let my frozen baby food sit for longer than a month before tossing it, to avoid tummy aches and other bad stuff.

I cropped the Toaster Studels out of this picture out of shame

Once I'm ready to feed Little J a serving, I either defrost in the microwave at 15 second intervals until warm, or thaw overnight in the fridge in one of these Baby Bullet containers.  At 10 months old, my babe eats 3-4 ounces of puree at each meal (sometimes more), so I'm still allowed the freedom to create yummy food combos by mixing individual servings of food.

I really need more of these freezer trays!

Happy Chap

Jared and I love to try to pinpoint exactly which features Little J got from which family member.  He has my eyebrows and eyes, Jared's smile and big feet, and he makes facial expressions that remind me of both of my brothers.  At almost 10 months old, he still doesn't have a distinct eye color, which may mean he has hazel eyes like his Pop-Pop.  All babies are precious, but when you look at the face of your own baby, it's a really special feeling.  The second he was born, I felt like he already looked familiar.  I already knew him.

 There aren't a lot of mysteries when it comes to his appearance (aside from his outie belly button) and there are even fewer when it come to his personality.  In the hospital, the nurses commented over and over about him being such a laid-back, easy baby.  "You both must be really chill people to produce such a calm baby," one said.  Jared and I locked eyes and shared a private joke, since we are both prone to anxiety and neurotics.  What we have come to discover about our Peanut is that he isn't an abnormally calm baby... he's actually just like us.  Jared and I are both shy, reserved people.  There aren't many who know our true personalities, as we rarely show our awkward, fretful sides to strangers.  So, we may come across as being "laid back" or "cool" (or "bitchy," as my classmates in high school referred to me).  We suspect that our Babe is the same way: reserved.  He seems to enjoy just sitting back and observing the world.  But the traits that our babe inherited from us that we notice the most are his sensitivity and his sense of humor.  Jared and I laugh a lot.  Humor plays a large role in our relationship, because it's something we both greatly appreciate.

Little J laughs at everything:

the vacuum
the blowdryer
when we sneeze
when we cough
when Zooey scratches herself
when Zooey sneezes
when Zooey runs around the coffee table
when Zooey plays tug-o-war with him
when Zooey looks at him
Zooey
when we sharpen knives
when I scold Jared
when I talk in "man voice"
when I shake his bottle
when we pull his pants off
when he spots himself in a mirror
when he splashes in the tub
when my phone rings

He may be sensitive like his parents, but our Young Chap finds humor in all of the little things.  Even the microscopic things. This very moment he just pulled my wallet from a pouch in the diaper bag and squealed with delight, then stomp-crawled across the room to make sure I noticed his discovery.  

"Just Enough" Teething Necklace

I love clothes.  But I love accessories even more.  Most people might be sickened by my collection of scarves, belts, shoes, headbands, broaches, earrings, watches, rings, bracelets.... My primary accessory weakness is necklaces.  I have a massive jewelry chest full to the brim with necklaces.  I can't emphasize how much a love them.

And... Little J loves them too.  He enjoys playing with the chains and beads while he has his bottle, but the second that bottle pops out of his mouth, the pearls pop in.  He desperately wants to gnaw on my jewelry.  Especially these:

 

I love browsing etsy.com for handmade baby items and I stumbled upon a wonderful idea... Teething Necklaces!  They are designed to serve the exact purpose that I was hoping for: Interesting for the babe to look at AND safe for him to chew on!

I would love to shell out a bunch of money to buy something fancy that somebody else hand made, but I'd usually rather try my hand at making the same thing myself.  The problem with this project is that these necklaces.....

this one is from this etsy shop

are SUPER DUPER FANCY.  Waaaaaaaay beyond my crocheting expertise, and I don't have a whole lot of time for practicing this art.  I do, however, have a stash of natural (unfinished) wooden beads and a ton of yarn.  So that's where I started.

This was extremely simple to assemble.  I literally just snipped a length of yarn that would fit over my head and strung the beads on (using a crochet hook since I couldn't locate my yarn needle).  I tied really humongous knots on either side of the row of beads, so they can't slip off and be accidentally swallowed.

