Adventures in Cloth

This whole post is about cloth diapers - just fair warning.

Last Friday our cloth diaper trial from Jillian's Drawers arrived.

Wait, what?  You didn't know I was a hippie tree-hugging crazy?  Actually, I'm not.  Turns out cloth diapers have come a long way since the last time you probably heard anything about them.  Now they are super cute and very easy to use.  I honestly never would have even thought about cloth diapers until I read about them (on a blog by people I otherwise consider normal) while pregnant that made me curious.  Then of course I started researching things and discovered that it might be a viable option for our family.  Pro-cloth diapering websites make all kinds of claims about how wonderful they are.  Some of these things are true, some are a little exaggerated.  But for me, the real pros outweighed the cons enough to at least give them a try.

Here are some things I read about cloth diapers before using them, along with how I really feel:


1. Cloth diapers are just as easy as disposables
Let's be honest.  What could be easier than just throwing away a dirty diaper?  However, I do think that cloth diapers are probably easier than you think.  Cloth diapers are now designed just like disposables (stretch tabs, elastic around the legs and back, velcro or snap closures, etc) so they are just as easy to change.  But there is a *little* extra work involved because you do have to wash them.  But so far that hasn't been discouraging - just another load of laundry every few days.

2. Cloth diapers can save you thousands of dollars
Thousands, really?  It sounded like a lot to me too.  I didn't expect to ever spend thousands on diapers, so I didn't know I could save thousands.  If you buy diapers at a regular price at the grocery store, then you are crazy.  They are so expensive.  But I think that most moms are smart and use coupons, shop at Costco or use Amazon Mom.  You can find significant savings there. But you'll still save a lot of money using cloth diapers instead.  Using disposables (from amazon or Costco), I figure the average baby's diapers would cost about $40 a month.  That's $480 a year and $1,200 for 2.5 years (hopeful potty-training age!).  If it takes your kid a little longer to catch on to using the bathroom you could be talking about more than $1400.  And that's just for one baby.  You want 3-4 kids, you're talking about $5,000+ just for diapers.  And that doesn't include wipes, rash cream or any special bags for whatever fancy diaper pail you are using.  Cloth diapers run the gamut - there are super economical choices and super high-end choices.  But honestly, you can cloth diaper a baby from 10 lbs to potty training for anywhere between $150 (for the more economical options) and $450 (for the nicer high end fancy diapers).  And lots of diapers will last for more than one child.  Of course, you will use a little more water and electricity washing and drying them 2-3 times a week, but I still don't think your costs in those areas will add up enough to NOT save you money.  When I realized all of this, it became my main motivation for exploring cloth diapers.  Not that we can't afford to use disposables, but why throw our money away?  If we ended up liking cloth diapers, it could be a great way to save a little more money for our kids to go to college or have a fun family trip or buy something cool for the house.

3. Cloth diapers are better for the environment
Blah, blah, blah.  It depends on what you read and who you talk to.  Disposables fill the landfills, cloth uses more water.  In the end, this has very little to do with my reasons and I am not an environmental expert so I can't really tell you which has a more adverse effect.

4. Cloth diapers are more gentle on your baby's skin
Oh my goodness!  These diapers are seriously so soft and cushy.  Love.  One of the funny things I read while researching things was, "think about it - would you rather have cloth underwear or paper underwear?"  It made me laugh.  But seriously, these diapers are so soft.  Also, while I was pregnant a huge news story came out about Pampers Dry Max diapers giving babies chemical burns.  Yikes!  That said, Clara has used a lot of Pampers for the first 12 weeks and never had more than a tiny bit of redness. I do like the idea of putting soft cloth against my baby rather than strange gel-beading chemicals.

There are lots of other claims that I don't have enough experience with to form an opinion, but if we stick with cloth for good I hope they are true!  Here are a few: Cloth diapers leak less than disposables, cloth diapers minimize diaper rash, cloth diapered babies potty train sooner.

Ok, so lots of good things about cloth diapers, right?  I was pretty excited when we got our trial pack (they send you one each of the most popular brands - brand new - you use them for 21 days like they are your own (including washing and drying them) and then send them back.  It costs $10).  There are so many fun colors and patterns and the interior fabrics are so super soft.  The verdict?  I really like them so far.  Cleaning them is not much of a sacrifice - I already do laundry all the time - and I think they are super cute.

