Note to self: try them on first

So we are finding that many of Amy’s winter clothes are really too big. I hadn’t thought about too big, I was mostly concerned about too small. And I figured she might grow a couple sizes before the winter is over, anyway. But a lot of these clothes are just unwearable — the pants legs are several inches too long, which makes crawling and cruising very difficult.

I suppose I should have tried them on her before announcing what she has and still needs. But can you imagine trying a season’s worth of clothing on a squirmy eleven-month-old?

Anyway, I hereby announce that Amy is still fitting just fine into 12-month and 12-18-month clothing, and is not fitting so well into 18-24 and larger. Dresses and jumpers work, but not things with pants.

We plan to visit two secondhand stores today and see what we can find, but I figured I should correct my earlier post, too.

Fall and winter clothes

Be aware that this post’s barely veiled hints (at what someone might want to buy) are in response to my mom’s phone call this morning.

We had a drop in the temperature recently, which led to me going through Amy’s fall and winter clothes.

A good chunk of the clothes she has are secondhand, passed on from church and other friends; it just makes so much sense to do it this way. One child uses an item for a few months at most; it’s almost like new for the next or third kid.

We’re down to the last set of sizes of these hand-me-downs. There’s a 3T sweater and two sweatshirt jackets, and just about everything else is between 12 and 24 months, more on the bigger end. Amy is currently wearing mostly 12 and 18 month things, some larger.

I was a little dismayed at first — it looked like there were a lot of unmatched tops and bottoms and too many sleepwear things and not many things I particularly liked.

However, getting it all out and looking at things more closely, there were fewer unmatched items and more pretty and cute things than I thought.

Plenty to sleep in.

One casual dress (blue floral) and a jumper (tan), three dressy jumpers (grey, black w/ red, red / black plaid).

Maybe seven each of lighter and heavier outfits.

Orphan pieces include a bunch of bottoms; a few white long-sleeve onesies or shirts would do the trick. There’s also two orphan tops, one light blue and the other navy; for these, maybe a pair of jeans or khakis would be cute.

I think there’s one hat that may fit, and a pair of mittens. It might be easier to wrap her in a blanket than deal with coat sleeves and zippers. On the other hand, she may start walking over the winter and might want to not be carried sometimes. Hmmm.

I think her socks and tights might still fit. There’s only one pair of white tights, though, and that’s probably the best color for the dresses she’s got. Ugh… I tried putting on socks the other day and they only lasted an hour or two before I gave up.

I might try making her some fuzzy fleece slippers instead, or at least as an alternative. I’m also currently knitting up some legwarmers a la Baby Legs.

Updated wish list

A few folks have asked us if there’s anything we still want or need, so I’ve updated the wish list page. The stuff list hasn’t been updated since the birth, sorry.

Registering

Today we went shopping.

First, to Lowe’s, and then to Home Depot, in search of masonite for the changing table shelves and tracks for the sliding doors of the hall and office closets, since the existing ones are bent. Found both items, and even got the masonite cut to size.

Second, to Target, to start registering.

Ugh.

Neither of us likes making decisions to begin with, and a gift registry is nothing but a whole lot of very specific decisions. It seems to me you ought to be able to register for, say, “five long-sleeved onesies” and leave it at that, but no, you have to pick which specific ones you want.

Also, the store has a terrible selection. I didn’t see any changing pads, for example. Very little in the way of bedding, which I especially wanted to see in person since online pictures are so unclear and washed out. Oh well.

We managed to register for a handful of things, and now I am back online trying to finish.

It’s there, and you’re welcome to peek, but be aware that the registry will probably change a lot in the next few weeks as we make up our minds.

Crib bedding

So I’ve been spending some time looking at crib bedding sets online.

You can get packages that combine a dust ruffle, bumpers, quilt, and fitted sheet, or you can get any of those things separately. Some patterns only come packaged, some only separate.

I’m not even sure what kind of color scheme I really want. It seems it’s the quality of the color that matters more, i.e. sage, moss, etc are better than lime or sea green. And then there’s combinations — pink and yellow, pink and green, pink and purple, and so on. AND it’s hard to really see the patterns and colors online — might be more or less muted / bright in person, might like the details more or less when I can see them up close.

Anyway, here are a few of the ones that I think I like based on this preliminary online shopping:

Jumping Sheep: available at Target

Olivia by Kids Line: available at Babies R Us and Amazon.com

Floral Butterfly by Small Wonders: available at Kmart — I like this one because of the color combination, but the pattern is a little more modern than I usually like.

I think I would also like something simple like an off-white eyelet lace, or pink and blue tiny floral prints or ginghams or stripes; as long as the pinks and blues are either muted or natural or darker, not bright or weird.

