Some Pictures

I have been a scrapbook fool lately, not spending much time at all on the computer. You'll see more from me once I get these pages done.

Meeting Miss Maddy

Saturday we drove over to Manteno, IL for my (ready for this?) Cousins Daughters Daughters 1st Birthday bash! It was our first time getting to meet this little cutie pie, and CUTE she is! Her name is Madisen, and Katelyn was pretty excited to hang out with such a big girl. It was great to see family there, and just enjoy the time we got to spend with them.

Me and Uncle Lou!

(Hence the nickname LuLu - I'm told that he is the one who gave it to me.)

Katelyn just can't get enough time with her Great Grandma...

Yes, she is Madisen's Great-Great Grandma.

Katelyn was also glad that her Grandma made it to the party too!  

K's Doctor Appt.

We're super happy to report that Katelyn's Baby Wellness visit went great. She had to get 2 shots and drink a cherry flavored liquid that she did not like. Thankfully the shots were not as bad as last time. She screamed for a few seconds on the second shot, but stopped wailing once Chris picked her up.

Her weight is at a very healthy 12lbs 12oz, and the doctor is thoroughly impressed by her great neck control, that she prefers to sit up, and the fact that she is already rolling over. He told us to go ahead and start giving her some cereal mixed with the breast milk. Once she is taking it, we are supposed to start letting her use the spoon herself, so she can start learning to feed herself. (OMG, already- really?? That's like...such a big girl thing!)

Katelyn got 12 more books from the library ANNND a fish puppet to read to her. I didn't think she would really like the puppet, but she totally loves it! She just giggles and reaches for it all the time. The library has a huge collection of puppets, I was so impressed! Some are small hand puppets like the fish we got, and others are huge- like taller than Ashley and Makenna tall.

One Happy Momma

I have eaten cheese and ice cream over the past few days and Katelyn has done just fine with it. So, I'm hoping that she is not really Lactose Intolerant and is now able to process milk now. I am going to have a little glass of Chocolate Milk and see how she does.

Alos added 9 books to her reading list today. Notice there are like 5 authors in a row that the last names begin with "R"... Yeah, that's because I just grabbed all the book in the bin for that section- HAHA!

Operation: Nursing Cover

Finished the Nursing Cover that I have been trying to complete for weeks now (Sew A Nursing Cover post coming soon!). Katelyn and House Cleaning has kept me plenty busy. I absolutley love playing on the floor with Katelyn, but it was nice getting up this week and getting the house tidy in the morning, and then getting my sewing done in the afternoons while she napped. I got 2 diapers and this cover done. It may not sound like a lot, but I also cleared all the cabinets in the kitchen, dusted & lined all the drawers and shelves and rearranged. I also dusted the cabinet tops, lined them, and put up a small amount of decor (just need the fake plants now, haha). I also made REAL dinners for myself, and prepared a large portion of Chicken Fried Rice for my freezer meals, and made Fruit Leather!

All-in-All - I'd say it was a productive week with Chris being in Canada. Tonight he comes home and I'll be happy!

Video Time

Katelyn wanted to share her precious laugh with everyone!

4 months old (mostly, lol)

Games to Play with Baby

 Playing with an infant can sometimes seem more like playing with yourself, but it is actually very stimulating and important for baby's growth - just like reading! I had planned on posting some games a while back, just never got around to it, so here I am in full force... (At least until baby K wakes up.)

It really has not been too much of a winter, but it is still a bit too chilly and windy to be heading out to the park. So, I thought it would be nice to share some of the games that Katelyn and I like to play throughout the day (and ones we hope to play). She's still really little, and most of the time I do feel like I am just entertaining myself, but she smiles and laughs at me, and that makes me feel good about feeling so silly.

It is hard to believe that she is getting so big now that I can find games to play with her! She is sleeping a lot less, and therefore requires more entertainment! At times, I have felt like I am not entertaining enough – so I sought some fun game ideas that I can play with her just to mix things up a little bit from the norm.

