New Baby Bonnets at Rose and Ruffle

Hi friends! I've got just little minute to share some new things at the shop with you. It's been a good but busy week, lots of time spent outside planting and playing! I'll share a landscape/garden post soon because I'm pretty darn proud of our hard work. :) Right now the sun is peeking through the trees across the road and all the leaves are sparkling a million different shades of green, one of my favorite things ever. Here are some pictures of the brand new baby bonnets just listed at Rose and Ruffle... I LOVE them so much!!

I've included the direct links to the items, and these are all Ready to Ship. If you see something you like, contact me and I may be able to make something in a different size for you. Thank you as always. :)

Lace Dreams Baby Bonnet

Boho Pastel Blooms Bonnet

Blue Southern Charm Bonnet

Retro Barnyard Chicks Bonnet

Also, do you shop with ebates? If not, you should! It's so easy and it gives you money just for buying things you'd be buying anyway. I have a link on my sidebar, so you should check it out. Etsy participates with ebates now, too! (I would let you know if I might make a cent or two if you use my link, but I honestly have no idea. Oops. I should probably look into that, ha ha...)

Hope you have a terrific Thursday! We've got errands and well check appointments on our docket today...fun fun! ;)

Our Favorite Books to Read Aloud to Baby

I loved being read to as a child, and I love it even more as a Mom. With all the beautiful board books out there, and most classics also available as such, there is no shortage of quality books to read with your baby. When Levi was an infant, we gave him several cloth books, and as he got more independent and capable, he mastered the technique of flipping the pages and looked quite proud doing so, I might add. :)

This is not going to be an original list by any means- there's a reason these books are so popular and get chosen again and again. They're just wonderful! Simple rhymes, the repetition of certain words, phrases or sounds, and colorful illustrations have always delighted our babies, and we have loved reading these to them. If there's one listed here that you're not familiar with, you should check it out!

Our Favorite Books to Read to Baby

1. The Best Mouse Cookie, Laura Numeroff

2. The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper
3. The Backyard Dance by Sandra Boynton

4. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

5. The Counting Book by Lilian Moore (illustrated by Garth Williams of Little House on the Prairie books)

6. Moo La La by Sandra Boynton
7. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney
8. The Mitten by Jan Brett
 

I should add here that pretty much any board book by Sandra Boynton is a win in our home. They are just clever and cute, and the illustrations are darling; but the two listed above are the ones he always reached for and squealed about the most when he was smaller. Today at 22 months old, they are still his favorites by far, though we've been adding lots of truck and tractor books to the mix, which he clearly loves.

If you have a favorite book to read to your little one, please share in the comments! And enjoy reading to those cute, squishy faces. I sure miss this one right here! :)

FREE SHIPPING SALE at Rose and Ruffle

Hi friends, just popping in to tell you about the Valentine's Day sale I've got going on in the shop. There are tons of flannel nightgowns, outfit sets, and special occasion dresses there if you're looking for some fun things to get through this last bit of winter, and ALL baby bonnets and bibs ship free thru 2/14! This includes Ready to Ship as well as Custom Order bonnets and bibs!

We ended up bringing Levi into Urgent Care at dinnertime last night, and it's a good thing: poor baby has double ear infections and the onset of pneumonia. Must.Get.Rid.Of.The.Germs. This has been a brutal fall and winter season for sure. Here's hoping today fares a little better than yesterday. #fingerscrossed

You can visit my shop with this link: Rose and Ruffle

Got Sleep Advice? PLEASE SHARE!

It's getting worse, not better.

The sleeping, I mean.

Or should I say, the lack of sleeping.

I try not to complain about this (too much) because I know, or I HOPE!, that it's temporary, and I know how badly some parents would give anything in this world to trade places and have sleep issues be their biggest obstacle. I have met too many grieving parents this year whose hearts are broken and whose arms are now empty, and I know that my rough nights cannot even begin to compare with their loss.

That said, help.

No, really. Help!

Levi used a pacifier on occasion when he was teeny tiny but for months now, he plays with them and thinks they're just the neatest toy for biting and popping and generally making lots of noise with. So no drift-off-to-sleep aid there.

He loves pillows.

I mean, he really, really loves pillows. Big ones. He sleeps best with his face smooshed up against one of our pillows, or with his face completely buried underneath it, which is horrifying by the way. Of course the idea of putting a full sized pillow in his crib scares me to death and I can't do it. I'm tempted, but I can't.

So I made him a smaller one, but it doesn't seem to do the trick.

I also made him a bumper pad, mainly because I didn't want to pay the ridiculous price to buy one, but maybe I should? The one I made isn't working at all. He scoots his head and face up underneath it and then proceeds to bang his head against the rails, which upsets him to no end. Shocker. But he won't stop doing it! More recently, he has begun kicking the rails with all his might in the middle of the night, and this can go on for hours. Hours.

