Category Archives: Pregnancy

Doll Diapers – another big sister gift

Posted in Baby, Books, Cloth Diapers, Crafts, Gwendolyn, Pregnancy by

Poor Josiah… he often gets jipped in the gift department.  Girls are just so much easier to buy for!  Or, in my case, make for.

A while back I pinned these really cute doll cloth diapers – I love all the little details!  Now that Gwen will be a new big sister I thought it would be a great idea to whip up some cloth diapers for her dolls since we’ll be using the real deal with her baby sister.

I decided to find a simpler pattern and use flannel on the inside rather than the more-expensive chenille.  I used a 40% off coupon for a yard of flannel at JoAnn’s – just plain white so it would be versatile – and paired it with some of my cotton prints.  I got some inspiration from both Bee In My Bonnet and Probably Actually, both of whom utilized Skip to My Lou’s doll diaper tutorial.

For the first diaper I cut out the pattern pieces and sewed around with a small seam allowance, but found it was a little snug on one of Gwen’s bigger dolls.  For the rest of the dipes I did what one of the other mamas suggested – trace the pattern, leave it uncut, and sew on top of the pattern line, thus eliminating that extra allowance.  I ended up running out of velcro but tried to make it as adjustable a fit as possible with a long width of velcro across the front or two strategically-placed pieces, rather than two smaller spots on the sides.

They’re so cute!  I packaged them along with Gwen’s doll carrier – and an Angelina Ballerina book, since I got the whole set at a consignment shop and have been gifting them periodically.  She’ll be getting Angelina’s Baby Sister when the time comes!

In other news… I went to the doctor’s today and am 3 cm dilated!  Much better than two weeks ago when nothing was happening.  She decided to “sweep the membranes” to see if anything happens, during which she said she felt the baby’s fingers up near her head!  So weird.  She said I could go into labor today or tomorrow, but so far I feel fine.  We’ll see!

38 Weeks and Chomping at the Bit

Posted in Motherhood, Musings, Pregnancy by

*Pregnancy musings interspersed with some pinspirations…

I am so done with this pregnancy!  I think it seems to be taking so much longer because it’s the middle of winter, I’m tired of taking care of the kiddos and working overtime every day and I’m almost always in some sort of discomfort or pain so I’m not getting any sleep.

“For this child I prayed.”
credit: flickr.com

The other day on the way home from an errand Gwen pipes up from the back seat, in a very serious voice: “When the baby comes I’m not going to get any sleep.”  What?!  I’ll be the one not getting any sleep, thank you very much, and I’ve had lots of practice!

Cute newborn photo; made some similar headbands.
credit: etsy.com

I’m trying to keep my spirits up, keep things in perspective, but these final weeks especially seem to be taking forever.  It doesn’t help that Josiah, my last one, was born at thirty-seven weeks and I’ve passed that mark. *sigh*

baby in cowboy boots
credit: iheartfaces.com

To be honest, there wasn’t a lot to prepare to get ready for the baby – “been there, done that.”  I had to borrow some things from friends, get things out of storage and so forth, but I don’t really need stuff.  If anything, I’ve been getting rid of things to simplify!

Organizing keepsakes
credit: aliedwards.com

My hospital bag is pretty much packed, everything is set – I’m just waiting till she’s ready to come out!  I asked my husband the other day, “Is it bad that I want to be in pain?”, hoping that contractions will pick up into actual labor.  Of course, I may feel differently once that times comes!  But it will be pain with a purpose, an excited anticipation as I await the arrival of my baby girl.

Photograph baby with a prop and use it when she’s older.
credit: tfjdesigns.bigcartel.com

And Gwen is so excited!  She keeps leaving little gifts and pictures in the baby’s crib.  She even refuses to put away certain toys, saying she’s going to share them with her sister.  I have to remind her that her sister isn’t even here yet and it will be a while before she’ll be able to play with those toys.

Still want to make some of these swaddle blankets.
credit: danamadeit.com

I’m lucky that this pregnancy has gone so well, being high-risk and all.  I’ll be glad when I’m done with two appointments every week, feeling like I’m always peeing in a cup and get weighed for the millionth time.  I keep hoping the next appointment will be my last!

Helpful labor positions… need to brush up!
credit: fitpregnancy.com

Now, for some reason, all I want is chocolate these days so I’m off to find me some…

Healthy Fudge
credit: our-everyday-art.com

9 Months and Counting

Posted in Baby, Crafts, Friends, Pregnancy by

Pregnancy does not last nine months, people, no matter what They say.  Forty weeks – you do the math.  What a cruel joke!  I feel much bigger this time around, like I have a huge, pointy bullet on the front of my body.  This, despite other women insisting I can’t possibly be due next month, and do I want to see pictures of their pregnancies?  It doesn’t help that one of the ladies trying to make me feel better was thinking of her own pregnant belly while carrying twins – both seven pounds at that.  Okay, you win – I’m not that big!

