The big bad baby post

Typepad’s spell check is over working again (all words show up as spelled wrong) is this happening to anyone else?

So I’ve got this thing in my belly. Three pounds of baby that likes to
smash its self against my side and make me wonder where food is going
to fit in a month or so. During all the stress of the last month things
were pretty quite on the baby front. I had a little bit of scare last
week when I couldn’t feel the baby for like a day and half. It was
during the time we brought grandpa home for hospice. My mom and Bill
were kind enough to sit with grandpa for a while and I went to see my
midwife. She really wanted to see me and said she didn’t care if it was
late (I love her by the way!). She did a check up on me and the baby
was fine, a little bit of a higher heart rate. But it was turned around
breech. She said this was common with really stressed out mamas because
the baby wants to get closer to your heartbeat. I felt so terrible that
I was stressing my wee little baby out. She gave me things to do (like
relax) and things not to do (like bend over – squatting only from now
on).

Then grandpa passed and it was so sad, but I did finally have time to
lay down and rest, take baths. My mom even gave me her massage spot for
a few days later. It was so great, the whole massage baby was moving
around like a maniac! I had my regular appointment on Friday and the
baby had flipped around. I am so glad. I also feel little baby every
day now, still mostly light movements because the placenta is in the
front. But sometimes they are strong enough for Bj to feel them, which
he loves. And you should here him talk to the baby, it is the cutest
thing EVER. Now that grandpa has passed I have lots of time to think
about the baby (when I’m not calling plumbers or cringing at yet
another hole in the wall). But before now Sciarrino and I did have one
fun day of baby-crafting which had not been properly blogged. I’m going
to catch you all up now.

Two Saturdays ago Bj sat with Grandpa all day at the hospital so I
could have a day with Sciarrino and be all girly and crafty. We had
goals: swaddling blankets and wipes. Pretty simple ones really. We
started out shopping for more fabric. Though I did use a good chunk of
my stash, I had to get flannel and terry cloth. The wipes were easy
with Sciarrino’s serger.


I looked up differnt types and sizes and went with 7.5×7.5 inches. We’ve done up half of them flannel front and back and half flannel front/terry cloth back. I think I’m going to do the dry method with a little spray bottle, instead of keeping them wet in a warmer. But I made them a size so that if I change my mind they will fit in one. It just seems like a waste to keep the thing warmed up all the time. Plus I don’t really want one of those sitting out, we’ll see how picky my baby is (insert mom’s comment about how picky I was here).
Baby_update11

As far as the different colors I got the yellow flannel at an estate sale this summer, so I decided to go with that for changes. We just picked up more, and then a very light yellow terry cloth. I’m doing white for towels/washcloths, and the other random colors are from left over pieces of flannel from backing the receiving blankets. We’ll use those for runny noses, spit up and stuff.
Baby_update10

The blankets are really the fun thing. Going for easy and I-need-to-make-a-bunch I just did a yard of print backed with a yard of flannel. They turn out to be 35×35 after seaming (pillow case binding). I’m going to wash one to see if I need to do something around the edges or if it will be easy to get neat looking again.
Baby_update9

They are not quilted or tied, so simple. I did hear from Sue that I might want bigger ones, and when Bj and I used our Baby-gami book we had a pretty funny time of trying to get our stuffed animal in any kind of tight swaddle. Bj still spent the evening cuddled with our little "baby" hehehe. Anyway they are super cute and will at least be good for car seat and stroller use. 
Baby_update12

Then I came home to this during one of our supply runs. Sue had gotten onto our registry and gave us some of our diapers. Bj and I were so thrilled (whose more addicted to cloth diapers, I think it might be Bj). It was the perfect baby-centered day. Since then I’ve been able to work on a few more things. I finally finished the handspun blanket.
Baby_update2

It is soooo soft and snuggly. I think you can see the color change on the corner there, where I did this two rows of thin/two rows of thick handspun trick to not have to spin any more of it. I would say now that I won’t start a handspun project with out enough yarn already made, but we all know that won’t happen.
Baby_update5

It’s hard to resist casting on something so squishy! And mindless and easy (one seam and only knitting, no purling or anything). I recommend it highly (ravelry link). Now I’m work on this:
Baby_update1

It’s going to be a baby hat (ravelry link), don’t ask me how. It has no decreases and is not knit in the round. Hmmm. Lots more baby goodness is coming, as I have three showers lined up! I feel like such a lucky girl, and you should feel lucky too baby! One is a joint crew girl shower with my friend who is due the same day as me. Crew girls are obviously very tall (I’m not because I was a coxswain, and didn’t actually row), and Tracy told me at her last ultrasound the baby was stretched all the way across her belly with his legs out straight! To which I said to my baby, "okay fine, I see why you are cramming my sides, mama is not giving you much extra space." I doubt baby has been able to stretch out like that for months!
Sweater1

I just realized I never even blogged the sweater that the hat is going to match. If it looks familiar I’ve knit the pattern many times, it’s really easy. I used sock yarn on this so I can throw it in the wash. Here’s the ravelry link. I knit it two at a time like the socks, both sleeves at once and the front and back at once. So fast. More baby stuff to come I’m sure!!!

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7 Comments

  1. Amber you Rock! You never stop do you? Love that sweater, perhaps you could send me the pattern!

  2. Aaaaaaah, home made wipes are SO MUCH BETTER than commercial ones (in my humble opinion, LOL), I love mine.
    Love that knitted baby blanket Amber. You have one lucky baby on his/her way.

  3. *chuckling* You may want to have a box of purchased wipes on hand….just in case….as Dawn is right! And I will publically admit there are a few onesies in the landfill because of me – I couldn’d believe I would ever get them clean again. Thank goodness those instances are far and few between! The colors for the blankets are perfect for a winter baby! Enjoy 🙂

  4. so trues especially if you are going to nurse, the poop is way looser and both my children has some pretty BIG EXPLOSIONS where we had to strip and throw directly in the trash! lol

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