Katelyn and I hit up StoryTime at the library today which really got me motivated to make this post happen. Game 1 is what we played today:
Game 1: "There's a Snowflake on my Toe"
We were given a cute paper snowflake prop. Then simply follow the song while laughing a cooing with baby!
There’s a snowflake on my toe…oh no.
There’s a snowflake on my knee…oh gee.
There’s a snowflake on my tummy…oh honey.
There’s a snowflake on my back…oh drat.
There’s a snowflake on my neck…oh heck.
There’s a snowflake on my head… oh dread.  
There is a snowflake falling on my head,
Down my back,
Around my tummy,
To my knee,
And to my toe…oh no!
Game 2: "Baby Hokey Pokey"

Sing to the beat of the regular Hokey Pokey song we all know and love. Katelyn absolutely loves doing this.

You put your arms up

You put your arms down

You put your arms up

And you wave them all around

You tickle, tickle, tickle

And you wiggle, wiggle, wiggle

The baby hokey pokey is fun!

You put your legs up

You put your legs down

You put your legs up

And you wave them all around

You tickle, tickle, tickle

And you wiggle, wiggle, wiggle

The baby hokey pokey is fun!

You put your baby up

You put your baby down

You put your baby up

And wave her all around

You tickle, tickle, tickle

And you wiggle, wiggle, wiggle 

The baby hokey pokey is fun!

Game 3: "Wheels on the Bus"

(Bicycle baby’s legs)
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
Round and round, round and round,
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
All through the town.

(lift baby’s arms up and down)
The people on the bus go up and down.

Up and down, up and down

The people on the bus go up and down

All through the town

(lean baby from side to side)
The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish

Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish

The wipers on the bus go swish, swish, swish

All through the town

(touch baby’s nose)
The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep

Beep, beep, beep, Beep, beep, beep

The horn on the bus goes beep, beep, beep
All through the town

 

1,000 Books

If you looked, you noticed a new bar just above the posting area. There is a tab for HOME, and now a tab for 1,000 BOOKS. This is because Katelyn and I have committed ourselves to having her "read" "1,000 Books Before Kindergarten". It is a program set up through the library where each child gets a special prize for reaching the goal of 1,000 books. You can simply click that tab to see how well we are doing on achieving our goal.

I have most of the books we have read together listed. I'm sort of disappointed that it looks like she is not read to everyday, because she is...but we don't always finish one story a day, because I always stop when she has totally lost interest, and sometimes that happens after only a page or two.

Here is a list of points that Library states as reasons why it is important to read your baby:

Develop vocabulary skills. Research has shown children with larger vocabularies are better readers.

Develop narrative skills. Children who are able to tell or retell a story find the story easier to understand.

Develop letter recognition skills. Learning letter names and sounds help children to pronounce written words.

Develop print awareness. Children familiar with the printed word feel more comfortable with books.

Develop print motivation. Children who enjoy books want to learn how to read.

Develop phonological awareness. Children who have difficulty reading often have trouble with phonological awareness

We're excited to reach our goal, though the prize is going to have to be determined at a later date, hehe. =P

Tennessee

We had a great trip to Tennessee this past week. Mom went with to do some geaneology and visit family, and since Chris had to leave from Knoxville to Orlando for a day she made great company for me. Katelyn and I hung out around the library reading Dr. Duck and being cute to every old lady in the place (I got to enjoy SewNews magazines when she slept,) and mom researched in the back.

We spent two nights at Chris's parent's house and Katelyn was glad that she got to spend some one-on-one time with her Grandpa West. (great video coming!)

We also found ourselves in the Smoky Mountain Park and Gatlinburg (surprise, surprise)! We ate Shoney's (gross! Sorry, but it was), and then we picked up some Moonshine Jelly for my dad and Chris's dad some Apple Pie moonshine as a thank you for "putting up with us" ...and cooking us an amazing dinner!

