Toddler Backpack "Winging it" Tutorial

What is a "winging it" tutorial, you may ask? Isn't that an oxymoron? Perhaps it is.

While searching for directions or patterns to make Tobias a little backpack for his birthday, I found several very cute backpacks and the directions to make them. None of the patterns looked quite like what I was thinking, and I'm a little scared of doing zippers. So I ended up "winging it" and making my own pattern.

I took pictures of what I did so that I would be able to finish the second backpack (for his friend). Here are some simple instructions of how I did it so you can make one too, in case completely winging it isn't your style.

You will need an unspecified amount of canvas (I used misc. scraps), 2 buckles or sets of D rings, an unknown amount of webbing, and some elastic. The seam allowances for the main seams of the body and top flap are 1/2 inch. Pockets and details have smaller seam allowances. Use a heavy duty needle for canvas or denim, or be prepared to go through a lot of needles.

1. Cut 11" x 6" rectangle of canvas or sturdy cloth for the bottom of the backpack
2. Cut 35" x 14" (or desired height plus 2 inches) for the body of the backpack
3. Cut 2 pieces, 12" x 5", for the straps.
4. Cut a piece of newspaper 10.5" x 7.5". Then round two of the corners to make the paper into a "D" shape. This is the pattern for the top flap of the backpack.
5. Place your D-pattern with the long straight side on the fold of the fabric and cut that out.
6. Create the straps by sewing the pieces into tubes, turning right side out, and then pressing them with the seam in the middle (this seam will be towards the child's body when wearing the backpack, or towards the outside if you prefer). If desired, place a small rectangle of fleece inside the top of each strap for padding, avoiding the very top inch or two that will end up being in the seam allowance. I used a pencil to shove the fleece into the tube and flatten in out.
7. Press one end of each tube into the pointed shape shown in the picture below by pushing the side of each strap towards the inside of the tube and then ironing into place. (I have 4 straps because I was making 2 backpacks, if you are making 1 backpack you should have 2 straps!)
8. Fold the tips of each piece of fabric towards the inside of the tube and press. All the raw edges on this end of the strap should now be pressed to the inside and it is ready to sew to the webbing portion of the strap.
9. Sew 6.5" or 7" piece of webbing onto each buckle or set of D-rings.
10. Insert the other end of the webbing into the folded tips of the canvas straps. Topstitch to secure the webbing in place and continue topstitching around the edge of the entire strap.
11. Cut a front pocket, if desired, 12.5" or 13" wide by 8" tall. The finished width of my pocket is 8" and height is 6". Each side has a "bellows pocket" type pleat in it to give it a little depth. Hem the top of the pocket, zigzag stitch the side edges if desired so they don't ravel inside the pocket, and press the sides into the pleated shape. There should be 6 vertical folds in your pocket. I put a few stitches in the middle of the "M" pleat so that it stays pleated. The picture below shows the finished pocket from the top so you can see the shape of the side folds. You can do another style of pocket if you prefer, or another size.
12. Add a small piece of velcro to the center of the pocket (if you forget like I did, you can still do it later).
13. Sew the bottom piece of the backpack to the center of the body piece of the backpack,
    including the bottom of the pocket in the seam.
14. The sides of the pocket will still be un-sewn, topstitch them down.
15. Finish sewing the body to the bottom and then sew up the back seam. Trim any extra fabric from the back seam and zigzag inside seam edges to prevent fraying if desired. It should now look somewhat bag-like.
16. Make a loop of elastic for the top that, when stretched, will allow the bag to fully open.
17. Press the top of the bag to form a casing, then sew with elastic inside. Here's a picture of the elastic casing on the finished backpack.
18. Sew straps and hanging loop to the top back of the bag, right underneath the casing.
19. Make top flap: sew a seam around the edge of your D-piece, leaving a hole to turn right side out. Turn, clip curves, press, and topstitch. I did two rows of stitching for a decorative effect.
20. Topstitch the flap onto the body of the backpack, right over top of the topstitching that attached the straps and loop in step 18.
21. Cut two 8.5"-9" pieces of webbing. Finish one end (by sewing or using no-fray solution).
22. Seam rip two small openings in the bottom back seam for these pieces and sew them into the seams. Attach to buckles or D-rings.
23. Make a pull-tab from extra fabric or webbing. Attach pull-tab and velcro pieces to top flap. I used a square-and-X design to firmly attach the tab, and hand-sewed the velcro to the tab in order not to make extra stitching marks on the front of it.
24. Attach the opposite pieces of velcro for the top flap and the pocket.
25. Insert firm rectangle (cardboard or plastic) into bottom of backpack if desired to help hold shape. Make any needed adjustments to the backpack and try it on the child!

