Wool Pants

(Apologies to those of you who have been hoping I might someday post about making something NOT for Little R. I’m afraid there is not much chance of that. She is pretty much in constant need of clothing so I have to channel creative energy in that direction.)

Recently completed: Two pairs of wool pants for the baby, one knit and one sewn.

The blue pants are from Elizabeth Zimmerman’s baby legging pattern. Or at least, I started with the pattern. I gave absolutely NO thought to sizing, or gauge, or anything, just cast on, and then changed a few things as I went. Happily, they fit quite well, so while it was a chance for me to learn my lesson, I’m not sure I did!

The pink pair, more properly “pants”, are sewn from a thrifted sweater. I just traced “generously” around a pair she already had to make a basic pattern.

The wool pants are the newest item in our approach to EC. We have been doing very well with no diaper, only one or two “misses” a day, so I decided to try putting her in pants. I’ve lanalized them, so if they do get wet we only need to hang them up to dry. (Wool is wonderful this way.) I guess it is sort of the same concept of using a wool soaker, except we aren’t using a diaper. She also goes “no diaper” on our walks, and wearing wool ensures that if she did happen to pee she would not get cold. I think I’ve only been peed on once so this is pretty rare.

Little Pirate

I, even I, have dressed our baby up for Halloween. I have always slightly “pooh-pooh” the practice but of course now find myself, like all new parent I imagine, taking pleasure in putting together a costume. I eat my hat. Or my kerchief. For Little R? A pirate costume.  Of course, it was a little bit the case of “all dressed up and nowhere to go” but we did go for a visit, which allowed other people to fawn over how cute she was, which I guess is pretty much the point! And while of course she had no idea what was going on, it was a good opportunity to induct her into the family tradition of pirate dress.

It won’t be long now till she is dancing round the living room to The Pirates of Penzance. (What? Didn’t you do that?) Seeing her all kitted out also put me in mind of some great Pirate birthday parties that were thrown for my sister, in which we drank apple juice out of beer bottles… Ah, those were such innocent times. Our little pirate is still too little for beer bottles, or eye-patches and I think the sword or cutlass will have to wait a few years. She is now fast asleep. (did I mention it’s slightly odd to nurse somebody with a moustache?)

 

 

One Skein Warmer

I have discovered I can knit in the car. Well, as long as the road is pretty straight. Anyway, on a recent trip I had a chance to turn a skein if Manos del Uruguay into a shrug/vest for Little R. I used this pattern, (for those of you on Ravelry) with the only modification being I cast on 4 stitches at the underarm. Not sure why exactly, but I just felt I should so I did. I’m probably going to make a closure for it – big button or toggle – and maybe block it(!), but nothing beats putting something on the baby “hot off the needles”.

Simple Dresses for Easy EC

When I have a spare moment there are many things I could, and should be doing. But the last few spare moments I have had I’ve found myself sewing (in a very rushed way, expecting the baby to wake up at any moment).

Most recently, I’ve made two dresses for little R. They are really just repurposed onesies and t-shirts, so maybe they hardly count as “making”, but these one or two seamed items are what you get these days. Here, briefly, is how you make them:

Cut the top off a onesie to be the top of the dress.

Cut the bottom off an old t-shirt (adult size), to be the skirt.

Sew a basting stitch across the top of the skirt and gather it to the width of the onesie.

Sew bottom of the onesie to the top of the skirt, right sides facing. (You can make the dress with a short or long “bodice” for a different look.)

Both of these dresses, I feel, could use a little something – a belt maybe, or some such thing – but they were pressed into service immediately so I’ve done nothing about that.

Um, ok, I don’t actually make her wear these glasses – they are much too big – but they just seemed to go with the dress.

So those are the “simple dressed” but what, you ask is “easy EC”? If you have never heard of Elimination Communication you can read about it here, since I won’t go into huge detail. Basically, it’s about picking up your babies cues and responding to their “elimination” needs by taking them to the toilet (or bowl, or sink, or bushes…) the same way you respond to other needs.  It is really incredible.

