Crochet an Infant Football Helmet Hat

Like most alumnae, I'm proud of where I got my undergraduate degree! I bleed blue; go BYU cougars! Elin and her hubby, too, have such a pride, especially in our football team. This is loyal of them, since our football team is usually pretty ho-hum. Still, they religiously watch the games, all decked out in BYU apparel.

Elin and I are living parallel pregnancies, and I thought it would be perfect to crochet her little bun in the oven a BYU football helmet hat. There were, of course, a few barriers to this:

1.  I really don't know how to crochet. I'd only made one thing: SourPatch's Halloween Dobby hat.
2. There's no tutorial specific to such a helmet. 
3. I really don't know how to crochet.

Still, despite these difficulties, I forged ahead, and here's the result:

I decided to work off of this free pattern from Breezybot. So cute, and I love it when talented people generously post their patterns for free. I do wish I'd read some of the comments posted below before I began, however. Several people had trouble getting the stitch count to add up. So did I. I pulled out and re-crocheted one of the rows multiple times before giving up and continuing on with an altered stitch count from the pattern. Still, it worked out! Also, I used a larger hook than recommended, hoping the hat would come out on the larger side. No such luck; this is definitely a newborn size. This is probably fine for a baby born in Texas; he won't have very many occasions to wear warm hats after he outgrows it.

I then found a tutorial to make an oval and another to make the letter "Y." I had to cut back on the stitch count of the "Y" to make it small enough for the hat. I carefully sewed my appliques (and the button in the tutorial) onto the hat with a yarn needle. I was pleased with how it turned out, and now am just excited to see it on my nephew!

"Go With Everything" Lace Baby Skirt

Several weeks ago I attended a baby shower and sat next to my dear friend, Melanie, and her beautiful baby. Mia was wearing a onesie with an ivory lace over-skirt and looked like a princess. Melanie told me that she loves the skirt because she can put it on over any color/style onesie and turn it into an adorable outfit.

I found a similar skirt at Target and actually bought one to send to another friend for a baby gift. But then, of course, I couldn't resist trying to make one myself.

I happened to have a spool of very wide ecru lace (6 1/2" wide) that I bought at a thrift store months ago, knowing that I would have a use for it at some point:

But if you don't have a spool of lace handy, simply purchase 1/2 yard of lace fabric; it will work just as well. Cut two pieces of lace. The first one, the bottom layer of the skirt, should be 1 1/2 yards wide (or the width of your fabric) and 6 1/2 " long. Cut the top layer 1 1/2 yards wide (or the width of your fabric) and 5" long.

If you have a serger, place the two pieces of lace on top of each other with the right sides of both pieces facing up. Serge the top edges of the lace pieces together. This creates the finished edge of the waist of your skirt.

If you don't have a serger, place the right side of the 5" piece on top of the wrong side of the 6 1/2" piece. Sew a narrow seam along the top of both pieces. Go back and zigzag the raw edge to keep it from fraying. Then open up the lace and fold the short piece over the long piece to hide the seam and create the layers with the right side of both pieces showing. Iron the seam flat.

Measure around your baby's waist, add 1/2," and cut a piece of 1/2" soft elastic that length. (I didn't have a baby handy to measure, so I took the measurement from an 18 month size baby skirt that I had at home. It was 18 inches.) To create a casing for the elastic, measure down 3/4 inch from the top edge of the skirt and sew along that line, back-stitching at the beginning and the end of the stitching.

Thread the elastic through the casing by pinning a safety pin through the front end of the elastic and pushing it through.

(I use a straight pin to secure the back end of the elastic to the front end of the casing so it doesn't pull all the way through and get lost inside the casing.) When you reach the end of the casing, undo the safety pin being careful not to let the elastic slide back into the casing. Use a straight pin to secure the front end of the elastic to the end of the casing.

Place the right sides of the skirt together, matching the raw edges. Stitch the raw edges together with a 1/2" seam, making sure that you catch both ends of the elastic in the seam. Zigzag the raw edges and turn right side out:

Pair it with a favorite onesie and. . . .

Think how cute this could be in a soft denim as well. You could hem it--or not. I think frayed edges would be fun.

Baby-Proof the Patio with Foam ABC Mats

This is basically a brilliant, inexpensive idea to make your home that much more baby and kid friendly.

