BUMPER PADS IN THE MAKING!

How to make the bumper pads:
1. Caitlin chose 3 fabrics for the nursery which will be mixed in the bumper pads.
2. The darkest color was picked for the piping.
3. The printed fabric was cut to cover the bumper padding with an additional 1/2 inch seam allowance (We used an old bumper padding set to save money).
4.  Next- Sew on the piping.
5.  Sew on ties.  We made ours from the dark fabric to match the piping....but ribbon will work.  We pinned the ties to printed fabric to prevent them from accidentally being sewn in the seam when the next fabric was added to the other side.
6.  Next- lay out different fabrics (cut and sew together) long enough to cover the opposite side of the bumper pad. 
7. With right sides of bumper fabric together....sew together ....leaving one end open.  Turn fabric to right side.
8. Insert bumper padding
9. Sew the last end and put on the crib!
10. The last picture shows the bumper pad and skirt (made and posted in an earlier)! 

26 WEEKS PREGNANT!!!

Dear Gracyn,

Mommy is on the countdown to the 3rd trimester!  One more week!!!  Time seems to be flying by as you continue to grow stronger!  According to babycenter.com... Brain waves for the auditory and visual systems are detectable in your brain. That means your brain is registering things like sound and light. You may not understand what any of it means yet, but you're on track to comprehend an entire episode of Blue's Clues in no time! The network of nerves in your ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. You may now be able to hear both your Mommy and Daddy as they chat with each other. When you are born, you will recognize their voices!  Even though your eyes are still shut, your eyes are fully developed...soon you will be able to blink!  You are inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of your lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when you're born and take that first gulp of air. And you continuing to put on baby fat. You now weigh about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (the size of a burp cloth) from head to heel.

We get to see you in a 3D/4D ultrasound tomorrow morning!  CAN'T WAIT! 

Love you,
Grandma Dason

25w5d- 100 DAYS LEFT UNTIL EDD!

OMG- Today the pregnancy ticker says only 100 days to go until the Sept. 24th due date!  Do you know what that means????  It means that tomorrow, Caitlin's pregnancy countdown drops from triple digits to double digits!!!!  YAY!

25w4d- BABY BUMP!!!

The belly continues to get rounder....grew 1/4 inch to a grand total of 40" around!  Miss Gracyn is quite the active one.  It is such fun to watch her kick and wiggle.  Mommy shared that Gracyn had the hiccups for about 10 minutes and it made her mad....she wiggled and kicked up a storm....while Mommy tried to sleep!

Baby Shower Invites :-)

BELLY PROGRESSION!

Total weight gain so far....14 lbs.!!!  Woot!

25 WEEKS PREGNANT! YAY!

Dear Baby Gracyn,

You are growing by leaps and bounds.  Mommy thinks you are laying transverse across her belly.  If she lays on her side, she will feel you press against the bed or couch with your feet and then feel your head and arms on the other side of her belly when you stretch out!  According to babycenter.com, from head to heels, you now measures about 13 1/2 inches long!!!!  You probably weigh about a pound and a half ( an average rutabaga ), and you are finally putting on some baby fat! As you gain more fat, your wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and you'll start to look more and more like a newborn!!!!  So exciting!  You are also growing more hair — and if we could see it, we'd now be able to discern it's color and texture!

Gracyn is not the only one with more hair — Mommy's hair is  more full and lustrous than ever!  Thanks to hormonal changes, the hair that she'd normally shed is sticking around longer than usual.  She is even finding dark hairs in places where she doesn't want to see them....like her belly....especially near the belly button!

Mommy has also noticed that she can't move around as gracefully as before.  The swelling has taken over the entire body....especially her hands/fingers and feet/ toes!  The worst pregnancy systems now include siatic nerve pain, charlie horses in her legs and HEARTBURN!!! But you are worth it!!

We love you!
Grandma Dason

24w6d- FUN IN THE SUN!

Little Miss Nevaeh (2 yrs. old)  loves on baby Gracyn (24w6d)!  I enjoyed feeling the baby kick and watching her move around! 