Crib shopping

Our trip this weekend took us through Harrisburg PA, where there’s a Babies R Us. We figured rather than take a side trip to the one in Syracuse, we’d just stop at this one along the way.

We’re pretty sure we’ve decided on a crib (thanks, Mom and Dad!): it’s by Babi Italia and the model is called Pinehurst. For whatever reason, this crib isn’t listed on the Babies R Us website, but I copied it from the Babi Italia site:

We thought it was among the more sturdy models shown in the store, and we really liked the looks of it — not too simple, not too ornate, nice finish, and suitable for boys or girls.

If we get a crib like this, that isn’t convertible to a real bed, then we think maybe we should get a changing table instead of a dresser. Dressers are a lot more expensive, and we’d rather buy a dresser to match the kid’s bed when the time comes. Babi Italia doesn’t make a matching changing table, but who cares? We’ll just look for one that is close in color.

Then again, just looking online, the dressers at the Babies R Us website are much less expensive than the ones they had in the stores. Who knows…

Creative Memories

I got into Creative Memories and scrapbooking in general soon after we got married. My album collection so far includes a wedding album, a few trips, pictures from elementary school through college, and our life together; in reddish, greenish, and bluish colors.

I like Creative Memories albums because they’re made well, come in nice colors, and have acid-free pages that are safe for pictures. Plus I can draw and write on them, cut the pictures into shapes or just crop them to focus better on the subject, mat them with colored or printed papers, and more.

Obviously there will be baby pictures. I think it would be nice to make a “first years” album the kid can have later, but also put the duplicates in our family album.

I think the 7×7 Sentiments album would be a good size for a baby book. Or the 8 1/2 x 11, which is the size of our family albums.

Some other things in my scrapbooking wish list include:

Tape runner
Corner maker
Personal trimmer
Negative care envelopes and sleeves

Our local consultant is Caitlin Loehr.

Batik slings

I was looking at more sling makers today and found a beautiful navy and white swirly batik fabric at WallyPop. They also have a lighter navy with ferns batik.

There was another lovely floral batik available at an Ebay store.

Slings / soft carriers

This is the way most cultures carry their babies — in some kind of fabric wrapped around your back and shoulders. Whether you’re into attachment parenting or just don’t want to deal with aching arms and hands from carrying the car seat carrier or holding the kid in your arms all the time, slings or other soft carriers are pretty appealing.

My favorite so far — with zero experience, of course — is the unpadded ring sling. It’s simple, easy on and off, relatively inexpensive, and can be used from newborns up to maybe 30-35 pounds. There are tons of these out there — my favorite from a construction viewpoint is by Sleeping Baby Productions — she finishes all the edges neatly and pleats the shoulder to minimize having to adjust it all the time. She offers a wide range of fabrics and colors — even washable silk. Whatever fabric I get, I like the idea of sewing a pretty ribbon all along one side — besides being decorative, it helps you keep track of which edge is which, useful for when you need to adjust one side or the other.

The downsides of slings are that they’re only over one shoulder, so they might be hard on the back for longer periods of time. Some folks think they’re not so great for older kids.

In that case, I think my next favorite carrier is the Ergo — it’s a little like a backpack, with a wide waist band to support most of the baby’s weight on your hips, plus shoulder straps and a sort of pouch for the baby to sit in. Most folks seem to think it’s not so great for younger babies, despite the separate infant insert you can buy. It’s also LOT more expensive than a ring sling.

Other carriers typically suspend the baby by the crotch — doesn’t seem like such a great idea. Ring slings and the Ergo carrier let the baby sit on their bottom, and / or support the kid under their legs, which seems much more comfortable and just better all around.

Cloth Diaper Stuff

We plan to use cloth diapers — soft, breathable, absorbent, environmentally and economically beneficial as well as good for the baby.

The main supply will be prefolds — available used from any diaper service, or online at a number of suppliers, like Cotton Babies. The ones you get in stores are not as good quality. Folks suggest a supply of 24-36 infant size and 18-27 of the regular size for when the baby’s bigger.

It might be nice to have a handful of All-In-One or Pocket diapers for convenience when not at home.

We’ll need either diaper pins or these plastic fasteners called Snappis for at home, and 4-8 diaper covers in various sizes for naps, overnight, and going out. I like the Bummi Super Whisper and Snap wraps.

And, of course, a diaper pail, a wet bag and travel changing pad for going out, and cloth wipes.

Sites that carry cloth diapering supplies:

• Cotton Babies
• Wildflower Diapers
• Frog and Elephant