DIY Super Cape

Materials needed:
--Women's Jersey Knit Shirt
--Pair of Fabric Shears

I had a shirt that was destined for Goodwill. I bought it in Wally World's Junior/Misses department. First mistake. Second mistake, it was stripped and I was/still am post-partum squishy.

Fast forward to today, Ellie was running around the house pretending to be Super Why...she thinks that's what you call it when you run around with a cape on. I'm not going to correct her. It's cute. She wanted her blanket re-tied around her neck every two seconds. After the 31478 time, I told her to hold her horses while I made her something.

I ran to my bedroom and sorted through my Goodwill pile. I grabbed a v-neck tee shirt and my sewing scissors and in less than 5 minutes, I had a toddler approved super cape (though she doesn't look too thrilled to be modeling).

All I did was cut up the shirt along the side seams. With the shirt right-side up, I started cutting. I left the seam in tact to give the edges a little more structure. I followed all the way up to the sleeves and then cut them off, following the curve from back to front at the top of the shoulder. I repeated the process on the other side seam up to the shoulder as well.

From the top of one shoulder, I followed along the v-neck and up to the opposite shoulder.

When I slipped it on over Ellie's head, I cut the v-neck in half to create two tie strings. Tie a bow or a double knot if there is enough room to slip it on and off. Voila! A super cape!

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 7: Today I am thankful that Ellie is daytime potty trained. We have been working hard at this for 7 months and I so proud of her. I love that we're able to go somewhere and not have to pack extra diapers for two kids. (And we are close to nighttime potty trained too! Many mornings she wakes up dry and asks right away to go use the potty!)

((Edited to add - As I was leaving today, went to give her a hug and a kiss. I found Ellie exiting the bathroom while pulling up her underwear and pants. She had used the potty all by herself! I'm so proud of this little girl!))

30 Days of Gratitude

Day 2: I am so thankful for Ellie. She made me a mother. She may not have grown in my belly, but she most definitely has grown in my heart and I am so happy that we're her forever family. She is the best big sister that Grant could have ever had. She is so polite and is growing up to be such a beautiful young lady.

2011 Chili Walk

Every year, my parents host a Chili Walk at the local metroparks. There are three cabins that are open for public use and we stake claim, build a fire and host a pot luck where you can enjoy a delicious bowl of chili and then walk it off on one of the many, beautiful trails. We can't remember exactly how long we've been hosting this tradition, but it is coming up on 20 years already! Now it is time to pass the torch. This year, I was in charge of invitations and I chose to go green. No paper invites were mailed this year. Instead we utilized the world wide web. Invites were sent via email and a Facebook event. Though very few people RSVP'd, we had a great turnout. There were around 40 adults and about a dozen children. We had a nice ratio of friends and family with plenty of yummy treats to enjoy. There was chili (of course!), beer bread and corn bread, cinnamon buns, mini cheesecakes, cupcakes, veggie tray, apple cider, pecan bars, and many, many more delicious treats!

I was so busy - we got there early to set up (though not as early as my parents, who got there at 7 am to reserve the space). Our family photos had gotten rained out the week before, so we did a mini shoot with our favorite photographer friend around noontime and then enjoyed the rest of the afternoon visiting with friends. My cousin Megan snapped these photos of Ellie playing at the park. (Apparently, other people that are not Ellie's mama or a professional are allowed to take pictures of Ellie.)

*photo by Poppy (my Dad)

*photo by Poppy (my Dad)

Budding Photographer

It is hard to get a photo of Ellie nowadays, because she has her nose behind her own cameras!

Milestones

So, Grant crawled today. Not to mama, not to daddy, but to the sweeper. Also, Ellie correctly identified some letters today as we were putting them away! ♥

Going back - Grant first said "Mama" while we were out to dinner with my MIL on Wednesday, September 14. On the 24th, he said the /d/ sound, which continued into saying it repeatedly on October 1 for Aaron. He also started crawling on Oct. 1, skipping the army crawl and scoot and whatever else and going straight for digging knees into the ground and propelling himself forward, resulting in many face plants!