The only thing I don't love about them right now is the extra bulk.  I'm told this gets better as babies get bigger.  I'm sure when it's summer time and Clara's running around in nothing but a diaper, she'll have the cutest little fluffy bum on the block.  But with onesies, pants, or rompers on right now, she's definitely got some less than flattering extra bulk going on.  But really, she's a baby.  Who cares, right?

Ok, seriously.  That was much longer than I thought it would be.  If you want to know more, I've researched this topic to death.  I'm sure I could answer your questions.

Clara's Blessing

March 20th was the first day of spring.  Our daffodils finally peeked out from their eager buds, a fresh blanket of snow coated the earth, and our sweet baby girl received her first special blessing from her father.

Before Clara was born, I worked on several fun sewing projects for her, but I knew that one of the most special would be made after her arrival.  Even though there are lots of beautiful christening gowns out there, I really wanted to make Clara's dress.  I searched for the most basic dress pattern I could find and then altered it to get exactly what I wanted.  Super long and lacy is traditional, but not really my style.  I didn't want a lot of embellishment or extra length; I didn't want her to get lost in a cloud of a dress. :) My wish list included three things: beautiful fabric, slightly puffed sleeves, and pin tucks.  With my mom's help, we achieved all three.

Of course, the event itself was certainly more special than the dress she wore.  Spencer gave Clara a sweet and perfect blessing.

After the blessing, we gathered in our home for brunch with all of our great family that came for the special day.  Clara was pretty tuckered out and needed a nap right away.  I was a little sad that she couldn't spend more time with her adoring fans (or get photos with them!).  We had lots of delicious and beautiful food and it was so nice to have our house full of people we love.

When the Bough Breaks

Front porch light, check.  Breezeway lights, check.  Back door light, check.  Locks -- check, check, check.  I looked out the window as heavy snow fell Monday night and huge flakes swirled fast and furious, piling on the ground.  Then, after checking on Clara, I headed to bed.

Spencer was out of town for the week, making it a little more unsettling than usual when I heard strange noises outside during Clara's 3 am feeding.  I wondered if there was someone in the backyard, but the last thing I wanted to do was look and find out.  Not wanting to scare myself, I chalked it up to icicles falling off the gutters and headed back to bed when Clara was done.

Morning came with blue skies and sunshine and 15 plus inches of snow on the ground.  I headed out to shovel and immediately noticed that something wasn't right.  Sure enough, our two large backyard trees had each broken under the weight of the snow. 

It was just too much for them to bear. 

I was nervous for the large branch resting on the house right over the dining room, and heartbroken at the thought of losing these trees - even if it were just a branch at a time.  It might sound strange, but these trees were part of what I loved about this house.  They each had a branch for a swing and one seemed like it would be a perfect treehouse tree someday.

Thankfully my dad came over after work with his chain saw and relieved the trees of their sagging limbs, and our home of any potential danger.  So far we haven't realized any significant damage from the incident, other than to the trees themselves.  Needless to say, I am ready for spring.

Two Months.

Last Thursday Clara turned two months old!  We celebrated by going to the doctor on Friday for a check up and some shots.  I really want to get a photo of her on the baby scale at the doctor's office, because she just chills out there when I lay her down and it's so cute, but I don't want the doctors or nurses to think I'm crazy/irresponsible.

We have a great pediatrician and nurse whom I love, and Clara warms right up to them as well.  Plus, they know just what to say to a mom, "Oh, she is so beautiful!" or "What a good baby!" -- you know, things like that (that are all true).  I love going to the doctor to see how much she has grown, but it was very hard to watch her get those shots.  She drank the rotavirus vaccine like it was koolaid - the nurse commented that she'd never seen a 2 month old take it without a fuss.  Then came the shots - three of them!  Thankfully the nurse was FAST, but of course Clara started crying as soon as the first needle went in.  She cried for a few minutes, then calmed down after we snuggled for a while, and fell asleep in her car seat on our way out.  She slept for almost four hours!!

Her personality is really starting to emerge and she has so many funny and cute expressions.  She's cooing and smiling so much and is just such a happy baby.  I've noticed in the past few days that she can get a little impatient at times - like when she's hungry - but it could just be some residual fussiness from her shots.  Plus, who can complain when she's slept for 7.5-8 hours straight the past two nights?

