Read with Me Monday:

Our packing for Puerto Rico is in full swing at the moment, and one of the problems I'm contemplating is how to choose which unread books I should bring along with us. Nick and I both have a serious problem when it comes to books. We LOVE books...we cannot live ANYWHERE without accumulating absolutely massive numbers of books. So, the majority of our current books will end up in storage along with all our others, with the exception of the VERY few that can fit in our luggage. (Remember, we're talking a plane ride here.) My solution to this problem was to go through all of our books, pick out the ones I'm absolutely dying to read, and pack away the rest for storage. As I finish one of the books I left out, I pack it away as well. My stack is dwindling nicely, and I think that I'll be able to fit the remaining ones in someone's suitcase????

So, since I've been reading so heavily, I thought I would share one of my favorites:

The Knitting Circle: A Novel by Ann Hood

This book was so sad, but I couldn't put it down to save my life. Basically, it's about this woman who loses her child to Meningitis and about how her life and relationships are drastically impacted. The story weaves around a local knitting circle and the 'secrets' behind everyone's facade of cheerfulness and vitality. Crazy good book that really had me looking forward to Kaius' naptimes!

My little Helper

Somewhere in the past week, Kaius has become world-champion mountain climber. He will no longer play quietly at my feet (wait, did that EVER happen!), but must be involved in every task I attempt to complete. The other day I had a laundry basket too close to the counter, and Kaius climbed right up on it and insisted that he could also help with dinner. Of course, to an 11 month old, Help means eat the broccoli Mom's cutting, throw all utensils on the floor, and scream when the broccoli runs out.
It was extremely cute though, and Nick and I could both tell that Kaius thought he was helping me out immensely. I know that these days of wanting to help Mommy out will be short-lived, so I'm trying to appreciate each little piece of broccoli that now resides on the floor as an expression of Kaius' love for me!

Sweater Pants!

I made an adorable pair of pants out of a felted wool sweater for the little baby that I watch during the week. However, they fit so perfectly, and looked so cute I just couldn't bare to part with them. So, I'm saving them for whenever my next baby arrives. Since the pants are 100% wool I have only to lanolize them before they can be used a diaper cover! How practical!

So, to appease my sense of guilt at stealing away this little baby's pants, I knit him a cute little winter hat out of some sparkly white yarn I had stashed away. His Mama absolutely adored it which made me so pleased.

Wordless Wednesday

Winter Weather Brings...Hats for Babies!

With the weather taking a sudden turn for the freezing side (about time right?) Kaius and I have been working very hard at understanding the importance of wearing a hat. Just this past weekend, Kaius decided that it was simply too cold to go for a walk without his hat and wore it the whole time we were outside! It's been months since he would last wear a hat, so I was understandably excited...excited enough to cast on, knit, and bind off a brand new hat.

I chose a very basic style, but added stripes of blue and neon green. I made the brim very loose so it's easy to slip on his head...the less he feels it, the more likely he is to wear it...for a few minutes anyway.

Handmade Montessori Toy

I've been studiously reading a book on the role of Montessori philosophy from birth to age 3, and it's been inspiring me to take a harder look at how things are organized in our house, how approachable non-dangerous things are for Kaius, and how I can better teach him about the world around him. It's quite an eye-opener, and if we were going to stay in one spot long enough I think Nick and I would even be springing for some of the child-sized furniture recommended by Montessori! (this is impressive because we own no baby related furniture...not even a high chair!) Anyway, this particular post is about a creative project of mine that has turned into world's funnest toy...




Montessori seems to be very keen on providing children with toys that are challenging enough to encourage moments of deep concentration. It is the Montessori philosophy that deep concentration is how children learn and that too often we interrupt this concentration with our media, ignorance, or praise at their accomplishment. This idea sounded interesting to me, so I made this "montessori-replica" toy out of a Kleenex box to see how Kaius took to it. We were in deep concentration land for 10 minutes! (and anyone who knows Kaius would know that this is indeed impressive!)

To make the toy, I simply turned the box so that the top hole faced the side....cut this whole all the way down so that there was no lip between this side and the floor. I then cut a hole the size of a golf ball in the (now) top. I reinforced everything that seemed weak with duct tape. Next, I attached some rolled up paper to the bottom of the box causing it to lean so that a ball dropped through the top hole could roll out the side hole onto the floor. It worked perfectly and after showing Kaius only once he was a master at it. The cutest part though was when he tried object after object...blocks, bigger balls, cups....now, he knows that only his two smallest balls will go in and he will actually search for them before settling down in front of this toy. I'm not sure that it will last until Puerto Rico, but of course all I need to make another is a Kleenex box!

