Newborn Essentials

Things learned in last night's 'newborn essentials' class:

1 - Papa Bear learned how to change a diaper.  Hooray!
2 - Apparently, that hair dryer I haven't touched in almost a decade (but for some reason have been unable to convince myself to dispose of) might actually be able to pull it's weight now in that it can be used, apparently, to calm a fussy baby.
3 - There ARE actually women out there who are MORE pregnant than me. I had begun to doubt that fact, but it's true.  Also?  That there really IS a huge difference between a 28-week belly and a 36-week belly.  Huge. Difference.
4 - Disappointingly, depite thousands of years of civilization and our ability to put men on the moon and rovers on mars, there is still only one reliable way to get a newborn baby's temperature.  And yes, it still involves vaseline, if you get my drift.  Sure, later there are other options, but not for the newborn.

For those that might someday like this to go back to being a knitting blog:

Baby Kimono from Mason Dixon Knitting in Cotton Ease (old skool) 'Popsicle' ** (see?  I do still knit.) and Buggy pants sewn by moi.  Baby pants, it turns out, are addictively easy, so expect to see more of this sort of sewing project on here. I have a fabric stash that - while nowhere near as aggressive as the fiber/yarn stash - has the potential to scare the uninitiated. Next we learn how to install snaps on these puppies for easy diapering access.

Oh, and just for the record:

This is 14 wks vs. 20 weeks vs. 32 weeks, that last being four weeks ago.  Maybe I can enlist some help this weekend to get some 36 week belly shots in slightly more interesting settings.  Like....say.....MA S&W out in Cummington?  Belly + sheep = giggles.

Who's going?  C'mon, fess up. Inquiring minds want to know.

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**OK, and can we just take a moment or two to contemplate all the reasons that this outfit in this yarn is impractical and inadvisable for most human beings?  Seriously.  Think about it.

Comments

[Carole]

Look at that belly grow! I won't be at Cummington. Try and have fun anyway. ;-)

[Risa]

That's a belly! I have to admit, I've never used that method of temperature taking with my little ones. I expected that I needed to, but haven't had to. I learned from the nurses in the NICU to use the armpit. Hard with a wiggly newborn, but not so hard as the vaseline method.

I'll be at Cummington with my twins!

[claudia]

Woah. I'll have my big-ass camera with me on Saturday. That should do the trick.

[Suzanne]

Hey, I'll be at Cummington on Saturday from midmorning to midafternoon. Risa and I may have known the same NICU nurses - armpit for routine temperatures.

[Ruth]

Nice looking belly! I gave that linked thing all the time I could stand to, and ... the mind boggles.

[Wanda]

The kimono and baby pants are too sweet. Enjoy Cummington!

[Kristen]

will be there, and would love to see the sheep + belly combination.

(from past experiences I now know that baby pants for cloth diaper'd babies best fit when, er, generous in the diaper area. I'm not sure if I still have my pattern kicking around here, but I'll see if I can find it.)

[Bookish Wendy]

ohh, i want kristen's pattern.

skip the buttons - not neccessary with elastic stretchy pants such as those.

the hairdryer? the only way rob can get ready for work in the morning is with that thing going for S.

[elisa]

Oh hey, did I tell you I was going to Cummington this weekend? ;)

[Sara]

How cute! I love the outfit!

Have a fantastic time this weekend!

[Beth S.]

I'm going! Hooray! :-) I hope I get to talk to you for longer than fifteen seconds this time.

How does the hairdryer trick work? I assume you don't point it directly at the baby... ;-)

[Chris]

Um, yeah - I couldn't get away with wearing that Lion Brand "outfit" at 25, much less my current age!! Wow. Um, how many weeks long IS a pregnancy, anyway?! The baby pants are very cute!!

[Laurie]

Very cute outfit! Now I know what you were talking about with the kimono being finished.

Did Claudia get the pix?

[Cassie]

There's a thing called a "snap setter" (it's trademarked, purple, plastic) and the only thing worth using to put on snaps. If you don't have one, ask me and I'll give you more info. (I did a lot of snapsetting for the sock kits!)

[julia fc]

sewing! wow. looking forward to belly at the fair shots! remember I have board books for you.

[Heather]

hope you had fun at MAS&W! Very cute baby kimono & pants

[Amy Boogie]

It was great to see you again. I love making baby pants. They really are incredibly easy. It's a bummer when they grow up and you can't make tiny pants anymore :)

[Kim W.]

I'll vouch for the hair dryer as a baby soother. I used to put it on the cool setting and plop it down on the counter. Worked like a charm. By the way, you look fabulous!

[Lucia]

Somewhere I have a series of similar pix... at the end I was sort of egg-shaped, not only the belly but various other parts having grown to immense proportions. I got back to semi-normal pretty fast, though, what with all the nursing and walking about to calm the fussy one. (I would find out about the hair-dryer trick just as I'm about to celebrate my younger child's completion of fifth grade.)

Anyhow, the knitting looks great, and best wishes for the home stretch!

[kate]

I'll be thinking of you I'll be thinking of you while you ride the waves of labor... that sounds weird, but that's what it felt like to me.

[Ruth]

I'm thinking the baby was/is due right about now .... just wanted you to know that I'm thinking of you, and wishing you all the best.

[Wanda]

Good luck with the labor!! Looking forward to meeting your bundle of joy!!