We got all of her measurements and stats from the doctor and I was a little surprised.  I knew she wasn't getting super chunky, but I thought for sure she was getting taller/longer.  She weighed in at 10 lbs 10.5 oz (45th percentile) and measured 21.6 inches (20th percentile).  Looks like we have a petite little girl -- but I know things can change fast too!  Thankfully her head circumference is average, which makes me wonder about some of the headbands we have that are so tiny...maybe we'll keep them for dolls?

8 weeks!

Wow, it's hard to believe that Clara has been with us for eight weeks.  It's one of those things -- it's gone so fast, but at the same time it's hard to imagine life without her!  She is such a good and happy baby.  We love her so much and feel so blessed to have her in our family.

I have been trying to stay on top of all of the photos we take of her.  With all things digital we end up taking hundreds (if not thousands) of photos and videos of her, so it's quite the task to make sure they all get put on the computer, backed up, and sorted.  I try to flag favorites every week or so, in hopes that the task of printing them and eventually making some sort of baby book won't be too overwhelming.

Here is one of my favorite videos of her from when we were still in the hospital.  It's actually Christmas and she is one day old.  Watch for the little chin quiver after the first hiccup.  It completely melts my heart.

And the Mother of the Year Award Goes To...

Some lessons you learn the hard way.  At least now I'll never forget to take her headband off before another nap.

Learning to Snap

We're hoping she gets it down by the time she hits 2 months.

Then we'll move on to tying her own shoes.

Can You Find the Baby?

Clara Clara Bo Bera

I think it is inevitable that once you have children your blog begins to focus more on them.  Especially if you haven't left the house in three weeks except for a few trips to the pediatrician... It's hard with a winter baby to feel like you can go anywhere without exposing your child to a cold or flu that could land them in the hospital.  In fact, with all the rampant germs and RSV swirling around this time of year, our pediatrician recommended keeping our little one home from church for 3-4 months.  Months!  I was pretty surprised. Anyway, all of this is my way of saying you can expect to see a lot more photos of Clara on here than anything else.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm working on a photo project of Clara which will be updated weekly.  You can check it out here.  Also, our over-achieving sweetheart rolled over yesterday (at just one day shy of three weeks old).

Twas Two Nights Before Christmas (or Twas the Night Before Clara)

Our sweet baby girl is one week old today!  I can hardly believe all that has happened in the past week - it has been a blur and a whirlwind, but life is sweet and wonderful.  We couldn't be more happy or feel more blessed.

I wrote this little (ok, long) poem to tell Clara's birth story.  There are definitely some details I left out -- like the fact that even after 24 hours of building contractions, there was never a true "this is it" moment.  At one point in the evening, a contraction hurt so much it made me cry (I had three of those throughout the day) and I told Spencer we should get ready to go, but I still wasn't super sure.  I was never really confident that I was progressing, or that we needed to go to the hospital.  Even after we arrived at the hospital, we sat in the car for several minutes as I debated if we really needed to go in (I really didn't want to get sent home).  I also didn't mention that after we packed up the car, we delivered Christmas cookies to neighbors on the way to the hospital.  There was no way that the six dozen cookies I made at nine months pregnant were going to go to waste, even if it meant I had to sit in the car through some pretty intense contractions while Spencer delivered them to our neighbors.  I will write a more traditional birth story out at some point which may or may not show up here.  But for now, please enjoy!


Twas two nights before Christmas, and all through the house
Eagerness built, as I called for my spouse
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
But the space neath tree empty; no presents found there

"Bring your iPhone" I yelped in a weary worn struggle,
Then fell in a chair; the cat wanting to snuggle
In moments he came; my husband appeared
And handed phone over as he quietly cheered

Finding the app, installed days before
"contraction counter" timed as I slumped on the floor
Then rising in pain between a scream and a cry
I heaved and wrenched, then melted to sigh

Near 24 hours had passed of labor early yet true,

As contractions inched closer and intensity grew

On birth ball, on bed, on foot and in tub,
On trying things naturally, aye there's the rub

Could this be the night of the birth of our first?