All of which you can clearly see in the collage above... what I can't believe I forgot is our number 1 ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS MUST (no exceptions) ALWAYS make a shop stop at... The Smoky Mountain Knife Works. Chris got all the info he needed to get his Gerber knife fixed, and bought himself a small pocket knife. I can't wait till Katelyn is old enough to get her first SMKW's knife. (hopefully minus the self-mutilation, haha)

 Mine had Popeye on it, and I sliced my finger in the first 15 minutes out of the store. My older sister, Casi, had gotten a "real" knife - but I was positive that mine was sharper than hers. So, naturally we found something to cut.... a small Sunny D container. Hers cut right through it. Apparently my knife wasn't made for cutting plastic, but it sure cut my finger good and I have the scar to prove it. (If you can see the tiny white line on the bottom right side, that's it.)

Dinner was great with family (some that I had never met before ). It is always great to gather with friends and family for a big bowl of Chili! So much to do, so little time. I could have spent weeks down there.

A Few Pictures:

Road Trip Snacks

How many times have you thought to yourself that THIS is going to be the road trip that you pack something other than Ham/Turkey sandwiches to help save cost on the road? How many times have you wondered around the kitchen determined to find something, but then not have a clue of where to start?

Now you're in luck. Chris and I are road trip food packers, for sure. Here is what I packed for our most recent trip:

1. Bowl of Salad

2. Small dish of Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

3. Apple

4. Pineapple Chunks

(from a can this time, but we prefer fresh none at the house)

5. Celery Sticks

6. Small dish of Ranch Dressing

7. Popcorn

8. Chocolate Pudding

(made from a packet)

The trip is about 7 hours, but we (me especially) are full-time snackers in the car. Packing our lunchboxes helps keep us off the exit ramps to grab some fries, saving us time, saving us money, and keeping us filled with (mostly) healthier food.

There are several other items that we like to pack for long trips. They include items like:

Carrot Sticks (and other veggies)

Strawberries, Tangerines, Blue Berries, and other fresh fruits

Rice Krispie Treats

(homemade, not that packaged junk)

Trail Mix

Cookies

(again, homemade)

Bagels

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches

English Muffins & Jelly

Bacon Slices

Cold Pizza

Egg Salad

Chicken Salad

Those are a few things you might find neatly tucked away in our travel snack cooler when we are on the road. =) Hope it helps.

Sew Your Own Cloth Diapers

It doesn't matter if you have been hit with economic bad times, have a "green" conscience, or just plain love the idea of Cloth Diapering. If you have access to a few spare bucks and a sewing machine you can easily start saving money, saving the environment, and satisifying your inner desires all at once.

Step 1: GATHER MATERIALS

Cloth Diapering is becoming a pretty big hit again. You can most likely find all the materials you need quickly and easily at your local craft store. My mom got me these diaper cuts for Christmas. Typically, I buy my fabric by the yard from www.diapersewingsupplies.com (it's cheaper), but these diaper cut packs from Babyville make cutting your diaper pattern a little easier. The prices below indicate the prices for ONLY what you see used to make this type of diaper.

Here I am making a One-Size, All-In-One cloth diaper. This is a diaper that will grow with Katelyn, and does not require any insert stuffing.

PUL Fabric (Waterproof lining) 3pk = $14.99

Fold Over Elastic = $6.99

Snaps (bag) = $7.99

Snap Tool Set = $19.99

Thread (polyester) = $3.29

Scotch Tape = $1.00

Suede Cloth (keeps baby's skin dry) = $3.79/yd

Flannel (not pictured, soaker pad) = $1.27/half yd

Diaper Pattern= $0.99 (on-sale Hobby Lobby)

I used a diaper cover pattern from McCall's Pattern M6108. I cut it on the Medium size for the All-In-One diapers which still runs a little large to size.

Regular elastic width that I use is 1/4in

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Step 2: Trace Diaper Pattern

You'll notice my pattern is not the thin easily torn brown pattern that you have. My mom taught me a VERY LONG time ago that I should always cut my patterns out onto a cloth before using them. I have traced this out on super cheap Muslin fabric. It is only $0.99/yd, and has saved me from having to buy new envelopes of the same pattern a hundred times over, but is not something you must do.