There, only 25 steps. Simple, right! I would love to hear from anyone who has found this tutorial useful. Please comment with questions, suggestions, and variations that you came up with.

Be a Dear, Face the Rear

Today I had a curious friend ask me "Why is he facing backwards, is he not big enough to face forward yet?" as I put Tobias into the car. I've heard this question many times, and it is not a silly question at all! Until fairly recently, 1 year was the minimum amount of time that kids were required/recommended to face backwards. While the law still allows kids to face forward at their first birthday in most states, the American Academy of Pediatrics and other safety organizations now recommend a minimum of 2 years facing backwards in the car.

The difference in safety is significant: a child riding rear-facing is five times safer. Another way of stating this (taken from this site) is:

In 100 collisions of rear facing kids, 8 rear facing children will die or become seriously injured. 92 will walk away fine. In 100 collisions with forward facing kids, 40 will die or become seriously injured. 60 will walk away fine. Those are large differences which help to save lives.

Nate and I laugh about our society's over-protectiveness; Nate once joking that "in the future, all toys will be colorful plastic wiffle-spheres". Certainly turning all toys into "safe" but bland objects would have an impact of kids' development, and they'd surely find more interesting (and dangerous) things to play with. We can't eliminate all the risks. Based on the statistics, though, I don't think that keeping your child rear-facing for 2 years or more is excessively overprotective, or that anything in their development will be sacrificed for the increased safety.

Today's families seem to be putting on more miles at higher speeds than previous generations, and it is good to know that we can keep reducing the number of serious injuries and fatalities that occur.

If you have children or will soon, and your car situation allows it (our pickup truck is not very conducive to rear-facing, so Tobias does face forwards in the truck now), I strongly encourage you to research and follow these recommendations.

Peanut Butter Cookies and Invisible Coffee

It seems like my favorite blogs are always posting beautiful pictures of the tasty things they have been cooking up. We've been cooking too, although the pictures are maybe not as mouth-watering as they could be. Tobias is getting less destructive when he helps in the kitchen. He helped stir and shake cinnamon into cottage cheese pancakes, and helped squish peanut butter cookies with a fork.

The recipe for the peanut butter cookies (Aunt Janet's recipe) is:

• 1 cup of peanut butter, slightly melted
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 egg
• Roll, squish, and bake 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees

We re-shaped the cookies featured in the video and do plan to take them to church.

What are your favorite places to get new recipes?

Captions By Tobias

Our bike trailer.

Warm apples.

Progress, Pain, Cost, Risk, and the Greater Good

My sister Heather wrote an excellent post describing how disillusioned she is by the decision of the Sioux Center City Council to approve the Sandy Hollow gun range, despite being presented strong evidence of it's risk, and over 400 signatures from those opposed.

These are some thoughts that I wanted to add to hers:

There are risks in all areas of life. And yes, "progress" sometimes causes pain, and it costs something. As a pregnant woman, I'm well aware that that the progress of bringing another child into the world will involve risk and pain, and it will cost something. There's road construction near my house. There's an element of risk there to the workers working with construction equipment. The progress will cost the city money, and the detour I am sure is causing excess noise to a residential community, for a short time.