Buddy Walk

Our family joined forces with our dear neighbors and friends to celebrate our Hayden. Hayden is a handsome little guy that was born with a little extra special chromosome. The NDSS Buddy Walk of Northwest Ohio was held at Rocket Hall on the University of Toledo campus. There was lots of food and fun activities to do with the little ones before the walk. After the walk, Signing Time's Rachel Coleman did a stage presentation and stayed afterwards for a meet and greet session. The tent was too crowded to take our stroller in, so the kids stayed out with their Daddy :( BUT I got to meet Rachel! (Check out her photos from the event on Facebook.) She was so sweet and signed our DVD for the kids. Ellie and Grant loved her performance. Ellie got up on Aaron's shoulders to watch the show and Grant was wiggling around to the music. It was so much fun. I'm glad we got to participate.

Hopkins, Rachel & Lindsay

Part of our team Hayden's Heroes...asking random person to shoot pictures, not the best results

Aireana, Hailey (Hayden's big sissy) and Ellie

Rachel and the Signing Time Theme Song...she's signing "play"

Oh look, Grant really was there!

Enjoying the show from atop Daddy's shoulders

The Loveseat

Yesterday morning, I was sitting on the loveseat breastfeeding Grant for the second time that morning. Normally, I would call it a couch but on Monday it was a definitely a loveseat. Ellie had just gotten up and she was still in this half-dreamy state of mind. She crawled up next to us and wanted to say hi to Buddy. Then she asked me where her blankie was and went off to find it. She crawled back up and told us she was going to take a nap because Buddy was napping too. So she snuggled up and I played with her hair and she told me, "Thank you, Mama." It was a very sweet moment. She decided to climb back down and grab her baby and then sit with me to breastfeed her baby as well. In those few moments, I felt so much love for my children while sitting on the couch. It was definitely a magical morning, despite the rain and the interrupting phone call.

Ellie feeding her baby, totally unprompted. I ran to find the camera and asked her a bunch of questions. She ignored me. The Backyardigans and a hungry baby are way more important that Mama's silly questions.

Homemade Ice Cream

We spent the weekend poolside. Saturday night we all enjoyed chicken enchiladas together and then my Mom (Gigi to my kiddos) made a chocolate cake with homemade strawberry ice cream - the kind you have to hand crank. It was the best dessert I've ever tasted. Seriously. It was that good.

Ellie helping Poppy hand crank the ice cream.

Grant's first taste of ice cream.

Good Morning, Buddy

As I was finishing up reading a news article online this morning, Ellie came and asked me, "Where's Buddy (Grant)?" I told her that he was in his crib and we'd go in a few minutes to get him up. She bolted for his bedroom and threw open the door, "Good morning, Buddy. Love you, Buddy."

Comparisons ((Cereal))

Ellie's first taste of rice cereal, 4 months old

Grant's first taste of rice cereal*, 4 months old

*After one week of rice cereal, we've switch to whole grain/whole wheat as I support the White Out Movement. You can learn more about it here.

Comparisons ((Sippy Cup))

Ellie's first sippy cup, 7 months old

Grant's first sippy cup, 5 months old

Comparisons ((High Chair))

Ellie's 1st time in the high chair, 5 months

Grant's first time in the high chair, 5 months

Pink Milk

When Ellie had her 1 year well check, the doctor suggested adding flavored syrup to Ellie's milk in an effort to get her to drink it. My husband, who accompanied Ellie to the appointment, was all over that! An excuse to buy strawberry syrup! It worked, much to my dismay.

Ellie, now 2.5 years old, still requests "pink milk." Sometimes more than usual as she went through a bit of regression when Grant came along. Aaron is happy to oblige her requests, I'm more likely to give her a pink sippy cup with white milk.

Anyway, this morning Ellie asked for "pink milk." I repeated her request back to her hoping she would fill in the missing "please," at the end of her request. Instead, she said, "Okay, pink milk," like it was my idea all along. She's a smart one, that's for sure.

