Why I Shouldn't Make Diapers For YOU.

Ok, I'm going to make a list now of all the reasons you do not want my diapers.

First off, Pattern.
The pattern I make my dipes from is completely customized to fit my baby. It probably won't fit yours. Right now, I'm only making pocket fitteds, because that is what I need for overnights. I have customized it until I can stuff it full of what I need, so it's probably going to be too big for most babies. Oh, and it still needs a cover.

Next, Time.
We all know that time is money. I don't know how much my time is worth, but I do know that I don't have much of it to spare. I couldn't promise you X number of diapers by X date, because chances are, you'd be pissed I couldn't meet the deadline.

Next, Choices.
I don't have much to offer for prints. I usually only buy just enough to make one or maybe 2 diapers from each print that I have. I only have 4 snap colors, if you count the size 16 white ones. The others are red, black, and teal. I don't do AI2's, nor do I have materials for making them. I stuff my dipes with inserts from other dipes, and microfiber towels from the auto department. I just recently got some washcloths to use for this as well... So, yeah, no OBV or OBF or hempin' here.

Next, Quality.
If you've read any of my other posts, you'll know that I HATE my sewing machine, and it sucks. I just wouldn't feel comfortable making you shoddy dipes.
But... I've seen some WAHM dipes lately that made my skin crawl, and weren't worth the fabric that was abused to construct them. I wouldn't ever make mine that bad, but still, I don't want to end up on the "this WAHM suxxorz" list. And I don't want to go crazy, and start making things like nursing sombreros and "learning toys" out of junk. I don't want to ever have to tell someone that "all I can do is try".

Gifts = Success!

Kathy loved her scarf, and now insists that Alex gets a matching pair of pants. I'm not sure if I have enough of the Kermit fleece left for a full pair of pants, but I could probably appliqué a Kermit face to the butt or something. When Kathy opened her gift, Miranda looked really sad, she didn't have much to open right then. It was a good 20 minutes before she got to open her scarf, and it took a lot of willpower for me not to scream at Dawn "Just give her the damn present already!!!" So, when she finally got it, she never noticed her scarf was kind of wacky & twisted. How could she have noticed when it was either wrapped around her neck, or being rubbed on her face from the time she unwrapped it? So yeah, she liked it a lot, and seemed pretty thrilled that I would make something for her. Ryan got to open the goodie box, and immediately put one of the peanut butter bon-bons in his mouth. He tried to shove the box under his gifts, but he was caught, and was told they were to share.
Another good thing is that Ryan doesn't freak out as much anymore about me BF'ing Alex. I think he's figured out that I'm going to do it when it needs to be done, no matter where I am. Of course, this is getting more difficult, since Alex has figured out that *shock!* there is a world beyond the boob, and he wants to see it.

Alex got a book from Kathy, which he loves... And also his first taste of wrapping paper, which he also loves.

He was not so happy when I took it away, though...

So, he had to get a new present to nom.

We were supposed to go to Holly's Christmas party, but, when we got home, we decided to take a nap, and totally missed the party starting time. We didn't want to be there too late, and we had TJ for the weekend. After hearing Heather's recap of the party, it's a good thing we didn't bring TJ along. The Yankee swap was full of gifts that would have puzzled TJ to no end. Such as the inflatable sheep that was subsequently brutalized by most of the males at the party. Or the '1001 sex positions' book that Heather acquired. Or the fat squirrel statue (Which Heather said had no purpose other than to sit there, and look fat and cute. Everyone wanted it, of course, and much thefting took place.).
Now, we get to make dinner on Christmas for my mom & her Santa-boyfriend. This should be interesting.

More Sew Happiness!

Photo bomb in...
3...
2...
1!!!
Ok, sooo... First, Miranda's scarf.... I couldn't decide which side to use as the outer, the print side, or the super-fuzzy-stick-your-face-in-it-and-snuzzle-it side. So I made it 2 sided. Above, you can see where the print isn't as defined. That is the snuzzle side. It was a complete fucking pain in my ass to sew. I thought I was doing awesome, and that Priss agreed with me that minky was the best fabric ever invented. When I turned it over, it was a different story. Bird's nests, dropped stitches, and FUCK THIS FABRIC!!! So it is a leetle bit crooked, but I hope she won't notice.

Next, Kathy's scarf.... I totally effed up cutting the fringe... So, I faked it by cutting some of the fringey things shorter, to make it look like I did it on purpose. It works, yay!

Next, Bibbit next to our magic sparkle tree! Aww! That highchair, btw, is the same one that TJ used, which was given to me by my Grandma. It sat lonely for 11 years in my mom's attic....