There is a tiny element of truth in most lies, and I think this idea that "a little risk is OK, a little pain is OK, progress always has it's costs" is one of the ideas causing people to support the gun range. However, they are failing to realize the bigger truth that whenever possible, a good leader will minimize the risks, and the risks are borne by consenting adults, hopefully for a short time in order to have a long-term gain. A good leader follows the reasonable recommendations of expert organizations: I take my vitamins and eat healthy and get prenatal care, and I see the construction workers using safety equipment and directing traffic away from workers. A good leader speaks up for those less powerful than himself.

People undertake the risk of having children, building roads, etc. because the situation of never having children, or continuing to use an old and overcrowded road system would be, in the long run, more dangerous and risky than the temporary risks of pregnancy and road construction.

These situations are entirely different than the situation of the gun range, where the City Council (and others) are asking someone else to bear long-term or permanent risks, costs, and pain of "progress" that isn't essential at all, and meanwhile ignoring the safety recommendations of experts such as the NRA and EPA.

John Byl, president of NIOSC, the gun club planning to build the range, said

"All progress is not good for everyone in the community." (quote in Northwest Iowa Review).

I think this statement admits that the gun range plan would have a significant negative impact on a lot of people, including neighbors of Sandy Hollow and people who do or would participate in other recreational activities there.

I think Heather's post excellently demonstrates that the thinking behind approving this range just isn't right, and it is a shame to those that approved it.

Sandy Hollow: Better Options

Hello readers! I feel that perhaps my last few Sandy Hollow posts, by necessity, have been a little information heavy and negative. I do not know what the next steps will be in the process of trying to stop the gun range. Today I would like you to help me brainstorm some great ideas that could be done that would not be controversial, that would allow current attractions such as camping and fishing to continue undisturbed, that would not decrease the quality of life and property value for Sandy Hollow area residents, and that would not present a safety and health risk. Some ideas that have been proposed so far, plus a few of my own, are:

• Three hole golf course. putting green, driving range and mini-golf. This level of golf activity would not compete with the Ridge and would likely foster more desire in people to actually golf at the Ridge, which would increase their business.
• Facilities for sporting activities such roller hockey, volleyball, and disc golf could be made or upgraded
• Ponds, beaches and shorelines could be improved. There are many people that enjoy fishing and swimming at Sandy Hollow, and these improvements would increase their numbers.
• Improve the camping facilities and add camping spots. As other improvements are added more campers will come. They will spend money in Sioux Center also.
• Improve and add shelter houses
• Prairie, wetland, or nature areas with walking trails
• Connect the bike trail to Orange city, which is connected to Alton
• Archery range
• Community gardens
• Cabins that could be used for camping, family reunions, etc. I have enjoyed spending time with family at Inspiration Hills at their cabins, which are available year round, and I think something similar would be great at Sandy Hollow.
• Rock climbing wall
• Low ropes course for teamwork activities
• Outdoor exercise and fitness equipment such as that available on the Orange City/Alton bike trail

What activities would you like to see at Sandy Hollow that would provide excellent recreation for residents and visitors?

More brainstorms that have come up (added August 2011):

• Gazebos: good for relaxing, small group meeting place useful for day camps, retreats, reunions
• Paddleboat rental
• Paintball area

Who Would Pay for Lead Cleanup at Sandy Hollow?

Here is an excerpt from the document presented by opponents of the gun range planned at Sandy Hollow, to the Sioux Center City Council, on May 18, 2011:

Liability and Financial Risk for the City of Sioux Center:

As the owner of the Sandy Hollow property, the City of Sioux Center is likely to be held partially responsible for environmental degradation caused by the proposed Outdoor Sporting Complex, should it occur. Given the nature of the site, and the operations currently planned, ground and surface water contamination are likely, and the cost of remediation could be substantial. Applicable federal laws and regulations include the Clean Water Act (CWA), Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or Superfund). (National Shooting Sports Foundation, ‘Environmental Aspects of Construction and Management of Outdoor Shooting Ranges, p. 1-3 to 1-9).