I'm tired, people.

So, so tired.

We consider it a successful night if we're only up four or five times.

We're lucky to get a two hour stretch throughout the night.

 Every single night.

Back in November, he screamed every night when he put him in his crib. I tried gentle training, and it worked! I couldn't believe it! But within a few weeks, it got bad again.

In early January, we had six nearly all-night sleeps in a row.

I was ecstatic. I thought we'd fiiiinally made it through these terrible nights.

Six nights.

And then it was over.

We have learned that he can't tolerate a nap after 4 pm, so we don't do that, even if he refused one all afternoon. That makes for a rough end to the day, let me tell you. It's bad. 

We try to get outside for fresh air but have been house bound for days now with ridiculous freezing weather. Coincidentally, we're in the early stages of a blizzard at this very moment. #awesome

The one thing that does help is his lovey blankie. It's really small, but he adores it. Of course he whips and flings it around these days, but it's his very favorite thing at bedtime and it does calm him - he runs his fingers up and down the soft material, and I can feel his entire body relax, so it does help. Levi goes to bed in his crib awake, and more often than not, he wants his lovey right up against his face. So there's that, he doesn't get put down already asleep.

And nap time.

I am not kidding when I say that the saddest day of our lives was when he outgrew his baby sleep cushion/pillow. He hasn't taken one nap in his crib since then, but he does get comfy in the middle of our bed, and strangely enough, mostly stays put. Maybe this is reinforcing bad habits? Maybe I should try to get him to nap in his crib?

He definitely prefers to sleep in our bed, which I don't really love, but I'm okay with it. I don't want it to create poor habits for the future, but...I guess one could say we are already in a cycle of poor habits, ha. The problem with co-sleeping, really, is that there is no room, and Bill ends up on the floor, which makes it all seem completely degenerate and just bad.

So here I am, a veteran Mom of five, and I'm at a total loss. It goes to show that every baby is so, so different. And I feel like I'm losing my mind. We need sleep!

So tell me, please, any advice you've got? I want to hear it all! Anything and everything!

Thanks =)

I can't write this long, dramatic post without an adorable picture...

DIY Tufted Baby Sleeper-Swaddle Pillow Tutorial

 We're nearing little Levi's first birthday as I'm writing this post, so of course I'm sitting here in a puddle of tears looking at all these teeny tiny Levi pictures. Kidding. Almost.
Right now, poor baby is struggling with an ear infection and a bad cold, so while he's actually napping and the rest of the crew is off at church, I thought I'd finally share this tutorial. =)

 I think it's funny that I had never even heard of or seen one of those popular DockATot when the idea for this little baby pillow entered my mind. I was thinking primarily of having something that would nestle in between my husband and I on our bed to keep baby elevated, and possibly swaddled, and out of harm's way (is, us rolling over on him, which never even remotely happened, but still...). 

 Levi looooved his baby sleeper pillow. He had us all fooled into thinking that he was going to be such a great sleeper.

It was the pillow.

I would actually see his little body completely relax and sink into that pillow, and he looked so content. He slept on his pillow for at least the first six weeks, but around two months, he was showing signs of rolling over and pulling things toward his face, which meant bye-bye baby pillow. It clearly was no longer safe for him to use.

The day he outgrew it will remain one of the saddest days of our lives. We haven't had more than a handful of decent nights since.

Okay, so here are the directions for making your own. It was simple and straightforward, my kind of project. 

If you have zero interest in reading this tutorial, feel free to scroll to the end and ooh and aah over adorable newborn photos. :)

Also, I apologize in advance for both wonky angles and weird lighting. I was very pregnant when I made this thing...maybe that had something to do with it? ? ?

Choosing your material

I opted for a soft minky fabric (I used a coupon on JoAnn's) for the top side, and a lightweight terrycloth for the back of the main pillow. For the built-in swaddle, I used the the chevron minky fabric for both the top and back. One word of caution when using minky: there is an obvious nap, so be careful to sew pieces with the "smooth" finish going in the correct direction.

If you don't want to use minky fabric, you could certainly opt for a quality cotton or knit, maybe even use a knitted sheet to cut up- whatever you prefer, as it does not need to stretch. I would avoid flannel or other heavier materials, as that might make baby a bit too hot.

The basic shape of the pillow

I used a standard pillow to outline the baby pillow. I knew I wanted rounded corners and some type of built-in swaddle, but one that could be pushed to the side or back if I didn't want to use it.

Cut out your top and backing fabric the same shape. Do not sew these pieces together just yet.

The swaddle piece

I designed mine to be long enough to loop around a button on the underside when it was being used as a swaddle. The straight edge on the right will be sewn into the side of the baby pillow; the curved edge will have a piece of elastic loop sewn in to fasten to the button on the back.

