This is a Niece

The Schultz family aren't known for producing girls. Adelaide is the only girl schultz of her generation so far, and Andrew has only one girl cousin. His parent's generation doesn't include any girls. So for Christmas this year, Andrew decided to make a "niece instruction" book for his brothers.

Andrew provided the text and desktop publishing, and I bound the books. We had the pages printed at a local place, at $1 a page. They printed it on slightly heavier paper than normal office paper, so the pages have a very nice feel.

The visible stitching is decorative, not functional. The pages and back cover are properly bound, and the front page was put on last and stitched with what is visible now, giving it a "handmade" but neat look. I haven't done binding exactly like this before, but I do really like it.

I hope that there were no terrible grammatical or spelling errors in our pretty books!

Mac Baby

Andrew has been putting iTunes Visualizer on for Addie to entertain her when she is a little grizzly. I figured I'd try that trick today when she was having some floor time. She really liked pressing the keypad, and it looked like she was a pro! Of course though, she always pressed the buttons that paused the music, and she didn't like that, so it was 'mum to the rescue' every few seconds. She really loved it though, and I loved watching her.

How does it taste?

Adelaide has reached a new stage in her little life. Now everything she touches must go in her mouth. As far as Addie is concerned, this is non negotiable. Two toys in particular frequently go in her mouth - the bunny rug from Nannie, and the soft doll from Grandma. While she likes those two the best, she's not fussy so she's happy to chew on her spew cloth or finger as well.

Addie is not a baby who does things by halves, therefore she doesn't daintily chew on a corner, but usually she tries to stuff the whole thing[doll, rug whatever] in her mouth. Its very amusing, though we have to then rescue her from the object which not fitting in her mouth, now covers her face and is "attacking" her. Silly baby!

At 14 weeks she is still far too young for solids, but I've given her a plastic spoon to play with and get used to over the next few months. She puts the right end in her mouth and "chews" on it. I also tried giving her some expressed milk on the spoon, to get her used to the idea that the spoon brings "food" with it. I have no idea if thats a sensible idea, completely ridiculous, or of no consequence whatsoever. Its fun watching her try it out though.

3 months

I can hardly believe I'm writing this, Adelaide is 3 months old! Tuesday was her 'birthday' and she turned on her most cranky behaviour. Thanks Addie! She's being a little more 'needy' than usual the past few days, so I'm suspecting a growth spurt. She's also been learning lots of new skills like reaching for and grabbing objects, moving around on the floor, kicking things to make them move, and she has become best friends with the "baby in the mirror". 

I've posted a new album for her now that she is an "infant" and not a "newborn" and more. Its on the sidebar, or you can find it here. Don't forget to check back every couple of weeks because I'll keep filling it up with pictures of our clever little bubby.

Teddybear's Picnic

Driving down to Ballarat several times this year, we have seen this little set-up by the road between Wycheproof and St Arnaud. I'm pretty sure that things have been added each time we've gone down. If I'm organised, I'd like to leave a contribution on our next trip. 

Here's a close-up of the Pooh Bears gathered on the chair. They are joined by a chook, which I think is so cute that I want to copy the pattern. Stay tuned.

A Manly Mei Tai

While I was still pregnant, marking time waiting for Adelaide to decide to be born, I made Andrew this Mei Tai.

A Mei Tai is a soft baby carrier that can be used on the front or back. I have one made by the Australian Breastfeeding Association. Looking at it I realised that there was no way it would fit Andrew, nor would he have worn it if it did. So I made one, taking the design from my pretty green ABA carrier.

Andrew's is made from black [manly] drill, with straps padded over the shoulders, and buckles to make it as simple as possible. Simple means I can be confident that he has it on properly and our baby is safe. It also means that Andrew is more likely to use it.

Its easy to make a Mei Tai at home. Do make sure that the joins are well sewn and that good quality thread and fabrics are used. Here is a link to a list of baby carrier patterns and tutorials. Scroll down to "Asian Inspired Carriers" to find some Mei Tai patterns. Look at a few and decide what would work for you.