Pinterest Week 3 and 4 and maybe 5...

A Pillowcase shirt for Mommy

I made this the same way as the dress for Kin-only bigger.

Another Dog Gate

A Onesie and T-shirt

This was my first attempt at stitching this way.  I'd like to say it wasn't a fail, so if you are looking for a product that has the appearance that your three year old made it, then this was a success. Don't worry-I'll keep at this technique.

Chalkboard Wine Glasses

Ok. So I cheated.  I made these for a friend's bachlorette party, but I procrastinated a bit. I ended up using pre-made chalkboard paint.  I bought keychain rings and little monogramed charms with everyone's initial on them.  They were a pain to hook around the stem-and I lost a couple of nails in the process-but they came out cute!  I attached tulle in her color-and a white 'veil' for her glass. Her mom's had blue and white.

Ruffle Butt Onesie

Not my finest work, but the ruffle butt was the important part, and I DID IT!  This was made for a friend whose baby was born on the day of Olympic opening ceremonies.

Smorgastarta Cake 

for Mark's birthday.  Homemade bread-YES, I did this from scratch!  Layers of cucumber and shrimp and avocado and crab, iced with a cream cheese/sour cream mixture, fresh parsley,  topped with the insides and Old Bay.

Towels

I really need to put more care and attention into my sewing projects.  They came out ok-from a distance.

The Big Fall

So they say it's bound to happen, but I swore it wouldn't happen to me. Kinley fell off of our bed. It's about 2.5 feet and she missed the frame and somehow escaped injury. She didn't have a mark on her.  She sleeps really well in her bed-usually-but she's had a wicked cold and had been up every couple of hours to nurse. The sleep she has been getting has been broken and restless.  She's flailing and tossing and moaning and wheezing and coughing and sneezing.  It's been miserable.  So she fell asleep nursing in the middle of Mark and I and woke up around 3:15.  My groggy and exhausted self went to roll her over to the other side and she jerked her body over. I remember desperately reaching for her and I was practically on my feet by the time she hit. I have the chills just thinking about it.  Kinley barely reacted (which is scary in itself) and cried more when I got loud then she actually did from the fall. Her whimpering lasted all of 30 seconds an then it was playtime for her. (I broke the rule of 'no talking to or playing with the baby in the middle of the night-and definitely no lights on,)  Mark stayed very calm because he knew I wouldn't. (Later, he told me he was on the verge of freaking out.  Well played, Sir.)  We broke out the Google searches. 'My baby fell off the bed!' 'baby falls' 'baby head injuries' 'signs of injury/concussion in an infant'.  I called my mom.  (Bet she loved that middle of the night blast.) We checked her over vigorously. Were her pupils dilated, was there any swelling? bleeding? bruising? rug burn? a torn cuticle?  She was fanny fluffing, so Mark suggested that I change her diaper to make sure there was no bleeding from an injured organ.  We found nothing. She was fine. We were lucky.  We were VERY lucky. I guess they make baby bones soft for people like us.  But, clearly, I haven't slept well since.

Mark and I set up new routines for middle of the night wake-ups and sick babies and talked about how even more careful we have to be with the wiggle worm.  As if I weren't anal enough...bring on the Crazy New Mom title.

Since then, I've had plenty of people share their 'dropped baby' stories with us-including a tumble Mark took himself-so I figured it was important to share mine. More importantly, I'd like to share some of the information we found helpful in assessing the situation.  Prevention-wise, we've all heard it.  Don't leave a baby unattended on a raised surface-not even for a second.  Next-put that baby behind bars.  You'll sleep better and so will she.  Google gets enough middle-of-the night hits-you don't need to be adding to them!

When to Call 911

Oh! That Dr. Sears

The Mayo Clinic

Some of this information seems a little traumatic just reading it, but it's good to know ahead of time-for worst case scenarios.  I hope you never need it.

And so we survived our first fall in one piece and handled it as a family-continually turning into moms and dads.

On a positive note, one good thing that came from this experience was that since we were all wide-eyed and bushy tailed at 4 am, we were able to catch some more Olympic coverage.  Go team USA!

Is it the Moon?

As I sit here chugging down my second cup of coffee today, I'm left wondering if there is any amount of caffeinated beverage that can get me through this blessed little day. It's hard to remember why I'm so grumpy when her little bright-eyed face-complete with toothy grin-is staring back at me at 6:30 am, but, oh wait, yes, I've remembered.

To sum it up, Kinley has been a gremlin since Monday.  I'm not sure why, and at this point, I'm not sure it matters.  I just want my little Spinkle back. We had a very busy weekend visiting a new baby in the hospital, going to the fair, Daddy being gone studying a lot and PASSING his final Series 7 test! (whoop!), visiting with Grandma and Grandpa, and Daddy's birthday party.

On Monday, the little sprout had a fever.  Honestly, should could have picked up something anywhere.  The hospital is primed with germs and sickness. She could have gotten some sort of goat flu at the fair, and our house was packed with people-all of whom wanted to kiss all over that adorable little face-and, really, who could blame them? Did I mention that she was swapping spit (pacifiers) with one of her little Ethans? "This makes sense," I thought.  "We'll get through this little snafu and we'll be on our way."  FAIL.

The fever passed by late Monday night, but her horns have not yet fallen off.

She's tired, but won't sleep, playful, but won't play, hungry, but won't eat.  She wants to nurse. A lot and all the time.  After a two hour marathon last night, I was on the verge of tears. My back hurt, my boobs hurt, and I was drained in every way possible.

In my little head, I have 'Look Who's Talking' moments, during which I imagine the little darling's thought processes.

"Why not give Mommy one more magical night of seeing me every hour on the hour?  She'll be going back to work soon, and I think she'll appreciate my efforts at more time with me!" And so last night was the worst yet.

This is the tough part about babies.  Obviously, she cannot tell me what's wrong, and I don't expect her to.  (Although it would.be.AWESOME.)

Therefore, I've compiled a REAL list of what the malfunction could be:
1.  A growth spurt. She's coming up on 9 months so it makes sense.
2.  She loves me.  She can't get enough of me.  Isn't separation anxiety supposed to rear it's ugly head about
     now anyway? (I should stop here and just go with it.  Nothing wrong with tooting your horn every once  
     in a while.)
3.  Teething.  Good lord-stop the teething!
4.  A cold or bug.  She's had a sort-of dry cough and slightly runny nose.  But could that be the teeth? Her  
     fever is gone anyway...
5.  Gas.  Isn't this always the go-to?
FINALLY:
6.  The moon.  I've always been a skeptic when it comes to blaming behavior on the phases of a sky high
     glowing object, but as I log years as a Kindergarten teacher under my belt, my cynicism towards people
     with this rationale has slowly been diminishing. So as I woke up for the zillionth time last night and    
     noticed that that blaring light that was coming through my drawn curtains was not from the rising sun
     (no people-it was 2:45 in the morning), but from the alarmingly full moon dangling above my house, I
     convinced myself that I am raising a wolf. (It would explaining the barking, growling, and biting, too.)

As much as I'd like to believe it's rationale number 2, it has become clear that the moon has taken over my happy,  sleeping through the night doll-baby.  So speaking of tooting horns, I think for now I'll just shine hers up.  She might as well look cute while tearing up our world!