So Little R is diaper-free a lot of the time, including night-time. Partly because it’s easier to “pee her” when you have no layers to remove, partly because it’s easier to pick up on cues(and you are more likely to pay attention!), and partly because she loves being naked, especially in warm weather. Nothing wrong, of course, with hanging out completely in the buff, or with a onesie unbuttoned, but seeing as it is most of the time it seemed to make sense to have some clothing that worked for EC rather than always looking “undone”. The dresses also offer the option of covering up, for modesty, or she can wear a diaper for going out and about. Anyway, the dresses really work and I hope to make more – I think these are going to be Little R’s “summer uniform”.

Sun Hat Take One

Little R needed a sun hat (finally) so I sewed one up the other day. It was a bit of a hasty job. The only way to find sewing time was to wear said little one in the sling, and she was not happy with me sitting still so there was much added swaying and bouncing. Far from perfect, and I hope I’ll be able to have another go and find a way to tweak the design so it works a little better. But hey, I made something!

 

We Gather Flowers

I have been trying to find something creative to post about but things have been fairly busy, as you can imagine, and there is not much making or creating going on. On our last trip to the valley though, I determined that I would do one thing, other than nursing the baby, and that was continue with the tradition of picking flowers for the house. (sorry, I know the last post was flowers too) I convinced Ruth to settle in the Moby Wrap and out we went into the drizzle.

Apple blossoms, forget-me-nots, a stray tulip and some primroses. As we approached the primroses we came upon two hummingbirds and I was surprised how close we managed to get. As I recounted this later to Gary I realized how nice it sounded to be saying “we did this” and “we saw that”. These first few walks and outings are the beginning of the adventures (if everyday adventures) I will have with Ruth as a baby appendage in a sling or wrap.

First Flowers at Good Cheer

More baby, I’m afraid….

This past weekend we took Ruth to Good Cheer for the first time. I was a bit nervous about venturing forth but the trip needed to be made (the lawn needed to be mowed!) and I decided I’d sooner go there and be together than stay at home alone. In the end it was fine, and I’m glad we went. I realized when we were there that it was exactly a year ago that we saw the house for the first time, so it was fun to be introducing Ruth to the house a year later. (A lot changes in a year!) It is tricky to document Ruth’s first visit to Good Cheer as she is so small that she needs to be photographed close up….but you can see the telltale green floor behind her!

Our day was pretty much the same there as it is here – a lot of sitting and cuddling and nursing, but we also got out for a nice walk in the morning to take note of everything that was blooming (forsythia, primroses, daffodils….lots of yellow) and enjoy the birdsong. And we had some family visitors who brought a little bit of spring for Ruth to inspect close up. As I photographed this charming bouquet I remembered how I wrote about flowers in the house last summer and thought it fitting that I remember this bunch as Ruth’s first.

Look What We Made

A tiny baby girl. Ruth surprised us by arriving early on Saturday, just in time for Easter. (Not that Easter was much on our minds!) You probably won’t see much here for a while.  I feel like I’ve been totally consumed by nursing – Luckily also consumed by love.

(tiny baby, long feet)

Handmade goodness

We have received many, many wonderful gifts for the coming baby. When I look at the pile of baby things (really, it is just a pile right now, and I suppose soon we shall have to start doing some organizing) I keep thinking how lucky we and this baby are to have so many generous friends and family in our lives. Because this blog is quite often about “making”, and because, let’s be honest, I haven’t been doing such a great job sharing things *I* have been making lately, I thought I’d just do a little post in praise of all the handmade gifts we’ve received for the baby. They are: two lovely quilts, a beautiful hand-knit blanket, a diaper-change kit in a basket, two cozy comfort blankets (or “deedees”), a baby-book, a beautiful knit cotton hat and facecloth, an ingenious origami night-light and the teddy-bear you saw before. What a collection! I am so grateful for all this creativity and am glad we will be able to surround the little one with handmade goodness!

For the Next Generation: A Dresser

Some other people’s handiwork today. This is a dresser that my Grandfather made for my aunt which my sister and I used while we were growing up. And this weekend Gary laboriously removed the rather icky paint (many thanks!) to make it ready for our baby. Still has a very real distressed look, especially the top. This photo does not do it justice (the dresser is still in the basement) but it makes me happy to see it ready for its next “owner”. Not to mention glad to have somewhere to start storing the baby stuff! Oh, and the bear on top is a beautiful teddy that a member of Gary’s choir made for the baby.  (Apologies again for the photo, but I’m sure he’ll turn up in other shots.)