To start, you want to lay your PUL fabric out face up and fold it over the top to fit half of your diaper pattern on to. (Notice my pattern has the center line traced.) Put a piece of tape at the top, bottom, and in the middle of your pattern to keep it from shifting, and trace around your pattern onto the backside of the PUL fabric. I find that my diaper is more symetrically sound when I cut it this way.

Whalah! You are going to have extra PUL, do not throw it away. You'll be using a tiny bit of it with your snaps in just a moment, and just because you never throw good fabric away. Never know when that piece is going to come in handy for another project.

***NO PICTURE*** ===== BUT======

You are going to want to go ahead and cut your SUEDE CLOTH using your diaper pattern as well. This is going to serve as layer that will be next to the baby's skin wisking away the wetness to keep the skin dry.

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Step 3: Mark Snaps Placement

Now, tape the top of your PUL down so you can keep it straight, and measure out the placement of your snaps. I try to center the ruler as best I can between my two ends, and start at 1 1/2 inches. I then place a mark every 1 inch from there till I reach the 10 1/2 inch mark at the other end.

If you are looking to make a One-Size diaper that will grow with the baby, then you'll need to add snaps below for sizing. I put my first row under the 3rd snap in on both sides with the top row, and then my third one is directly in the middle. I have made these exactly 1 inch apart, but I've made some that I put and inch and half between them. I haven't had to use the bigger sizes yet, so far an inch seems to be good spacing when I bring the bottom up for snapping. (This means my top two rows are sockets, and my lower row is caps.)

This is why you want to mark on the back and not the front. It is easy to get thrown off slightly and have random pen marks (notice my X's). This way no one see's if you have a hard time lining up your snaps. (I suggest making a pattern that has your snap positions already on it, so all you have to do is tape and poke.)

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Step 4: Poke Holes

Now you want to go ahead and use the poker tool that came with your snap pliers, and open them spots up for the incoming snaps.

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Step 5: Organize Your Snaps

You want to be sure you have your snaps organized for easy assembly. You don't want a variation of caps and sockets in the same role, because we all know a cap won't snap to another cap. You can choose to put either one in which ever role you choose. (The waist is one role, the flaps are the other.)

For this diaper I have 10 sockets (female) going across the top for my waist size.

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Step 6: Cut Extra PUL & Poke it

I have cut enough of the extra PUL fabric to give me one square for each snap. This adds support to the fabric for snapping and unsnapping. You can also tape a piece of PUL across the area where the snaps are going to inserted, but I found this way to be the best for me.

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Step 7: Insert Snaps

Now, you want to put your stud through the PUL square you just cut, and then put it through your diaper from the backside of the fabric.

Once your stud is through the fabric slide the cap/socket (whichever you chose for the waist) on to the stud, and use your pliers to seal together (below).

Use caution when using the pliers. You want to be sure that your snap is centered perfectly on the bed of the pliers before you squeeze down. If it is not centered correctly, you risk breaking the butt of your snap and it trying to replace it can most easily rip your PUL fabric.

.

Your finished front should look similar to what I have here. Notice how I have the sizing snaps lined with the third snap in like I mentioned previously.

This is what your diaper should look like from the back. This is going to be hidden, so no worries about it not looking fabulous.

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Step 8: Making the Soaker Pad

Your Soaker Pad is simple, and can be done with a wide variety of fabrics. I chose to purchase new Flannel that was on-sale from JoAnn Fabrics, but you can easily use old t-shirts, dish towels, bath towels, flannel shirts & sheets, recieving blankets... basically any cloth that absorbs liquid.

For this particular diaper, my soaker pad should be about 14 inches in length and just under 5 1/2 inches in width. I folded my fabric so that I have 4 layers of absorbent material.

Now, I sew around my soaker pad, being sure that I catch all four layers to prevent the fabric from bunching up in the wash.

