Yesterday was a VERY big day 'round here

Much of this blog has been dedicated to the accomplishments of the smallest member of the family: the first step, the first word, first attempts at sitting up, first...you get the idea. Well, yesterday it was Daddy's turn to do something remarkable, out of the ordinary and truly monumental. Yesterday was Thesis Defense Day.

That's right folks: Six years of reading, writing, editing, transcribing, case studying, and drinking far too much coffee have come to an end. TDSH is now Dr. TDSH! Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

For those of you not familiar with the finer points of a thesis defense, the event starts with a 20-minute presentation by the candidate, two rounds of questioning by the committee (in this case, five people who took 15 minutes each for the first round and then five minutes each for the second), and questions from the audience (it's open to the public - just to add another layer of cruelty to the event) before the candidate and audience are kicked out of the room for deliberations. After that, only the candidate is invited back to hear the verdict.

At first I wasn't going to join in the fun, opting instead to take the day off work and spend the morning biting my nails from the comfort of my own couch. But when TDSH specifically asked me to be there, I couldn't say no.

I'd have to say that this is probably as close as I'll get to experiencing the helpless feeling that fathers must get while watching their wives go through labour.

He did a fantastic job of the presentation and handled what I thought were rather challenging questions with ease. To say that I am proud of him is a complete understatement.

I managed to snap a few pics of the lovely thesis defense room before everything got started.

We're both so glad the experience is over. All that's left to do is make some minor revisions and submit the thing to the library (which I hear some students find more difficult to accomplish than the defense itself!)

So, know of anyone looking to hire a recent graduate with expertise in sustainable community development? If you do, please post their contact info in the comments section ;-)

DIY: Up-cycled t-shirt skirt

See this cute little skirt? Believe it or not, it used to be one of my t-shirts. Now, it's a cutie-pitutie little skirt that Abner loves!

I've had a stack of old t-shirts languishing in my craft cupboard for months without any ideas about what to do with them. It always seems such a waste to get rid of t-shirts that are in perfectly good shape, but just don't seem to fit right. I'm proud to say I thought this pattern up all on my own and sat down the other evening to whip one up after work.

Ten whole minutes later, I had this cute little skirt on this cute little girl...

Front view:

Back/side view:

If you wish to make one for your little sweetie, here are the super simple steps...

1. Figure out how long the skirt needs to be; either measure your child or use an existing skirt as a guide.
2. Take that measurement and add approximately 1.5 inches for the waistband.
3. Measuring up from the finished hem of your previously-loved t-shirt, mark your measurement.
4. Cut the t-shirt at the line you just marked. [I found it helpful to fold the t-shirt vertically a few times before cutting. Knit material is a pain to work with, so making a shorter cut is easier than trying to stay in line for a longer cut.]
5. Fold the unfinished edge in about .5 inches and then about 1 inch again to make a channel for the elastic waistband, pinning in place as you go.
6. With the wrong side out, sew the bottom edge of the channel being sure to leave about 1 inch open in order to feed in the elastic later on.
7. Make a second line of stitching just along the top edge of the waistband channel (i.e. about 1-2 mm from the top of the skirt). For whatever reason, that stitching will ensure the elastic won't fold over down the road.
8. Measure your child around the waist and add about 1.5 inches to your measurement. Cut your elastic to length and attach a safety pin to one end and feed it through the channel. [I used 1-inch elastic for this skirt.]
9. Overlap the ends of the elastic and stitch securely together.
10. Even out the gathering on the waistband and stitch up the opening you left earlier.

That's it! You're done. Pretty easy, eh?

Bad day? Not anymore...

Ten things no newish parent should be without

For some time now, I've wanted to do a post about items that, as a newish parent, I can't live without. I'm not talking about doing a post along the lines of "I don't know what I'd do without my Ergo Baby Carrier!" or "No parent should be without a BOB Revolution stroller" [Though both those statements are true in my opinion] or the typical "Before baby arrives lists" (i.e. you'll need to get 10 onsies, 3 pairs of socks, 4 hats...) Lists like that are a dime a dozen on the Internet.

No, I want to write a post about all those indispensible little items that get you through the day as a parent, but no one thought to give you at your baby shower. So without further ado, here are my...

