DIY Baby Shower Gifts

Ok, if this post doesn't have proper grammar (or make any sense at all...) please forgive me. My one year old is teething four molars at once, it gives her a fever and I literally spent at least 9 hours getting her to bed last night. (And lets not get into how that wakes up my three year old.) So I'm doing my best to communicate at an understandable level.

Anyway,

We went out of town last weekend so Blake could do a 5K color run with his sister and brother in law

they had lots of fun.

 And another of his sisters had a baby shower while we were there. (We are so excited! We are getting so many cousins all of a sudden! Its great!)

I wanted to make her some things for it. And so somehow I managed to do it. A couple things I started early. And for the rest, I had one day where I worked like crazy durning nap time (Jasmine doesn't nap any more, but she has some quite play time in her room while Ruby does her second nap.) And then just really pushed through the rest of the afternoon asking the girls to entertain themselves. And I finished after they went to bed (the molars hadn't started this madness yet.)

I thought I'd show you what I made incase you are wanting to do a very esty-like DIY kinda Baby Shower Gift.

Stuff and a Teething Project

I can't seem to blog lately.

I'm really lost inside myself currently.

This going-to-move, but-not-for-months thing takes a lot out of me.

I get so weary in the waiting. And I don't really know what to do about it.

I mean, I know there is TONS of stuff I want to get done.

Like clear out all the closets. Go through all our paperwork and shred junk that we don't need anymore.  And more stuff like that. Plus I've been sewing bow ties for Blake's new job.

(Directions)

But none of this stuff is done because well, I have two tiny girls, who take up my days. I'm trying to be good and fit workouts back in my days. And my nights are still rather sleepless.
And I want to get down on myself for that like, "If you had only....blablabla...then you'd get more sleep." But constantly I need to remember I'm doing my best. And I'm making my best choices. And no matter what worked for someone else (on any certain topic of life) life is not one size fits all. And actually life does not have any rules. (Laws --- yes, like "Thou shall not kill." But rules like --"make these choices" -- no.) And it kills me really, because I love rules and I like to follow them. But then again that's not true, as a kid my brother always yelled at me for not following the board game rules. But I do like order. And I miss having someone be in charge of ME. And I don't always like being in charge of anyone else. I am constantly second guessing if I am doing it right. And now it doesn't just affect me, it affects my husband and my two children. Sheesh. PRESSURE!
I'm trying to calm myself down. I'm trying to get more comfortable with "not perfect" but my personality SCREAMS for perfection. Its like my past time to sit down, look at something, see it for what it is, analyze it for what it could be and should be, and then figure out the BEST way to get there.
That's gonna be a rough go for me and motherhood. I'm still such a newbie, and the start of mootherhood is rather bootcamp like, and I can't figure out a way to take a break (but that's another tangent of brain explosion.) I keep telling myself it gets better. I keep trying to take a break from my personality so I can get a break from this PRESSURE.

I watched this movie "Today's Special" on Netflix. (Kinda cute. Not phenomenal.) And its about this guy who wants to be a chef but needs to take over his family's hole in the wall restaurant. And he meets this guy who teaches him how to lighten up and feel what he cooks not follow the rules. It kinda inspired me to: STOP IT! For heaven sake.
(But then again I can start the whole whirling stupidity about perfecting the "stop it." Its rough.)

Anyway....
Moving.
(Yeah it does go together in my head.)
I want to get into our new phase and get settled. And "start life." So far since being married its all been temporary jobs. This next one is a settle in job. And I'm craving that so bad. I just want it now.
5 more months.
I spend all this time day dreaming about it, and how to make it function once we are there.

But then there are these moments, here and now, when it feels like the worst bandaid peeling of all time. I started out not liking it here. But then we thought we would stay, so I started saying I could love it. And somewhere, somehow, in between those, some of the most amazing things of my life happened. I worked through the biggest terror of my life and saw the biggest victory of my life here. (VBAC.) And in the midst I met some of the most amazing people.

So sometimes I'll be on a walk and the setting sunlight will hit our watertower (with the town's name brazened on it) and it will take my breath away and pierce my heart with an ache so deep I didn't know I had that spot in my heart. And it starts to make it hard to breath, knowing I won't be taking these walks on these streets anymore. And I start to feel confused. And I start to feel shocked to think I may not have another reason to be in this town again.
That it's all over.
That it happened and is done.

AND THEN>>>
I realize I have 5 more months.

And I get scared to fall in love harder and longer.
AND now my scab is kinda pulled off with the band aid, and we need to put a new one back on, and I know its just gonna have to get pulled off again.

Its the longest goodbye.




I don't know.

I'm rambling.

