Baby Crafting, Part 2

  • September 24, 2010 9:57 PM

I finally finished the rest of my baby craft projects. Here’s what else I’ve made:

Cloth Wipes – Since we’re planning to cloth diaper, we figured it makes sense to use cloth wipes too. I like that they’re sturdy but soft, chemical-free, and reusable. They were really cheap to make too – I got almost 50 out a meter of flannel and terry cloth. There are lots of tutorials out there, but Joyful Abode’s tutorial is similar to what I did. I made mine 8×8 inches and used a zigzag stitch to sew them right-sides out. Very easy and quick!

Cloth Wipes

Baby Legs – These baby leg warmers are another quick and easy project. They’re used to keep little legs warm with easy access to change diapers. I bought a few pairs of children’s knee socks and used Little Birdie’s Nest’s tutorial. The hardest part was not knowing how long or thick a baby’s legs really are. I tried a couple different types of socks and liked the thinner type better. Next time, I might try out The Great Mediocre’s Ruffle Legs.

Baby Legs

Nursing Cover – A couple months ago, I posted something on Facebook about using a nursing cover and discovered that these are a controversial item – some feel that they encourage the idea that nursing mothers need to hide. Still though, I know I’ll feel more comfortable starting out with a little privacy. The cool thing about these are that they use boning to create the gap to look down on the baby when she’s covered. Prudent Baby has a good tutorial for this cover.

Nursing Cover

Bibs – I recently learned that babies don’t need bibs until they’re eating solid food…or drooling, but I had some fun fabric scraps that I wanted to use up. For a pattern, I just traced a friend’s bib, but here’s a tutorial at Going Sew Crazy. Mine use quilting cotton on the front, flannel on the back, and a Velcro closure. The hardest part was guessing how big a baby’s neck is.

Bibs

Baby Bonnet – This is my favorite thing that I’ve made the baby so far – it’s totally girly and cute! I used Angry Chicken’s Bonnet pattern. I think our baby may need some more of these in the future…maybe a flannel-lined one for winter?

Bonnet

Travel Changing Pad – Not to end on a down note, but this item didn’t turn out as nice as I had hoped. I really liked Homemade by Jill’s tutorial but had no luck finding laminated fabric. I used flannel on the inside instead. I supposed I could use a laminated picnic tablecloth…next time. My binding also got a little wonky on the rounded corners, but it will work for now.

Travel Changing Pad

For another day… There was another item I planned to make the baby - A Mingled Yarn’s diaper bag – but I’ve run out of sewing steam. I have my fabric picked out if my steam comes back, but in the meantime, I’ve got a backpack alternative. I also originally posted that I would make a mobile, but I found a really cute wooden one when shopping with my mom in Germany. The handmade paper one was put to the wayside. That’s all for this crafty post.

Letter to our Baby Girl – Week 32/33

  • September 20, 2010 12:26 PM

32 Weeks Pregnant

Hi Baby! We’re now just 45 days from your due date. It feels very close, very exciting, and maybe even a little scary too. My belly is very hard and I can feel you kicking a lot, so much that I can see my belly move. I’ve tried to capture it on video, but no luck yet. At our last appointment, the doctor said your head is already in the down position and she expects that you’ll be a healthy size – maybe even over 8 lbs like your Mama and Daddy were.

Since my last letter, we’ve had a couple visitors – my brother, and my mom and dad. Mom and Dad were here for 2 weeks in August for a whirlwind tour of Brussels, Amsterdam, Normandy, Paris, and the Rhine River area in Germany. They kept me moving! Mom is very excited about becoming a grandmother and brought an entire suitcase full of things just for you – clothes, a nursing pillow, and cloth diapers. Your Daddy was in the US while they were here, and brought back even more things for you – a Moby wrap, more cloth diapers, some nursing and health supplies from his dad, and clothes from his sister and mom. The corner of the room where we’re storing your stuff is overflowing!

I had a bit of a scare on Mom and Dad’s last day here when I spent the night throwing up and in excruciating pain. In the morning, Mom and I went to the hospital to make sure everything was okay. It turned out that I had a kidney stone and thankfully, I passed it naturally a few days later without even noticing. That first night, though, was awful, but I’ve heard that kidney stone pain is worse than labor. On the upside, I’ve now learned how I cope with pain – hot showers are my favorite. Plus, I got to visit the hospital and feel much more comfortable with it. Thank goodness my parents were still here to help me out!

Your Daddy and I have started rearranging the apartment for your arrival. We have two bedrooms – a large one and a small one. Our bedroom was in the small one, but there was absolutely no room for you. Our computers and craft supplies were in the large one, so we’ve rearranged things so we’ll all sleep in the large room together to start out. Your Daddy has moved his computers into the small room, which works great, especially since he’s started working from home more often.

We’ve also been preparing for you by taking prenatal classes through the Brussels Childbirth Trust. We’ve learned all about giving birth in Belgium, breast feeding, pain management, and what to expect after your birth. I’m still feeling very comfortable with how everything works here and look forward to it all, especially snuggling you as soon as you come out.

That’s about all that’s going on. I’ve been doing a little volunteering at the American Women’s Club, and also have worked on some sewing projects for you. A couple weeks ago, I finally started to slow down a bit – walking slower, filling up faster, peeing more often, and not lifting as much. Sleeping isn’t very comfortable either, but we don’t have much longer to go. I can’t believe you’ll be here in just about 6 weeks. We still have one more visit – your Daddy’s parents before your birth, and then my mom has her tickets to come meet you after. Can’t wait for you to arrive!