The proposed lease with the NIOSC Board indicates that the Board is responsible for managing the lead shot dispersed on the property, but does not include language specific enough to ensure that the site will be decontaminated prior to termination of the lease. Contaminated land (defined by statute) would have minimal resale value, and if the shooting range was no longer in operation could be subject to RCRA statutes requiring decontamination at the owner’s expense. Given the extensive areas that will receive lead deposits at Sandy Hollow, the land area is very likely to be considered ‘contaminated’ at the end of the lease, leaving the City and its residents with a substantial (hundreds of thousands of dollars in comparable cases) cleanup bill.

Sign the Petition Against Sandy Hollow NIOSC gun range

Wednesday update: The City Council voted unanimously to approve the lease of Sandy Hollow to NIOSC. Opponents managed to collect almost 400 signatures in just two days and presented a comprehensive packet of information detailing the problems with the current plan (which I will post later) but unfortunately it still passed.

Tomorrow, Wednesday 18, the Sioux Center City Council will be meeting to discuss a proposed 25 year lease, with the option to sell, of Sandy Hollow to NIOSC (Northwest Iowa Outdoor Sportsmen's Club).

Residents and property owners of Sioux Center are invited to show up and voice their concerns and opposition orally or in writing. There is also a time for public input open to non-residents.

If you are opposed to the building of this complex (see previous posts for information on the sound issues, lead contamination risk, etc.), please sign the petition. Your signature carries more weight if you own property or live in Sioux Center. However, please sign anyway if you are a regular visitor to Sioux Center, a student in Sioux Center, someone in the surrounding area (especially if you are in Orange City and your drinking water wells are at risk for lead contamination from this project), or just concerned about the general risks of this project.

Also be in continued prayer that this issue can be resolved quickly and without legal action.

What does the petition say?

We the following people of the City of Sioux Center and surrounding area hereby object to the City’s leasing of City property to the Northwest Iowa Outdoor Sporting Complex Board for the purposes of a public shooting range and sports complex. We object to the City’s involvement in such shooting range and sports complex as it will inevitably subject the City to future liability for personal injury, property damage, nuisance, diminution of surrounding real estate values, and environmental waste and cleanup under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA).

How do I sign the petition?

Contact someone who lives in the Sandy Hollow area to sign the petition in person, or sign electronically by sending an e-mail to warren at parkingdesigngroup dot com (replace at and dot with the appropriate punctuation). In the e-mail, you need to include a jpg or tiff file of your signature (take a picture of it or scan it), along with your address and phone number.

If you prefer, you can e-mail me (hnnhhyr at gmail dot com) and I will send you a pdf document of the petition that you can print, sign and then scan and send in by e-mail, or deliver to someone.

Why should I get involved?

NIOSC board chairman John Byl says that only a handful of neighbors are opposing the plan; please sign the petition to show that this is not the case and that a wide variety of people are concerned about it. He also stated in an interview with the Northwest IA Review, about the residents of the Sandy Hollow area:

"If you want to go to a place where you're protected from what your neighbor does, you ought to live in a community".

Please show your support and that "community" is something larger and deeper than simply the city limits of Sioux Center, it is a group of people who want to support each other and do what is safe and respectful of all.

Toby and the Tumbler

Having Fun with Music!

Residences within 1/2 mile of Sandy Hollow

The NRA recommends that shooting ranges be built in an area where there is 1/2 mile or more to the nearest residence. This map shows (in black) the approximately 25 houses, apartments, and businesses within a 1/2 mile of Sandy Hollow (proposed shooting range shown in yellow).

Exposure to noise can cause sleep disruption, increased stress hormones, higher blood pressure, and hearing loss. When describing the health effects of noise, the World Health Organization's "Guidelines for Community Noise" states:

Stronger reactions have been observed when noise is accompanied by vibrations and contains low- frequency components, or when the noise contains impulses, such as with shooting noise.