This piece is cut with the two minky fabrics. 

**It measures approximately 25 inches long by 13 inches high, but if I were to make this again, I would shorten the height to about 11 inches, sew it closer to the bottom edge, and possibly not gather the curved end- more about that in a bit.

Pin right sides together and sew together, leaving straight edge open. Turn right side out.

 The lighting is way off and this photo isn't necessary for the tutorial, but I have to include it because that's my little baby in there!

I was not one of those women who ever enjoyed being pregnant because I had difficult, complicated pregnancies, but it was very different this time. Even though I had morning sickness well into the sixth month, I think my perspective was completely different and I was just so humbled and thankful.

The swaddle piece is turned right sides out and pinned to the top piece of the pillow. I let it hang over the edge quite a bit because I didn't want any chance of it weakening and loosening up in the seam.

You could choose either side to attach it to, mine is obviously on the left.

The swaddle piece is not centered, either- I didn't want it to be too close to baby's face or mouth.

Now stitch the swaddle piece to the pillow to keep it in place. Remember the nap.

Now you're ready to form the sewing "sandwich"

Terrycloth doesn't have a wrong or right side, so it didn't matter, but you're going to pin right sides of the pillow pieces together. I folded up the swaddle piece on the inside to keep it out of the way when sewing. You want that curved edge to remain free and not be sewn into any part of the pillow. 

Leave an opening in the pillow on the opposite edge from where the swaddle piece is sewn in order to turn it right sides out.

 You can see the bulkiness of the swaddle piece, which was sewn into the side on the right

The opening is on the left of this photo.

It wasn't necessary to clip corners before turning right sides out, but you can if you want.

Here you can get a better sense of what it's going to look like.

Now you're ready to stuff the pillow. I overstuffed it the first time, so you may need to play around with it in order to get the right amount of "fluff."
Stitch the opening closed by hand, like I did, or with the sewing machine.

You could choose to omit the tufts, but I felt they were necessary in allowing baby to nestle into the pillow rather than just resting on the top, if that makes any sense.

I will add that it was a slight challenge pulling up the needle in the exact spot where I wanted to form the tufts, and this was by far the most labor intensive part of the whole project.

I used a long needle and doubled the thread to make sure everything was very secure.

Each tuft probably has ten or more needle "pull-throughs"

**The swaddle piece felt a bit too wide for me- I wished I had sewn it farther down the side, too.

I gathered the rounded edge by hand and tacked it in place, and then attached a loop of elastic.

Here is a close-up of the gathered rounded edge with the elastic loop.

Ignore the discoloration on the chevron pillow - the cats have decided that they like this baby pillow, ha ha

I attached this solid wood button on the underside - see the wayward terrycloth pulls? Yeah, thanks kitties.

Here are those adorable newborn pictures I promised. :)
Levi loved his sleeper pillow.
And so did his Mama.

I shared a tutorial for a little girl's nightgown several years ago, and it just so happened to be the BEST maternity nightgown ever. I loved it! It was great post-partum as well, and perfect for nursing.

The tutorial is HERE.

 Here is my little guy's baby quilt that I started the day before we left for Florida last year.

I remember having a hard time laying out the pieces on the floor and bending over them to move them around, ha! I love his quilt so much. I'll share a tutorial for it soon.

Baby Essentials GIVEAWAY for FRIDAY!

It's Friday!!! School doesn't even begin until next week and soccer schedules are already dominating the family calendar...and I love it! Thank you for reading my thoughts about adoption and grieving loss in this post. Today it's all about fun stuff! Time for a giveaway! I have no idea if 2 or 200 or nobody (boo, so sad) will be interested in this, so if you are that ONE person who leaves a comment, this will be your lucky day!=)

I also have this item available in my Etsy shop HERE.

Sweet, adorable Baby Essentials for you or someone you know!

This Gift Set includes:

1 Baby Bib has 100% cotton front, ultra soft and absorbent warmwear backing, and adorable ribbon ties.

1 Burp Cloth//Lovey Blanket is superbly soft and cuddly, snuggle flannel and fluffy warmwear. Measures approximately 8 x 17 inches. 

Machine wash warm or cold/ tumble dry low or warm. 

This, and all items in my shop, come wrapped neatly in tissue paper and natural raffia.

A small gift card is included at no extra charge, and this can be mailed to you or directly to the recipient.

I know the standard protocol is to get as many chances based on how many outlets in which you share the love. So we'll go with that.  :)  If you already follow this blog- thanks!- let me know when you comment; otherwise, follow along and introduce yourself. Tweet it, Facebook it, Blog about it...or don't. Whatever you want! Leave at least one comment {pretty please!}-- you know you want to!  =)

I'll pick a winner on Monday! Good luck & have a fabulous weekend!