Another contraction; one of the worst
"This is it," I managed as I fell in a sag,
"Grab the computer, the iPod, the camera, and bag"

Then off to the hospital we drove in a dash
The fog thick and heavy as we avoided a crash
At arrival and check-in contractions slowed to a halt
"They'll think I'm a fool, and not worth my salt" 

Soon we were admitted, to Triage Room three,

As monitors checked my veracity

One quick check and the nurse soon was saying,

"Oh look at your progress! You're a five and you're staying!"

Admitted, at once the phone calls began,

"We're here, and we're having her - at least that's the plan!"

Soon grandmas and grandpas and siblings arrived

So much excitement, and sleep soon deprived

"This isn't so bad" was my constant refrain

But the nurses encouraged an epidural just the same

When news of a doc breaking water soon came

I consented and ne'er felt a twinge of shame

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear

The anesthesiologist and all of his gear
A couple of pricks and the numbness set in
The pain mostly gone, my face in a grin

When all of a sudden a warmth filled the bed,

My body beat doc to it, and broke my own water instead

Another quick check and I was in heaven

"You go girl," said the nurse, "hon, you're a seven!"

As deep pressure mounted, I gave a shout of hooray!

I'd meet my sweet girl soon; time to push, no delay!
Then chin to chest and count to ten,
Once, and twice, again and again

I curled around baby each time with great strain

As I pushed and I tried to composure maintain

Three hours of pushing only found the babe stuck

Neath a bone in my pelvis, and each push brought no luck

Finally my doctor was called to come in

At four in the morning - a different tone set in

"This baby's not coming," his mood very sober

"It's the knife or the vacuum - you think it over"

In moments he returned; our decision was clear:

Avoid surgery at all costs and get the babe safely here

Three more long pushes as doc pulled with his might

This baby would come, but not without fight

With one final push, then a sweet little cry,

Tears swirled down cheeks of all standing by,

A bundle of love gently placed on my chest,
My heart filled with joy -- this was the best!

Her eyes -- how they twinkled! Her dimples how merry!

Her cheeks were like roses, her nose like a cherry!
Her head full of dark, soft feathery hair

Her eyes wide and happy, awake and aware

Spencer and I just basked in the bliss

As we held our sweet baby and gave her a kiss!
We're so in love; a family of three!
And that is how Clara Jane Evans came to be

Clara Jane Evans

12.24.10 - 4:14 am

7 pounds 8 ounces - 19.5 inches

Randoms

Remember how I'm due to have a baby on Christmas Day?  And how I'm hoping that she comes before Christmas?  Yeah, still hoping.  Especially since my tentative induction date is set for January 1, 2011.  And even though 1.1.11 would be a super cool birthday, I'd love to have the baby this year.  Please send any labor-inducing vibes my way.

Also, I need some snow boots.  We were at REI the other night and I spotted these Sorel Tivoli's - so cute!  I think I'm in love.

 

Also, I'm curious what everyone is doing for neighbor gifts this year.  I think it's fun to do something a little different - like last years pico de gallo and chips, but this year I'm debating whether or not I have the energy to do anything at all.  At the same time, I know that it's just the kind of distraction I need at this point, so send your super easy ideas my way.

For the Babe, Part iii

I think I'm done making quilts.  At least for this baby.  Five should be enough, right?  Oh, and by quilts, I don't mean blankets (there are a few of those too).  I mean cutting, pressing, piecing, sewing, quilting/tying, binding quilts.  Yes, five.

I really wanted to show the finished products today since I just finished binding the last of them last night, but my quilt-holding-husband is gone during daylight hours so decent photos in natural light will have to wait until Saturday.  But I did get some ok photos of some of the details.  The colors aren't showing at their best, but it'll give you an idea of what I've made.

First up is my "Sunshine Squares" quilt.  It's white and yellow and has all different sizes of offset squares and rectangles.  I created this one after seeing photos of a similar quilt online.  My mom helped me figure out the best way to go about how to cut the pieces and put it all together to get the look I wanted.  After piecing the top and back, I handed this one off to my talented cousin who machine quilted it for me.  She said it reminded her of a bouquet of daisies, so she quilted it like petals and blossoms coming out from each center block.  My mom generously paid for the quilting and binding - thanks mom!