This means that impulse noises such as gunshots have a stronger effect (even physically) on people than the rumble of aircraft, traffic, or a talking crowd at the same decibel level.

Although the Sioux County Planning and Zoning Committee has voted approval of the planned shooting range, it is important that Sioux County residents (or frequent visitors such as myself) get involved in the effort to halt the plan.

Flood pictures at Sandy Hollow

At the proposed Sandy Hollow shooting ranges, 15-30 tons of lead shot would be deposited on the ground each year. The DNR plans to clean up the lead every several years. However, as you can see in these pictures from 2010, the West Branch creek that runs through the proposed shooting range can flood, covering the area of the proposed gun range. This would wash the lead into the stream where it could soak into the groundwater or harm wildlife. Both Orange City and Rural Water have wells downstream from this area. The EPA's Best Management Practices for Lead at Outdoor Shooting Ranges states:

In areas of groundwater discharge such as river flood plains and most flat areas, the groundwater surface is often a few feet below the surface. Remember, the shorter the distance traveled, the greater the risk that the lead will migrate into the environment. Shallow depth to groundwater is indicative of higher risk for lead to reach the water.

Due to the flooding creek, the ground water being close to the surface, and the sandy soil, building a shooting range at Sandy Hollow would pose an unacceptably high risk of lead contamination.

Sandy Hollow Gun Range DNR letter

For the last few months my parents have been working hard organizing opposition to a proposed gun range at Sandy Hollow, near Sioux Center IA. My sister Heather wrote a great letter to the DNR expressing many problems with the gun range. She already said everything, basically, but I wrote a letter too, expressing my own perspective as a mom with a kid who eats dirt, drops things in the dirt, plays in the dirt, etc.

If this topic affects you, please contact Dale Garner (dale.garner@dnr.iowa.gov) to express your concern. Use the subject line "NIOSC gun range Sioux Center Iowa".

Here is a portion of my letter:

Lead poisoning is a dangerous problem, especially to children under 6 years old. The symptoms include irritability, learning difficulties, and fatigue. These symptoms can be easily confused with other problems or be ignored, meaning that children can suffer for extended periods of time without being diagnosed. Lead poisoning can cause miscarriage or premature birth for pregnant women.

Widespread lead contamination has been documented from shooting ranges. For example, the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware had contamination levels in the groundwater of 400 micrograms to 1 milligram per liter due to a shooting range in the area. The Sandy Hollow area is at risk for lead contamination since the west branch of the Floyd River runs through the area, and there are frequent floods that would contribute to the lead spreading downstream, soaking into the soil, or reaching the groundwater. The floods often reach over farmland nearby or downstream, and it seems that this poses a risk to farmers, livestock, and possibly even to the food supply. The EPA states that shooting ranges should not be near water for this reason.

As a parent I watch my child very closely, but as there is no fence planned around the edge of the shooting range, and guns might be shot very close to the borders and driveway of the property, I worry that my curious child might come into contact with lead pellets in the soil near the borders of the shooting area while taking a walk. I know that simply touching a lead pellet once is not likely to harm a child, but there is a definite risk for children who might accidentally ingest the lead. Even with close supervision, children tend to put objects and dirt in their mouths, or eat food that has been dropped in dirt. Children who live in the area could also be exposed to long term contamination through water or soil.

The noise level is another concern to me as a mom of young children, since the noise levels along the driveway at the edge of the property (estimated to be around 100 db) are high enough to cause hearing loss. Even in neighborning residential areas, the noise would be loud enough to disrupt outdoor activities, and would be concentrated in the times that people would want to spend outdoors.

If a shooting range is to be built in the Sioux County area, a site should be found that follows current expert recommendations: it should be a half mile or more to the nearest residence as recommended by the NRA (currently there are over 25 residences within a half mile of Sandy Hollow), the noise level should be 55 decibels or less at the property line as recommended by the NRA (at the Sandy Hollow site noise levels are estimated to be around 100 decibels at the property line), and the shooting range should not be near water, as recommended by the EPA. It would also be sensible to find a site that does not interfere with other healthy outdoor recreation and exercise such as fishing, biking, camping, running, walking, picnicking, photography, swimming and more.

