for a new mom.

i recently decided to make my sister in law, who just had a baby, a super chic nursing cover (i actually much prefer the term i read once on a blog, "hooter hider"). though there are lots of great tutorials out there (here, here, and here), i thought i might play around and come up with a design which addressed my own insecurities needs as a nursing mama. it is similar to one i used, but with many improvements.

i made this one go around the back of your torso. that way, if you're not wearing a nursing top, you can just hike up your shirt and not worry about showing off your muffin top (not that my super fit sister in law will have to worry about that).  plus, not having the edge be right next to baby's head makes it less likely that he'll be able to expose you. i left one side open, however, so that mom can still hone in on her mad multitasking skills. although, if you wanted to, you could easily turn the slit to the back.

another thing i thought about was fabric choice. as my babe got older, i hated throwing a cover on that blocked out all the light, and he didn't like it either. especially since at home, i just flopped out my milk makers and he ate in broad daylight. so for this one i used a really light weight jersey material that lets in plenty of light, but still blocks your booby from popping into the public's view. because this fabric was so light weight, i thought that it could use a little bit of a heavier fabric around the bottom to keep it from just floating around should there be a draft. it also happened to cuten it up a bit!

most of the nursing covers i've seen out there have boning in the front, so the nursing mom can easily peer down and check on her sweet infant, which is sweet. however, in my experience, the boning was a great handle for a slightly older infant to grasp onto and pull the cover down, defeating its entire purpose. so instead, i stitched in a line of elastic thread (first time using it--awesome!), which made a sweet little ruffle right up around the top.

lastly, i stuck a little pocket on the inside of each bottom corner to stash things like binkies, nursing pads, or a tiny tube of lansinoh.

this is the first time i've ever really sewn something without following some sort of pattern, tutorial, or at least general guidelines. maybe if i ever get another good excuse to make more, i'll go ahead and write up a tutorial.

:)

a visit long overdue.

we went for a visit to grampa jack's house today. it was a much needed "get outside" day, and a much needed visit with grampa jack. madelynn talked about it all night last night saying things like, "mommy, i love grampa jack! do you think he remembers me?" that made me realize we need to make that drive way more often! 

grampa jack's house is extra special because it is on a bluff overlooking the water, with an electric tram that goes right from his backyard down to a rocky beach.

maximus was in complete awe the whole time. he saw rocks and played with seaweed. he saw airplanes and witnessed a blue heron looking for lunch on the water, before spreading its ginormous (when did that word make it into the dictionary?!) wings and taking off. it was fantastic. and lovely. and we want to go back. forever.

my girl was treasure hunting the whole time. the whole family--aunts, uncles, grandparents, children, everyone!-- takes agate hunting quite seriously at this beach. but madelynn was in love with nearly all the rocks and would have brought then all home in her pockets if she could have.

maxi also thought that maybe despite the breezy, rainy weather, today might be a good day for a swim. 

:)

a step by step guide.

how to enjoy a (relaxing!) summer day

1. let your kids play outside in their underwear until thoroughly tired.

2. put kiddies down for their (long) nap.

3. pick a shady spot in your yard, put a blanket down, and do some power napping knitting.

4. give in a take a nap.

5. wake up and wipe the drool off your cheek.

6. walk over to that giant-saved-because-you-thought-it-was-cool pickle jar that's been sitting on your counter.

7. make sun tea.

8. decide to call gramma for some sun tea encouragement (hey, she's from iowa, she has to be an expert, right?).

9. make dinner plans with gramma for tomorrow night. 

ahhhh, perfect!

:)

cupcakes, crowns, and fun!

we recently celebrated a couple of birthdays with a trip to the zoo.

i was so happy that i finally got this book, and made madelynn a birthday crown! she was surprisingly happy about it!

as if the zoo weren't enough, we had plenty of sugary cupcakes to go right along with it.

i think it was baby remi's favorite part.

these two were having an intellectual discussion about penguins. gotta love 'em! 

:)

our weekend.

we ended up house sitting for my dad over the weekend, which turned out lovely. there's something extra special about subtracting the internet and television and adding a whole lot of outdoor time and "farm" chores.

my girl's trademark style. for now.

this girl kept dreaming up more "chores" for her to do.

:)

meet mike.

nevermind the laundry pile, just look at the cat. this is mike. mike came to our house on madelynn's birthday. i posted a few "found" ads, but no one called. madelynn thought "bike" would be a great name for a kitty. somehow "mike" was a good compromise.

mike likes madelynn, and madelynn LOVES mike. his purr sounds like a motor. he is the sweetest little kitten, ever.

he's pretty cute, too.

gifts for the birthday girl (and a whole lot of slackin').

i made madelynn a doll cradle and quilt for her birthday. i decided that since it was such a small quilting project, i would make up a super technical design for practice and then do it all wrong because i don't actually take the time to look up how-to's. it's terribly messy--so don't look too closely--but i was actually pleasantly surprised by the result. i didn't actually quilt it though. once i finished piecing together the top and making the binding (for the first time, woo-hoo!!), i decided to forgo the quilting part, fearing i would ruin all my hard work. plus, i don't know how to do it and didn't want to look it up. ;)

the cradle was so amazingly simple once i worked out my design, which there isn't much to. because my head nearly exploded every time i bent over (we suffered a major sinus bug around here for about a week!), my parents graciously helped with the power tools this time (my hubs would have helped, but he's been super busy with things like being a rock star and growing out his 'stache).

 i wanted it to look very natural and kinda vintage, so i didn't paint it. plus, i wasn't sure which kinds of paints/stains are best for children's toys and the environment and didn't have the time to look it up.

i ended up ordering some of this beeswax polish to finish the cradle. and i'm in love.

so are my wooden spoons. 

(only the top spoon is polished in the photo).

:)

she keeps going, and going, and...

i mentioned before that madelynn was recently in aunt leslie's wedding. she was the flower girl, but she got to wear sweet little fairy wings and throw "fairy dust" in a really great outdoor wedding. i was pleasantly surprised at how well she did walking down the aisle with her cousin, and how seriously she took her job. but then i couldn't stop laughing when i realized just how seriously she was taking her job. apparently she decided that her job was not over until her bucket was empty! it was also great to watch the bridesmaids carefully and quietly attempt to get her to stand still.

:)

funny boy.

maximus is to the point where he's really enjoying making people laugh. for example, he'll "fall" off the couch and when madelynn laughs, he'll keep the "fall" going by rolling on the floor. or, he'll put on his bike helmet in a cool new way thinking nobody's watching. and he'll look at us in a way that says, "so? isn't this funny, guys?" and of course, we all laugh.

and then he further adjusts...

...and ends up like this! and then we all REALLY laugh!

and then he runs away with his nose stuck in elastic of his bike helmet, knowing he is the coolest guy around.

:)

happy birthday, madelynn!

here is our little madee monster over two years ago, playing at the fountain with her daddy. yesterday was her fourth birthday and oh, have we ever enjoyed watching her grow and change over the last four years. it is amazing to see such a beautiful little being go from being completely dependent on her parents, to being oh so independent. i am also amazed by her spunky, funny personality and how she can transform from family comedian to a super-caring big sister flawlessly and in a matter of seconds if need be. 

here she is as aunt leslie's flower girl. 

we love you, baby girl!! 

:)

for the boy.

i finally got around to knitting socks! i suppose one could argue that i've pretty much already knit socks on the overalls i made for baby g, but being intimidated of the whole heel flap/turning the heel business, i convinced myself that those were NOT socks. ;) 

anyway, here's the proof!

the pattern i used was from easy kids knits, and seems well written. i think i might even make another pair!