DIY baby leggings

when i first saw baby leggings, i must admit, i was kind of turned off. they just seemed cheesy and not my style, BUT after having a baby i have decided i like the darn things. they are super useful! reason #1) some days (most days) my baby has gone through about 500 outfits and by the end of it, i'm not always in the mood to keep switching out pants. reason #2) it's been so darn hot outside that i wouldn't dare put little miss in anything more than a onesie. unfortunately a onesie isn't enough once we get in to air conditioning so i just slip on these little suckers and i don't even have to take her out of her car seat! then they slip right back off after we leave. HANDY! reason #3) once the bubbs starts to crawl, these guys will protect her chubby little knees.
...plus they're cute.

anywho, babylegs are kinda pricey ($12 apiece) so i made my own. they cost me $0.62 and it took me ten minutes to make them. hello nap time craft! wanna try? here's how:

you will need:
a pair of socks
scissors
a sewing machine

1. find yourself an awesome pair of socks on sale for $0.62 (or i guess you can pay full price. whatever.)

2. cut the leg part from the foot part. if you have really long socks, feel free to cut the leg portion shorter to fit your child's legs. i like the leggings to have a little extra length to bunch up a bit but not so much that it looks silly.

3. cut off the heel and toe so that you just have the foot tube left

*the next couple steps are the tricky ones so i'll try to explain them as clearly as possible.*
4. the foot tube part is the part that will eventually be the ankle cuff on the leggings. as you can see, this piece is too big to stay tight around a baby's ankle so we have to trim off some of the excess fabric. we aren't changing the direction of the tube, just making it thinner. so trim up the side of the tube as much as you think will make them tight enough on your child (making sure to add enough room for the seam allowance). i trimmed off maybe an inch? hopefully the picture helps.

5. next we're just going to seal up the tube again now that it's thinner. do this by turning the right sides together-hotdog style (anybody else get this reference?) and then sew up the seam using a zigzag stitch. i used a zigzag stitch because i wanted them to still stretch and elastic thread scares me.

6. turn the tube right side out. see! same as before, only thinner. yay!

7. now you are going to need to fold the tube in half inside of itself forming the cuff. i know that doesn't make sense but this photo should be pretty clear. if you have any questions about this (or any of the steps) just ask me in the comments.

8. take the long leg piece of your sock that you cut off in step 2 and insert it into the cuff making sure to line up all of the raw edges. the leg is wider than the cuff so it will be pinched a bit. that's normal.

9. ok this is the hardest part. i'll admit, i scratched my head for a bit before i figured out a way to do this. you have to sew the cuff on to the leg but it's pretty little so it's hard to maneuver through a sewing machine. you can do this one of two ways. you can pin the cuff to the leg (stretch the cuff to make up for the difference in the widths and then pin) and then feed it through your sewing machine. OR (what i did) if your sewing machine has a removable piece at the base (technical term=extension table) take that puppy off and squeeze your leg and cuff around the base. this takes care of the stretching for you and keeps all three layers of fabric nice and tight so you can see your sewing. again, zigzag stitch.

10. pull your leggings off the sewing machine and turn the cuffs out. there you have it! $0.62 baby leggings in ten minutes!

Look who's teething!

is teething fun? nope.
in other news: Ruby is feeling much better than she was a few days ago... aside from the teething.

Letters to Ruby #3

Dear Ruby,

You've been sick for the last couple weeks.* You have no idea how much it hurts my heart. Times like these remind me of just how little and fragile you are. Sometimes I forget because you've grown so much from the tiny baby you used to be. You're learning so many new things and your personality has grown so big that I sometimes forget you're still so small.

For the last few nights we've had you sleep in our bed. It's easier for me to keep an eye on you that way. As I lay beside your little body and hold your hand in mine I have to remind myself to take a mental snapshot of this feeling. Your teeny hand can barely wrap all the way around my finger but you hold on so tight. When I'm old and grey I'll still remember what it's like to have your tiny little fist clasped around my finger. I will remember staying awake just so I can hear you breathing next to me and resting my hand on your little chest to feel it rise and fall. I will remember crying with you when you're sick and what it feels like to have your fuzzy little head nuzzled against my neck.

This is what it feels like to have a baby. I will forever be your mama and you will forever be my baby girl. I love you more than my heart can hold.

