15 MONTHS!!!

Jack is 15 months old today!!! He is sleeping through the night consistently, throwing tantrums, climbing on EVERYTHING (including the dining room table) and generally a very happy, laid back and go-with-the-flow little brother. He got his first haircut a few weeks ago and now looks even more like John if that's possible. He just cut his eighth tooth and the bottom three no longer look off center with the newest one popping through the gum.

The girls adore him... as long as he's not annoying them. Mckenzie thinks he's the best little brother in the world and loves getting him out of his crib (yes it defies all science, but somehow she can do it) and Lauren loves acting like little mommy telling Jack he's "too tiny" for this or that. However, he is by no means TINY! He weighs 29lbs and is 31" long. He is wearing 18mo-24mo clothing and wears a size 6 shoe, same as Lauren.

DIY: Crib Rail Teething Guard

Sweet baby Jack has six teeth and ever since the top two popped through the gums he has taken out his discomfort on his crib rail.

 

 He's like a little woodchuck!

Gnawing on the rail has left wood chips on his wet little cheeks and is clearly damaging the crib. So I did what any mother would do. I googled it. I'd heard of crib rail guards before, but had never given them much thought because the girls both used a metal crib and we didn't have this issue. 

After seeing several solutions I decided to put his crib bumper to good use since it has been rolled up on the top shelf of his closet for almost 11 months now. It was a hand-me-down bedding set from when Mckenzie was a baby. All literature, doctors, nurses, hospitals and web sites warn today's parents about the hazards of crib bumpers and the horrible accidents that have happened when used for their intended purpose. So I decided to cut it up and put it to good use!

Before

I am by no means a seamstress. But that lovely sewing machine in the background was passed down to me from my mother's mother's mother also known as my great-grandmother, Granny. 

Granny (99 yrs) holding Mckenzie (6 mos), July 2006

I think she would be so proud to know that her sewing machine is being put to good use for her great-great grandson. 

I measured how much of the bumper I would need to cover the front rail of the crib and just started cutting. It was a little scary at first!

I wasn't exactly sure how to go about sewing up the edge, so I just went for it. This is the final result.

And if you notice the strings, I cut one off the top edge and sewed it on the bottom edge. When it is completed the bumper will just wrap around the rail and I'll use the strings to tie it closed. It only had strings in three places, so I added snaps as well. I debated sewing on ribbon to make more tie closures. I also considered self-adhesive velcro. But I figured that might come apart if he pulled on it. I was also worried it might not stick well and then he'd be ingesting those in the middle of the night.

After painstakingly hand sewing the first half of the first snap on backwards, I figured out an easier method. And thank goodness! There are four snaps, which makes for eight pieces to hand sew. I don't know if this is the proper way to attach a snap, but it works for me and feels very secure!

You can't tell, but it's a huge snap!

The final product turned out pretty well I would say. I had not yet moved one of the center strings to the bottom of the bumper in the picture below. Final cost: $1.77 for the snaps. Much cheaper than all the results from my Google search!

He just woke from his morning nap and no more marks on the crib and no woodchips on his cheeks! And it seems to be staying in place. And I know this because I peeked in on him and watched him play around with it after he woke up. Success I would say!

And just one more of my handsome boy!

Happy, safe boy = one happy mommy!

Next DIY? Using the leftover from the crib bumper to make a window valance. Check back to see how it turns out!

Mischievous morning

As I was getting supper in the crock pot this morning the house seemed a bit too quiet. I had been listening to the background noise of the babies playing under the kitchen table, under my feet and in the living room. I'm not sure exactly when the commotion stopped and the silence began. I was enjoying getting things done without tripping over them!

I found them in the bathroom... bathtub to be exact. (Jack can now hike his leg up and plop into the tub. Especially with Lauren's assistance.) Upon first glance it was an adorable site. Lauren was feeding Jack from a spoon she got out of Mckenzie's Cinderella tea pot set. However, it was mushy DOG FOOD. I knew immediately because the entire dog dish was empty on the floor of the bathroom. I asked her how it got wet and she said, "Water! Bate!" (Bate means "mix" in Spanish, which she learned from watching Dora.)

I thought Lauren had mostly outgrown playing in the dog food, apparently not. And Jack is just getting started. As I got her out of the tub and was wiping down their face and hands I asked her where she got the water. She proudly lifted the lid of the toilet to show me the soaking dog food. She had been grabbing the mush with her hands and putting it the cup I use in the tub to rinse their hair. And then spoon feeding it to Jack. And he was loving it.


I am not sure whether to be proud of Lauren's recent accomplishments or be at my wit's end. For example: her ability to open doors, feed Jack, go in the bathroom to 1.) hide the situation or 2.) keep the mess contained, not sure which. She even had a bib on him!