My child, you are almost nine months old. In the last three months you’ve gone from a wobbly sit to a confident crawl; from still to constant motion. You’ve gone from only ever mama’s milk to fruits, veggies, yogurt, and Cheerios. You’re growing! Here are some of my favorite pictures from this month.
Preparations for winter: knitting sweaters. Del models.
Here’s what I’ve been pinning lately.
Source: thenaturalbabyco.com via Katie on Pinterest
Haba brand toys from naturalbabyco.com are absolutely beautiful, clever and environmentally-conscious. My toy philosophy is simple: fewer and better quality trumps cheap quantity.
Source: flickr.com via Katie on Pinterest
Handmade toys naturally fit the bill!
Source: marieclaireidees.com via Katie on Pinterest
For when Del’s a little older. I love the idea of making his drawings into small stuffed pillows!
Source: ohdeedoh.com via Katie on Pinterest
When the time comes for Del to have his own room, cubbies like these will look great and hopefully help us stay tidy.
Source: blog.craftzine.com via Katie on Pinterest
I also think this would be really cute in a little boy’s room!
Source: 8foot6.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest
Nice touch for the bathroom – it both provides a place for bath toys AND limits you to what will fit in this space. We all need boundaries.
What are you pinning lately?
OK, I am not one to gush over high end baby gear but the Peg Perego Siesta high chair reviewed today on In The Know Mom looks awesome. Even better: they’re giving one away to a reader. Take a look, and enter if you want. I recommend following In The Know Mom – they’re one of the best baby product review sites I’ve ever come across, and they usually give a lucky reader almost everything they review. In addition, they have great diy projects and recipes. I’m a fan!
Contributing writer Letty Muse Tomlinson stumbled into diaper bag heaven. Here’s her review!
I should probably be writing about something of great importance like children’s nutrition, or searching for a preschool for my two-year-old or finding the right questions to ask my pediatrician at regular check-ups. But no. Today, I just want to gush about our latest gear purchase: a DadGear backpack diaper bag.
DadGear backpack diaper bag
Swoon!
Once I was well into my second trimester, it occurred to me that I would probably need to upgrade from our diaper bag. It was a neoprene diaper bag from BuiltNY, and I don’t think they make it any more. It was excellent for us with just one kid, but I suspected two children’s items would crowd the bag relatively quickly. It fought valiantly to accommodate the needs of a toddler and a quickly-growing infant, but alas, my suspicion was correct and by March we were on the hunt for a diaper bag to satisfy two kids.
I decided pretty quickly that I wanted a backpack. Shoulder bags are fine with one kid, but it’s hard to carry a baby on a hip, a bag over a shoulder and manage a free hand to offer a two-year-old to grasp. Plus, with chronic lower back pain and low-grade scoliosis, evenly distributed weight appealed to me. I also wanted a backpack that had a sufficient number of compartments and preferably didn’t look like a diaper bag, but also didn’t look like a hardcore accessory off the racks of REI. Continue reading
In just the last couple of weeks Del has started enjoying toys, awkwardly maneuvering his little hands to reach for, grasp, and move whatever toy is in sight. Getting it to his mouth is mission-accomplished, and favored toys are those with good grip-ability and deliciousness.
The red and white ball was a gift from an admirer at the yarn shop where we hang out on Tuesdays. She left it in a bag with Del’s name on it! I am pretty sure it’s handmade. It scores high in the visual delight and grip-ability categories.
Knitting little projects is infinitely entertaining.
I want to learn to knit toys, so I’ve selected a number of small toy patterns, with the goal of knitting one per month between now and December. In December, I’ll have a set of fabulous soft knitted toys as a birthday present for Del. Don’t tell him! Here are pics of some of the patterns I’ve chosen. See my Pinterest board for links to the patterns themselves.
Del’s newest delight is his new mobile!
He is a pretty content guy by nature, and would usually lay calmly in his crib if left there while awake. But I started to feel bad that he would just lay there staring at the ceiling or at the contrast of his daddy’s blue bathrobe hanging on the white closet door. I don’t want him to be bored. So I looked up mobiles on the internet and found one that looked great – the Infant Stim-Mobile – with interchangeable cards covered in high-contrast pictures and designs. You can use the black and white pictures for young babies – which they love. And later you can change to the more complex color images. Plus, since you can change the picture cards out, baby can see different designs. I ordered it from Amazon, hoping he would like it.
Does he ever! He watches the pictures over his bed now with alert interest, cooing and jabbering at them, all smiles. He likes when we tap them to make them sway. I love thinking that his little brain is at work when he is laying in his little bed. I can’t recommend this mobile enough! It makes me happy to know I provided him with something that helps his mind develop, and brings him happiness. This being a parent stuff is pretty rewarding. Here are a few pictures of Del enjoying his mobile.
In this special episode of baby fashion show, Del models his awesome present from graphic designer friend Nikki, and the super cozy new pants handknit by yours truly. Be amazed!
That's a map of the DC Metro system, for my non-local readers.
A close up of Nikki's fun adaptation!
Del's stylin' new wool pants
Knit in cushy blue washable merino.
Do these pants make my butt look big?
Gratuitous adorableness. You're welcome.
For the knitters, the details:
Pattern: b20-10 Knitted Pants by Drops Design (free pattern on Ravelry)
Yarn: Merino 5 by Crystal Palace Yarns, superwash, royal blue. This yarn is insanely wonderful to work with – stretchy, cushy, soft. I will knit with this a lot!
Ten days in to cloth diapering and I am sold. This is definitely a good choice for us.
Last Saturday Del and I were home alone for the day, and, in addition to declaring it “Stay in Bed Saturday” (armed with iPad, phone, Kindle, diapers and wipes handy, and baby, we camped in bed nearly all day!) I also set that day aside for Cloth Diapering Kickoff.
I had the diapers washed, so they were ready to be assembled Saturday morning.
My main baby shower was a couple of weeks ago – we had all our parents as well as many fantastic friends join us to celebrate Red Bean’s impending arrival. It was SO much fun! Our wonderful hosts Kristi, Jeff and Carrie outdid themselves creating a really great, easy-going, sophisticated baby shower. We were so glad to share this will everyone – Zach and I love and appreciate all of you!! Pics after the jump! Continue reading
Pintrest: what’s interesting to me today?
