The First Real Christmas

Fall babies don't really have a first Christmas worth mentioning. They are still in the larval stage and barely able to sit up, and some can't even roll over at that point. Pretty much, the first Christmas is a wash.

The second, however, is lots more fun.

I tried to honor my son's preferences and got him things that might seem strange to other people. I also made him some items (mentioned in earlier posts).

It was so worth it. Kiddo had this moment almost every gift where his brows would raise as he took in the sight of the new toy and then his face would glow with the sweetest smile. It was priceless.

The biggest winners for this were the three Christmas rubber duckies, a stuffed penguin, hand puppets, and yes, Mommy's baby doll.

In fact the baby doll was such a hit Kiddo actually cuddled it off and on the whole time it was in sight. He cuddled it right up to bed.

Folks, we may finally have a bedtime lovey!

He got a lot of really wonderful items besides the above. Blocks, books, puzzles, bath toys, music toys, and of course, plenty of really great clothes for both now and the next size up. It was so much more than we expected, we were overwhelmed, Kiddo included (He wasn't sure what to play with!).

It was a big day full of family time and fun exploring new, different things. The high point for me after the doll cuddle was when he leaned down in his daddy's arms to give great grandma a kiss goodnight. What a sweet boy! I couldn't imagine being blessed with a more wonderful son or more generous and gracious family. Thankfully we have days like Christmas to showcase such things.

Alien Shot Disaster or 15 Month Well Baby

Kiddo had his 15 month well baby this past Friday. I knew going in he was getting shots, so I enlisted the assistance of Grandad to ensure maximum success.

It was, in short, a disaster.

He remembered.

When the nurse took his measurements (31.3 in, 24 lbs 4 oz, and 19 head circumference) he gave her the stink eye. She had to prove the pen she was holding was just a pen. He struggled as she took his temp using his forehead.

Then, when we saw the doctor, he cried as soon as the man brought out his light to check Kiddo's eyes. He barely allowed the doctor to look at his eyes, so forget ears and throat. Then he did not want a stethoscope on him at all.

The doctor managed a few seconds of listening to his chest before Kiddo wriggled away.

Then of course, came the real show. When he went into the vaccine/test room, he was calm at first. We warned the nurses he remembered getting shots, so they were extra nice. The pointed to the holiday decorations and he was calm. He thought he had avoided shots. Of course that was when we had to pull down his pants to expose his chubby thighs for vaccines and take off a sock and shoe to grab hold of his toe for a blood count.

He struggled so much it was painful to hold him. He wailed so hard his face went purple. It broke my heart but I would rather a few moments of distress than sterility, paralysis, or death.

When it was over, the nurses rummaged through their cabinet to give him a rather large frog squeak toy. At first he didn't take it, but as soon as we left the room, he grabbed it, enjoying the big eyes and chewable texture.

It was a difficult visit, but now Kiddo is up to date with his vaccines and he is still pronounced perfect according to the medical profession. He has hit or surpassed the development bar in all aspects. I am so grateful not only that we had insurance to cover the visit, and kindness of the staff, but especially for the continued health and excited joy of my beloved little boy.

At Christmas more than ever, the blessing of my family is on my mind. How wonderful it is to have them with me, happy, healthy, and whole!

Thanks Obama. ;-)

DIY Upcycle: Baby Doll

I have a few videos that need editing before they can be posted. With that in mind...I figured it was a good time to post another homemade present!

I can do that for a few more years...

I read that all children - boys and girls - need a baby doll. Looking at most purchase options, I was less than thrilled. Determined that Kiddo should have a doll, I decided I would sew one myself.

This was the most ambitious sewing craft I have EVER done, especially considering it is handsewn. Originally I had white denim, thinking it would hold up to abuse better than cotton knit. In the end, I decided to use a pale knit for the limbs. As an impatient person, I did not measure or trace. I eyeballed the limbs. I traced the body shape from another stuffed animal of Kiddo's. I designed a face and embroidered this first. I added a belly button.