HOW TO COVER A LAMP SHADE AND PILLOW

How to cover a lamp shade with fabric:
1.  Purchased lamp shade from JoAnn Fabrics.
2. Peel off lamp shade cover and use as a pattern.
3.  Cut fabric 1/2 inch bigger than pattern (I used a sheer fabric and a second fabric as liner).
4. Sew right sides together (1/2 inch seam allowance) and turn to right side.
5. Cover the sticky shade with fabric.  Hot glue the back seam on shade.
6. Embellish with broaches, tassels or beads.....

How to make a pillow:
1. Cut two pieces of fabric the exact size of the pillow.
2.  Sew right sides together (1/2 inch seam allowance), leaving an opening on one side. Turn fabric to right side.
3. Stuff with a pillow form.
4. Sew end of pillow shut.
5. Embellish as you wish!  :-)

24w4d-BABY BUMP

The belly is measuring alot bigger this week (3/4 inches bigger!) at 39.75 inches around.... Definitely filling out in the upper belly over last week.  Still tons of heartburn and weird dreams.

Caitlin shared that she had the strangest dream yet... She was with her sister and me and all of a sudden she had Gracyn in her arms making over how pretty she was and then she put her back in because it wasn't time for her to be born yet... She just wanted a sneak peek at her! STRANGE!

24w1d- BELLY BUTTON

Mommy's view of her outtie belly button!

NEW DRESSER DRAWER KNOBS

Before- Plain white knobs
After- Beautiful crystal knobs (1/2 price at Hobby Lobby - $3.00 each)!

HOW TO MAKE A CHANGING PAD AND WIPE CASE!

Changing Pad for Diaper Bag:
1. Buy 1/2 yard of cloth (printed fabric, waterproof fabric and batting).  Buy 2 1/2 yards of piping. One spool of 1/2 inch ribbon and one pretty broach.
2. Cut cloths and batting 22 x 14.5 (includes 1/2 inch seam allowance).
3. Sew batting onto wrong sides of fabrics to prevent slippage.
4. Position velcro closures on fabric and sew into place.
5. Sew the ribbon into place.
6. Sew piping on printed fabric.
7.  With right sides together, sew front and back of changing pad together, leaving a 3 inch opening to turn material right side out.  Finish sewing shut.
8. Glue on broach.  :-)

Wet Wipe Case for Diaper Bag:
1.  Buy a slim plastic diaper wipe case. (This one is a Huggies brand).
2.  Use remaining material and batting from above project.  Add 1/4 inch spool of ribbon and another broach.
3. Hot glue batting to case.
4. Hot glue printed fabric to batting.
5. Hot glue 1/2 ribbon across the top.
6. Trim edges by hot gluing 1/4 inch ribbon on.
7. Hot glue broach on the top!

Caitlin and I had a wonderful time making these!  Here are the finished products:

HOW TO MAKE A CRIB SKIRT

Step 1- Measure crib base and cut cloth (actual size 51x27 add 1/2 inch seam allowance on all sides)
Step 2- Measure skirt sides, front, and back if needed.  (measure actual size needed and add 1/2 inch seam allowance)   I used a sheer material and needed to line it.
Step 3- Sew skirt panels to crib cloth.

The final picture shows the finished skirt! Next project is the bumper pad. :-)

24 WEEKS- HAPPY VIABILITY DAY!!!!

Dear Gracyn,

This week marks an important milestone in your development....VIABILITY outside of the womb with a lot of medical intervention. Please stay put for another 13 - 16 weeks!!!

You are growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts you at just over a pound. Since you are almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), you sport a pretty lean figure at this point, but your body is filling out proportionally and you'll soon start to plump up. Your brain is also growing quickly now, and your taste buds are continuing to develop. Your lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help your air sacs inflate once you hit the outside world. Your skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Mommy's belly is changing fast! In the past few weeks, the top of her uterus has risen above her belly button and is now about the size of a soccer ball! WOW!!! Her belly button is officially an outtie! You are growing so big that Mommy is having sciatica pain (has been for several weeks). This past week she has had severe heartburn..some say that the more heartburn Mommy has, the more hair the baby has...time will tell!

We love you,
Grandma Dason

23w4d- BABY BUMP

3 days to VIABILITY! The belly is measuring 39 inches round and the belly button is officially out!