The current plan would benefit only a few, while having a negative impact on many and causing risk to the smallest and most vulnerable.

The shooting range was designed by a DNR employee, and would depend on funding from the DNR, but as you can see it goes against the DNR's mission to enhance the quality of life and preserve natural resources. Please act to prevent this gun range from being built.

Tobias-isms

As Tobias learns new words and phrases every day, we find ourselves having plenty to laugh about every day. Here are some of my favorites from the past few weeks.

Turning onto our street for the first time when coming back from Italy: "Our room!". He had forgotten the word "home" but he knew where we were!

First manly sentence (while grocery shopping): "All done. Shopping. Back home!"

For awhile he would come to us with a banana or orange and say "Zip, zip!". I was almost sad when he learned the word "peel", because "zip" was so cute!

Me: "What does mommy have in her tummy?". Tobias: "Cereal." Well, the answer we were going for was "baby" but I guess cereal was also correct. On another occasion he answered "airplane" (which is not correct at all, for the record).

Cloth Diapers in Italy

I know, I know. I need to be writing posts for my own blog. Don't worry, I have some in the works.

But, hoping that others could get ideas from my experience taking the cloth diapers along to Italy, I wrote up a guest post on what I took along and how the washing went, etc. for a cloth diapering blog. Washing the diapers was a little harder than at home, just because I had to haul the wet laundry out of our basement and through the other apartment to get to the drying racks and sunny terraces. But the view while doing so was gorgeous so I shouldn't complain!

Ups and Downs of Being a Toddler

Ups: Playing with friends at church, getting cool packages in the mail, wearing cute hats

Downs: Falling on head and visiting emergency room

Ups: Being silly while eating peas

Guest Post at Happymoneysaver.com

Recently I enjoyed getting to write a guest post for a favorite blog of mine, Happy Money Saver. It is a blog that helps people get good deals on groceries, online purchases, and fun freebies and samples. After seeing several posts with excellent tips on how to combine coupons/sales to get good deals on disposable diapers, I asked Karrie if I could write a post for her on saving money with cloth diapers. Some of the tips I learned from experience, and some I had heard from friends. I had a lot of fun writing it up and I hope it was helpful to lots of readers!

Knows letters, prefers trucks

Don't worry, we don't have him doing "big kid" schoolwork all day, but he likes guessing the letters I draw on the Magna Doodle or iPod. T is his favorite letter so far and he likes to find all the capital Ts in his books.

Books!

Next Up: Brain Surgery

These toys are meant to blink, spin, or ding when you connect the matching colored other half. For a new challenge, Nate taught him to push the tiny buttons directly with a chopstick.

Somersaults and Spins

The things we do to wear him out before bedtime...

Silly Dance

(17 months old)

Drummer Boys

Saver

Cloth Diapers: Part 1

Over the past couple months I've had 3 people ask me "I know you use cloth diapers. We are thinking of using them with our baby. Do you like them? What kind do you use?" and other questions. I thought it would be helpful to write up a little information about it so that I can include some pictures for those people, and perhaps it will prove helpful to others as well.

Why?

We have saved a lot of money compared to full-time disposable diaper use. I've spent about $250 on diapers. That includes having a small set at both sets of grandparents' houses. Even if I add in detergent and water/electric costs, I am coming out ahead. They work better; I have never had poop leak out onto his clothing, and only rarely a pee leak. I also keep the environmental and health costs of disposable diapers in mind. It just makes sense that re-useable diapers use less resources (money and natural resources), just like re-useable clothing, dishes, and towels do. We line-dry when possible and plan to save the diapers for future children, which increases our cost savings and lowers the amount of energy and resources used.