What to do with Baby?

Give him a bowl of water, some plastic container, and a measuring cup...

Be prepared for a wet floor and a happy baby!

And then of course, there are containers full of flour and oatmeal!

So much fun baby might even have to get IN the pot!

I made Kaius a pair of pants last week out of an old sweater I found at the thrift store. I just cut the sleeves to an 18 month size and sewed up the crotch inseam. I then added half of the bottom stretchy panel of the sweater to the waist to act as the waistband. The pants fit perfectly and are absolutely adorable in my opinion. They're super fuzzy and warm which has been perfect for these past few days.

Sleepy Wrap Review!

The Sleepy Wrap

" The Best Place After the Womb"

A few weeks ago, I was sent a Sleepy Wrap to test out and review. I'm super excited to bring you this review because I am a HUGE fan of babywearing, and I loved this wrap! I firmly believe that there is no better place for a new baby than on his mother's chest where the familiarity of her smell and heartbeat will encompass him in feelings of love and security. In the early months, I believe that babies learn primarily from observing their surroundings. What better place to observe than from a caretaker's chest?!

I began my babywearing journey when Kaius was less than a week old. I started out with a Slingling baby sling and walked around our village in freezing temperatures without a care in the world. My baby was happy and content and we were both benefiting from the shared warmth of our body temperatures. In fact, more often than not we were both sweating by the time we returned home! A few weeks later, I purchased a Baby Hawk Mei Tai which Kaius hated right from the start. I had hoped that the Mei Tai would give me more hands-free time, but it ended up being ignored until Kaius was around 5 months old and I was able to wear him on my back. However, we never really fell in love with it, and I purchased a Moby Wrap. I absolutely LOVE the Moby Wrap. Right from the start Kaius would coo and babble as soon as he was wrapped up in its folds. We used the Moby nearly exclusively until I found a used Ergo. Now, we are exclusive to the Ergo although I'm always on the lookout for an awesome new babycarrier!So, you can imagine my excitement when I was presented with a brand new Sleepy Wrap to test out!

I found the Sleepy Wrap to be very similar to the Moby Wrap with regard to how one would wear it, and the variety of holds that could be accomplished with its folds. However, the material of the Sleepy Wrap is composed of 95% cotton and 5% spandex (compared to the 100% cotton of a Moby) which gives it a super stretchy feel, more give, and a little bit of added bounce for your baby. I found that the spandex took away some of the weight I normally feel when wearing Kaius (or any baby) in the Moby...particularly in the shoulder region. To me, this was a huge benefit. When I wore a 4 month old in it, I found that the bounce of the spandex also helped to soothe him to sleep nearly immediately!

The primary drawback to the Sleepy Wrap is the weight limit! While there are no specified age OR weight restrictions listed by the manufacturer of the Sleepy Wrap, I found that the spandex content of the material made wearing a baby over 20lb uncomfortable. Kaius is right at the precipice of 20lb, and I felt like he was literally hanging off of me after wearing him in the sleepy wrap for only a few minutes. I think the spandex content probably just has a hard time retaining the tightness of any particular hold once a baby starts to weigh close to 20lb. or so. For this reason, I wouldn't advise the Sleepy Wrap for anyone with an older baby. However, for newborn through about 20lb or so (obviously this would vary per your comfort level), I think the sleepy wrap may even be BETTER than the Moby (*gasp!). I would ESPECIALLY recommend the Sleepy Wrap for anyone with a preemie or anyone practicing kangaroo care. The extra give and bounce of this carrier would make for a great re-creation of the womb and really would be the "the best place after the womb".

(Hammock Hold w/4 month old)

(Love Your Baby hold with 4 month old AND 11 month old)

(Forward-facing hold with 11 month old)

Summary

Benefits:

*Excellent for preemies, kangaroo care, and babies under about 20lb (my opinion only!)

*5% spandex content provides for a feeling of near weightlessness for the wearer of the wrap

*Spandex content also helps to mimic the 'bounce' of the womb

*Variety of holds

*Easy for discreet breastfeeding

Drawbacks:

*Difficult to maintain a tight 'hold' with a baby weighing 20lb or over

*The bounce of the spandex if not wrapped very tightly could make the wrap feel as though it is not hands free.

Mountain Climber

"Walking?!!! Pssshh...I'm on to bigger things! How about some rock climbing lessons Mom?"