This is my favorite time of year!
There is something magical about the lights, the promise of goodness and the sparkle that you get from giving. I'm especially thankful that this holiday season we have a beautiful, healthy baby that has made our twosome a threesome.
Wishing all of you a wonderful rest of the year and all the very best for 2010!
Much love & craftyness,
Sue
***Updated!*** I realized I left off some can't live without items
I'll admit it...when I was registering for our baby showers I was so overwhelmed by Babies R Us that I left the store hyperventilating twice before I even filled out the paperwork - let alone using the gun thingie and choosing things! Thank goodness my VBF Missy helped me through that first visit with the gun - even then, it took us another couple of visits before I got through the whole store. There is just SO MUCH STUFF! Given that we live in a 700 square foot house - the idea of needing/having all that stuff was as overwhelming as choosing it.
So - now that our baby Monster is nearly 3 months old (!!!!??!?!!) here is what we couldn't have lived without. Every baby and family is different but this is what worked for us and if anything I just need to document this in case I forget it all by the time #2 comes along (yeah the whole "mommy brain" thing is unfortunately true).
Feeding
- Great as burp cloths and general purpose cloths to keep around. Babies leak a lot. I wouldn't recommend these as actual diapers though (that's a whole other post since we are doing the cloth diaper thing and I have opinions!)
- We hand wash our bottles because our dishwasher does not really clean without leaving hard water stains. I just happened to like the design of this rack since it sits out on our counter all the time (ours is white). Love it! Right now it's sitting on the counter with 8 bottles, 6 pacifiers, 4 nipples and 3 pump thingies. It holds a ton and also disassembles for washing.
- These are awesome, easy to use and can sterilize anything from bottle nipples to pacifiers to breast pump tubing.
- This is a necessity if you want your partner to feed the baby or if you want to breastfeed once you go back to work. This one's awesome!
- This is a GREAT top and makes nursing outside of the house really easy without hanging out all over the place. You can't beat the price too - at approx $17 you could get two of these for the price of one Glamourmom tank and frankly, the G&OM tank fits much better.
- Yes you'll need one. Your arm will get tired holding the baby whether you're nursing or bottle feeding or just plain hanging out. We also use it to prop him up while playing with him - and by playing with him I mean staring at him endlessly for hours.
- I find there are many times I just don't feel like whipping out the stroller/car seat beast and find it easier to "wear" my little guy in a sling. Plus it"s nice snuggle time, he loves it and typically falls asleep. i also love that both of my hands are free. i find myself wearing him at home more often enaling me to actually get stuff done! We really like the Maya because it's incredibly adjustable (between Sweetboy's size and mine) and there are so many different positions for the baby. Nursery
- I am forever worried that the room is too hot or too cold. Too dry, should I turn on the humidifier?? I don't know!! Argghhh. This has helped tremendously.
- Now that our heat kicks on regularly I find this indispensable. His little nose gets so dry you can hear his raspy breathing. A room humidifier is good but this adds moisture right where you need it!
- This is a wonder machine. It provides background noise to lull him to sleep and keep him asleep. As an example our backdoor is next to his crib - he doesn't bat an eye when we let the dog out/in or when the dog barks outside.
- These are awesome. They will save your sheets, changing pad, car seat, etc. They also sell them in crib size.
- We really like this one. We live in a small house so I don't know what it's like in a big house that needs a lot of range but the sound is clear and it picks up everything little breath. It enabled Monster's transition from the co-sleeper to the crib in week 5.
- Swaddling is the only way to soothe Monster if he's fussy or unable to sleep. It is magical how it turns him into a quiet, sleeping baby burrito. This SwaddleDesigns blanket was a shower gift and it is the most used because it's so big it really wraps around him. Even now and he's 12 1/2 lbs! It would also be really easy to buy a nice flannel or knit jersey material and hem the edges to make your own swaddling blanket. I would suggest nothing smaller than 40" square. The square shape is the trick - the popular ones sold in the stores are rectangular and useless IMHO.
- They come in all shapes, sizes and prices; however, getting one is not even up for discussion. Get one. You'll thank yourself with every rock back and forth, in every wee hour, every night. Seriously.
- I borrowed my sister's and it was fantastic for that first month. It has wheels and we would move it from the living room to the bedroom. It can secure to your bed or be free-standing. It also folds up in a little carrying case.
or bouncy seat
- You'll want at least one. These are the ones we have and the are must-haves because I can strap Mason in one, take it with me to shower, or put it next to me while sewing, doing laundry, cooking (ok let's not kid ourselves I really don't cook) or just use it to soothe him. Wouldn't you like to sit in a reclining vibrating seat that bounces? Heck ya! Sign me up.
- Monster had terrible diaper rash from disposables which is one of the reasons we went to cloth. However, to clear it up before we made the switch we used Boudreaux's natural version in the green tube. We tried A & D and a couple of other natural remedies and this one worked the best for us.
- Unfortunately, Monster has my terrible dry skin. This is a wonderful, emollient lotion without being greasy nor smelling like "baby". My baby smells wonderful without all the crazy perfumes. Besides I can't stand smelly (read fragrant) things and I don't want anything to come between me and giving my boy a million smoochies a day. Also love things in pumps - makes it easy and one-handed.