Here's my "Wonky Star" quilt in aqua, pink and yellow.  Nothing like a photo to show you that a quilt needs a good pressing.  :)  I used this tutorial which was pretty easy to follow - I just increased the size of each block.  This quilt actually came together pretty quickly and it was my first attempt at binding.  Yikes!  I just kept this one simple and tied it with pink embroidery floss.  The colors look kind of dull here, but it's bright, fun and vibrant. 

Here's part of the back of the Wonky Stars quilt.  I have always had it in my head that the backs of quilts had to be one big solid piece.  But I've fallen in love with pieced quilt backs all of my recent creations have them.

 

Here's one that's pretty simple - just five inch squares and two borders.  I bought the fabric for this before I knew the gender of our baby and I think the bright blues and greens will be perfect for our little girl!  I used a a satin stitch on the machine to "tie" this one.  It's the smallest of the quilts and will be good for outings in the stroller.

Here's a changing pad cover I made (there's also a yellow one in the top drawer).  It's super soft and cute!  The little book on the left was a gift from a sweet friend - a scrapbook baby book with the cutest papers and nursery rhymes on each page!  It has a spot on each spread for photos and stats and is so darling.

There's another quilt I don't have at my house right now, but it's pretty awesome.  It matches the custom moses basket bedding my mom and I worked on together.  Pictures of that (and more projects) to come!  Oh, and in case you are wondering, there are five weeks and two days until Christmas.

Mapping it Out

I have a thing for maps.  Not the kind you can pick up at state lines or national parks (Spencer is much better at appreciating those), but cool old (non-folding) maps of... just about anywhere.  I'm still kicking myself for not buying that cool vintage map of Brasil that I found at the market in Lille.  Since Spencer and I have done our fair share of traveling and living abroad, we both have some cool photos we've taken (except those from my four months living in Brussels -- let's not talk about it), lots of travel books, and small souvenirs from various destinations.  That's what made me want our basement family room to have a little bit of international flair and be our main spot for putting such items to use in the decor.

It's yet another house project that remains somewhat unconquered, but I'm encouraged by a recent find: bird's eye view maps.  In the late nineteenth century, bird's eye view maps became quite popular - artists would depict a city as though standing on a mountain overlooking the town.  Details and geography are not always complete or accurate, but these tell us a lot about how life was back then.  Plus, they look pretty cool.  So imagine how happy I was to stumble into the full gallery of bird's eye view maps, scanned, stored and downloadable at super high res thanks to the Library of Congress.

 

So great, right? I'm planning on printing up all of the cities where we have lived (DC, Salt Lake, Portland, New York) and framing them for the basement.  Now I just have to figure out how to open a jp2 file...

Making it Masterful

For a while now, I've been feeling like our "master" bedroom needs a major makeover.  Like something that would make you think that it's actually a bedroom where two adults reside.  Since we are typically the only ones who see it, it has taken a back seat to other projects and continually remains at the bottom of the list.  But working on baby girl's bedroom and taking the time to pull it all together has been really fun and satisfying.  And it's made me want to start thinking more seriously about the direction our bedroom needs to go.  I've been thinking about this for sometime, making a mental list of items, colors and projects that could take our room to the next level.  This morning I took the time to put together a little mood board as a first attempt at putting it all on paper.

 

Here's the breakdown:

1. Dupioni Silk Thermal Curtains (in bone - no valance) hung wide and high to give the room a little extra height.  We have three 31" windows all next to each other on one outside wall and these would be hung on either side and pulled shut at night for added warmth.

2. Our bedroom is painted a pretty sage green/gray color that we really like.  It's warm and relaxing and we're planning on keeping it that way.  The rest of the room will be mostly neutral - tans and creamy whites - with additional pops of sage and slate blue.

3. Blinds!  We have four windows in our room that currently have horrendous blinds.  They are awful to open and shut and they badly need replacing.  We'll just go with a simple faux-wood 2" blind from Home Depot.

4. A full length floor mirror to replace my $5 bendy walmart mirror.  This one is pretty and large and I think it would bring a more masterful feeling to the room.

5.  Some throw pillows to bring the color palette together and make the bed look complete and inviting.  The ones shown are from Target, but I have a few pillow forms I could easily make fun covers for.  It would just be a matter of finding cute fabric.