Next up... Christmas Bites (fabric from Joann.) They're all out of it online, so when I was an idiot and washed it with my red Alova, I was totally depressed. Two hot washes with oxyclean and RnG fixed it right up. Santa's beard shouldn't be pink...

 And this is what I made with it! Alex's magic sparkle tree outfit!

We're going to the in-law's house for celebrating tomorrow (er... today) So I was glad I finally got to put this together. While I was making the appliqué, my boobs leaked, thinking about how cute this was going to be for pictures. Damn my boobs!

Stash Shots!

 When I took  my first "stash shot", it was cute and tiny... Well, Alex was tiny, too. I had to wash every night, and sometimes use the sposies I had to fill in, like if I knew he was going to poop, and it wouldn't be on him for more than 20 minutes.

I got burnt out staying up until 2 or 3 am every day to wash the diapers. Finally, I threw a fit of overtired rage at GW, and I got more diapers. As luck would have it, this was when Fuzzibunz perfect size went on sale, and GW said I could get 6 more. I got them from Fuzzibunzonline.com, because they had red. And I really wanted a red one. When comparing prices, I had added 6 to my cart at Kelly's Closet... They sent me an email saying I hadn't paid for my cart. Since they are the same company, I though "Oh no!! My diapers aren't on their way??" and I ordered them. The ones I had ordered before arrived that day. I hadn't read KC's policy about no cancellations, so after some frustrating emails, I told GW about my mistake. He said we could keep them, as he didn't want to pay shipping on them twice if I could use them. So, I got 6 more. Then, I got into making diapers, and bought a few WAHM dipes, too. 

Covers, stuffers, etc...

 These aren't all of them, though, I have more. Some were dirty, and I have made others, too. We don't really use the BumGenius diapers anymore, only as a last resort, because Alex's butt doesn't like the lining they use. The bat dipe I made is too small already, but the longies still fit.

Shopping Beats The Crap Out Of Me (and Alex, too)

We. Are. SO. DONE.
With the x-mas shopping.
I spoke to my mom earlier today on the phone, and asked her what she wanted for a gift. She said there was nothing she wanted. So I asked her if there was anything she needed. She said "food".
This makes me sad. I've been there. Things have been rough for her since she left my father several years ago. Her life has been a total mess ever since then.
I still feel partially responsible for it, but I know she's a big girl, and she can make her own mistakes choices. So anyways...
We decided that we should get her & my sister (they live together) gift cards to their usual grocery store, and some staples to go along with it, as well as a few things they would like, but would never buy because of the cost. We got them a few boxes of pasta, some sauce, soup, chocolates, a Ghirardelli brownie mix (mmmmm!), $75.00 to Hannaford, and $25.00 to WM. Oh, and a fruitcake, because that's one of my favorite things to call my sister. We also got Romeo a new jacket, and Bertha & Cleo a stocking full of kitteh goodies from WM. Which Romeo will probably steal. (He thinks he's a cat.) As I think about it, we left out Mishka, my sister's snake. DAMMIT! We should probably get her some frozen mice. Their gifts are going in a set of poinsettia boxes from WM. (One of my mom's favorite plants... She fell in love with them when she lived in Florida as a teen with my Aunt Kay.) We also fund some fuzzy minky socks for them, because my dad is a lazy ass, and doesn't fill their oil like he should, so the house is cold. I had originally planned to keep them, but when we got to the register, I decided that they would go to my mom & sisterface. Mom's are black, so they can still look professional if she wears them to work. Sisterface's are my favoritest color blue.

Since I know Holly & Heather don't read my blog, I can tell you what we got for them, too: $30 each to the movies and....
 For Heather's extras, we got  a bunch of movie candy boxes (she likes to feel naughty and smuggle in her own), as well as some little packages of rainbow Goldfish and a horse ornament for Rebecca.
For additions to Holly's gift, we got a couple of pretty tea mugs, some tea in festive flavors, and some cookies to go with it.
They both got coffee from a local maker that claims the "buzz lasts all day!" with a picture of a mosquito on it for LOL's. We found some AWESOME!!! top hat baskets that were 50% off at Michael's that we're putting their stuff in. They were every penny worth of the $10 each, and then some! We may have to go back and get one for ourselves, Paris would try to sleep in it, and it would be totally adorable!

