Five months!

 

 

                                One month                                                                                                           Five months

 

So, last week my girl turned 5 months old.  I'm not sure if I should be happy or sad about that.  I mean, I'm happy that she is growing up and her little personality is really coming out but I'm sad because she is growing up!  My tiny little baby is now a 5 month old little person.  And that girl is strong!  I have to fight her to get her diapered and dressed sometimes.  Gone are the days where she would just lie there and let me change her.

She is starting to sit up with some help and will stand up when you hold her hands to support her.  No solids yet as we are having a bout with eczema and I have eliminated dairy, eggs, wheat/gluten, soy and peanuts (so basically all the good things!) from my diet to see what triggers it.  It’s been over a week and no improvement so I’m not sure what’s going on.  I think an allergist will be the next doctor we see. 

Scarlett loves blowing raspberries, or trying to at least.  She hasn’t quite got it down but she’s so close.  She is very aware of her hands and has started to grab for things.  I watched her grab her pacifier and attempt to put it in her mouth but the ribbon that it was attached to kept getting in the way.  She also has been chewing on her feet.  She could be a yoga master!  Still no teeth.  She is currently wearing 6-9 month clothes but some of her footie pajamas are a little short so it’s time to break out the next size pretty soon.

Halloween was this Monday and being that it’s one of my favorite holidays, we took her Trick or Treating (just up and down our street).

Mama bird and baby bird!

Trick or Treat! 

Out of the 10 or 12 houses on our street, only two had their lights on (not counting ours).  We didn’t see one Trick or Treater.  I hope our next house is in a community that is big into Halloween.  Next year we will Trick or Treat in my parent’s neighborhood.  This past weekend they had a community Halloween block party and we went.

My mom bought her this costume since “it was only $5!”  Growing up my mom always made our costumes so I couldn’t believe she bought one for her.  Oh well.  It was pretty chilly when you weren’t in the sun so this kept Scarlett warm.  Plus, she was just too cute for words.

My dad and Scarlett

I absolutely love Halloween but I am so glad it’s over.  It felt like it was a week long.  We have an annual Halloween party at my work which I help organize and that was last Friday.  Plus making her and my costume and all the rest of my daily life I am pooped.  And Christmas is just around the corner.  Joy.

Fun on the Farm

Every year the local park (that is on old farm land but is now a county park) holds a fall festival.  It’s about 3 miles from our house and I’ve always wanted to go but I’ve never gone because I didn’t want to be the awkward adult without a child.  It’s mainly geared towards children so I would have stuck out like a sore thumb.  Plus, I didn’t want to go alone.  I wanted to go as a family.

This year my family and I went.  It was a perfect fall day.

Ready to go for a walk to the park

Tractor rides

I don’t think I have any recent pictures of her without her hand in her mouth.  And that girl has jaws of steel!  I let her chew on my finger every once in awhile and holy moly, I can’t believe I don’t have bruises.

My friend, Heather and her son met up with us.  She hasn’t seen Scarlett since she was only a few weeks old.

We checked out some of the animals there.

Beaker and Penny had a hard time controlling their excitement around the animals.

All in all, an awesome day.  I think we’ll have more fun next year when Scarlett can enjoy it more.  She was pooped and took a much needed nap on the way home.

There is nothing better than a sleepy, snuggling baby on your chest.  Nothing.

Big thriftin’

I’m a big thrifter.  I’d say about 80% of Scarlett’s clothes are from Goodwill, yard sales, consignment sales or hand-me-downs.  And probably a good 70% of her furniture and toys are as well. 

I found the crib on Craigslist for $120.  It is a convertible crib so it will be a toddler bed and then a full size headboard.  I wanted it to be special so I sanded it, primed it, painted it and shellacked it.  Is shellacked a word?  That is what shellaced was corrected to so I’m going to roll with it.  Let me just say that I will NEVER paint a crib again.  I started this insane project in December and finished about 2 weeks before Scarlett was born.  In May.  Also, sitting on a hard stool while 9 months pregnant is NOT a good idea.

The dresser was an estate sale find for $8 and the mirror was a yard sale find for $5.  They both were sanded, primed and painted.

I found the dresser/changing table at Goodwill for $60.  It had ugly bun feet on it which I promptly removed.  Again, this was sanded, primed and painted.  I found the little bird drawer pulls on etsy.

In Maryland we have a huge children’s consignment sale called, Wee-Sale.  It’s twice a year and I love it.  I started going a few years back to stock up on things like onesies, blankets, towels, etc.  Now that I actually have a child I could shop for her specifically.  This year, at the fall sale, I bought her some Christmas jammies, which I fear she may outgrow before then, a couple of outfits, some G diaper covers, and a swing for our porch.  The sale was at the end of August and we finally got around to hanging it up this weekend.