Then I cut pieces of green knit to be a cloth diaper on the baby (permanent). I pinned these to the base of the body. I stuffed the sewn limbs with some empty fabric at the end to allow them to attach easily (and for limb movement). I stitched these on leaving a space on the side of the body so I could turn it back out. Knowing what I know now, I would have ironed the edges in and stitched the doll on the outside. C'est le guerre.

Turning out was hard because of the denim body, but I was successful. Once done, I stuffed the doll and stitched it closed. Finally I took three embroidery floss braids (three strands each) and folded them. I wove a needle through them and stitched them to the doll's head to make hair.

Voila! Baby doll! Is it perfect? No. I could have done a few different things to make it more professional looking... BUT I am not a seamstress. I'm a mom. This was my biggest sewing craft ever and I didn't follow anyone's instructions. Considering that, I think I did really well and I'm certain Kiddo will love it come Christmas morning. :-)

DIY Upcycle: T-shirt Pillow

I'm making a lot of Christmas presents this year. Part of it is because baby presents are relatively easy. Part is I like upcycling. Part of it is resource availablity.

That said, Kiddo is getting a few keepsake items made from things lying around and a little dollar store ingenuity.

I got some embroidery floss from the dollar store along with needles for a puppet project a while back (never got to it). I do have a sewing machine, but it is MIA so I have to do everything by hand. Fortunately now I have a little time and a lot of fabric scraps. Unfortunately some of my best sewing time is when Kiddo is entertaining himself. This meant he saw one of the presents intended for Christmas...and it became an advent gift.

Christian has a bunch of old shirts that shrank with various graphics etc. One happened to have an R1200 GS motorcycle on it. Another had stylized "BMW Motorrad" on it. I cut out the motorcycle and then traced that shape on the BMW shirt. I split the embroidery floss to sew with 3 strands as opposed to 6. I chose to embrace the handsewn look and have the stitching outside, as one might find with some Indian pieced accessories. I rolled extra/uneven edges making it a little more interesting and crossed the stitching, if casually. Once the pillow was mostly stitched, I stuffed it with some filling I got at a craft store (20 oz for $5!). I sewed the last little bit, at which point Kiddo wanted it (and Grandma suggested handing it to him not knowing my intention...sigh). Considering his extensive present list, it's alright to let him have one thing early, even if he refused to have his picture taken with it.

The Tao of the Toddler

Kiddo has really come into toddlerhood in the last couple weeks. It is obvious in many ways.

First, he has progressed from whimpering mildly to full on tantrums.

I call them his Tasmanian Devil tantrums. They involve growling, biting, and shaking his head really fast in frustration. That's often the opening number, which can lead to the red faced silent cry, on to the long wail which can last several minutes.

It is an art form.

But that's not all! He runs. Well actually, he drifts around corners while holding his hands up in the air and squealing. Sometimes he does this in the gait of an orangutan, with slightly bent bowed legs. The accompanying head wobble really makes this.

Or there is the growl...which he does periodically. Sometimes he does this while holding his hands up like a raptor. I have no idea where he got that one.

There's also the random words and phrases that come out. He loves his nativity set - especially Baby Jesus and the animals. He says "Jesus." He also says "wacky" because of his Dr. Seuss book Wacky Wednesday. He tries to say "baby" and "gone" and "thank you." He frequently squeals "I did it!" or "I get (got) it!"

Of course Kiddo blows raspberries on my belly to make me laugh and teases, pretending to offer toys, but pulls them away. Sometimes he dances, moving from side to side like a drunk introverted prom attendee. Along these lines, Kiddo spins around in circles, usually toward bed time (winding down?) but occasionally during the day. I joke that he's apprenticing to be a dervish.

His attention span has shortened during his active times, so much so that often he can't sit through a page of a story because he wants to explore everything...and move.

Communication definitely makes our time more enjoyable and Kiddo is a constant source of entertainment. Toddlers may be high energy and sometimes difficult, but they are also a lot of fun. I am really enjoying this stage. Even when he paints his pants with yogurt. Seriously.