TEN THINGS NO NEWISH PARENT SHOULD BE WITHOUT (in no particular order [though if I had to pick, I'd say number 1, 8 and 10 are pretty important])

1. OxiClean Baby: Babies pooh lots. It leaks. 'nuf said.
2. IKEA washcloths: Babies make messes out the other end too. These come in a pack of ten -- buy two. Also useful for milk sprayage, so buy three.
3. Internet access: Keeps you sane through those early days and is very helpful for keeping relatives abreast of the latest developments. YouTube can also be good for entertaining particularly fussy babies ['cause watching the computer isn't nearly as bad as sitting them infront of the TV now is it?]
4. A phone: Not for the reason you'd think. Yes, it's also useful for keeping relatives abreast of the latest developments, but it makes an even better toy. Extra points if your phone will play music instead of just beep when you press the buttons.
5. Pampered Chef prep bowls: Once your child starts eating solid foods, you learn the frustration that is a toddler's appetite. In my experience, meals get started, but rarely finished so the containers come in handy for the eight million leftovers that continually cycle through the fridge.
6. Remote control: 'cause I've never met a baby who didn't love 'em.
7. Baby Tylenol: We swore we'd never use the stuff...then Abner had her first fever.
8. Soap: Lots and lots of soap. I've never washed my hands more than since becoming a parent. Seriously considering investing in Lever.
9. Straws: Useful for making rehydration a little easier in those early days of breastfeeding when it was really a hands-on affair. Also good for hours of entertainment for the little one - it's helpful that they are so easy to find (try any Starbucks) when you're out and about and realize that your child just dropped the only toy you brought along for the day about six blocks back.
10. Bathroom scale: Not so you can obsess over those last 10 pounds of baby weight, but so you can toss it in front of the baby and, ahem, 'do your business' in peace. Digital scales are particularly good since they have numbers that light up for added entertainment value. Be sure to store the scale within arms reach of the toilet or it will be no good to you!

There you have it. All you new parents out there can thank me later.

Hairdresser, you ain't!

Daycare Lady makes us pull Abner's hair back every day. So each morning Abner and I sit down on the couch and she watches a few moments of TV while I get the job done.

A few weeks ago, TDSH kindly offered to give it a try and as you can see from the photo - Abner was as horrified as I was at the thought.

It started out so promising...she sat still for the most part...

Even had a smile on her face as TSDH tugged at her hair, mumbling something about getting the clippers under his breath.

Sadly, our worst fears were confirmed...an almost-PhD in Geography does not prepare one to do hair.

More wonderful outings

I have been quite remiss in posting about our family's outings lately. Please bare with me while I play a bit of catch-up here...

Back in mid-June we went on a little jaunt to Maplewood Farm in North Van. This is the kind of place that is so well hidden, you wouldn't even know existed if you didn't have kids of your own. They have all kinds of farm animals to look at including miniature horses - they're Abner's size! You probably can't tell from these photos, but we decked Abner out in her best farmer outfit just for the occasion: overalls and her farm shirt from H&M.

You can even get right in the enclosure with the goats - just be sure your shirt is tucked in or it'll be lunch for one of the goats.

Abner really liked petting this little one. She kept working her hands into the soft fur [for those of you who are cringing at the thought of all the germs, there are handwashing stations set up throughout the farm].

We probably spent about two hours there in total, including a stop to feed Abner and a rather informative milking demonstration with Farmer Jim [very surreal to watch a milking demonstration when you are a breastfeeding mother who pumps on occasion].

After the farm, we popped over to the Seymour Golf Club for a friendly game of minigolf. Even though I haven't played minigolf in many, many years, and had a 22 lb baby strapped to my back, I still managed to kick TDSH's butt...by one stroke.

Note to other parents who are considering mini golf with a baby on their backs - make sure you get a putter with a very long handle, otherwise you'll ruin your back.

We also recently took Abner on her first real hike. We picked a rather tame one to start out with: Minnekada Regional Park in PoCo. We chose a route that would take less than two hours: long enough to feel like we accomplished something, but short enough that we could motor back if need be.

In addition to the wonderful scenery, we saw lots of snakes, toads and quite a bit of bear scat. There are signs up in the area warning of bears, but we had our very own little bear bell: Abner was rather fussy and skwaked most of the way.

I'm very pround to say I managed the whole thing with Abner on my back! We got lots of comments from fellow hikers who were always surprised to see a baby on the trail. We did let Abner down at one point to do a bit of walking herself, but she would have none of it.

At the end of the trail we sat down in the parking lot to have a bit of lunch before getting back in the car. Now that we know she can handle a few hours on the trail, I'm sure we'll be heading to the mountains a lot more.

Mommy's little stripper

Abner was so proud of herself the other day when she figured out how to take her own shirt off...

No matter how many times I look at that last shot, I still crack up laughing. Oh...and you'll notice she's walking on her own in these shots! She finally started doing it in mid-June.