We also decided my grandma needed a fuzzy minky bathrobe like the one I have. We found the perfect one at Reny's. It's all pink and flowery, like the room my grandma always wanted, and didn't get until after my grandfather got sick... He couldn't go upstairs to know what we were doing to that room. ;)


But...
Now we have all this crap all over our kitchen floor, and I don't want to deal with it.
Alex was miserable for most of the time. He didn't eat as often as he normally gets to, so when we finally got home, he pigged out, and then threw up all over the place. Three times. GW put him to sleep while I finished putting the snaps on the pirate & space fitteds. It kills me to listen to him cry, but if I hold him, he NEVER goes to sleep. And if I nurse him to sleep, he nurses all night long, and I wake up more tired than when I tried to go to bed.
So now, for de-stressing, GW is shooting people in an online game, and I am... Well, here. I keep thinking I should go sort out some of that crap we got, and pack things up, or make some more diapers, but meh, I just don't want to.

I made Miranda's (possibly future SIL) scarf, (a cute minky penguin print that I want to BURN!! because if I ever have to sew that shit again, it will be too soon) and I still need to make Kathy's (SIL), which will be a fleece Kermit. I'm thinking I will make it a wide scarf, so she can wrap it over her head or hang it on a wall or just hug it, or... whatever. She had mentioned her favorite character ever was Kermit when we showed he Alex's green fleece pants, and she wanted some. I don't have enough of the "Kermit Green" left for pants, but I do have enough to make it a 2-sided scarf, along with an awesome Kermit print remnant from Joann's. I think I can pseudo-quilt it, to make it more interesting. If Priss is agreeable.

My BIL Ryan (Miranda's mate) is getting a gift card to Sears, because he's started a new mechanic job where he needs his own tools. He's also getting a cheesecake, because it's his favorite dessert. He has to share it with Miranda, though. I think if we neglected to get him cheesecake, he'd cry. (Of course, he practically cries when I breastfeed in front of him, but again, whatever. He doesn't have to look if it bothers him.)

For GW's dad & stepmom (Dawn) we got a set of Budweiser BBQ sauces & a beer bread mix. Dawn is getting a pretty jar filled with hot chocolate.
GW's mom is a lot more difficult. She doesn't need anything, and he's been estranged from her for quite some time. I've tried to remedy this since we started dating, and I've done a pretty good job. But we still don't know WTF to get for her. She always gives us really weird crafty things. Like a magazine print of "American Gothic" by Grant Wood, mod-podged to a green painted board. (It used to be above my sink when I lived alone. When GW moved out of my apartment, I told him I was keeping it. It's hanging above our stove, for the OMG/My-MIL-Is-Cracked/LOL/WTF's.)
We decided that everyone's fambly is getting pictures of Alex on CD, so they can print whatever ones they want out of our vast collection. That was what Kathy had asked for, so we thought it would be a good gift for everyone, too. Plus, if we give them to everyone, there is no chance anyone will feel slighted. Kind of like how we did our wedding. We also plan to give Alex one of the butter cookies we are dipping in chocolate (before it's dipped), taking a picture, putting "Ha Ha! My Germs!" on the picture, and putting the picture under the cookies. And then we'll let the LOL/OMG/Which-Cookie-Was-It???'s begin. Of course, Alex will NOT be allowed to actually eat the cookie, but it will be funny just the same.

Oh, and speaking of Cookies... We got Alex some organic teething biscuits on our shopping extravaganza...
OMFG.
NASTY.
Not the cookies themselves, they smelled really tasty, but the mess he made was EPIC.
Note to self: baby needs to be nekkid for cookies. White is not appropriate.
We got Chinese for dinner, since we knew that once we finally made it home, we wouldn't want to make anything. I got mine with white rice, just in case Alex wanted to share in our dinner experience. (BLW... FTW!)
Alex really liked the magical rice, which disappeared when he tried to pick it up. In reality, it was sticking to his hand. And sleeper. And head. I'm not sure if he actually ate any, but with BLW, the whole point is exploration, not consumption. Then, he started using the (nasty, smushy, icky) cookie to pick up the rice. "Yay! Moms, I makes a spoon!" It was so cute, and so gross. I didn't take any pictures, because I had misplaced the Panda, where my cameras were. There were a couple of times when Alex dropped the cookie into his chair, and I had to retrieve it for him... EWWWWW!!!! I forgot just how gross these things really are. Eleven years tends to erase a lot of the bad stuff from your memory.

And the Bibbit wakes, and I must go....

ANOTHER WOOHOO!

I got my snap pilers in the mail today! AWESOME!! They're having a special right now, so I was able to convince GW I needed them, and he let me get some. I loooove them! Instead of making Snappi tabs for the most recent diaper, I just put a single snap on them, it looks so cute! I'd show you, but, Alex is wearing it right now. I also put some snaps on 2 other fitteds (my upcycles, not yet pictured, but they will be soon!). The pirate & space robot fitteds were dirty, so they'll have to wait until tomorrow.

KAMsnaps special: Pliers + 400 plastic snaps under $35. Over 20% off. Free US shipping. Limited time only. Order at http://bit.ly/guqbf3 

I Am Sew Happy!

