Stripey Summer Romper

Cuteness overload, yes? Here is a new version of the first romper I made..this one with more room in the leg area for babies with chubby legs, such as mine :)

Handmade Baby Leggings

Buying baby clothes has definitely been an interesting experience. There are plenty of baby clothes out there, but I try hard to go with versatile, well-made, timeless, affordable, comfortable pieces. The good stuff that can get dirty, wash clean, then go again. However, I've had the hardest time with finding baby leggings. Again, there are plenty of baby leggings out there but if you want something gender-neutral without an animal/cupcake/ruffle on the bottom then sorry!

So I decided to try my hand at making a few for Glory Maeve and I've been so pleased with the outcome. I've enjoyed it so much so that I've been designing a few custom prints for her own one-of-a-kind leggings which I can't wait to share! 

Ready for the sun!

We're taking a family beach trip this summer, and of course, I'm already thinking about bathing suits. I blame it on the fact that it's still freezing in late March and I need to brighten my mood with daydreaming about the ocean. I've been a little confused with baby swimsuits though -- what's the deal with the diaper? 

I figured swim time would be fairly abbreviated anyway with a baby but I did find this rashguard/swim diaper combo that seems to make the most sense. And it needs to be slightly accessorized with cute hat and little sandals. I just couldn't help myself.

Swimwear & Hat - iPlay
Sandals - Saltwater 

And I decided to make the splurge on this swimsuit number for myself...take that winter temps!

Slow Down..

..things are moving just a little too quickly. I just want to take in every single moment with this little one.

6 Month Favorites

We officially have a 6 month old in our house, and she's curious, strong, and happy! It's completely mind-blowing how a baby grows in such a short amount of time. I was recently looking through my iphone videos of her before she could even grasp for an object, wowza. I felt that since I complied a list of my favorite newborn items, it was now time to create a list of our favorite things for this time period. Playtime is officially a whole new world, eating solids is in full swing, and we're on the verge of a crawler. So here ya go..

Bibs - No matter the shape or size, a bib is used daily. Mostly for eating but also for days of intense drooling. I found that I prefer ones that snap (velcro is annoying to wash) and I have a great stash of bibs I made for Glory before she was born

Teething Toys - Obvious, yes? Everything goes directly into that little mouth so it's important that it is safe and easy to wash

Jumper - We have an exersaucer that is great also, but the thing is so bulky -- the jumper is awesome because you can move it all over the house because it easily attaches to any door frame

Portable High Chair - This thing is awesome. We take it with us when go out to eat (which we are doing again) if it works with table..which most of the time it does. The great thing is that if you are in a booth, you can put it beside you instead of on the end. Glory has a habit of finding the sides of her high chair with her mouth, and it makes me feel better when its her own chair instead of the restaraunt high chair.

Sleep Sacks - Wearable blankets are where its at, simple as that.

High Chair - At home we went with this high chair and have been so pleased -- the aesthetic is great, not too bulky, and it's simple to clean

Ergo Baby Carrier - I really enjoyed the wrap when Glory was tiny but as she got heavier we transitioned to the Ergo and wearing her is still one of my favortie things to do. This carrier makes it so comfortable and easy.

Grab & Stack Blocks - They crinkle, jingle, have different textures, are multi-colored..what more could a baby ask for?

I try not to go over board with toys/gear/gadgets. Remember, my favorite simplicity parenting book? It's true though, she can play with the same toy for hours, and then do it again the next day. I'd love to know your favorites for this age...

A Spring Baby Dress

I finally had some free time recently to make little Glory something and had really been wanting to use this fabric from my mom's shop ...so voila, a simple, sweet spring dress. Adorned with a simple velvet ribbon and bow with gold buttons up the back.

Baby Book Favorites

As soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew I needed to buy a few books -- books on raising a little one. Silly? Maybe. But I just didn't have any experience in the area! To be honest, I was not very interested in the pregnancy side of things. I wanted to know the basics about what was growing inside of me but other than that, I didn't spend very much of time reading about pregnancy. My nighstand was filled with what happens after birth, the real unknowns and need-to-knows for first-time parents. So I thought I might share a few books that really helped us newbies make the transition into parenthood...

 

The Happiest Baby on the Block by Harvey Karp MD- this came highly recommended from several people. We read the book, but the DVD of was so much more helpful. To watch that man stop a baby from crying was magical..we practiced all his voodoo. Just kidding, it's not voodoo but it was definitely useful to see the techniques in real life.

Bringing up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting: by Pamela Druckerman- We have this as an audiobook which was fun to listen to and hear the author speak in numerous faux-french accents. We listened to it before Glory was born and are actually listening to it again right now. It's definitely a memoir and should not be taken as proven science or anything, but there are little nuggets of wisdom that really helped us. 

Baby 411: Clear Answers & Smart Advice For Your Baby's First Year by Denise Fields and Ari Brown MD - I wanted a book that I could look up answers to if something came up. This book is exactly that without being too uptight or unrealistic. I liked it so much that I recently got the sequel, Toddler 411.

Simpliticy Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne and Lisa M. Ross - I stumbled across this book and thought the title sounded interesting, but wowza. I've been listening to the audiobook for the past few weeks and had no idea how thought provoking and engaging it would be. I could talk for hours about the ideas and research presented in this book..but suffice it to say, the authors present a case for how a quieter and simpler home life is highly correspondent to happier and well-adjusted kiddos.

And that's really it. I checked books out at the library so I could decide if they were worth purchasing and I found that a lot of them just weren't for me. Of course the internet is it's own beast when it comes to baby questions so I try to steer clear of getting sucked into mommy forums. I found breastfeeding books to be completely unhelpful, reading about breastfeeding and actually doing it are completely different things. And at the end of the day, it's truly an on the job training kind of thing :)

Is there anything you would recommend? Check out my newborn favorite products here. 

Little lady

Glory is slowly making her way into a few of things I made for her before she was born. Here is the navy liberty print dress, originally posted here. Don't you love her spikey blonde hair?

I'm in the process of making her a striped spring number that I can't wait to share. So stay tuned..

And yes, I'm sporting my favorite..the Bellis with a black blazer.