How Abner spent her Canada Day

We packed up the car nice and early this morning and headed to the Barnet Marine Park. The plan was for us to get their bright and early and secure one of the picnic tables for the day and the rest of my family - who live south of the Fraser - would meet up with us at a more reasonable hour.

In my book, 9:45 is bright and early on a holiday morning. Not so for other people it seems. By the time we got there, all the picnic tables were taken, people had tents set up and were sitting on the benches sipping coffee and gazing out at the bea-u-tiful inlet.

Not getting a picnic table turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It forced us to take up a patch of grass just beyond the main picnic area. It turned out to be an ideal spot - sheltered from the hordes of people and the constant wind with lots of shady spots to get out of the sun, and just small enough that most folks didn't feel comfortable joining us in our clearing (except for the gaggle of girls who plunked themselves down for a few hours in the afternoon).

As we waited for the rest of my family to arrive, Abner had a blast tearing around the clearing and running down the little hill our blanket was set upon. There is something so cute about watching a new-walker attempt to walk down hills...you know they're going to hit a speed where their little legs just can't keep up, and you really should go after them to help out, but it's just so funny to see them inevitably pinwheel out of control and wipeout.

Once the other arrived, she then had a heap of fun goofing around with her big cousin in her fabric tunnel. I'd thrown it in at the last minute and am so glad I did. They spent hours rolling around in there and pretending to be a giant baby-eating worm.

TDSH took her down to the water after lunch. It was a bit cold for her so she practiced her dance moves on the beach instead. The girl has got some moves!

A good chunk of the day was also spent trying to steal her cousin's water cup, or her soother. Maryn may be the younger of the two, but she's wily - I don't think Abner ever succeeded in getting either one away from her.

Blankie for the new baby

Friends of ours are expecting their first baby any day now so I sat down at my machine earlier this week to whip up a blanket for them.

Blankets have been my go-to baby gift for some time now. They are easy to make, relatively affordable and are quite useful to the new parents.

I found this adorable, adorable, ADORABLE flannel on my last trip to Fabricana and couldn't resist using it for this project. It's from the Urban Flannel collection by Valerie Wells if you're interested. You won't find it in with the rest of the cheesy baby flannelette...it's in with their regular quilting stock.

My pattern is always the same for these blankets...

1. After prewashing and ironing your chosen fabrics, cut each one into a square (or as close as you can get to square)
2. Lay the two squares right sides together and pin the corners
3. Lay your batting on top of the fabric and pin it in place
4. Trim batting to the same size as your fabric
5. With the batting side up, sew up three sides of the square plus about 2/3 of the fourth side (you have to have the batting side up otherwise the feed dogs on your machine won't be able to feed the fabric through properly)
6. Trim your corners before turning right side out
7. Fold in the edges of the opening you left earlier and pin together
8. Sew up the opening leaving as much of a seam allowance as you want (I always go with the width of the presser foot)
9. Continue sewing around the rest of the blanket so that you have a nice top-stitched edge

Now you'll have a rather baggy looking blanket so you'll need to do a little bit of quilting so everything will stay in place...

1. Measure about six inches to the right of the needle on your machine and mark that spot with tape or a felt marker
2. At each corner of your blanket, mark six inches from the edge on both the vertical and horizontal axis and mark each spot with pins
3. On the machine, line the blanket up with the tape and with one set of pins as your starting point
4. Sew up each side keeping the edge of the blanket flush with the tape
5. As you get to each set of pins, make the turn to go up the next side. When you've done all four, you're done.
   
   
   

What to make for a 3-year-old boy? Playdough of course!

So Abner and I were invited to a little friend's third birthday party recently. I really do like going to birthday parties, but when the child is of an age you are not so familiar with, gift selection can be a bit tricky. After mulling over my options for a few days, I settled on making him his very own batch of playdough. To make it a bit more interesting and fun, I gave a little box of food colouring separately so that he could do the colouring bit himself (I'm sure his mother loved me for that one!) A couple of people have asked me for the recipe I used, so here it is:

1 cup flour
1 cup warm water
2 t cream of tartar (a byproduct of the wine making process in case you're interested)
1 t oil
1/4 cup salt

• mix all the ingredients in a large pot over medium heat
• continue to heat and stir until your arm feels ready to fall off and everything comes together into one solid mass
• if your dough is still looking a bit sticky, continue heating and stirring a bit longer
• can be coloured with store-bought food colouring or with natural dyes like beet juice

This recipe makes a pretty small amount so you may want to double it as I did for the birthday boy. Keep the finished product in an air tight container when not in use.

I can't wait to make Abner her first batch!