Once I adorned my neck with this bad boy, Little J's eyes lit up.

He reached out from Jared's arms and stuck the beads directly into his toothless mouth.  Perfect!

I hope to someday hone my crocheting skills and create something much prettier (like this), but until then we will settle for simplicity.  Like so many things in life, sometimes the bare essentials really are just enough. 

The Big Day: Packing Your Hospital Bag for Delivery

I am a researcher.  My daddy taught me well how to gather information and weigh the pros and cons before making big decisions.  With this training, it won't be surprising when I tell you how much research I did while I was pregnant with Little J.  I read books, I perused blogs and baby websites, I watched "Baby Mama" and "Juno" over and over again.  And, being a Ravenclaw, I kept a notebook with all the information I gathered. 

This was helpful for a couple reasons: my pregnant brain wasn't very functional.  I had trouble remembering what I had for breakfast, let alone what gifts we had been given or who I had already sent Thank You's to.  It's also really nice to look back now (and in the future, next time I'm packing for the hospital) and have a reminder of how I did things the first time around. 

I went over my packing list for my hospital bag time and time again.  I had my bag packed early, which was wise since I ended up going into labor nearly 3 weeks before my due date.  I thought I was so smart and so prepared. The unfortunate part was that I packed all the wrong stuff!

I got some of it right, of course.  But I barely used most of what I had brought - and there were things I wished I had packed that I didn't think of.  I plan on having more babies someday, so the lessons I learned will ultimately turn out to be valuable... But until then, I will share my education with my readers. (For more about my pregnancy experience, read my post When I was Pregnant... )

I tend to organize and categorize almost every aspect of my life.  You can take a look at how I pack my diaper bag to see what I mean.  If I were to pack a bag for the hospital right now, this is how I would do it:

zooey wants to come too

*The hospital provided diapers, wipes, a variety of maxi pads, disposable undies, nursing pads, swaddling blankets, hat and undershirt for baby, booger sucker, baby shampoo.* 

Category 1: Clothing myself (main bag, small suitcase is the easiest)

• Robe - I didn't mind the hospital gown, but a robe would have been nice when walking the halls (instead of doing the double hospital gown thing)
• Slippers or grippy socks - hospital socks are lame.  They never feel comfortable to me (probably because they have no heel).  Flip flops would be nice too.
• Grungy nightgowns or jammies - post-birth stuff is gross, but I'd much prefer to wear my own comfy jams.  You will need easy shirt access for breastfeeding and/or pant access for post-birth exams.
• Big undies - the hospital provides disposable underwear, but it's meshy and uncomfortable.  Honestly, I'd probably rather wear a diaper (and maybe next time I will!  I've heard adult diapers can be really nice to have for post-birth bleeding).
• Comfortable nursing bra - especially nice when guests come to visit the babe, to avoid feeling totally exposed/saggy
• Maternity pants to wear home - comfy ones.  Like, really super stretchy, comfy, cottony ones.  I can't emphasize this enough.  They must be comfy.  I was sooooooo puffy after Little J was born due to all the fluids they pumped into me (part of the epidural procedure) that I was almost as big leaving the hospital as I was upon arrival.
• Cute nursing top to wear home
• Sweatshirt - in case of chilly rooms or chilly weather

Category 2: Caring for myself (main bag)

• Water bottle - I'm super attached to my red water bottle, and I doubt I could have labored without it
• Snacks - enough for myself and for Jared for the recovery days.  I recommend fiber bars, since stool softeners tend to never be quite enough for my stubborn bowels (gross, sorry!)
• Notebook for recording memories, thoughts, and feelings about delivery.  Also great for taking notes from the nurses!  
• Extra bag or box to carry any flowers, gifts, hospital gear (we brought home everything the hospital gave us - diapers, maxi pads, etc)
• Toiletries (separate toiletry bag, with smaller pouches within for organization)

• toothbrush and toothpaste
• shower supplies
• hairbrush (the hospital provided a blowdryer)
• chapstick
• hair ties, bobby pins & headbands for sweaty, unkempt labor hair
• makeup
• facial wipes
• deodorant
• lotion
• soft toilet paper - hospital tp is not kind to your sore nethers