With the cooler weather finally starting and the mosquitoes  starting to go away we could actually go outside without getting eaten alive.  I hate cold weather but with the awful abundance of mosquitoes this year, I can’t wait for cold weather.  That’s how much I hate mosquitoes.

Anyway, this weekend they held the She-Sale.  It’s put on by the same people who do the Wee-Sale but at this one they sell women’s clothes, shoes, and home goods.  I needed a few things to wear this fall since I’m not back to my pre-baby weight yet.  I was able to get a pair of jeans, two skirts, two shirts, a scarf and a neat tote bag.  All for $23!  I love good deals.  The last thing I need is another purse but this one was so neat:

 

It has a handle for Scarlett to hold on to!  Well, not now, but when she gets older.  I can’t wait to be able to use it with her.

So that was my interesting find of the week.  What was yours?

Four months!

On Monday my sweet girl turned 4 months old!  I love that she’s getting bigger and developing her own little personality but it makes me sad to think that (what feels like) just yesterday she was this teeny little newborn.  I feel like I’m missing a lot now that I’m back to work full time.

 

Can you see why it’s so hard for me to be away from her for 9 hours each day?  I just want to kiss on her cheeks all the time!  I just love this girl so much.  If I didn’t have to work, I wouldn’t.  At least not while she’s so young.  But there is just no way we could afford it.  Plus, my work has better health insurance and with me having diabetes, health insurance is a must.  In about 2 years, when all of our credit card debt is paid off we might be able to swing it but for now I just have to make the most of the evenings and weekends.

Speaking of weekends, I am so thankful that Scarlett rolled over for the first time on my watch!  This past Saturday she finally rolled over!  She had gotten close but could never figure out what to do with her one arm.

That right arm would keep her from getting all the way over.  Well, that and the fact her feet kept getting stuck in the slats of her crib.  She scared the crap outta me the other morning because of that.  I was getting ready for work in the bathroom, right next to her room, while she played in her crib.  All of the sudden I heard her cry like I’ve never heard her cry before.  I run into her room to find her feet stuck out the side of the crib.  She’s done it a few times since then but that first time scared her.  Silly girl.

Yes, I am the mean mommy who takes a picture of my crying child, just to document that she rolled over.  Please ignore Beaker dragging his butt on the carpet.  Stupid dog.

In knitting news, I haven’t started on either of the hats I want to make her yet but I did finish a hat for a sweet baby girl who was born a few weeks ago.  This little girl’s big brother was in my Two Year Old class two years ago and they gave Scarlett that little grey blanket in the picture of her almost rolling over.  It’s a little mouse lovey.  I had to make their new baby a hat, because, well, all babies deserve something hand knit.  So, I made her this:

You can find the pattern here.  It’s free!  The flower came out of a book called, “100 flowers to Knit and Crochet”

Yeah, it was hard to give away.  But it’s always hard to give my hand knits away.  I’m fairly certain they will appreciate it, so that’s a comfort.

And I leave you with my smiley girl.  Happy four month birthday sweet girl!  I love you more than words can ever say!

I get it now

During the four years that my husband and I were desperately trying to get pregnant I would HATE it when someone would say to me, “You wouldn’t understand. You’re not a mom.” It would take every ounce of self control to not claw their eyes out. I thought I got it just fine.

I love kids. I’ve worked with kids as a preschool teacher (and now assistant director) since I was 17. There is a special place in my heart for children. Over the years I’ve had my favorites who I loved with all my heart. Or so I thought.

Now that I am a mother, I get it. I understand. I don’t know how to explain it but something just changes when you become a mother. Before I had Scarlett I would hear about a case of child abuse or those poor starving children in Africa and I would feel sad, but now it completely breaks my heart. All I can think about is, “What if that were my daughter?” Even hearing a child cry tears me up. I was with our 2 year old class at work the other day and a little girl fell and bumped her head and was crying. Before Scarlett I would have simply scooped her up and comforted her until she was done crying. Now? Now I picture Scarlett is the one who fell and bumped her head and is crying and it kills me. It absolutely kills me.

I knew that becoming a mother changes you but I had no idea. Until now.

I get it now.

This was her first time wearing jeans. It needed to be documented.

Another cloth diaper giveaway...

There is a giveaway for a GroVia Hybrid Trial pack over at Happenings of the Harper Household! You can enter here. They are a combination of cloth and disposable, which would be great for travel. Plus, the disposable inserts can be composted!

Cloth Diaper Giveaway at 17sirens!

