Warming Up A Bald Head

The weather took a sudden change this week. It's not freezing or anything, but I realized that Henry's bald little head was going to get pretty cold pretty fast if I didn't knit something fast. So, for about the 15th time in my life, I cast on and made a very simple baby toque.

I used the Simple Baby Cap #2 from Itty Bitty Hats, which is a pretty standard hat pattern (there's a million of them out there). I used some Malbrigio Worsted that I had leftover from I don't remember where and just went to town. I love making this kind of hat -- it doesn't take much more than an hour and it's something that I know will be worth my while and get a lot of use. As I was knitting it, I was afraid it was going to be too big, but apparently my kid has quite a lot of brains, because I'm now worried that it won't last him through the winter. Which is okay, since I can always take an hour or two to make another one.

Baggin' The Bags

Hey, I made some stuff! Ruby's playschool started today (oh, I can't even begin to tell you how cute the whole thing is -- I welled up several times watching her play with the kids) and she's required to bring a change of clothing and a snack. Since my own purse is a horrible mess, I decided I should probably get Ruby off to a good start in life by giving her a neat and organized backpack for her first day of school.

So, I made the above drawstring bag to keep her change of clothes in. I used this tutorial, since I wanted something lined, but not too complicated. Ruby chose the fabric from my stash -- I think it's from Superbuzzy (but maybe Reprodepot?) and it's got a sweet Sleeping Beauty theme. Then I just embroidered her name on it and felt very proud of myself. More proud in that I made it while both kids were awake, and playing together in the basement (which is where my machine lives now). It was awesome, and will likely never happen again.


The snack bag, was not nearly as successful. I used this tutorial, but skipped the lining, since it will only be used for little snacks, not full lunches. I also skipped the velcro and fastened it with a clothespin, a la Martha Stewart. I used a vinyl coated cotton from Reprodepot and while I looove the fabric, this stuff is a bitch to sew (pardon my french). I don't know if it would stand stiff enough if I seamed it on the inside, but sewing on the outside was really difficult. I think I may make another go of it (with lining) and see if running tissue under the presser foot would make it go easier. Or I just might buy one.

Six Months

Today my little baby turns six months old. Six months old, with two teeth and a hellbent desire to crawl away. He's a mover, this one. Which makes for a pain in the neck baby, but surely an amazing child and an extraordinary adult. Seeing him makes me smile, even when I'm totally stressed out about the world (thank you, American politics).

Really?

Has it really come to this? Am I really showing you pictures of my lunch? Well, after I felt confident enough to confess to anyone who'd listen that Henry is a magical baby who has slept through the night since he was a month old, I went and jinxed myself. We've had some tough times in these parts with the sleeping thing: he's up as many as three or four times throughout the night and I often can't get him to sleep in his own crib and have to bring him into bed with Aaron and I, which totally destroys my sleep. He also won't nap in his crib anymore. I'm running out of tricks to try and I'm rapidly losing my marbles. So, not a lot of blog worthy fodder.

Still, look at this lunch. When I lived in Toronto I used to frequent a breakfast place that served something called Sunny's Grilled Cheese. It was a grilled cheese with avocado and red onions and it is so good that I'd often stay up at night thinking about it. Throughout the years I've gone through periods of making them at home, but for reasons I'm not sure of, I've been on a Sunny's hiatus for a while. But I'm back, baby, I'm back. This one was made with gouda, which made it extra good. And if you're going to try this one at home, the red onions are essential. Essential.


And, here's a little vintage pin that I ordered from this etsy shop. Word to the mothers. If anything, the last couple weeks have reminded me of how tricky this job can be.

A Ruby's Eye View

As a treat for being such a good girl in the car, we bought Ruby one of those Fisher-Price kids' digital cameras. The quality is amazing -- kind of like a faded old Polaroid. And we love taking a glimpse of the world through Ruby's eyes. As a long weekend treat, here are some of her best shots from last month's vacation.