 Category 3: Babe's Stuff  (small duffel bag)

• Cute outfits for baby to wear home - I'd give myself a couple options, to allow for baby's size, the weather, my mood...
• Baby mittens - to prevent scratches from sharp little baby nails
• Weather-appropriate travel supplies - hat, blankets, warm booties, car seat cover, etc.  When we brought Little J home, forest fires were raging just outside of town, so we needed extra blankets to protect him from all the smoke in the air.  
• Lanolin for sore nipples
• Boppy - this was my best friend when I was nursing Little J.  Next time I'm in the hospital, I will want this little sucker with me from the start!
• Vaseline - a layer of petroleum jelly on baby's bum will provide easier cleanup for those first few sticky poos
• Car Seat - snapped safely into the car, ready for baby to come at any time.  

Category 4: Tech (piled atop the normal contents of my large purse)

• Cell phones with chargers
• Camera with charger or extra battery
• Video camera with charger
• iPod (or iPhone) & headphones - I brought mine last time, but for some reason I settled for the hospital music channel that played elevator music behind a slideshow of Colorado scenery.  Next time I'd like to make a specific "calm" playlist to get me through contractions (and actually use it!).

i put baby stuff in that bottom zipper pouch

 Hubby Bag (small duffel bag)

• Sweatpants and Sweatshirt for chilly delivery room
• Extra T-shirts, undershirts, socks and undies
• Toiletries:
• toothbrush
• toothpaste
• deodorant
• Important documents (insurance stuff, etc.)

When I was pregnant, I wish you had told me...

I think pregnancy is one of those things you don't really enjoy until after it's over.  Like high school or exercising, being pregnant is kind of hard to get through, but once it's over you look back on it with fondness.  And often wish you could do it all over again.  

I never suffered terrible morning sickness in the beginning (although my insensitive boss still thought I missed too much work due to nausea...) and I felt lucky that I never actually threw up.  I didn't gain an offensive amount of weight or have any noteworthy food cravings.  I only missed alcohol on holidays and I loved wearing cute maternity clothes.  Overall, pregnancy was pretty good to me. 

I bought a pregnancy book that I read before bed every passing week and I felt like I really knew what I was doing.  Of course I felt a little panicked at times, but we were definitely ready to be parents and so the fear didn't ever overwhelm the excitement.  I had the amazing opportunity (thanks Jared!) to quit my job after the first trimester, so I took my new position as baby incubator very seriously, and I definitely learned some things along the way...

1. Live the healthiest lifestyle you can. In the beginning, eat whatever you can keep down.  It doesn't matter what you eat, but you need to eat. I ate Poptarts nonstop throughout the first trimester because that was literally the only thing that didn't make me feel sick.  Once the morning sickness passes, eat as healthfully as you possibly can.  I ate so much junk food through the rest of my pregnancy, because that's what tasted yummy.  But I would have felt a lot better if I had been chowing down on salads and grilled chicken instead of Oreos and Salt & Vinegar Chips.  Try to exercise.  Even if all you can do is take a short walk, do it.  I was religious about riding the exercise bike every day for most of my first trimester, but one day I started feeling lightheaded and so I stopped all forms of exercise completely.  Big mistake.  I should have discussed the incident with my doctor and asked about an inhaler or other ideas for exercising.  My labor ended up lasting 27 hours, and if I had been in better shape it may have been slightly less exhausting.

2. If you have hopes about the sex of your baby, find out what you're having. I wanted a girl so badly, and I admit that I was a bit let down after our first ultrasound revealed that we were having a boy.  Now that Little J is here, I can't even remember why I wanted a girl first.  I'm just glad that I had some time to adjust my attitude before the babe was born.  If we had waited to be surprised, I would have been dealing with my feelings of disappointment on the day of his birth rather than focusing on the joy of the occasion.  If you truly don't care about the baby's sex, then the surprise will be exhilarating!  But if you are concerned about being disappointed, give yourself a chance to get those feelings out of the way before baby arrives. 

it's a boy!

