Friday, May 14, 2010

Seven Quick Takes Friday: The Little Stinker Edition

I have been slack in my blogging as of late. You will be happy to know that it's because I've actually been busy doing real domestic things in real life. However, I can only wash so many dishes before it gets boring, so it's time to sit a spell and do some internet housekeeping.

Hold onto your bassinettes, because this Seven Quick Takes, hosted by Conversion Diary, will be about all things BABY!

1.
This is called The Little Stinker Edition, because that is now my midwife's official name for the baby. From the heartbeat scare to the difficult Doppler day to the ultrasound in which s/he did a faceplant in my back and refused to let the sonographer see its face, this child is exactly that: one heck of little stinker!!! Today, at the midwife appointment, we had more Doppler fun. I had just gotten through discussing how Baby D has been pretty inactive lately, and I was a little concerned. The midwife felt around for the baby, turned on the Doppler... and chaos broke loose! I couldn't see anything, but Adam tells me that my whole belly was rolling and twisting. That baby was NOT going to let the midwife get a heartbeat! After all was said and done, the baby had completely rotated in the womb, and the midwife had to get the heart rate from the cord. What a contrary baby! And s/he's been moving like crazy all day ever since.


2.
My first Craigslist transaction happened today! So far, it's been pretty positive. Within twelve hours of initiating communication, I am now the proud owner of a barely-used Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper-- for a third of the price! I'm quite stoked about rearranging the bedroom and setting that puppy up!


3.
I also recently took the plunge and bought a small stash of diapers-- 12 infant chinese prefolds, 12 birdseye flats, and a few diaper covers. Now to wash them- and wash- and wash again! If any of you out there have experience with cloth diapering a newborn, I'm all ears!


4.
And, of course, there's the belly picture. Today is the twenty-five week mark:




5.
My midwife called me a few weeks ago to let me know that she and the other midwife in her practice are closing down the birth center that we had planned on giving birth in. GRRRRRR. So now we have to decide if we want to try an apartment home birth or go to the hospital. I'm all for trying the apartment birth, but Adam is not quite sure what the heck he wants. For the most part, I think he's upset that we chose these midwives mainly because they offered birth center services, and now he feels like they're cheating us somehow. I'm like, "Hey, they charge the same fee no matter where the birth happens, and I love the quality of care. I'm cool," and since I'm the one popping out the baby, I'm sure that Adam will give me the final decision... but I really want us to be in agreement about it.


6.
Now that an apartment birth is a definite possibility, I've been looking for a place to board my other babies (the cats) for a few days during and after the birth. Oh my word, have you seen some of these cat places?? They can get ridiculously posh! One site I looked at offered custom catnip blends, prime viewing windows to see the birds outside, TV's with cat videos, and a kitty mint on their pillows every night. This makes the treatment my kitties get at home look Spartan. They may never want to come back!

7.
Anyone seen the movie Babies yet? How did you like it? So far, I've heard that it has babies and cultural nudity. Nothing really about how good the movie itself is. So, tell me: is it worth my hard-earned $1.50 when it comes to the dollar theater?


Thursday, May 6, 2010

My Life is Sew-Sew

So, I think I've lately discovered this little hormonal gem called "nesting". The house is the cleanest it's been in months, I'm undertaking all kids of housy projects, and I am suddenly obsessed about getting things together for baby. Last week, I finally took the plunge and placed my first order for a bunch of cloth diapers (SQUEE! I can't wait to see those cute little covers!).

Since we're very, um, not financially endowed, naturally I'm looking to see what I can get away with making from materials already in the house. Ladies and gentlemen, look at what I've been sewing lately!


This was a favorite pair of PJ pants that unfortunately got a large, unsalvageable tear.
Garbage fodder...



Or perfect burp cloth material?





I was able to get four of these out of the one pair of pants! The edges should fray nicely after a few washes, and scraps sewn into the inside add extra absorbent layers. I am hoping that this helps protect all shirts involved in the burping process.






The next project that I'm working on: cloth baby wipes!




These all come from a flannel sheet set that I've had since I was thirteen. I think that flannel is fabulous to sleep on, but unfortunately, a certain person who shares my bed does not also share this opinion. Since we already have like three other husband-approved sets, I knew that it was time to bid my flannel sheets adieu and put them to good use.






Here are the twenty that I've already sewn, and I'm gearing up to sew thirty-five more-- all cut from just the topsheet! The wipes are 8x8, so they should fit perfectly inside a conventional wipe dispenser.

It feels really good to be getting baby stuff together-- without spending a dime! And saving some stuff from the trash, as well! I'm sure all the pioneer women in heaven are looking down with approval.

So, have any of you all been working on any sort of project? I always love to see what other people are making!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Giveaway Winner!

The winner of my little apron giveaway was chosen by random at- where else?- www.random.org.


Congratulations to the author of comment #11-- Claudia! You just won a very cute apron!


A big thank you to everyone who participated and gave me some great ideas for home-sewn gift items. It was also a big relief to hear all your stories involving flames-- I guess I'm not the only one who's fire-prone!

In the spirit of sewing things, I am hoping to write a post tomorrow about the cool stuff I've been sewing this past week. Stay tuned!