mobile tutorial

i've had some interest in the mobile i made, so i figured i'd share how i did it. this mobile is based off of a beautiful piece i found at fawn & forest. but i was on a budget for decor items and couldn't spend quite that much on a mobile. this was an experiment and i did it without measuring or planning ahead. as a warning, keep away from baby as there is a risk of tangling from the craft line (i have mine securely hung quite far above the crib).

materials:
colored cardstock (about 5 sheets)
circle punch
paperboard disc (i spray painted mine yellow)
clear craft line
needle

this mobile has 7 strands with 9 circle discs on each strand

1. make circles out of cardstock using punch, 63 in total (more for mistakes)
2. punch a needle hole through the center of each disc
3. cut 7 long strands of craft line and tie a small knot at one end of each
4. thread a disc along the craft line (the knot keeps it in place)
5. about 2 inches up, tie another knot, thread another disc
6. repeat process of knot + disc 9 times per strand
7. repeat threading process for all 7 strands
8. punch 7 holes into edge of paperboard disc, evenly spaced around the perimeter
9. thread each strand through a hole from the bottom and tie a knot in each at the top
10. punch 4 holes into paperboard disc at 12, 3, 6, and 9 (as on a clock)
11. cut 2 long strands of craft line of equal length and tie a knot at the end of each
12. from the bottom, thread a strand up from hole "12" and down into "6", tie a knot to secure
13. repeat from "3" to "9" (these strands should fold in half and cross over at the peak)
14. cut a strand of craft line, tie at the cross point of the two crossed hanging strands
15. hang (i used a 3m command hook to hang from the ceiling)

confused? here's a simple diagram:

as you can see, this is an inexpensive alternative. it took a while to complete because punching 60+ discs (thanks mr. h3b!) and needles holes and tying a ton of knots does require some time. but it looks great hanging in the nursery and finley loves to watch it as the air from the ceiling fan blows the discs gently. please let me know if you have any questions. i did my best to explain the process since i didn't plan it out before i began.

2 months!

finley turned 8 weeks last friday and 2 months by date yesterday. what?! how is he that old? my tiny peanut baby of 5 and a half pounds is a big baby now. he's alert, smiling more and more (though only once directly at my face), and growing like crazy. his hair is most definitely reddish and his eyes are dark blue. he's got the cutest round belly and a perfect belly button. his biggest changes are the new rolls - creases in his wrists, an extra thigh meat, and two squishy chins. he's taken to breast milk like a fish to water, as baby should do, and it makes me happy to know he's getting chunky just from me.

my biggest (and really, only) complaint right now is the severe tendinitis i have from holding, carrying, and mainly, nursing finley. the way i hold him has caused some pretty bad pain that has been keeping me from getting good sleep and is basically agonizing as i try to lift and position finn. i'm working on getting some sort of treatment, because it's making me resent feedings for a whole different reason than i did before. plus, it's almost unsafe for me to carrying him certain ways and i don't want that!

aside from that pain, i am doing really well. i got sick last week but am looking forward to starting the 30 day shred as well as maintaining my (almost) daily walks as soon as it gets consistently nice out. i bought a new pair of jeans today two sizes up from pre-pregnancy and while that was difficult, i need to get out of maternity pants. still waiting for the magical breastfeeding meltaway people touted...

we started a bedtime routine and are hoping finn will adapt to it. i feed on demand, so this routine starts between 9:30 and 10:00 pm based on his last feeding. we do a bath, lotion massage, bedtime story, and rocking/nursing in the dark to lullabies from the ipod (mama doesn't sing...). last night the bath resulted in an epic crying fest, so we'll see how tonight goes. he typically loves his bath, but night time is fussy time in the h3b home. my goal is to have him down and asleep by 11:00 pm, with a feeding at 3 am and 7 am. we'll see!

rolling over!

the little peanut is rolling over!

i wasn't sure when last thursday he seemed to accidentally roll halfway onto his side from his tummy. but then yesterday he rolled 4 times and today i caught it on video. he has only made it from tummy over his left shoulder to his back, but he can do it!

it is seriously amazing to watch. all these things changing everyday; i swear i wake up and he is a little bigger and doing something new. new noises with softer coos and high pitched screams that aren't cries. new faces, tongue sticking out, and tiny smiles at the wall. new rolls on his thighs, a bigger belly, and more control over his head and neck. he just keeps getting cuter!

i'm so lucky to spend my sometimes sleepless nights and days with my son. i know that these days will continue to go so quick and i'm trying to cherish them. it can be hard at times when he is fussy or won't sleep when i'm tired, but he is so sweet and innocent that i just remind myself these things are precious. so i smell his freshly washed hair and hold his little hands and look at him while he stares in amazement at all the things around him. funny how i am equally amazed by him just being him.

nursery...finally!!