3. Don't expect everyone to rejoice when you announce your pregnancy.  For us, finding out we were pregnant was the BEST news.  We were thrilled, we were ready and we couldn't wait to tell everyone.  The timing of your announcement is such a personal thing (some people insist on waiting until the risk of miscarriage has passed before making the news public).  But no matter when you choose to reveal your pregnancy, there will probably be somebody who isn't as thrilled as you expect them to be.  I still have feelings of hurt toward the people who didn't react the way I thought they should.  I don't think I ever could have fully prepared myself for reactions of anger or disapproval - but I never let the opinions of others influence my own feelings about my pregnancy.

4. Everything will hurt.  Your feet, legs, hips, back, shoulders, neck, fingers, stomach, lungs, genitals, eyes, head... and body parts you never even knew you had.  Even your feelings.  I'm serious, everything will hurt at some point before labor even starts.

5. Take pride in your birth plan.  Once people find out you are pregnant, all boundaries will disappear.  Be prepared to hear gory birthing details from every mother you know.  But mostly, be prepared to be asked to share every detail of your own birth plan.  Will you have an epidural?  Will you bank cord blood?  Will you have a midwife or a doctor?  Will you breastfeed?  To me, these were pretty personal questions, but nobody will be shy about asking them.  Answer if you want to, but don't try to please anyone.  No matter what your plan is, someone will tell you it's wrong.  Or crazy.  Or whatever.  Don't second guess yourself - your birth experience is yours, not theirs.  Do your research and decide what is best for you and your baby.  Have the darn epidural, and be proud of it! 

I could probably go on forever... so here's the rest of my short list.  The things I learned about pregnancy that I will do again (or do differently) next time:

• Take weekly pictures of my growing belly.  It's fun to look back on the changes and the cute maternity outfits I enjoyed wearing.
• Prepare the nursery (and clean the rest of the house) ahead of time. 
• Introduce our pets to the new baby's things before he arrives (including his hospital hat before he came home, so they can become accustomed to his smell before meeting him).
• Tell people the sex of the baby, but keep our name choice a secret.  Nobody will have the opportunity to make us second guess our name once it's on official documents!
• Pack a really great hospital bag (here's how I'd do it!).  Be thoughtful about what I need to bring (or not bring).
• Actually use the stuff I bring to the hospital.  Why did I listen to the lame hospital relaxation music station the whole time I was in labor when I had my iPod and my laptop in my bag?
• Record my thoughts and feelings about my pregnancy and delivery.  I know I have already forgotten so much more than I wanted to.  I wish I had written down Little J's birth story right away so I wouldn't leave out any details.
• Buy nursing bras closer to the end of my pregnancy.  The ones I bought when I was only 7 or 8 months pregnant were too small by the time my milk came in.  
• Take care of my belly skin.  I rubbed cocoa butter on my tummy for months, but my efforts sort of dwindled by the time my skin was actually doing most of its stretching.  I wish I had kept up with the lotioning to potentially prevent the huge, painful stretch marks I ended up with.
• Pre-wash all baby items with scent-free detergent.  Baby will have sensitive skin and I will want all clothes, blankies, burp clothes, etc. to be fresh and clean for him!
• Have some new baby outfits (and diapers) ready in a variety of sizes.  Little J was so much smaller than we expected, that we ended up needing to go out and buy smaller pants for him because everything we had was way too big! 
• Take it easy when I can.  Ask for help with household duties that may be difficult with a big belly (like cleaning the bathtub or pulling weeds).
• Pre-cook some meals.  Don't rely on Jared to make take-out runs for every meal (even before baby arrives, I lost the desire to cook anything).
• Just go ahead and purchase the pregnancy comfort products.  Spend whatever it takes to make the third trimester more pleasant (belly support bands, pregnancy pillows, humongous stretchy pants).
• Try to focus on the result of my pregnancy, rather than the discomforts.  It will all be worth it once baby arrives. 

Click here to read my post "When I was a brand new parent, I wish you had told me..."