I was sitting at my friend Katy's place when I saw it. Like so many in Silicon Valley, she has an apartment. Rent here is through the roof, and buying a house is a joke unless you want to put down over a million dollars on a tiny 3 bedroom home built in the late 70's. Yikes... I don't mind apartment living, though. I love that I can drop off my baby monitor with my sweet neighbor so I can run a quick errand or go on a date. There's less space to clean and less pressure to decorate, paint, and remodel it to perfection.

Yet now that I have a beautiful toddler, I really wish I had a backyard. Yes, there's a park just around the corner, but sometimes it would be nice to let SourPatch have his fresh air fix without leaving the house. We're lucky enough to have a little balcony, but a small rectangle of cement never seemed like a great playing spot for a baby.

Back in Katy's living room, about a year ago: As we were chatting, I saw from the window that on her balcony, she had a colorful, foam ABC puzzle mat. You know the ones, right? I knew they existed, but I had always seen them used indoors. When I asked her about it, she said that many of our friends did the same thing to their patios. So apparently this isn't an original idea, but I had never heard of it.

One trip to Ross later, and I had myself a package of 26 alphabet puzzle squares for $12.99.  This covered less than half of my balcony, but SourPatch was just a little guy, so it worked out great. He and his friend could soak up the fall morning in colorful comfort.

But, like all children do, Patches began to crawl. Everywhere. So imagine my delight when, a few months later, some of our neighbors put out a second play mat for free! It was in great condition, and now 75% of our balcony was soft ground for our ever-moving child.

Love this idea. Now you can tell from the second picture that, sitting in the sun, the colors fade. Also, as SourPatch got older, he started to enjoy pulling the puzzles apart more and more (meaning mom gets to put them back together). Yet for less than $15, this is one of the best ideas I have gleaned from other mothers. It makes porch time much more comfortable and fun for both of us. Thanks again, Katy!

Lace-trimmed Denim Baby Jumper

Several weeks ago I saw a picture of a darling baby jumper that someone had "gussied up" by sewing rows and rows of gathered lace on the skirt. I thought, "This is adorable. I need to remember it."

SO CUTE!

(https://www.pinterest.com/pin/168673948519697027/):

I probably would have promptly forgotten about it except that the very next day I found this denim baby jumper in a resale shop. I snatched it up to see what I could do:

The picture I saw used different colors and styles of lace, but  because I didn't want to spend a lot of money to buy new lace for a 25 cent jumper--especially when I didn't know how it would turn out--I just used some white lace that I already had:

Using a ruler, I measured up from the bottom of the hem and marked a sewing line all the way around the skirt making sure that the ruffled bottom of the lace would hang below the bottom of the skirt:

Starting at one of the side seams, I tucked under the raw edge of the lace and, using a zigzag stitch, sewed it along the line I had marked:

When I got close to the side seam where I had started, I cut the lace, leaving enough extra to tuck under the raw edge as I finished sewing that row. I repeated the process for the next layer, making sure that I measured so that the bottom of the second row of lace covered the top of first row:

I continued up the skirt, adjusting the distance between the rows as I got closer to the top to make sure that there wasn't a strange gap at the end.

If I make another one, I will sew the the rows of lace closer together because I like the fuller look of the darling one I saw originally. I was cautious because I didn't want to run out of lace. I wish I could tell you how much lace you will need, but that will depend on the size of the jumper, the fullness of the skirt, the width of the lace you use, and how close together you choose to sew your rows. You can use less lace and create a different look by alternating your lace with rows of gathered fabric like this one I found on Etsy:

(https://www.etsy.com/listing/231736369/10-off-use-code-summer-ruffled-baby)

I sewed the last row of lace just under the bib portion of the jumper:

I can't wait to see it on my newest little model!

Mama's Soft Baby Book: Embroidered Animals

Happy birthday to SourPatch! He's the mighty age of one, officially. It's actually kind of emotional, so let's not talk about it too much. I do want to thank everyone for being so generous! He has been showered with clothes, toys, and books galore, and I understand more of them are on his way.

It can't help but remind me of the presents he received for his real birthday. I had three amazing showers; one in Texas, one in Utah, and one in California. How lucky can a girl get?? The Texas bash was thrown by none other than the marvelous Melanie, and it was pretty much a perfect affair.

I admit that in the midst of the beautiful decor, delicious food, and delightful games, the presents all blurred together in a marvelous whir, in particular those from my mother, I'm sad to say. She gave me so many, and I didn't have time to really parse through and appreciate each item.

Flash forward several months, and SourPatch is now a crawling ball of energy. I had a few friends (and their own babies) over, when one of them noticed a beautiful soft book that he loved to play with. They ooh'd and ah'd over this hand-stitched, felt-and-floss wonder and asked where I had gotten it.

Oh dear. To my shame, I couldn't recall for certain where it had come from, but a little voice in the back of my mind spoke the truth: this bore the mark of my mother.

Which, if you know her at all (or even quickly browse the posts under her "Marilyn" label), means that it's beautifully sewn and well put together. I quickly called her up to both verify that this was in fact her handiwork and to thank her profusely for such a personal gift. This present took time and talent, and SourPatch loves it.

Which is impressive, because he has pretty much loved it for a year now and not outgrown it. It is just the right size, it's colorful, and it has great textures. But a picture is worth a thousand words:

Here's the cover! I simply call this "The Penguin Book" when talking to SourPatch. It's about a 7 inch square, and has been through the wash a few times by now and held up marvelously (I believe all baby items should be easily washable? Agreed?). He loves touching the buttons and little penguin feet (which aren't sewn down and flap freely).

Inside are eight pages of animal joy. Mum embroidered each animal and its name onto the page in happy colors.

The monkey is his favorite page; he stops each time to touch its face. Even at a just few months old, Patches loved to flip though the book and feel the textures of the animals and the words. Now, when we read it, we talk about the sounds the animals make or the colors on the page.

So, mum, this is a year late, but thank you again for the book! It's one of the most well-used toys of the past 365 days, and we will continue to love it in the days to come. And for all ye similarly talented sewers and embroiderers, this makes an excellent gift.

My Six Best, Non-Essential Baby Buys

I already documented in this post my quest to get as many baby items as I could for free or really cheap, and I am so glad I took the time to find so many bargains before my baby came! Now that Sour Patch is over 4 months old, here's my retrospective list of the best baby items that I believe are worth buying if you have money. You don't need them in the same way you need onesies or wipes, but they certainly have made motherhood a whole lot easier for me!

1. SwaddleMe Infant Wrap: Okay, keep in mind that I worked the better part of a year as a nurse in Newborn Intensive Care. Therefore, I consider myself fairly adept as far as swaddling babies goes (and I definitely believe in swaddling! In my experience, it helps babies sleep so much better, particularly until that troublesome startle reflex goes away after a few months). So though I knew that these wraps existed, I continued to wrap our wiggly son old-school-style until my friend Marie gave me an extra SwaddleMe she didn't need. Boy howdy, these things are the best! So easy to use, much less fuss, and my sweet baby slept like a, well, baby in them. There was no going back, and although we had to stop swaddling Sour Patch fairly early (he learned to roll back-to-front before he hit 3 months old), it was completely worth investing in a few of these wonders. A 2 pack from amazon.com costs $16.22.

2. Summer Infant Deluxe Baby Bather: Again, my nursing experience taught me how to bathe a baby in those giant plastic tubs you put over the sink. They were great in the hospital... granted I generally used 5 baby blankets as padding and several towels which were then thrown into the hospital hamper for someone else to wash. Plus, the gigantic thing was stored at the hospital and not in my tiny apartment. So imagine my delight when my mother's good friend Marsha gave me this wonder at my baby shower. It fits great in our kitchen sink and folds up small when not in use. I was worried that Sour Patch might feel cold since he is never immersed in water, but he loves it! And after a 10 day vacation without it, so do I; it is not easy to bathe a baby who can't sit up on his own in a sink. I know it can be done, but this sling makes it so much easier. $17.99 from Target.

3. D-Link Day/Night Surveillance Camera: Knowing that a video monitor is a luxury and that we are poor graduate students, Jeffrey and I weren't going to splurge on one of these. Yet when our now swaddle-free baby started rolling all over his crib and getting limbs stuck in the bars, I really did want one. So I was tickled when this camera was on sale for $40 on amazon. I love the convenience! We just access the camera feed on either our phones or laptops. It is also password protected so neighbors can't look in on our little one. How wonderful to be able to quietly check on Patches without trying to sneak unseen into his room.

4. Aden+Anais Swaddle Blankets: Yes, I realize I just admitted that I prefer the velcro swaddlers to real swaddle blankets. Yet these blankets are wonderful staples nonetheless. They do make great swaddle blankets, especially if you need something light for warm summer nights. Yet they're also great to throw over your baby on a walk to protect him from the sun, to use as a car seat cover, or to keep rolled up in the diaper baby bag for any unforeseen blanket need (Jeffrey forbade the use of "diaper bag" in our house, by the way). I actually feel a little silly putting them on my list since apparently every other mother on the planet knew about them except for me; I see them everywhere! They have a 5-star rating on amazon.com, and a 4 pack costs $34.95.

5. Nursing Tops: First, I ought to apologize to everyone who has had to endure my diatribes about how the world needs to make it more convenient to be a breastfeeding mother. I'll try to resist protesting for more mother's lounges and more inexpensive, diverse clothing options by instead saying how much I like the two nursing shirts I ordered from Milan Maternity. After using my first-time ordering discount code, they weren't too expensive, and they make it much easier when I need to breastfeed in public. I always use a nursing cover, but with such a precocious baby, I appreciate that shirts help make nursing more convenient and discreet.

6. Paperwhite Kindle: Alright, this last one really was quite the splurge. For my birthday, Jeffrey bought me a Kindle so I could  read during my late-night feeding sessions with Sour Patch. At the time, I didn't appreciate how brilliant this idea is. I love my kindle; it has the wonderful side-lighting that allows me to read in the dark with one hand without straining my eyes. It was an inspired gift, and really helped me get through those 45 minute nursing sessions. $119 on amazon.com.

Here's my list! If you have any other great gems for the first four months of motherhood, you should share!

DIY Nursery

It's official! As of Sunday, I became 37 weeks pregnant, which means that little Sour Patch is officially full-term! Hooray! Since I have the good luck to still have energy while the size of an orca, I'm trying to convince myself to keep "nesting" until the end and finish the less desirables on my "To-Do Before the Baby Comes" list. Pack hospital bag? Check. Pediatrician? Found. Taxes? Eh, mostly done but requiring a look-over from my thorough husband, lest I inadvertently get us in trouble with the IRS...

Yet one thing I've finally accepted will not be "done" and crossed off the list before my baby shows up is the nursery. I think I'm going to have the itch to keep adding to and beautifying this dwelling spot in the months to come. Nonetheless, it's pretty cute as is, and I want to document it in its relatively clean glory before baby bedlam ensues. So without further ado, I present...

Laurel's DIY Nursery

We begin, with the DIY Nursery Glider, courtesy of Free Stuff on Craigslist and my mother's mad sewing skills...

Followed by the DIY photoboard, courtesy of an old cork board, leftover fabric, and Walmart ribbon...

Next, we have our DIY Faux Storage Cubes Shelves. 

Here's the thing: those actual cube shelves of similar size cost $40ish at Target, and the fabric cubes are $6 a pop. Multiply that 9 times and add in tax? That's well over $100, which is fine except for the fact that I don't want to spend that much. Instead, we re-purposed the $20 Walmart bookcase we already owned and used $2 cubes from Big Lots. Then, mama sewed matching cube-covers with leftover nursery fabric and voila! Super cute storage.

Though I wanted to use a dresser for a changing table, I also didn't want to rent a truck to haul it around. So, I decided to put out a "Wanted" request on Freecycle for just the regular kind. A wonderful neighbor offered me hers, and one coat of non-VOC paint from Walmart later, it was good as new! (Oh, and by the way, a classic changing table doesn't fit inside my car either... whoops. Thanks Marie and Landes for helping me pick it up!)

And then there's all the DIY sewing! My one contribution (of which I am immensely proud) is the changing pad cover! I slightly modified this tutorial to make it, and I feel pretty victorious about it.

My mother sewed the crib skirt, pillow, and curtain... all without a pattern, because she's just that good.

And my mother-in-law got me this cute tissue box cover! It's the little things that make me happy...

So there's still some work to be done. I want something cute to hang above my crib and should probably find some bins for my changing table shelves. Yet overall, I'm immensely happy with my little nursery and am ready for D-Day!

Baby on a Budget

You know, contrary to common consensus, so far my third trimester has been a lot more enjoyable than my second. My back stopped hurting, my nausea went away (again... hopefully for good this time!), and my sleep has improved by leaps and bounds. Plus, my pregnancy cravings have decided that the one thing I need more than anything else is smoothies. Shockingly healthy, right? I mean, they're not steamed vegetables (which still make me want to gag, by the way,) but a homemade fruit smoothie is still a large improvement over the chocolate and ice cream I dreamed of the past 7 months.

Strawberry-pineapple-mango-banana smoothie. Delish...

Friends have warned me that babies are quite expensive little people. This seems to be true. After all, those pregnancy blood tests alone are over $80 a pop, not to mention the $800 ultrasound my insurance didn't deem it necessary to cover. Basically, I'm braced for an expensive delivery, higher monthly insurance costs, and lots of doctors appointments for the little one; that all seems unavoidable.

But what about all this baby stuff? Seriously, the list of baby "essentials" is long and full of silly words, like "snuzzler," "boppy," and "bumbo." Not only do they sound Dr. Seussish, they also end up costing a lot if you buy them new. Since my husband and I are poor first-time parents, I knew from the start that I wanted to have this baby on a budget, and my eyes were peeled for good deals since day one. Here are the results of my epic quest for frugality:

Discoveries Made on my Epic Quest to Have this Baby on a Budget:

1. There is a ton of free stuff available. After all, babies grow out of all this stuff pretty quickly, and I've found that parents are really generous at just giving away their used items. It seems like swings, strollers, bouncers, and what-not all take up quite a bit of space, too, so I can understand why moms want to clear out these space-consuming contraptions as soon as possible. A list of free items I've gotten include:

• Bumbo seat
• Boppy pillow
• Fisher Price Swing
• Fisher Price infant seat
• Graco Stroller
• Glider with footrest
• Futon
• LOTS of baby clothes

Ok, so a futon isn't exactly a baby necessity, but with a mother and mother-in-law planning to come visit, it seemed like a good addition. Where did I find all these gems?

• Craigslist.org. This is where I found a lot of my items. I had no idea there was a "free stuff" section; in fact, I'd never used craigslist at all until we were pregnant. It also has the nice feature where it lists upcoming garage sales where people are selling baby items. My glider, swing, lamb seat, and bumbo were all acquired for free from this site. (Of course, use good judgment when meeting with strangers, folks.)
• Freecycle.org. Some friends alerted me to this website. It is basically a craigslist where everything is free. You join groups by city and receive emails about what other freecyclers are donating. There's also the option to request items; I know two moms who got gobs of baby items simply by requesting "Baby Stuff."
• Church Item Swaps. I think these are such a good idea, whether it's a literal gathering where everyone brings their items to the church building or an online exchange. It seems like the women in my congregation are always sending out emails that they are giving away their used baby gadgets. 
• Friends and Family. I guess this one is obvious, but I'm so grateful for these resources! I don't  mean the gifts new moms get at baby showers (though those are simply wonderful, too!) I mean the giant suitcase-full of baby and maternity clothes I inherited from my sisters, the futon our friends gave us, and the stroller from a fellow church member. 

2. If you can't get it for free, you can probably get it used. Again, craigslist was my go-to spot for used items, but people who actually get up/get dressed on Saturdays seem to love garage sells. I bought my Graco Pack 'n Play and my jogging stroller secondhand.

3. If you want it new, look early for deals! I was successfully suckered into deciding I needed a new crib, crib mattress, and car seat. I know there's debate on all those things, but for my peace of mind, I just needed to buy them new. My awesome neighbor loaned me this Baby Bargains book that rates various baby brands for just about everything. It's supposed to help you get the best bang for your buck, and it actually has a ton of information. Anyways, it influenced my buying decisions: I got my crib at Ikea for $100. Even though that's really inexpensive for a crib, I felt guilty about it until I saw this crib at the American Girl store:

It's cute, right? It also cost $115. That's right; this crib for a doll cost more than my crib for a person.

So I don't feel guilty anymore. The mattress is a foam one from Walmart.com for $36. As for the car seat? We got our Graco Snugride 30 at Target for $65. The same one sells online for $129.99. How did that happen? I... have no idea. It didn't seem like it had been opened. It didn't have a special price tag, nor was it advertised to be on sale. Still, I'm glad I researched car seats beforehand to know that a) this was the one I wanted and b) it was a steal of a price!

4. DIY.  Which, in this case, mostly means have my mother do-it-herself. She used her sewing wizardry to make a matching crib skirt, curtain, and pillow. Then, she recovered my glider from craigslist (which you can see here.) Then, she sewed coordinating covers for the little boxes I use to stash Sour Patch's stuff. It was free labor given with love, and the result is so much cuter than any expensive set I could buy. I did manage to make one thing myself: a photo board using an old cork board, leftover fabric, and Walmart ribbon.

Though I'm feeling mostly set for Sour Patch's arrival, my quest for frugality in all things baby continues. I've become an Amazon Mom (which is free if you have Amazon Prime) and already received a $25 promotional credit towards diapers. I'm contemplating becoming a Costco member. I'm planning on trying the 6-month free trial of Google Shopping Express. Any other tips?

Basically, I feel like I'm becoming more and more like my mother... which can only be a good thing.