Love,

Mom

*Ruby has reflux and had an allergic reaction to her formula plus she hasn't been eating like she's supposed to. She's slowly getting back to her old self again but we'll be glad when all of this is behind us. Please keep us in your prayers

She's on a roll!

Ruby started rolling over the other day and we're so proud!

It doesn't get better than this

#2

***I just want everyone to be aware that this post will mention poop. If you are easily grossed out then don't read this. If not, continue as you were...***

Dear Ruby,

Today I got your poop in my mouth.*
Yes.
There are a few early moments in motherhood where you say, "this is my life now... THIS is my life." Getting poop in my mouth was one of those moments.
The funny thing? This isn't the first time it's happened.
All I can say is, of all the poop from all the people in the world, I'm just glad it was yours. How's that for love?

Love,

Mom

*I was changing a major blow-out diaper and Ruby turned into a wild monkey. I guess a foot went in to the diaper without my noticing. I realized a few minutes later while I was chewing on her toes. yum.

Oh Canada!

ok so the trip...it had it's ups and downs.
let's start from the start:
waiting to board our first flight in the minneapolis airport. look at us so optimistic and naive...

i was pretty terrified about taking mini on the airplane(s) and turns out, i had good reason to be!
not only did the angel scream bloody-murder the WHOLE time, but the flights to canada were complete chaos. the first flight got delayed (big-time delayed), then the engines wouldn't start (ever been stuck in a teeny plane without a/c for an hour with a screaming baby?), then baby had a blowout, then the stewardess made me beg to change her (turbulence) while poop ran down her legs, then i got covered in poop while trying change her, then we got rerouted, then they wouldn't let us out of the dang plane (no a/c again), then we got rerouted again, then the babe ran out of food (first time eating formula since she was in the nicu), then the third flight got delayed too, then the child got sick-- really sick from the *bad word* formula mixed with altitude changes mixed with overheating, we (and the airplane) were covered in barf, then another blowout after all her clothes were covered in poop and vomit already (4 outfits), poop seeped all over my shirt and pants, i had to wrap her in my sweater, then we got trampled by some *bad word* guy who had to be the first person to get his bag out of the overhead compartment (literally knocked me over with my sick baby), then drove 3 hours to get home after 5:00 am.
and that was just the trip there!

onto the good parts:
thankfully, tyler has an amazing family who made us feel warm and fuzzy again. we love them. not to mention the fact that poor brandon (tyler's brother) waited at the airport in calgary for us for 2 hours and then had to drive us home in the wee hours of the morning the day before his wedding. thanks bran!
speaking of the wedding, it was beautiful and went off without a hitch. brandon was a handsome groom, sydney (the new SIL) was gorgeous, it was a beautiful day, the reception was so pretty, the food was (as tyler called it) melt-in-your-mouth goooood, and everyone had a great time. yay or weddings and new family members and visiting with family we haven't seen in too long! did i mention we love them? we do.
here's a photo of the happy couple:

and the next day...
tyler and "the guys" decided to fit in one last hoorah before we left the next morning. how about dirt bikes? OKAY! well they went out and had a blast... until tyler crashed. and then they went to the hospital. and then tyler got stitches- a lot of stitches. and a cast. and now there is a tube coming out of his arm... to drain... it's disgusting. poor tyler. now he can't bathe, change his clothes, pick up or really take care of baby, and many other basic things by himself. i get to help. poor poor tyler. and poor me. i have to change his bandages every day. do you know how gross this stuff is? no, you don't. man's going to have a pretty gnarly scar.
wanna know how great my husband is? he can't stop talking about how much fun he had. he hasn't complained once. gotta love the man.
aso, he wants me to put a photo of the seeping wound on here. i declined. because i can't even look at it without getting dizzy. you're welcome, world.

did i mention tyler's amazing family? well they are pretty great. we get so spoiled when we go there. when we get home, we're all "what? i have to cook my own meal??... where's the homemade buns??...what do you mean i have to babysit my own child??" we love them and they seem to love us back... for some reason. i must say, the worst part of every trip to canada is having to leave. we miss the family like crazy already and can’t wait to see them again in a few months.

p.s. the flights home went as smoothly as i could have hoped. i think little miss must have known that i was on my own with a baby and a one-armed husband (who happened to be drugged up on pain pills) so she behaved like an angel. yay Ruby!

