I’ve got him covered

My drawer full of bibs just weren’t cutting it against the sweet potatoes and carrots and all the other deeply colored pureed ooze we try to shovel into our little guy’s mouth.

Here’s my solution:

The super bib from the front…

from the back…

and in action.

This photo actually doesn’t do justice to the clothes-protecting powers of the super bib. Here the booger encrusted (though less encrusted than he might have been thanks to the retouching tool in i-Photo) baby is merely eating cereal puff things. But you can imagine how effectively it protects elbows and shoulders, no?

I really need to make a dozen more!

introducing the “Sweet Pod”

I am a baby wearer. With each baby it has become more and more necessary, but this baby– he practically lives on me. For little babies I love wrap style carriers like this pretty one my friends in Ohio gave me, and this buttery soft one I made using a tutorial by Jessica (of course). Now that Hunter is way too heavy for those, I love my Ergo baby carrier, but getting baby on and off my back is a bit precarious in parking lots and rocky hiking trails. I’ve been dreaming of getting the Beco Butterfly II with its cute fabric and internal panel to make swinging a babe onto your back a cinch, but just couldn’t justify spending the money. So, a couple of orders of buckles and webbing from Seattle Fabrics later, I did the next best thing– I made one!

Introducing the “Sweet Pod” :

(drum roll please)

I made it with the same Joel Dewberry fabric as my diaper bag , some army green twill, and lined it with a pillowcase we had because it was just the color I was looking for. The sleeping hood tucks into a hidden pocket with an invisible zipper. See?

Having an internal panel does make getting him on my back much easier with the added bonus of making the carrier more adjustable than my Ergo. The whole thing has been taken apart and put back together several times. At first my waist belt foam was too squishy, then the body was too short, but now? Now it seems just right.

Hunter seems to think so too.

I’m working on putting together the pattern because, well, I think the world of crafty-babywearing-mamas needs it. I mean, I would have bought one if it already existed. I’m thinking I’ll make it a downloadable PDF and sell it from my Etsy shop. What do you think?

I’ve got another one on the cutting table.

cute on both ends

I’m sure most of you who read my blog know that I use cloth diapers. Jonah was my guinea pig as I experimented with everything available. I think that is the hardest part of cloth diapering– sifting through all the available options to figure out what works best. Sometime toward Jonah’s toddlerhood I settled on Mother Ease One Size diapers with Air Flow covers as the all around best mix of cost effectiveness and functionality. I also have a couple dozen extra small Sandy’s for those first few weeks when they’re so tiny with skinny legs and pointy bums. Now, since I have a new sewing machine and serger I had the urge to sew some diapers. I decided I needed some velcro all-in-ones (that have the waterproof layer built in so you don’t need a separate cover) for babysitters and helpful kids. You don’t know how many times I’ve found diapers inside out, backwards, or without a cover after taking the sitter home– and Logan keeps asking me to teach him how to change wet diapers. So here’s what I made:

It’s a size small Very Baby Basic All-In-One. I’ve got supplies to make a dozen. I’ve got 3 done. Hopefully I can get them sewn so I can use them before he outgrows them! I’m hoping I can do one a day. Or maybe half of one a day…

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of those perfect tiny toes, but I have to say I think the other end is the cutest. So I leave you with some more pictures of the newest little boy in these parts. Do you think he’ll mind if I say I think he’s pretty? Well, I do. I always think my babies are pretty.