Love and Kisses,
Mama

The Island of Venice

  • September 18, 2010 9:25 PM

After our week driving around the Slovenian Alps, we closed out our trip with a weekend in Venice. I didn’t know much about Venice when we planned it, but I quickly discovered a surprise — there are no cars in the city.  The city is an island with narrow, little sidewalks linked by canals and bridges – check it out on Google Maps, it’s kind of weird.  It wasn’t stroller or bicycle-friendly either, but we did fine getting around with walking and water taxis. Note: The gondolas were pretty, but cost 80 Euros for a 45 minute ride. Needless to say, we didn’t ride one. :(

Transportation in Venice (Gondolas and Water Taxis)

One of the downsides of a city with no cars is that everything has to be brought in by boat – food for restaurants, merchandise for stores, and even construction equipment for building. I was very entertained by a building near our hotel that was under renovation. Since the sidewalks were so narrow, they had a crane and scaffolding balanced in a boat next to the building. Yikes!

Matching children playing in a puddle

We had relatively good weather for the weekend, except for one intense, 30-minute rainstorm. We parked ourselves in an alcove of St. Mark’s Cathedral and watched people with wind-blown umbrellas run for it. We were amused by these matching, soaked, children playing in a puddle afterward. While we were there, we also explored a few sites – the Correr Museum, Frari Church, and the San Marco Piazza. Other than that, we did our usual people-watching and food-tasting.

Venice at Night

The next day, we rode water taxis to a couple of the neighboring islands – Murano and Burano. Murano is known for their glass-blowing, and Burano is known for their brightly-colored homes. The islands are a bit touristy, but we had gorgeous weather and enjoyed looking around.

Colorful Homes in Burano

Honestly, I’d say that you could thoroughly see Venice in a weekend. Don’t get me wrong – I did enjoy it and it’s a beautiful city with architectural details hidden everywhere, but it is compact and crowded. The views were gorgeous and seeing the gondolas everywhere gave it a bit of a magical feeling. I spent that weekend humming the song from the spaghetti scene in Lady and the Tramp.

If you’d like to see more photos, I’ve posted them on PicasaWeb:

Road Trip Around the Slovenian Alps

  • September 12, 2010 4:05 PM

Last Summer on our EuroMoto Trip, Thomas and I rode through Austria and swore we would be back some day for the gorgeous scenery. We still might, but in the meantime, we’ve discovered somewhere just as beautiful — Slovenia. In our last chance to fly pre-baby, we headed to Venice (post coming soon) and Slovenia, where we drove around the Julian Alps in Northwest Slovenia for a week.

Crystal Clear Lake

We planned to rent a tiny automatic SMART car, but the Italian rental agency wouldn’t allow that model to cross into Eastern Europe. Luckily, they had another car we could rent, but being a manual transmission, I was a bit nervous. In Atlanta, I had tried teaching Thomas to drive my manual VW Bus, but it always ended in tears — my tears for my sweet bus’ transmission. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my driver’s license, but Thomas swore he had learned manual driving on his motorcycle. Note: Motorcycle clutches are controlled with the hands, and shifting is with the feet – opposite of cars. Thomas did great! I provided extra guidance on when to shift and what gear he was in, and he didn’t stall on the road once.

Soča River

We started our Slovenian tour in Kobarid, a little town filled with lots of WWI history. This town is famous for the Battle of Caporetto, which Ernest Hemingway wrote about in A Farewell to Arms. We visited a great war museum which explained the local battle, hiked along and waded in the gorgeous crystal blue Soča River, and visited the Kozjak waterfall.

Kozjak Waterfall

That night, we stayed in a cute little B&B (can’t beat 16 euros/night/pp) in a neighboring village called Drežnica. It was mostly farmland, but had fresh, crisp air, gorgeous views of the mountains, and fields of wildflowers.

Dancing in Wild Flowers

The next day, we headed up the Vršič Mountain Pass, the highest pass in Slovenia at a mile high. It was originally built by Russian Prisoners of War during WWI to deliver military supplies to the front. The pass has 50 switchback turns, which Thomas aced with his newly learned manual driving skills. I’ll admit I held my breath a couple of times, but the views from the top were amazing!

Church Island in Bled Lake

Later in the week, we headed to Bled, a tourist town famous for it’s lake and the church floating on an island in the middle of it. We didn’t visit the church, but we did swim in the lake, and ate plenty of the delicious cream cake originating from that area. We also went hiking at the nearby Vintar Gorge. It was beautiful with water so clear that we saw trout in it and a 3-tier waterfall.

Vintar Gorge

Our final stop in Slovenia was the capital, Ljubljana. We got there during the day, but quickly retired to our hotel for a nap and to escape the heat. Once the sun set, we headed back out to discover the wonderful night life – from street musicians to salsa lessons. We watched a folk band play and it made me think how much I miss live music and bluegrass.

Shadow of Ljubljana's Dragon

I’m not sure our pictures do justice to how pretty Slovenia was, but it’s imprinted in my mind. It was a wonderful, relaxing week where we could really connect with each other, and definitely a trip I’d recommend to nature lovers. More photos are posted on PicasaWeb: