The Girl in the Red Sweater

We’re in the process of moving, but by request, I took some pictures of the nursery before we put everything away:

You don’t get quite the full effect without the beautiful bumper my sister made and gorgeous quilt my mom made, but everything matches.

I made the curtains with some plain blue fabric and leftover Curious George from the crib set my sister made. The animals are all felt cutouts which I glued using tacky glue so it would stay flexible. I made sure not to make them too big, since I’m constantly opening and closing the curtains.

I can’t decide which is my favorite - the monkey or the tiger.

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No matter what kind of day you’re having, this will make you feel better:

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I haven’t had much time to write lately, because Wiggle Worm is quite a handful. He was very colicky at first, so I thought I would put together a list of the things we didn’t have before he was born but are indispensable now.

Moby Wrap - my number one lifesaver. It’s a sling you wrap around yourself to carry around your baby. For the first couple of weeks, Wiggle Worm would only calm down when I put him in the wrap. I still use it when I’m shopping if he doesn’t want to stay in his carseat, or at home when he’s fussy and I know I’ve taken care of everything from diaper to feeding to burping to temperature control. They’re $40 but well worth every penny, and you can keep using them for a long time because they’re so adjustable and durable.

Crib Wedge - my number two lifesaver. It’s still almost the only way he will sleep, besides when he’s held or resting in the carseat. The wedge lifts his head a little above his feet, so spitting up is less likely, and it has bumpers on both sides to keep him from squirming off of it. Walmart has them for $20.

Swaddling blankets - actually, these tie for the number one baby splurge. They have special built-in pockets for the legs and Velcro closures. I used regular receiving blankets for awhile, but Wiggle Worm wriggled out of them. He got out of these too until he reached 10 lbs, but after that he stayed wrapped - and slept longer. I’m still using them every night. (Get two in case baby sleeps so well he wets the blanket before waking up.)

The Happiest Baby on the Block - get the DVD, which will show you how to calm your baby. I read the book too, and it’s good, but the video makes some things easier, like swaddling. I’m not sue what else to say except that if you use the 5 techniques they show in the video, and keep practicing them, you can calm down any screaming baby.

And the splurge that was NOT worth it was a bottle warmer. Wiggle Worm prefers room temperature milk or formula, and it just wasn’t worth waiting the extra few minutes to warm up a bottle from the fridge.

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In case you hadn’t guessed by the fact that I haven’t written anything in so long… the baby came on March 9. (Much to the disappointment of Grandpa, who wanted to share the 4th; Grandma, who wanted the 18th; and a friend who wanted St. Patrick’s Day like her birthday.)

Wiggle Worm is just as squirmy as predicted. He had been kicking and flipping over in my stomach for so long, and the sonogramist was sure he would be a wiggler. He could throw his head around almost from day one, and he could flip on his side by day 3.

I’ll post better pictures as I am able to. He is quite a handful just to feed and diaper, let alone get in the mood for a photo!

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I’m trying to stay within a tight budget so I can stay home with the little one for awhile, but there are a few things that have been worth the money:

1st trimester - Preggie Pop Drops and high-protein foods whenever nausea started

2nd trimester - maternity underwear, Curel Pregnancy lotion

3rd trimester - combo brush for dry brushing and wet scrubbing, and aloe socks

The Preggie Pop Drops helped a lot with mild morning sickness, but when it got bad I finally realized I had to eat a ton more protein than I ever had. During the second trimester, the maternity underwear that hadn’t been comfy before suddenly became a lifesaver, and after I was given a free sample of Curel’s latest lotion, I had to buy some, even though it was $7 a bottle. I used it sparingly, but it sure helped make my skin stop itching.

Last week, Hubby snuck some spa sponges, loofahs and scrubbies into the Target bag without my noticing. (He’s good at that.) My eyes lit up when I unpacked the bag, and I enjoyed a bath where my skin became less itchy. Then when I was at Whole Foods (major food splurge!) I saw a nice dry brush and remembered reading that they helped too.

I haven’t actually tried dry brushing; I lathered up with the sponges Hubby gave me and then scrubbed the soap away with the brush. I had no idea just how itchy I was until I got out of that bath and realized the itch was completely gone. Then the lotion became even more important because I’d just scrubbed away all the moisture, but after I put that on I slept better than I had in weeks!

I tried to find this brush online but couldn’t. It was $6 and is made by Earth Therapeutics. On one side there are fairly soft natural bristles, and on the other side are little wooden knobs that they say you can use to massage. I haven’t enjoyed the massaging but the natural bristles are so awesome I don’t care.

And I made a habitual splurge on aloe socks last week too (which I finally tracked down at Walmart). I’ve been buying them for a few years now, and the last couple of pairs were looking pretty sad. Now I have 2 new pairs reserved just for the hospital and one to wear until then.

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Even though the cheap canvases were 30″ x 40″, which is bigger than I usually paint, I just had to have two. I finally decided on the layout and finished up the painting Friday night.

Now I just need to track down a mobile and vacuum the room. And Hubby is working on a changing table. We’re just about ready for the little one to arrive!

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Our friends and family were so generous that we got almost everything the baby needed at our baby shower, but we did end up short on newborn-sized clothes. Hubby was happy to help me pick out everything we needed last night.

This was absolutely the most adorable item of baby clothing I’ve ever seen, and since the baby is due near St. Patrick’s and is Irish, you can see how we couldn’t leave the store without one. And I’ll be watching the clearance racks for larger sizes, too! We found some other basics and now I basically just need to find a mobile and a baby wrap that won’t bust the budget.

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When the sales guy at the art supply store told me that the super-nice 30″ x 40″ canvases were on sale for $15.99, I couldn’t help myself.

I’ve been in love with the Fisher Price Rainforest Animals baby stuff ever since I first saw it. There are blanket sets, playards, jumpers, high chairs, and just about everything else you can think of. Of course, all of it’s expensive and made in China.

So, I thought, why shouldn’t I decorate the baby’s room with these adorable animals in my own way? At $34 or so with tax, I can’t think of a cheaper way to add color and cuteness to two of the nursery walls.

(I guess I did use about $3 worth of paint, too. It’s a good thing I’m unspoiled in paints — it doesn’t bother me a bit to grab 50-cent craft paint acrylics from Hobby Lobby. Unlike colored pencils, where I have to use $1-apiece Prismacolors.)

So at least one thing is completed for the baby’s room. I haven’t started on the second painting or even assembled the crib yet, but you can be sure I’ll be taking care of those things over the next few weeks. Now that we’re finally moved in and there is actually a room for the baby, serious nesting is about to take place!

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You may or may not have noticed that I’ve changed some of the categories for the new year. I never could keep up with the “relaxation and stress” articles or photo posting. Instead, this year I’m going to write more about scooters — my continuing passion — and post the projects I’m working on.

I couldn’t post this one until after Christmas, because it was a surprise for Hubby:

Hubby just finished a calculus course before Christmas, and he wanted cool stuff for his office, so I designed and made this clock. All I had to do was buy a clock from Walmart, work out a bunch of calculations, and use my plotter to do the rest.

I see scooter clocks in the near future!

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I couldn’t believe it when I opened my Happy Meal. Inside the usually-worthless little plastic bag which seems to be designed to frustrate kids and parents everywhere, I found this:

Not only that, the Happy Meal bag (what happened to the boxes?) was actually stamped “25th Anniversary.” For a moment I felt old.

Then I just grinned and chowed down on the wonderfully salty French fries, knowing just where I’ll put the pony: on my desk next to Speedy!

In case you can’t tell from the photo, Speedy Gonzales is a Pez dispenser. The coolest Pez dispenser ever.

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