6. Until about a month ago I had a very juvenile ceramic lamp (which found a new home in the nursery) and Spencer had a brown flexi-neck desk lamp.  I've been wanting to get matching lamps for a while - little things like this can make a big difference!  I have one of the lamps shown, now we just need to get one for Spencer's side of the bed.  His desk lamp has been replaced by a much cuter alternative (given to us by my mom), but I'm still liking the idea of them matching.

7. I bought this Havana Duvet set about a year ago.  In sage.  So we've already got it.  Strangely, it's not on the bed right now, but we have it none the less.

8. Right now we have a mattress and box spring on some kind of generic bedframe, but we don't have a bed.  Meaning a headboard or footboard or anything of the like.  I've thought about making a tufted headboard myself, but at $99 this bed might be a good alternative.  Oh, and we also could totally use a new mattress.  Nothing like being pregnant to make you aware of that!

9. I'd love to get a pretty rug that goes under the bed and comes out on three sides.  We have nice hardwood floors, but it would be nice to have those first-steps-getting-out-of-bed-each-morning be on something soft and warm.  This rug is plenty big (7.5x10.5) to provide the needed floor coverage.

10. This woven round storage ottoman would be a perfect little table next to an armchair.  I'm not too keen on the price or the fact that our cat's one weakness (in scratching) is materials like this, but I'm sure I could find something similar and less expensive at Home Goods.

11. This is the Ektorp Jennylund armchair from Ikea.  Again, not set on this particular chair, but I love having a chair in our room.  We've had the glider in there since we bought it a few months back and it's such a nice addition.  Last night I had Spencer move it into the nursery (so I could make sure it fit where I was planning) and I can definitely feel the void in our room now.  Some kind of armchair would be great.

12.  We have a floor lamp, but it's a plastic one from Wal-Mart.  I keep waiting for the shade to melt.  I don't mind it that much, but I'd really like something with a bit more warmth and texture.

13. Nightstands.  We have these!  Well, not these - but I figured they were a good representation of what I'm aiming for.  We picked up two mismatched night stands (black and wood color) at an antique shop in Midway before we even got married.  In fact, I think that was the same day that marriage first came up in a conversation for us.  Anyway, I've been meaning to paint them a creamy white, but I'm waiting until the babe takes up residence on the outside of my body so I don't have to worry about the fumes.

So there you have it.  Thoughts?  Advice?  Anything I'm missing?  I'd love your input!

Update in a List

- Despite my initial plan for Spencer and I to dress up as Juno and Paulie Bleeker, I just didn't feel like pulling costumes together since we didn't have any Halloween parties to go to.  We spent the evening handing out candy to cute neighbors and enjoying a visit from Carol.

- It's November!  I'm almost 33 weeks pregnant and my doctor's appointment yesterday showed that everything is perfect and right on track.  Baby girl is positioned head down, has a strong heartbeat and is kicking around A LOT. BP, weight and all other factors for me are in check.

- There are some things about pregnancy that you don't hear about until it's your turn to experience them.  For me it's been third trimester insomnia.  Since everyone seems to tell Spencer and me to be getting as much sleep as we can before the baby comes, I thought that would be just a matter of, you know, sleeping.  Not so, my friend!  My body thinks the best way to prepare for baby is by waking up several times during the night, including the entire period from roughly 3-6 am each morning.  At least when I have a baby I'll have something meaningful/necessary to do during those hours.

- We started our childbirth class a few weeks ago and so far it's been good!  I think we both learn new things at each class and have enjoyed getting more mentally prepared for labor and delivery.

- We took a weekend trip about two weeks ago to San Francisco.  We wanted to take one last getaway before life changes big time and we figured it would be great fun to go back to San Francisco - one of the first places we traveled to while dating, and where we got engaged.  I guess this is called a babymoon, but I kind of refuse to call it that.  We had a great time relaxing, eating, and exploring the city.

- I can barely zip the one jacket that still fits over my belly (see photo above).  I really don't want to buy a maternity coat since I'll only need it for a few wintery weeks -- do I need one?  Plus, I hardly get cold anymore since I have a built-in internal space heater now.

- I saw this cute tutorial today for a turkey applique shirt.  I want to remember it for next year and make one for the babe.