AND
This Blog.
I'm floundering on it.
A few more people have found it and are following it.
And I put pressure on myself to make what I say count. Make it good. Make it important.
And I don't know what you want to hear. And I debate starting a separate sister blog, so I can have one that's more for me, and less for anyone else. (But you could read it if you wanted.) One where I can be more relaxed. One that just talks about my days, and my girls, and how I love them, and how sometimes I can't stand anything at all, but I still love it - I just need more sleep.
And then I think, "well why can't you put that in this blog?"
And maybe I could.
But maybe you wouldn't want all that. That much of me.
Because really this blog isn't ME, me --- Its me-that-knows-things.
SO maybe I need a different blog for me-that-knows-nothing.
Or something.

So I feel in a stand still on what to put on here.
And the serious topics I want to post about take so much time to compile. (And the lack of time....)

But so, in the interest of making sure you don't think I am dead.
I blog today
this random blob of a blog.

And
Because I took pictures.
And its something I "know"
I'll throw this in there:

Have you every heard of a wubbanub?
No?
Me either. Till recently.
It's a really cute pacifier stuck into a small stuffed animal.
I mean, genus! It helps tiny babies hold onto a paci easier. AND it helps you not lose the darn thing.

AND....
Ever heard of a Raz teether?
Yeah, that was new to me too.
I inquired of my facebook friends what to do to help my poor teether a while ago. They all said this thing was awesome.
And it is pretty great.

So I kinda combined the two into my own RAZZYWUBBANUB-thing.

I put a ribbon through the loop of the teether and then sewed it onto one of those security blanket stuffed things. 

Mainly in the interest of not losing the teether again.

So far, not lost.

Yay!

My daughter is one year old. And I don't leave her alone with this. 

I don't feel she is in any danger of hurting herself with this. 

If you want to do this, and your baby is younger you will want to consider if you feel he or she is safe with this idea. And you may want to keep the ribbon a lot shorter.

Anyway:

If you follow my blog and have any thoughts at all, about a second sister blog vs. blathering on and on about more personal stuff on this blog -- seriously let me know. You read this thing. Tell me why you are here. I'll take it very seriously. You mean a lot to me.

Booster Seat Solution

I've enjoyed using a booster seat as opposed to a designated high chair, now with both girls. They take up less space in our small kitchen.
Actually we just got a "beautiful pink chair (aka booster) for Cinderella" as my older daughter, Jasmine, has been referring to it, so both girls can have their own. 

Anyway, I've always had a hard time figuring out what to do with that tray that goes with it when its not being used. It always ends up laying around in annoying places. If I stick it back onto place on the booster  I can't push the chair into the table. Not to mention the fact that it makes getting a baby into it frustrating.
So last week I got the idea that I could hang it on the back of our chair, if I just tie some ribbon through the holes {that it has to attach onto the seat.}

And just like that, my world is that much sweeter!

Works great!

Admittedly its a tiny bit tricky to stick the tray onto the chair with the ribbon in the holes, but if I just make sure the knot is out of the way it still snaps right in.

I'll take it!

Bib Makeover

Jasmine wasn't a big drooler.

There was like maybe one week where she would drool enough that her shirt got wet, and then it was over.

Ruby...

She's been soaking her shirt for about 2 months now, and I think there's plenty more to come.

BIBS.

We need bibs!

(That's a new thing for this momma.)

Peronally,

I don't like the bibs that have statements on them.

They just annoy me.

Some more than others.

(Least favorite: "Lil Diva"! I just want to take a sharpie to it and cross out Diva and write Sebastian) 

So this one's not terrible,

but I wanted to attempt giving it a makeover.

In order to make it a free makeover, I took some clothes out of the donate bin, to cut up and use as fabric.

Now I Can Swaddle with The Seatbelt On!

Disclaimer: Technically this is a car seat no-no as after market products are not to be used on car seats. You need to make a choice you feel is safe for you.

A Friend of mine 

(I never know if anyone wants to be blogged about, so I don't name names, in case you feel like "Hey why doesn't she say who!?" I'm not trying to make anyone feel left out -- just given privacy.)

Anyway, a friend of mine, sent me a link to a cool tutorial for a carseat swaddle blanket you can make.

We already have one of those car-seat zip up blankets,

so Ruby is warm in there,

but I had been wishing there as a way to swaddle while in the car seat -- swaddling is magic!

And sometimes during long car rides, you need some magic!

So when I saw this thing it was a light bulb moment of joy!

The morning before we left town for Thanksgiving, I rushed to throw something together for our 4 hour ride.

I took the easy route:

We have oh, about a million, swaddle blankets from Jasmine's baby shower two years ago.

So I grabbed a flannel one 

and did the cuts shown in the tutorial.

