Bow making part 4

Elijah made the nocks for the string and put on the tillering string so we could take a picture. It's starting to come together!

EC FIRST

Even if it was a complete fluke, which i doubt it was given her behavior the past few days, ECing has been totally worth it. Katie walked over to her potty, sat down and peed. ALL BY HERSELF! She's 13 months old. Just thought I'd share.

Also today, when i was going to the bathroom ( I have an open door policy when it's just me and Katie home) I told her i was going to go potty, sat down on the toilet and signaled to her. She then sat down on her potty and signaled back to me. It was kind of cute. She's making the connection between what I do on the "Big potty" and what she does on her potty. Kids are so smart. I'm very hopeful that she'll be in trainers full time by Christmas, maybe even sooner?

pull up trainers

Front

Back

I talked to the lady who we bought the pattern from ( she was wonderful) and she showed me the best way to adjust the rise on the trainers. This time I made pull ups, since I don't have snaps. The end result? they fit GREAT! I'm quite pleased. Now I just need to buy some cute fabrics to make a few more. These are a size small, which is supposed to fit 18-24 months. The pattern makes four different kinds of undies from 12 months to 7 years.

short little EC update

Last night we put Katie in her undies for a test run, and wouldn't you know it, she was a little bum and had me up at all hours, so around 2-3 ish, i brought her into our bed, where she tossed and turned for the next two or three hours keeping myself and Elijah from sleeping properly. she was put back in her own bed around 530 and i admit, i ignored her for a good five minutes when she awoke from the dogs/Elijah's alarm. SO her undies were wet, but her jammies stayed dry. it was pretty cool. Mind you it wasn't a big pee, but since she was lying on her tummy when she peed, I was impressed at how they held in all the pee.

Elijah took care of her and fed her this morning while I slowly woke up. thank god for awesome husbands ♥. She played her little potty game a bit today, but not as much as yesterday. She started getting really fussy when nap time was approaching, and kindly peed on the floor in front of me, while signaling that she was going potty. i was quite pleased!

While surfing the internet today, I stumbled across a blog entry from a mom who cloth diapered and EC'ed her little one. i thought it was amusing so i thought I'd share: http://stainedglassconfessional.blogspot.com/2010/08/how-to-potty-train-your-toddler.html

EC update

Nighttime: Nights have been going great ever since we weaned her from her night time feedings and from her bottle. Most nights she'll wake up at 4 am to go for a pee and have a quick drink of water, then back to sleep until daddy's alarm goes off in the morning.( I love weekends, no alarm means i get to sleep until 7 ish) The other night, we skipped her nap and she was fussing and wouldn't go to sleep, so i went up and offered her a pee and gave her a drink, and put her back to bed. She went straight to sleep after emptying her little bladder. If she keeps on being consistently dry at night, like she has been recently, then I'll be switching her to undies at night.

Daytime: For the past 24 hours or so, Katie has been obsessed with using the sign for potty and going and sitting on her little red potty. She thinks it's a game and consistently stands up, sits down and signals. This morning, she started grunting so i asked her if she needed to go potty and she made the sign and walked over, sat down, grunted a bit... stood up, sat down, signed, stood up, sat down, signed... you get the pattern...stood up, took two steps and pooped on the floor.  Today at Jay and Vic's house, she did her little pee shiver and I asked her if she went potty and she signaled back, so I changed her bum. baby steps are a good sign :)

Playing on her potty this morning

Tinkle time trainers: I've been looking for a good pattern for training underwear, and came across one that i REALLY liked :  http://www.ladderhilldesign.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=vmj_estore.tpl&product_id=10&category_id=2&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=59

So Elijah bought it for me. We don't have snap applicators, so i used velcro on my trial pair. I like how the leg holes fit her chubby little legs, and how they fit on the bum. I don't like the rise, so i'll probably adjust them when i actually get around to making some. Also I think I'll just make pull up ones, instead of the snap option. I'm sure with a lower rise and no snaps ( or velrco) at the front, They'll fit her well :)

Bow making part 3

Poor man's fiberglass ( aka drywall tape and wood glue)

Poor man's finished fiberglass. Ready for tillering

6 feet tall

Just a story

This is a story i stumbled across more than a year ago:

There was a well to do rich man who lived in the suburbs with his wife and only child. The dad was worried that his son didn't understand how good they had it. He made a phone call to his relatives who had a rundown little hill farm a few hours away and arranged a visit. He figured the best way to get through to his son was to show him just how poor some folks were. They pulled in the gravel driveway and were greeted by half a dozen hound dogs and a goose. Next, the children and grown folks came out of barns and fields and lined up to say hello. The city boy spent the whole weekend doing chores and playing with farmers 6 kids. The farmers kids were bare foot and had holes in their pants. The barns were in poor repair, the tractor an old rust bucket and the old farm truck had bald tires and a dent in the drivers side door. The more the father looked around, the more sorry he felt for the poor hillbillies. He knew had done the right thing, his son would know what poverty looked like, it now had a face. The weekend was over and the goodbyes were said. They got a few miles down the road and the father looked over at the boy. "Do you know why I brought you out here?", he asked. Kid shakes his head "no". "I wanted you to see just how poor some people are.", he said. The boy said, "You know dad, I never knew just how poor we were." The father, with a shocked look on his face, replies "What do mean?". "Well dad, that pond was really cool, its so much nicer than our pool...I mean its got fish and frogs and crawdads you can catch. We have those street lights so we can see at night, and those folks have a million stars and the moon to light up their yard. And ya, the yard, wow. Ours is so small and they have a hundred acres with rocks and trees. I like our poodle, but those hound dogs were so fun to play with. They swim and hunt and everything. Did you notice, the mother, she doesn't even make the kids wear shoes! They don't have to go to the playground either, they have hay forts and trees to climb, did you see that creek...I think it goes on forever. We have to buy our food at the store, those people Grow Their Own! Rows and rows of food in the garden, did you see how they could just go out and pick it themselves! They all get to work together Every Day, the father doesn't have a job. Those kids have lots of brother and sisters too, its like having friends over to play Every Day. I think that lady even made her own bread, dad. Thanks for taking me out there dad, I'll never forget how good those farmers have it." The father didn't say another word. He looked straight ahead and drove back toward home. He was starting to see "just how poor they were".

The joys of pregnancy

I went to bed with pain and woke up with pain. Wonderful...if this keeps up much longer, the doctor will be seeing me sooner than expected.

Crafts: So far I have one of Ariel's gifts made, Elijah's scarf and hat are knit ( just need to weave the loose ends in), 27/30 of the outsides of my newborn diapers are ready to be sewn, the chalkboard is ready for the chalkboard paint and Elijah's bow is ready to be tillered. Lots to do by December :) and only 14 weeks until Christmas!

Bow Making part 2

String jig with the string on

Flemish twist bow string for tillering (not made with proper string)

Walnut riser glued on to oak bow

riser half roughed out side view

top view

Bow making

Elijah has decided to make a bow. It's started out as a 6 foot piece of oak. So far he has both of the limbs shaped and it's starting to bend a bit. He's really enjoying it so far and i can't wait to see how it turns out! Take a look:

Marked and ready to start

first side of the first limb being shaped

done 1/4

Limbs shaped!

Childhood doesn't wait

Childhood Doesn’t Wait
(Author Unknown)

I was sitting on a bench
while in a nearby mall,
When I noticed a young mother
with two children who were small.
The youngest one was whining,
“Pick me up,” I heard him beg
but the mother’s face grew angry
as the child clung to her leg.
“Don’t hang on to me,” she shouted
as she pushed his hands away,
I wish I’d had the courage
to go up to her and say…
“The time will come too quickly
when those little arms that tug,
Won’t ask for you to hold them
or won’t freely give a hug.
“The day will sneak up subtly
just as it did with me,
When you can’t recall the last time
that your child sat on your knee.
“Like those sacred, pre-dawn feedings
when we cherished time alone
Our babies grow and leave behind
those special times we’ve known.
“So when your child comes to you
with a book that you can share,
Or asks that you would tuck him in
and help him say his prayer…
“When he comes to sit and chat
or would like to take a walk,
Before you answer that you can’t
`cause there’s no time to talk”
Remember what all parents learn
so many times too late,
That years go by too quickly
and that childhood doesn’t wait.

“Take every opportunity,
if one should slip away
Reach hard to get it back again,
don’t wait another day.”
I watched that mother walk away
her children followed near,
I hope she’ll pick them up
before her chances disappear.