It’s been fun trying to figure out what to wear in the mornings.  As Nikki says, it’s like trying to keep clothes on a basketball!  The shirts ride up, the pants roll down – *sigh*  And I’m so clumsy!  My stomach bumps into things, I keep dropping things on the floor, looking like an idiot while expending all my energy leaning over to pick them up.  And cooking… my belly is a safety hazard!  Leaning over the griddle one night while making quesadillas, I thought – gosh, my belly feels warm.  Yup, it was bumping into the burner.  And I’m not getting any sleep, which is great practice for having a newborn in the house.

Every other pregnant woman I know will be un-pregnant before me!  Sarah, my friend from high school, just welcomed her baby boy last week (I need to see pictures!).  It’s nice being pregnant along with someone you know, and I really wanted to make her something.  I had some leftover flannel and chenille and sewed up a few baby wipes, since she also cloth diapers.  Then I decided to try something different – a baby bow tie!  I looked at a few different tutorials*, combining my favorite aspects of each of them.  I love how it turned out and hope she does, too.  Since the bow tie is probably supposed to fit an older baby-toddler, I made it more adjustable with some pearl snaps.

I also tried my hand at making some new plushies recently, including the mermaid for Sarah’s daughter so she would have a Big Sis gift.

I’m not crazy about the little birdies and how they came together, but I love the mermaiden and am hoping to make some more after I play around with the pattern a bit.

Since I was one week early with Gwen’s birth and three weeks early with Josiah’s,  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll go early again.  Is it bad that I’m only counting on being pregnant for another week?  Gotta pack my hospital bag!

*Bow Tie tutorials:
One Dog Woof’s Little Boy’s Bow Tie Tutorial
Salty Pineapple’s Bow Ties
Life is {Sew} Daily’s Bow Ties for Baby & Toddler
See Kate Sew’s Double Bow Tie Tutorial for Boys

Spread Your Wings

Posted in Baby, Crafts, Family, Pregnancy by

This week has been a busy one.  I go back and forth between what’s best for the family – taking it easy at home or getting out and about and experiencing The World.  I’m sure it’s one of those Finding the Right Balance kind of things, but there are times when it seems to sway too far in one direction.

Monday it was my birthday - happy birthday to me!  We were out all morning, having breakfast at Cracker Barrel with the fam, getting my annual box of truffles at Sweet Twist (and getting some gift shopping done) and grocery shopping.  We did a bit of school but we haven’t touched anything else academic so far this week.

I took a picture to document my ever-growing belly and to show off my casual-yet-slightly-dressy outfit.  I love the shirt, which I got at a secondhand store.  I love cowl necks and it’s nice and drapey across my midsection.  I’m not generally crazy about stripes, but it’s a nice pattern and the bluish-grey color is flattering.  It is a matternity top, but I’ll so use it even after I have the baby.  The black cardigan was from the same store, only a couple bucks; it’s a very flattering fit, although I was chagrined when it shrunk in the washing machine!  I air-dried it, stretching it while it was still damp, and it seems to have gone back to it’s original size.  The tiered necklace was a dollar score from a charity church sale earlier this year when we went to a May breakfast.  And the pants?  Just some hand-me-down maternity jeans. 


Tuesday the kiddos spent the whole day with their grandparents while Phil and I did some work at his aunt’s house.  I ended up staining a shed; I’m still sore all over from holding the paint can the whole time, climbing the ladder, reaching high, squatting down, basically exercising for a few hours straight!  And I later discovered that I got a nasty swollen bruise across my entire thigh from pushing around furniture the previous day. 

Gwen goes with her grandma one day a week to a Bible study where they also have a kids’ program, so Josiah spent the day with Daddy while I went to my weekly ultrasound (baby’s looking good – phew!).  In the afternoon I finally got to work on Gwen’s butterfly wings; I was so excited to see them come together! 

I loosely followed Rachel @ Clean’s tutorial for dyeing playsilks, but didn’t bother with the stovetop.  I used three packets of grape Kool-Aid for the middle of the wings and one packet of black cherry plus two packets of pink lemonade for the outer edges.  I also tried dyeing the elastic, but it came out very faint.  When I sewed the gathering stitches the thread started bunching up underneath the silk and I got really frustrated, because I didn’t want holes in the fabric.  I kept playing with the tension and it finally worked.  I love how they turned out and can’t wait for Gwen to see them!  Josiah was kind enough to model them for me.

Today the kiddos are with their meme, so I’m working on my list of projects and cleaning up the house.  I’m always more ambitious than time allows!  Tomorrow I want to take the kids to get apples and pumpkins – something Autumn-y – and in the evening they have AWANA.  This weekend we hope to go to the Harvest Johnny Cake Festival, which is right near us.

Never a dull moment.