the day has come! we have a real nursery with most everything finished and it's finally time to share. this page is full of pictures - you should be able to click on the them to view a larger size. i'll share where i got everything at the bottom, but please leave a note if you'd like more info on anything :)

ok, here are the details:

wall color - going gray (olympic premium zero VOC)
crib - babymod olivia (walmart)
dresser - trondheim 6 drawer (ikea)
rocker - alto (monte designs)
bookshelf - expedit (ikea)
rug - white faux sheepskin (homedecorators.com)
doxie lamp (offi)
yellow lamp shade (ikea)
animal a-z poster (etsy seller tarahogan)
white wall frames - ribba (ikea)
white table frames (walmart)
aqua curtains (target)
square mirrors - sorli (ikea)
yellow pillow (world market)
crib skirt (handmade by me, fabric michael miller ta dot)
yellow toy bin - beverage tub (target)
white storage bins - skubb (ikea)
elephant rocker (jcpenney)
alarm clock - duck (home goods, also available at amazon.com)

mobile (handmade by me)
poms (handmade by friend)
quotes posters (handmade by me)
finley blocks (etsy seller tinygiraffeshop)

i love the nursery. it is so relaxing and overall we did it on a budget (save for the rocker), with many handmade items and affordable decor pieces. i can finally sit in there with one of my 20 rockabye albums playing, nursing finn, and watching the fan blow the hanging decorations. perfection :)

6 weeks

finley is 6 weeks today!

he had his "one month" checkup on wednesday and his stats shocked his pediatrician. my tiny peanut now weights 9 lb 11 oz and is 22 inches. that puts him between the 50th and 75th percentile of baby boys his age. he has most certainly caught up and i am so proud that he is an exclusively breastfed baby. when she weighed him, the dr. said "i almost don't believe it!", since he was 5 lb 14 oz at birth.

she started him on tri-vi-sol with iron vitamin supplements and also prescribed an ointment for his blocked tear duct. of course, the duct has been blocked for weeks and has magically cleared up without using the ointment even one time. he screamed the entire appointment and things went from bad to worse when he got his hep b shot - the kind of scream that starts with just an open mouth and sad eyes but no noise and ends in frantic newborn wails.

i'm not sure if the was the shot or the vitamins or his 6 week growth spurt, but the next day he was the fussiest baby ever. today, though, he was happy and alert and back to his adorable self. i caught him playing with toys in his crib and was so excited to see him start to recognize objects and reach out for them. the arm movements are still jerky and he rarely makes contact, but i can see the wheels turning. it's so amazing to see the changes - he grows and learns every single day.

as promised, updates from my 6 week postpartum checkup. i am healthy, stitches are gone, and my dr. told me i could resume all normal activity. workouts, here i come! i've lost 30 lbs (of the 50 i gained) without more than a handful of walks, so we'll see where working out gets me.

5 weeks, first easter

happy easter from the finn bunny!

after having grandparents in town for the weekend (which allowed us to go out on our first date without the baby), mr. h3b, finn and i celebrated easter with pizza (oops, i forgot to buy the ham and sides...). it's the first time i've ever not had an easter dinner, but i'm not sure i had the energy to cook one anyway. we did dye eggs and ate tons of candy. finley got his first easter basket and dressed up for the occasion.

life with a newborn has become more routine now. 5 weeks have passed and i am used to less sleep and his "schedule" of eating and napping. i went from wanting to quit breastfeeding to enjoy it more and more. it's a struggle with the leaking, but finn has learned the position i put him in right before he gets to eat and he settles and opens his mouth, ready to nurse.

he is changing so fast and growing like crazy. i swear can see more chub on his cheeks at the end of each day. he has some pretty bad baby acne and a bit of cradle cap yet, but it doesn't keep him from being adorable. he has mastered eye contact for brief moments and has noticed toys and objects besides the walls. he is more content to be set down on his playmat or bouncer to look at the toys and kick and coo now that he can connect with the objects. i can't believe how interactive he's becoming. i've seen a few tiny smiles, but i'm still waiting to share eye contact and a reactive smile - i know it's coming!

his sleep comes in longer stretches some nights (not more than 4 hours yet) and i've enjoyed a bit more rest. i still haven't mastered completing multiple daily tasks, though. i'm torn between "sleep when the baby sleeps" and real life. he sleeps best on stroller walks on in the moby, so i can't sleep then. plus, i'd like to shower, do laundry, wash dishes, go to the grocery store...but i usually can only accomplish one of those things on any given day. to be honest, sometimes none of those things happen...but i'm content spending those days on the couch playing with him, catching up on sleep and web surfing, and feeding on demand.

this past week, i started using grobaby cloth diapers. they are huge on him yet, but easy to use so far. i haven't washed the inserts the recommended 8 or so times, so they certainly don't absorb as well as disposables yet. i have found that they leak and his runny poop does reach the outer shell, so i've had to wash everything and not just the inserts. this isn't a bad review though. it's only been a week, he's still kind of tiny, and they haven't been washed enough. i'll give an update when we've used them a bit longer.

this week i'm looking forward to his 6 week check up and a long visit from grandma (my mom). i also have my postpartum appointment. updates on weight (his and possibly mine) and such after that!