August 17

Camera Shy

Ellie has shown an interest in taking photos recently. She'll walk around the house with my metronome shouting, "Cheese!" Lately, we've given her expired film in disposable cameras. This new development has led to to fall victim to those who reside behind the camera. She no longer wants to pose for me and will literally run away. It is hard to snap a good photo (especially with the big camera) as it is difficult to focus on a moving object.

first bath together (yes, i now know why you're not supposed to use a bumb0 in the bathtub) no babies were harmed while photographing this event.

out of focus, but i love it

interrupting her brother's weekly photo

eating raspberries off the tip of her fingers

cheeseball nom.nom.nom

Sleep, Escapes Me

Grant has been sick for a while now. We've been to the doctor 3 times and I've talked extensively with my lactation consultant.

That last part of May/early June, Grant was sleeping 6-8 hours a night. Perfect! The next week he started sleeping 10 hours a night, no problem. As a nursing mother, I was in pain, but I'd gladly suffer so that we could all get some shut eye around here. It became routine quickly. I'd nurse Grant around 10 pm at night and then he'd sleep till 8 am the next morning. At this time, he would nurse again and then sleep until 2 in the afternoon. A bit of a Nervous Nelly, I decided to call the Lactation Consultant. I thought he was sleeping too much and she agreed. I should wake him during that long nap and nurse. So I did. We both just figured he was going through a growth spurt and needed the extra sleep.

The next week, we went to the zoo on Monday, June 13. It was hot and I noticed a heat rash on Grant, or so I thought. The next morning, Grant's eyes were blood shot and he was covered in a lacy rash. I figured it was leftovers from the day before - too much sun and maybe a sprinkle of allergies. This goes on until Friday. I no longer believe that Grant has a heat rash, especially because he had developed a fever.

His fever continued through the weekend. On Sunday morning, I called the after-hours number for our doctor. I spoke with the on-call doctor and he agreed that Grant needed to be seen. He wanted to meet us that afternoon in his office.

The doctor assessed Grant and deemed his rash to be a viral rash, because he tested negative for Strep. Doctor's orders - keep an eye on things, if not better by Tuesday, get an appointment with our doctor to reassess. Monday, Grant is miserable. Hoarse from crying, puking, not sleeping, feverish, etc.

I get an appointment for Monday afternoon. Same dealio from our doctor. "Nothing you can do. Just wait it out. He'll be back to normal by the end of the week." End of the week comes and goes. No bueno baby.

Go back to the doctor on Monday, June 20. Grant still has all symptoms present, but the rash was slowly dissipating. Fever still around 101-102* Fahrenheit. The doctor prescribed an antibiotic in case he missed something. Grant seems to respond to the antibiotic, but now has diarrhea and a horrible diaper rash, side effects of said antibiotic.

This all brings us to tonight. Poor baby Grant is still sick. I'm at the end of my rope. I am so frustrated and defeated because I don't know what to do to help my baby. I'm beyond exhausted, running on fumes. I get angry at Aaron, because he can't soothe the baby nor does he wake at night to help when the baby is screaming.

Grant throws up (projectile vomiting) after almost every nursing session. (He is still gaining weight, so he is keeping something down. He gained 5.5 ounces in one week. 6/20/2011 Grant weighed 18 pounds 6.5 ounces.) I'm ready to quit breast feeding hoping that there's something wrong with my milk and he'll thrive on formula. But part of me worries that there is something wrong internally. If I stop breast feeding before knowing what is really wrong with him, I'd be giving up that special bond. I cherish nursing. I did not get that experience with Ellie. Nursing is a beautiful experience.

The mama in me tells me something is wrong. As much as I love our doctor because he is kind and will not rush me through an appointment time slot, I think it is time for a second opinion.

Roll Over

Ellie's favorite nursery rhyme right now is:

One, two, three, four, five. Six, seven, eight, nine, ten. There were 10 in the bed and the little one said, "Roll over. Roll over." So they all rolled over and one fell out.

Her brother has rolled over twice within the first month! The first time, front to back, happened during tummy time. Poppy, my dad, and I saw it happen. The second time, I had put Grant to bed on his back, and Aaron found him sleeping on his tummy.

Grant, four days old, rolled onto his side.

Happy Easter

From my two bunnies to yours ♥

Egg Hunt

Took Ellie to an Egg Hunt this morning. She collected 20 eggs! I was afraid she wouldn't know what to do, but we had a hard time keeping her contained until the hunt began.