WOOHOO! My experimental diaper is a success! I just need to add Snappi tabs, but I am soooo not waking Bibbit up for sizing...

I have also been reading about baby-led weaning (BLW). I'm not in any way ready to wean Alex, but he started refusing anything pureed. But he still wants our food. So I decided to give it a whirl. He loves to play with the food... Mostly. He gets angry pretty fast if he can't get as much as he wants in his mouth. But it sometimes keeps him happy enough that I can scarf a few bites of my own food. 

Cheese Ravioli

More Cheese Ravioli

Cous-Cous and green beans... Yes, it's on his head!

Also, we finally killed the yeast rash! After the EVCO, I got some nasty-ass-itin powder. But it STILL came back. So, we got some internal medication, because I was terrified it would develop into a systemic infection, which can be deadly. It seemed to work, but he's still a bit rashy everywhere, and I suspect he has eczema. We're trying a hazelwood necklace right now before I go to any steroids for it. He's only been wearing it for a few hours now, but I'll keep you all updated on if it works. I'm hoping it'll work for his reflux, too, if it works at all for anything. His appointment with the pediatric GI isn't until January 4th. 

A week of sickness!

Sunday:
There's a tinge of soreness in my throat, and it looks a tad red. That won't stop me from trying to stay up until RnG goes on sale at 1! (fail: I fell asleep and woke up at 3. RnG's website was overloaded, and it took AN HOUR to get my order through.

Monday:
I can feel it getting worse. The tickle has turned into a cough. Time to bomb myself with vitamins, orange juice, and pickles. No fever, and only minor body aches, so it's not the flu. YAY!

Tuesday:
I HATE being sick. Everything in the house gets completely wrecked when I can't take care of it. The thing that bothers me most is the dinner situation.

GW: Did you have any plans for dinner?
Me: No, not really. Maybe throw some pasta in a pot and call it good.
GW: I can make dinner, hun
Me: What are you gonna make?
GW: How about I pick up some Webb's Mills?

What this means is: "I'm going to go get pizza." Nothing about that means he's made anything. Oh, except a trip down the road. He makes the trip to go get it. Does that even count? Anyway, I said sure to the pizza last night, because my mom had decided she needed to come up (late) and have me re-do her resume. Which actually only entailed adding a line to it, but whatever.
She mostly wanted to introduce her new boyfriend, Nick. (Yeah, another one.) He's a big fat biker dude with a Santa beard & long, white hair. I'm suspicious- I think he IS Santa. Nice, happy, fat guy with beard, glasses, and mane named "Nick"... I hope we were nice enough to him, and we don't get coal.
He's also "magikal".  (SEE??? He IS Santa!!!) Anyway, I said this was fine, as long as he doesn't get all Born-Again-Wiccan on us, like our friend Tom does. Mom said this wouldn't be an issue, he doesn't really talk about it much, and he's not into trying to convert everyone. Alex really enjoyed playing with his beard and glasses, which kept him occupied while GW and I tried to figure out the issues with my PC- it wasn't connecting to our home network, and generally being a bitch about everything. So GW & I got to be ALONE IN OUR BEDROOM! OMG! but, we were busy, and I'm sick anyway, so there was no making out. /sigh.
And the diapers still had to get done.

Wednesday:
I caved, and took some Robitussin for the cough, and some Motrin for the sore throat, because I was feeling like ass. The OJ and vitamins were just not doing it for me anymore. Went to WalMart to spread my sickness to the general public, because everyone needs to suffer like I am. (Just kidding, I'm very careful to keep my hands off stuff, and cough into my shoulder, not on my hands.) I also picked up some Sleepytime Throat Tamer tea, which helped a little, and I got some sleep, too.

Thursday:
I'm feeling a little better. Now when I cough, I can taste the sickness, and it's gross. But, that also means I'm getting better.
Had a major brain fart. I thought it was Friday. I cleaned out the fridge, and put the compost all together, because TJ takes it out on Friday as part of his chores.
I thought I was SOOO awesome. Look what I can do! And I'm sick! Go me!
You should have seen the look on TJ's face. It was a cross between: "Mom, you've lost it," and "Mom, you're the biggest idiot I've ever met". I was so sure it was Friday. But after checking my phone, it really wasn't. Doh! TJ was a sport, and took out the compost anyway. So now my kid thinks I'm a mentally deficient nutcase. Great.

Friday:
A little bit better than yesterday. I took some more Robitussin last night. This morning, I woke up with a really low milk supply. I think it's killing my boobs, so I need to avoid it. BOOO to decongestants! >:/
At least it really is Friday.