What kind(s)?

We use mostly prefolds and covers. Everyone has different preferences on what type or brand of cloth diaper works best. There are lots of amazing new types of diapers out there, many of which go on like a disposable. These pocket diapers and all-in-ones are great for on the go changes, wiggly babies, or caregivers who may not be familiar or comfortable with cloth diapers. Many people have a whole stash of these types of diapers. However, they are a bit pricey for me and I actually prefer being able to use the outer waterproof cover for several changes. You only need 4-8 covers (and 2-3 dozen diapers to put in them), whereas with pocket diapers or all-in-ones you can be spending $15+ per diaper because the waterproof outer layer is part of each diaper. The prefolds aren't as picky about what kind of detergent they're washed in (wrong detergent + synthetic fabric pocket diaper = rash for Tobias), and there is no elastic or velcro in the diaper to wear out so they are supposed to last through several kids. Another benefit of prefolds is that you can use them for other purposes in a pinch, such as a changing pad, towel, or burp cloth. There are many occasions that I have been glad to have an extra in my diaper bag.

When Toby was little, we would use a snappi fastener to hold the diaper closed, and then velcro the cover on over top. This held in the poop better. Now we just fold the diaper in thirds and lay it in the cover and velcro (or snap) it on.

For overnight I use some longer prefolds. I fold them to make them fit into the cover, and to put the extra absorbency in the front. There are other folds but I like this one because I can do it ahead of time and it stays folded up well (when I fold the second side in, I tuck it into the slot made by the first side, so it can't unfold itself).

Here (click to see it) is a picture of my changing table and the diapers on it.

In Part II, I plan to talk about wipes, washing, and short and long trips out of the house with cloth diapers. If you have other questions or things I forgot, please post and I will try to answer your questions in part II.

He's still so little

Tobias at Grove of the Patriarchs in Mt. Rainier National Park

A "From the Wild" Road Trip

Tobias loved having a few days with his Grandpa VW at home, "helping" with oil changes and other outdoor chores. We really liked seeing DadVW too, and appreciated the help he gave us towards being ready to move. For the weekend we packed up and headed to Lynden to meet Jenna and celebrate her baptism! On Saturday we went to Semiahmoo beach at low tide. In the video you can't see it so well but Tobias and his Grandpa made it a long ways out! Tobias spontaneously fell asleep while sitting up on Grandpa's shoulders, so it must have been pretty peaceful out there. Later the kids (maybe the adults too) had lots of fun with streamers. We were blessed to be reminded through baptism of God's love for us, and also blessed to spend time relaxing and enjoying family!

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. -1 John 4:10

Fork lifter

We didn't deliberately teach Tobias to use a fork (although I believe he got a short tutorial from some of Rebecca's friends?). One evening he swiped one off the table and proceeded to stab his food with it. I guess it is one of those examples of how much kids absorb just from watching! It is fun and pretty amazing to see him learn so many new things.

The Great Outdoors....and Associated Equipment

1st year by the numbers

To Tobias:

In the past year,

you have slept all the way through the night, bedtime until morning, 0 times

you have overrode 1 anniversary supper

you have gained 2 uncles

you have summited 2 mountains

I have spent $7 on disposable diapers and wipes

you have sprouted 8 teeth

you have stayed fairly calm through 9 airplane takeoffs

we have traveled to or through 10 states (IA, NE, SD, WA, WY, ID, MT, CO, OR, UT)

you have starred in 11 videos

you have charmed 65 ladies of varying ages (Ok, that one's an estimate)

You have caused 146 laundry loads worth of cloth diapers

I have spent $250 on cloth diapers
I have put 1296 miles on the car coming home on my lunch breaks to feed you

It would be difficult to measure or even estimate other things, such as the number of times you spit up, the number of Cheerios you've eaten, the number of times you've fallen down while learning to walk, the number of times we've said "No, Tobias", or the number of times I've thought "for not liking babies, Nate makes a pretty good dad". It has been a great year and we can't wait to see you grow and learn more in the coming years! Love you!