The New Place

Here are the photos I promised! We are loving the new place and we're so glad to finally be semi-settled.

Ruby likes it too.

In other news, we're leaving ...on a jet plane (couldn't help myself) tomorrow! We'll be in Canada for four days for Tyler's brother's wedding. I'll be back later to post about the trip!
p.s. please bless that my baby doesn't scream through the flights!

I am obsessed with this face

Happy fourth of July!

The Land of 10,000 Lakes...

Ah Minnesota, "the land of 10,000 lakes", right?
Well we found one! Here are a few pictures we took of our little trip:



Tyler dipped Ruby's feet in the water and she didn't seem to mind.

Her favorite thing was to look at the sun coming through the leaves overhead. She laid on Tyler's chest staring at the trees and giggling while we relaxed and ate our picnic lunch. Just look at that face!




We had a great time and I know we'll have plenty of summer BBQs here in the future! Yay summer!

Precious Moments + Letters to Ruby

This post seems to best describe how I've been feeling lately. I'm so excited for all the new things my little is learning and how much she's growing, but I'm also feeling so sad about her outgrowing her old self. Maybe it started when I packed away the newborn clothes, or it could've been when we had to buy her a tub because she got too big for her little mesh bather. Either way, I've been getting that lonely, itchy feeling in my chest every time I think about my baby growing. Like my heart is allergic. I know that sounds idiotic, but it makes perfect sense to me.
At any rate I feel like these days are slipping through my fingers and I'm desperate to make time stand still. Since that is not possible, I think the best way to catch all these fleeting moments it to write them out.
This is how I decided to start my "Letters to Ruby" collection. They may not all be in letter format and I don't have a set timeline of when I'll write them, but I'm getting started today.

So without further ado, here is letter #1:

************************************************************
Dear Ruby,

Last night as I was brushing my teeth I heard your dad in the other room playing with you. I finished up and stood really quiet and still hoping to catch a secret moment between the two of you. As I stood there holding my breath he starting quietly singing "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera ("I am the man who will fight for your honor...") to you. I choked up.
As corny as that song is, it has a special place in my heart. I remember singing that song with my best friend in high school. We used to skip class and drive my busted up Honda blasting "Glory of Love" and feeling so grown up. We would sing the lyrics and secretly dream of the man who would fight for our honor...
wow, this is cheesy. Your dad will probably roll his eyes when he reads this.
Anyway I hoped for a cute guy who would sweep me off my feet and make me feel pretty and kiss like a champion. I had no idea I would have so much more. I ended up with the most amazing person I've ever met. And yes, he's all of those other things too.

There are a few moments in my life that I feel like I can remember perfectly. Some of them were burned in to my memory and some of them I cling to because I never want to forget. I will never forget hearing my husband sing "Glory of Love" to our daughter.

Ruby, I want you to know how much your dad loves you. He loves you in a crazy-daddy kind of way that makes you dance like a goof in the grocery store and sing dorky songs in the middle of the night. He loves you in a way that makes me cry happy tears. Never forget that he held you when you were a tiny baby and sang to you about fighting for your honor.

Love,

Mom

Five Years

Yesterday marked five years since Tyler and I were married. That's right, we have hit a real milestone here!

Can I just say something? I hate how everyone says that when you're happily married, time flies by and that years will seem like no time at all. I mean, yes, time has flown by, but I feel like I've been married to Tyler for a gazillion years. Every time I tell people that they act all awkward and laugh nervously like I'm saying we're miserable or something. Not so, people! What I mean is that I can hardly remember a time before Tyler was in my life. I am shamelessly, head-over-heels, school-girlishly, love-drunk. I can't imagine my life without him in it. And I choose not too. Because it would suck. He seriously makes me feel all those cheesy things! We read each others minds and laugh at jokes neither of us has said yet. We're a set! Especially now that we have little miss. I was obviously nervous about how our relationship would change with a baby, but it just helped to highlight how freakin' awesome we are! There is a sixth sense some people learn when they become parents, or at least we did. It's as if you can feel each other's heart rate go up and down from a mile away. We've become a kind of machine. Without Tyler, I don't think I'd work properly.

Anyway that's why I hate the ole "do you feel like you've been married for a WHOLE FIVE YEARS?" question. Because the answer is no, I feel like my life began with Tyler in it. And it kind of did.

Have your eyes gotten sore from all the rolling? I told you, cheesy things...