And then just stitched around them quickly on the sewing machine, so the blanket won't fray in the wash.

(If you really can't sew, you could get away with just cutting the holes in the blanket. Just count on your blanket fraying in the wash.)

Also, so the blanket won't fall in her face, 

I sewed the top corner down.

(I can't figure out how to word it -- but if you look at the photo it might make sense. And if you try it, you'll see what you need to do.) 

(If you can't sew, you could just cut the top off the blanket and be done with it!)

Ruby loved it!

It keeps her so much more calm and she stays asleep so much longer.

She also can't grab the pacifier out of her mouth, like she would if her arms are free -- 

hence the more calm and better sleep!

This was an awesome trick!

I wish I had known to do it for Jasmine when she was tiny.

Some Cute Watch-Baby-Grow Questions

My mom loves to give baby calendars to mommies-to-be. It's one of her favorite baby shower gifts to give.

I, of course, got one from her for each of my girls.

{Photo Credit}

Baby Calendars really are great!
You can easily keep track of those marvelous firsts.

(I think its easier to keep track of on a calendar than in a book.
And you can easily transfer the info into your baby's book later.)

AND if you want to,
you can write a little something on each and every day,
 and when you look back you can relive the entire first year of your baby's life.

I did that with J, and I am surprised than now two years later, when I read those tiny little squares of words, I am transported right back there, and I can actually remember each day!

The girls have gotten two different calendars.
The one we got for J had these cute questions to fill out at the end of every month, but our new calendar doesn't have them.
They were really great questions to help you see the baby grow and change, so I am going to answer the same ones again for Baby A, in addition to filling out her calendar.



I thought I would share them with you, incase you wanted to use them each month too:

Getting Ready --- Sewing Up Some BabyWearing Fun

I've been sharing how its been really hard for me during this pregnancy to remember I'm having a baby, instead of super-focusing on getting ready for just the delivery.
So I thought, maybe I should shift my focus.
I've been highly focused on my end of things. So it stands to reason, if I change my view point I will change my outlook.

So I thought I should start thinking of baby-ness.
And for me, that equates to sewing baby things.

I have a bunch of projects in mind. But the first I completed was my baby wearing stuff.



I loved wearing J when she was little. And she loved being worn. (I technically could still wear her now, but she's not into it anymore.) I'm hoping this little one likes it too. I know it will come in handy, now with two.

With J, I used a Moby Wrap initially. And then we moved over to a ring sling when she was bigger. (I hadn't discovered a ring sling until that point.)
I loved them both.
The Moby was cozy and comfy. But on the down side, it was very hot (especially for a summer baby.) And not so easy to fit in my small diaper bag.
I found the ring sling to be very easy to use (really fast to get on and off), comfortable, and super easy to fit into the diaper bag. So it became my favorite.

I made myself a couple ring slings last time. So I was actually good-to-go on that front. But since I was in the mood, I made one more, as well as fancied-up the two I already had with a little tail embellishment. I just went to the fabric store and shopped for something pretty to sew onto the ends. So now I can have a bit more mommy-fashion fun.

The cranberry one is Dupioni Silk (If you buy a name brand silk sling you can spend close to $200! I got my fabric on clearance and spent about $15 for the whole thing.)

The black one is a cotton linen blend.  To which I added a bit of faux silk today. (I made that sling for even less)

The teal one is pure linen, with a bit of silk at the end. (This fabric was wide enough for two slings. I made one as a gift, and made the extra into mine.)

Making your own sling is really affordable.

How to Make Homemade Contoured Nursing Pads (with free pattern)

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 Making your own nursing pads can be a great money saver.  

With disposable pads costing about $10 for 60 pads (which is only 30 sets).  That can add up quite a bit, especially when you consider how often you will be changing them.  

Buying reusable pads can help to save a few bucks, and some landfill space, but they are a big initial investment because they are often rather expensive for only a few sets.  

So why not sew up as many as you like, for not-so-much money?  

Besides, then they can be made out of whatever you like --- custom for you.  

And the ability to contour them (most reusable pads sold are not contoured)

 really helps in keeping them discreet.

Let me show you how.

Have Pillow Will Travel (Breastfeeding on the Go)

Breast feeding can have its share of difficulties, one of which can be nursing on the go.

 I just couldn't nurse without a nursing pillow, but there was no way I could keep one of those bulky things on hand at all times.
So I came up with this travel nursing pillow.
It got me through a whole lot.

(P.S.  Clearly this is "Gerby" the doll again.  She's really getting her 15 mins lately! :)

How to make a Baby Wearing "Coat"

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Today I'm going to show you how to make an extremely versatile baby accessory.
(And it just happens to a really cute grown-up accessory to boot.)