Due to a Few Requests

When I first found out I was pregnant, I thought it would be fun to take a weekly photo to record the pregnancy.  Turns out you become a little less motivated to take these photos when you feel larger than a house.  Actually, I've only done 5 over the entire pregnancy.  Oh well.  But since a few of you have asked, here they are! (click to see the whole thing a bit bigger)

I will say though, that God does compensate for some of the discomfort of the last part of pregnancy by giving you awesomely thick hair.  Although I hear that it all falls out after the baby is born, I'm trying to enjoy this while it lasts. :)

Bit By Bit

We're definitely making some progress on getting ready for baby.  It's funny, because I hop on babycenter.com all the time, and in the forums for my birth club (the month of your due date) people are talking about having their hospital bag ready and their nursery has been finished for weeks.  Seems a little OCD to have a hospital bag packed with 10+ weeks to go... but maybe that's just me.  I'll be totally content if we have bedding in the crib, a place to change diapers and store clothes, and a some art on the wall by the time baby arrives. Even though I've been working on lots of projects, I'm not sure they'll all have a "home" before our little girl is here.

Spencer painted the room on conference Saturday with Benjamin Moore's Dolphin's Cove (mixed in Behr Satin paint) and it turned out just lovely.  It was exactly what I wanted.  We're still debating painting the trim and ceiling since they could both use it, but I've brought in a few things to see if "the look" is coming together how I imagined it.  So far, so good.

Isn't the little owl toy cute?  I made it one afternoon last week and I'm quite proud -- no tutorial or pattern, I just used some scraps and winged it (no pun intended) after seeing how cute this was.  I added a little loop of ribbon too, so we can use those linky things to attach it to... well, anything. :)  I made the ball in a few minutes on Saturday.

I started writing this a few days ago - now we've got the crib set up, I made a crib skirt and my cute yellow sunshine quilt is hanging over the side.  We found a dresser in the as-is section of Ikea (so nice that we saved $50 AND didn't have to assemble it!) which will double as a changing table.  The moses basket is ready and has new bedding that my mom and I made together over conference weekend.  The roman shades are done and only need to be mounted in the windows.  With all we've gotten done, I still feel like there's much to do and my energy wanes as I get a little more uncomfortable each day.  Soon enough it will all be worth it.

For the Babe, Part ii

I don't have lots of projects to show today, but I just finished one that I wanted to share. I made this blanket for my little one (just over 100 days to go!):

I know the top looks pretty wrinkled. That's partly because it is and partly because somehow the camera really emphasizes the wrinkles. When I finished sewing I tossed it in the dryer to get rid of any random fluff and it came out like this. Apparently no amount of ironing will help. Meh, baby won't mind. I used a combo of tutorials; this blanket was super easy and pretty fast to make. I used this bunting quilt tutorial for the quilt top and this baby quilt tutorial for finishing it off. And it's really soft and comfy. Bonus.

(p.s. if we ever happen to get another cat, I'm naming it Bonus)

For The Babe

I've been working on lots of projects for our little one. I haven't been great about taking photos of everything I've made, but here are a few.

I bought some knee socks at Target and made them into baby legs. Baby legs are cute baby leg warmers that cost $12 a pair. Target knee socks are $2 a pair. And they take about 10 minutes to make. The after photos aren't that exciting - they'll be much better when there are chubby baby thighs sticking out of them. :)
I've heard that Target gets new knee socks quite regularly, so this could be a dangerous hobby to have.

I also cut out some cute fabrics to embellish plain old gerber prefold cloth diapers to make burp cloths. Easy peasy.
There are tons of tutorials for this around the interweb. My favorite is right here.

I'm also making some progress on the baby's room. I wish I was as inspired to work on my own bedroom, because I think hers will be pretty cool. For a color, I've settled on Benjamin Moore's Dolphin's Cove. I read about it in House Beautiful's blue issue when they interviewed various designers about their favorite shades of blue. It's a pretty Tiffany aqua blue that I think will go magnificently with the bursts of yellow and hints of pink I have planned for her room. More on that later.

Some other projects I've started: some quilts (yes, more than one... I can't help myself! Too many cute fabrics and color combos out there), t-shirts transformed into infant gowns, homemade roman shades for the windows, knit baby caps, a changing pad cover, a mobile and closet curtains (we're taking down the doors). So far it's lots of fun! Here's a peek at one of the quilts at an almost-done stage.
Also, I've learned that I'm definitely a better sewer than crafter...