What's For Lunch

Jill doesn't have teeth yet, but she wants so badly to feed herself.


We've been trying some new things. Like little pieces of banana and over cooked carrots, pears, and mush.

Jill is much happier about the eating arrangements now that she doesn't have to wait for us to load a spoon.

And she gets a few more baths, too.

Spring in Idaho

Yep! It finally came. It's finally spring in Idaho. Which reminds me of this dandilion fountain Matt and I saw in Germany last May, and which also reminds me that it's time to weed the garden. This year we planted tons of the regular stuff, and it's all just bearly coming up.

Oh Idaho! We love you. We love your frosts in the middle of June, and we love your week of spring right before your month of summer that leads into another week of Fall and then a pleasently long winter. Oh Idaho! We love you.

Since last we met . . .

So it's been a while, and the Team has had a few adventures since the last time I posted.
* We took a trip to Provo to celebrate Matt's sister's graduation and meet our new cousin Seth.
* We made a table cloth. (Jill and I. And Matt admired our fine work.)
* We started reading Middlemarch by George Elliot. Really I started reading Middlemarch, but because I'm listening to the audio book, everyone gets a chance to hear it from time to time.
* Jill learned to sit up on her own, how to fold her arms, and how to "sing" during the quiet moments in church.
* We took a trip to Texas to visit family and celebrate my brother's graduation.
* We went to some parties.
* We celebrated mother's day.
* We tried making new foods.
* I knitted a few things.
* We planted our garden.
* Matt started playing league soccer. Just a little warm up for the FIFA World cup this summer.

Just a few things. Hopefully I'll get some pictures up before too long.

xoxoxo

Thanks for letting us visit everyone. We love seeing you!

Thanks, with love, Clueless

Dear family and friends,

Thanks for all your advice on baby food. Thanks Mom for reminding me that small mouth jars fit on my blender, Lorraine for mentioning oatmeal and immursion blenders, and to you Grandpa Pack, for actually giving me an immursion blender you weren't using 6 years ago. I've been making dip and smoothies with it. Little did I know what a gem I had stashed away in my cupboard. Thanks Kari for the "one meal for the whole famiy" tips, Natalie for the great website, and thank you everyone I've asked about high chairs and strained veggies.

Most of all, thank you Matthew for changing so many dirty diapers. You're th best.

So I've learned a few things in the last few weeks.

1. Just because Jill makes a funny face on the first try of a new veggie it doesn't mean she won't love it the second time.

2. Rice cerial is better with veggies mixed in.

3. If you make your baby laugh while she's eating, you might get food spit all over you.

4. Carrots stain rubber; beats stain cloths.

5. There is no way to stay completely clean while feeding a baby.

And here's something I've been wondering:

Jill's doc gave me a list of veggies to try "in the following order:"

Carrots, squash, beets, green beans, peas, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, and broccoli.

Not being the best at following directions, we've just been having whatever is on hand, so far, carrots and beets. Next week we'll have some green beans. I plan on skipping peas all together, but maybe later, out of the garden.

What do you all think of this funny list, and what types of things did you start you baby with?

With Love, Clueless

Things We Love

Jill is 5 months old now, and she's becoming very particular about what she loves and what she doesn't. And as everyone knows, what she loves is what we love . . .

We love to read the newspaper, especially the Sunday ads.

We love fruit.

Or maybe it's the spoons. We LOVE spoons.

We love to do laundry.

Or maybe not.

It's to early to tell how committed we are to the family business.

How to - Make your own nursing pads

Congratulations to all the new moms (and dads) in my life who have asked for this sewing tutorial.

If you've had a baby, you've noticed that they come with some necessary but expensive gear. It's always a good idea to look for ways to save. Nursing pads are one of my least favorite baby items to buy. I feel like it's such a waste sometimes, especially when I get the inexpensive brand and then they don't do what I need them to do.

So, after a little Internet searching (hurray for the Internet), and a little personal experimentation, here is an easy to make and very effective 6" contoured nursing pad. (You can also make a 4" flat pad* by using a CD for your circle pattern. I have both sizes and love them both for different reasons.)

You will need a 6 3/4" disk (I use a plastic lid; sizes can vary) or CD (for smaller pads*), quilt batting (the higher loft the better), blanket felt, polar fleece (the two sided heavy stuff), scissors, and a sewing machine.

Step 1: Trace and cut your circles. 1 fleece, 1 quilt batting, and 2 felt.

Step 2: Stack your circles like a sandwich with the 2 felt pieces as the bread and the fleece and batting as the filler.

Step 3: Choose your favorite sewn edging stitch. I prefer to sew two straight stitches around the edge . . . the first one with my needle at the far right position . . .

the second with my needle in the middle position, but a zig-zag stitch would also work well.

and sew, sew, sew all the way around your circle.

Step 4: Make a 3" cut through all the layers from the edge of your pad to the middle of your pad.

Step 5: Overlap the two sides of pad by 2 inches.

Step 6: Sew up the sides of your overlap to secure the fold in place.

Step 7: Trim the excess fabric off the outside of your circle. (I trim right up to my stitches.) This will keep your pads looking nice and not ragged when you wash them.

There you have it. Now go be thrifty and eco-friendly at the same time. (That's what I call multi-tasking.)

*For 4" flat pads, follow the same beginning steps, then skip steps 4-6.

April Fooled

Ha Ha Ha. Spring brought us ALL such a nice surprise this year. But she was sooo tricky about it. The last week of March was beautiful, in the 40's and 50's all week long. (That's wonderful for March in Idaho.) I was so excited and though we might have a lovely spring from here on out. April 1st and 2nd were the most beautiful days of all. Then, on April 3rd, Mother nature got a good laugh as she YELLED "April Fools" and dropped 4 inches of snow on my front step.

Matt and I were planning on grilling to welcome Spring, but I guess the invitation got lost in the mail. Oh well, at least we weren't part of the sad Easter troop that got to hunt eggs in the snow.

Good one Mother N. You fooled us all.

(Wish I had pictures, but I was to disgusted to take any this year.)