Scarlett is a cloth diapered baby. It's something I had always planned on doing and I'm happy to say that I've only had to buy one package of disposable diapers. We used a few on vacation and when I don't have time to do laundry. We registered for Fuzzibunz AIO (all in one) pocket diapers and I really like them but I'm always excited to try different types and brands.

I stumbled across the 17sirens blog and they are having a giveaway for 2 Oso Cozy AIO diapers and 12 cloth wipes! You can enter here. I have a few prefolds by Oso Cozy and I love them so I'm crossing my fingers that I win so I can try their AIO's.

Come sail away

Although the weather was a bit chilly (hello fall!) and the sun seemed to be in hiding, we had a blast on the boat.

We ended up not using the life vest since she stayed attached to me or in the cabin for most of the trip.  But it was a comfort knowing that is was there in case we needed it.

 

 

Sailing is such hard work.  Naps were a necessity.  In middle school, I would spend hours in front of the mirror armed with Aquanet, a curling iron and brush, trying to get my bangs to look like that.  Oh, the early 90’s, what an awful time for hair.

She can get an entire fist in that mouth.  She is feverishly working on getting both of them in there.

 

All in all, a fun day.  A little sunshine would have made it more enjoyable but a girl can’t have everything. 

I’m on a boat!

Well, not yet.  But tomorrow I will be.  My husband's boss owns a sailboat and is taking everyone out on it.  I enjoy sailing.  The sitting and enjoying part, not the actual work involved in sailing since I don't know the first thing about it.  I would love to sail around the world someday, assuming I have a cute sailorman to steer the thing.  I'm thinking Daniel Craig, no?

Yeah, I don’t usually go for guys in Speedos, but for him I’ll make an exception.

So, my one concern about going out on the boat was that Scarlett had to have a life vest.  I wasn’t about to go out and buy one for this one boat ride.  Luckily his boss found one to borrow so we will be setting sail tomorrow!  Afterwards we are having a little reunion with the other couple from our birthing class (we took a brio birthing class) and our teacher.  It will be a busy day but I’m excited to go out on the boat as well as catch up with the other couple and find out how their birth went.  I know my natural birth did not go as planned but my baby is happy, healthy and here so I can’t complain too much.

I’ve got the itch

I’m a knitter. I love yarn. The colors, the texture, the possibilities. I just don’t have the time to knit as much as I’d like. I made two hats for Scarlett before I knew she was a Scarlett. I had two outfits to bring to the hospital. One for a girl and one for a boy. A hand knit hat to come home in was a must. And this hat would have to match the outfit, of course. So I made one hat for a boy and one for a girl.

I never got a picture of the boy outfit but it was a white onesie with a green giraffe on it and it had grey pants and a grey and white striped hoodie to go with it. This is Scarlett in her coming home outfit.

It was over 100 degrees when we left the hospital but dammit, she wore that hat. She’s only worn it once since then and I think it will be the last.

It was a little chilly in the mornings when we went on vacation to Keene Valley, NY last month so you better believe I put that hat on her. But, as you can see, it wasn’t going to fit her much longer. A new hat would be needed for this fall/winter. And I’ve got that “I need to knit” itch, so I have a couple hats I want to make her.

I saw this hat on etsy and knew I needed one.

Don’t want to make one? Buy one here.

So cute you want to claw your eyes out, right? Right.

I am fairly certain I can make one of these myself. I have a pattern for a hat that is that shape, I just need to add the bobbles and add some ears. We’ll see if it turns out or not.

My second choice (and I may just make this one as well because a girl can not have too many accessories) is this hat:

Ravelry link

Ravelry link

How cute is that? What baby wouldn’t love a wooly fish eating their head? The pattern is one size and is probably better suited for bigger kids/adults. I think if I went down in needle size and went with a finer yarn it should be small enough to fit Scarlett this year. This will also use up a lot of the leftover yarn I have from other projects. Can’t wait to start on it!

And so it begins

Tonight I packed up Scarlett’s moses basket.  She is too big for it now.  She’s been to big for it for awhile now.  In fact she’s been sleeping in her crib for about three weeks now.  I just haven’t had the heart to put it away.  I bought the moses basket on Craigslist a few years ago and then after I found out I was pregnant I bought new foam and found fabric on etsy.com to make new covers for it.

Isn’t it beautiful?  I searched forever to find the perfect gender neutral fabric that was black and white.  Everything I found was too girly or too much black.  This was perfect.  And Scarlett loved staring at the trees.

I love this basket but it has served it’s purpose and it’s time to put it away.  I hope it won’t be too long before I can pull it out again.