***NO PICTURE**** (I can't believe I forgot this one, guess that happen when you keep stopping to play with the baby.) -

=====BUT=====

You are going to pin  the soaker pad to the middle of the back side of the Suede Cloth. (The non-fuzzy side). With this you will try to sew as close to the edges as possible.

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Step 9: Preparing to Sew 

Sewing PUL can be alittle tricky. You do NOT want to use pins because you'll be putting holes in your waterproof fabric! I have used paper binder clips before, but I have misplaced them. No worries, because a little Scotch Tape does the trick as well. You don't want to use too much tape, because you'll be taking it off as you sew. I usually tape in the center top and bottom of the diaper, on all rounded edges, and then one one each side of (what will be) the leg holes.
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Step 10: Marking the Diaper

I have been known to sew my entire diaper closed when I get locked into a sewing trance. So, now I have the best way to prevent that is to mark my diaper. At the top on the what is the front half of the diaper I give myself about a 6 inch margin for flipping my diaper after stitching. Makring the open sapce as you see above. I will start sewing at the one mark, and finish around at the other mark.

Next, I mark my elastic when putting it on the inside of the diaper. You can see that I start and finish the leg elastic well into the flaps. (If I get around to making a printable diaper pattern for you, I will have this measured out) - Unfortunately, I just kind of "eye-ball" it. You also want to put elastic along the back of the diaper to help hold everything in and keep it from sliding up the back and all over that pretty outfit.

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Step 11: Sew the Diaper

Sew all the way around from your Open to Open marks. Straight stitch where there is no elastic, and zig-zag when using elastic. Be sure to back peddle when you first add the elastic to give it a secure hold for stretching. As you sew over the elastic, pull it tightly fromt the front and back to give you the most stetch for fit. (I am using Fold Over Elastic with this diaper, so I am not putting any inside the diaper.)

Just for fun... You can always tell when I have been sewing diapers by the scotch tape stuck to the side of my machine.

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Step 12: Turning the Diaper

Once you sew all the way around to your stopping OPEN mark,you're going to turn the diaper out the right way. .

Just use your fingers and push it through the opening.

It is important to make sure that you reach in there and get your corners all the way out, because once you seal it up it is very difficult to remove your stitch and fix it.

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Step 13: Closing the Diaper/Top Stitch

Whether you go with FOE or the inner elastic, you need to close your diaper. This is simply done by folding a small amount of the top of each side into the diaper and stiching across to seal it closed.

If you used the inner elastic, continue stitching and give your diaper a nice Top Stitch to finish it off. (If you are using FOE - Keep reading)

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Step 14: Applying Fold Over Elastic

FOE is simple to use with a little practice keeping all your fabric inside it. I'm self-taught (and a little mom taught) when it comes to sewing, so I thought it is good to tell you that I haven't seen this method used anywhere, but I found that I feel more secure about pulling my elastic when done this way. basically, I stitch my starting point of FOE length wise once up and down like you see above. I start this on the backside, about even with where the inner leg curves in.

When stitching the FOE on the back and legs you want to pull it tightly from the front and the back to give it stretch. Stitch close to the bottom of the elastic for best pull and the best finished look. You don't want to pull the FOE around the flaps, or across the front of the diaper. Go slowly around your corners, it can take a little practice, so don't be too hard on yourself if it bunches up. It will still work. (See my goofs, below)

(bunching)

(Too High on my corner)

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Step 15: Flap Snaps

Now fold your flap over the front of the diaper, and position your poker tool right in the center of a snap and make the hole for your first snap. Be sure not to put it too close to the outter part of the flap, but being sure you have anough room for a second snap behind it.

Our snaps are exactly one inch apart You can meausre an inch back and put a second snap there, or you can do it like I do, and snap the first snap to the diaper, and feel for the inner part of the following snap and just put the hole right there while my first snap is still closed. (This helps me know I have my flap snaps in the perfect position.) Complete on both sides, and your DONE!