- This is miracle cream. I hear newborn skin rashes are normal but one day he just broke out in these horrible, red bumpy things all over his face and neck. Then they became sort of scaly. Not pretty and looked itchy. I put this cream on his face and it cleared up within 2 days. I apply it to his face whenever I think about it (every couple of days). He has the most beautiful, soft skin. Perfect for smooching! It has a mild fragrance that is actually pleasing. This stuff is awesome, I've started using it on my own face!
Music
- I LOVE LOVE LOVE this disc. It is sweet, charming, lovely and fun to sing the songs. I play this every night as I put down the Monster and can sing him "Butterfly" or "Big Rock Candy Mountain" anytime and he will quiet down no matter how upset he is.
- Another wonderful disc. I wanted to sing to our baby in Spanish but could barely remember the songs my Mom used to sing to us when we were little so while searching iTunes I came across this disc and although my Mom never sang me any of these songs they are beautiful and Jose-Luis' voice is very soothing. "Duerme Duerme Negrito" and "Los Pollitos" are Monster's favorites. Books
- This book (or the DVD) is really super and you don't quite appreciate how super it is until you find yourself unable to sleep and then you remember to use the techniques in this book and then your little Monster calms down and sleeps and then you can drift off to sleepyland and then you'll be dreaming you want to shake Dr. Karp's hand, or kiss him or make him some cookies or something. Good stuff.
- Comprehensive and extremely helpful when your trying to figure out your tiny little person who relies on you for everything. Also helpful at 3am when you're exasperated and want to know why your baby keeps growling, grunting and making other weird noises.
- Another great book for those of you who are nursing. It's a wealth of information and a must have if this is your first baby or the first time you are breastfeeding. Thanks Mom!! Alrighty then! That took forever but I hope you find it helpful. I'm sure I will in another couple of years! Especially since there are details from my pregnancy and the first month or two of his life that I thought I would never forget and I can tell you they are slipping away. This was also a good way of sharing more pictures of my gorgeous Monster.
I would love to hear what you couldn't live without. Please share it in the comments, thanks!
Last week when Sweetboy moved the cabinet on the patio to clean the floor (baby shower coming and he's been very sweet and helpful, even more than usual) he discovered some water spots on the stucco which meant there was a leak on the other side...likely the tub. GASP!
We weren't sure where the water was coming from and we had recently had that drain snaked so we called the plumber back to check it out in case he knocked something loose. Now let me set the stage here, Sweetboy and Doug (neighbor extraordinaire) LOVE home improvement projects so they're circling this poor plumber, hovering to see what he says is the problem. After he diagnoses that the drain pipe from the tub has corroded after 50 years and come apart, he walks out to his van to write up an estimate.
In the meantime, Sweetboy and Doug are plotting the fix and by the time the plumber came back to the door with a $3,550 estimate to fix it (mind you, it was like 5 minutes later), Sweetboy had already removed the diswasher, cut a 2' x 2' hole in the plaster wall and was doing his best impersonation of a bonafide plumber, crack and all!
That's actually the offending pipe from the tub on top of the dishwasher. The white part...completely corroded and in pieces, good grief.
The hyper-clean side of me needs to point out that the tub is dirty from the work being done. I keep a spotless tub, ok more accurately, our cleaning lady does - but still!
Voila! Shiny new pipes and no more leaks. I love this man.
So after a couple of trips to Home Depot, 3 six packs of Pacifico and McDonald's for the whole gang, we had a completely replumbed tub and a new p-trap. All on one of the hottest days this summer. I think it was about 87-90 degrees in our kitchen (105 outside). Poor thing. All said - we spent less than $100 for materials and refreshments...way to go Sweetboy!!
Imagine that, hunky & handy...I'm a lucky girl indeed.
I've been meaning to write. I've started several posts. I even started a tutorial, actually two. What can I say - I've been a bit scattered lately. However, I have been prolific in my craftyness! This is what my crafty table looks like. Yikes!
Let's see what we have in progress...
1. 3 baby sweaters (knit & crochet)
2. 2 crochet baby blankets
3. crochet baby booties
4. flannel pantyliners (I'm doing my part to save the world)
5. crochet footstool cover
6. crochet teddy bear
7. flannel baby blankets
8. applique onesies
Hmmm... are you thinking what I'm thinking? Why all the baby things?
Well we're having a baby!! Yippeeeee!!! So, besides my schizophrenic craftyness (I haven't finished one thing) I've been busy making a human being so I'm going to cut myself some slack for not posting. :)
I'm 15 weeks along and everything is going great! It's been a long road to this point. We're thrilled everything is going so well so far. Our last ultrasound showed her (I'm convinced it's a girl although we don't know for sure) kicking and punching and flipping around. Very exciting!
More to come soon. Thanks for stopping by - hope you're all doing well and enjoying Spring!
Hello again! It's been awhile and there is so much going on. Been working on so many things at home, work and in little old Redwood Village, San Diego (our neighborhood).
The big thing to share is the recent volunteer community project that took place in my neighborhood. It was a beautiful day and we changed someone's life. It was fantastic.
Linda is our neighbor across the street. She is an 81 year old widow on a fixed income. She is going blind and both she and her house needed some TLC. Our neighborhood council (led by a selfless, community-minded superstar - Anna you rock!!) organized a mini Extreme Home Makeover. In 6 weeks, donations were gathered, materials were purchased and neighborhood volunteers were signed up.
With approx 50 volunteers over 2 days we patched cracks inside and stucco outside, cleaned up her yard, reglazed windows, installed security features, took care of 3'x5' bee hive in her back wall (with Africanized honey bees aka killer bees no less!) painted inside and out, installed a new fridge, stove and lights among other things. It was great! Here she is after all was said and done in her "new" living room.
If you're interested in helping someone in your community there is an organization called Rebuilding Together that does similar projects. There may be a local chapter where you are and you can help improve someone's life :)
Here you go - now you can be obsessed too. I cannot be held liable for sleepless nights or neglected relationships. You've been duly warned. If you need the funny little music to make it feel right - try this one.
If fabric is more your thing, go visit Mayumi over at her Etsy shop, Karaku. I spent way too much time there last night and walked away with these fabrics. I didn't think I could live without them when it came down to it. Can't wait for them to come in the mail! She was wonderful to buy from and if you want more than 1/2 yard as listed, just convo her, she may have more for you.
Aren't these adorable? I have a great apron pattern that I plan to use for the tan fabric below (children with sweets and biscuits). I love the details on the musical animal print below. The houses, trees and animals are all so darn cute! All of these cutesy animal fabrics just feed my creativity for the mural I plan to paint in the baby room when that time comes.
Been sending emails to my future self over at www.futureme.org. You can also read ones that others wrote and made public (anonymous). Some are absolutely HILARIOUS! Give it a go, enjoy :)
So tonight I was writing this really exciting post extolling the virtues of cauliflower and how I eat it so often I've decided to grow it in my backyard... blah blah blah...
Anyway - I heard someone yelling outside and figured it was Psycho Neighbor again so I went to look out the window and saw flames behind neighbor's house across the street! HUGE flames that you could see above the roof line. It looked like the back of her house was on fire. She is in her 70's and going blind so I ran across the street and one of the neighbors was already knocking on her door to get her out. I called 911 and they were already on their way, thank goodness. I grabbed my hose and dragged it over there and saw that the shed in the back yard was the one on fire. But my little hose wasn't making a dent at all!
However, just then the firetrucks came, all 4 of them (I love the response we got, that makes me feel very safe!) and they took care of everything pretty quickly. Thank goodness the Santa Ana winds weren't in effect this weekend like they were last week or else our whole street and the canyon would have been in danger. Good grief.
Chester was such a good boy while we were out there watching the happenings. I don't care what Sweetboy says - I will bring the firehouse cookies this year. He's convinced they'll think I'm a firehouse whore but I'm not going to pole dance for them for crying out loud! I'm just going to drop off some cookies to show my appreciation as a thankful citizen. Don't you give cookies or something to your local peeps (mailman, garbage man, cleaners, firehouse, etc.) for the holidays?
As for our street being a magnet for the law...usually police cars and/or fire trucks and/or ambulances on our street are due to Psycho Neighbor and his antics so this was out of the norm for our little 'hood. Let's just hope Christmas morning this year isn't a repeat of last year...I don't think I ever posted about that - here's a peek.
I'll give you the whole scoop one of these days. It was pretty funny. I mean - opening presents in our pajamas, eating cinnamon rolls and watching cops with automatic weapons storm Psycho's house while remaining festive in their jolly hats? Priceless!!
Just to put you at ease, I promise to finish the cauliflower post soon so don't let the suspense keep you up tonight. It will be up later this week!
Hence the lack of posts lately. It had been acting up - I thought maybe it was rebelling since I don't carry it around with me everywhere anymore (trying to get into a smaller purse so I don't become a hunchback)? So now I need to get a new one - any suggestions out there? I don't usually keep up with that sort of thing.
Nursing an achilles tendonitis flare-up. Another pisser. Been sitting around all weekend wearing a boot thingie which I don't necessarily think is helping. However, I did get some sewing done today and that was fun. Worked with a few beautiful flannels, very soft and pretty. Unfortunately - can't show you how beautiful they were due to lack of functioning camera. Grrr.
But here's an old picture from before my camera died...wonderful lunch at the Estancia with Denise T. It was delicious :). Lobster sandwich with lentil soup and a tomato/mozzarella/avocado salad. Those are fries in the cup at the top left with the brown liner. Denise had a hamburger - she's says they are the best.
Oh and I'm terribly excited about tomorrow because my FAVORITE yes FAVORITE restaurant in St. Louis is opening shop in San Diego. Crazy Bowls & Wraps. Tastiness - have their Chicken Caesar Wrap. Ohhh yummy deliciousness. It's in Mission Valley in the Ralph's shopping center.
Do you know any great places to eat here in town? How about St. Louis, Seattle or the northern Virginia area. Have a great week!