Happy Birthday-(coming)-(up)-(yet)-(this)-(Friday) Tobias!

Toddling

Buddies

At times I suspected that Tobias's Grandma VW had gone overboard when she bought so many baby items, but I wanted to post this picture so she could see we're putting stuff to good use. This picture is from a few weeks back (April Fool's Day, I believe) when we took one of our first walks of spring (Jayna and her mom came along!).

Strolling Musician

OK, so he's not quite a strolling musician yet, but he's improving on both fronts! I did include some video of him trying to play the wrong end of the recorder, and falling over, just so you all know that he's only a little bit of a genius baby. He's 9 months old in a few days!

8 months

Tobias changes so much each week that it seems these video clips are out of date by the time I post them! He's getting to be much more of a talker- imitating sounds and babbling. He also loves to make fishy faces and/or kissy sounds (maybe Holly can post her video of that). His other new tricks are "give me five", turning book pages, and turning off light switches (although he needs some help to reach them, of course). He is getting to be a speedy crawler and has mostly left the army crawl behind. We all had a lot of fun on Holly's spring break visit enjoying the spring weather, good food, and just hanging out!

Baby Buxtehude?

We caught some of the very first "real" crawling on video, as well one of the first organ solos.

Around the house with Dad and Grandpa

We all enjoyed a visit from this video's guest star, known to Tobias as "Grandpa Vander Wilt". He is a man of many skills including stopping the organ squeak and rocking a crabby teething baby!

Sit-ups and Squash

Tobias is 6 months old so we're letting him try a few bites of food that hasn't been pre-processed by mom. And I know, rice cereal is the traditional first food, and probably not a bad one, but for a variety of reasons, I picked squash. (One of the reasons being that Walmart was all out of my first choice of pears.) It has been fun and quite messy. You will notice that in the first food clip, he is wearing clothes, and by today he is eating in diaper and bib only. We're all learning. What do you think he should he taste next?

Blessed

Today we're celebrating the greatest gift in history, and also enjoying being "snowed in" with people we love very much. It's been great to see and help with the progress on the new apartments, and Tobias is loving all the new faces he's met. We hope that the rest of our family can travel safely and get here later this week!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Let the Childproofing Begin

Tobias has figured out how to roll to get things. Fortunately, he has not yet figured out how to roll to get places. I think it will be soon, though, so we better start child-proofing.

Jayna, Johnny, Jokes

(photos by Nate)

Last Friday we went out in the drizzle to rescue some beautiful grapes. We picked 6 bins worth and over that day and the next turned them into over 50 quarts of grape juice using Terry and Jan's steamer. One of my favorite parts, besides the tasty juice, was seeing the colors of the grapes. On the vine they were a handsome navy with a dusty gray coating, in the steamer they gradually turned neon purple, and the juice was a deep, staining, almost black color.

P.S. The stains did come off the countertop with bleach, the fate of the khaki pants that came into contact with grape-stained potholder has yet to be determined

Oc-TOB-er

Here are a few video clips of Tobias's favorite activities. It is hard to choose clips where the parents don't sound too silly, especially since we know these videos get watched so many times! Enjoy!

Tobias discovers humor

Tobias started laughing this week- first at dad, then later at mom. I think he's going to grow up to be a goof, like his dad, or his aunts, or his great-aunt Pam.

Bear Creek Mountain

On Saturday, August 22, Nate and I and Tobias went on the now-annual church hike. We walked through cool forests, sunny meadows, steep rocky hillsides, and stunted shrubs up to the peak. The 360 view, including Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier, was almost too much to take in. When I think of God being omniscient, my limited mind thinks of a view like that, even though I know his eyes see big and small things, past, present, and future, as well as things not visible to the human eye. Tobias slept through all the great views, riding in his comfy carrier. Unfortunately, the day marked not only his first mountain peak, but his first sunburn. I felt badly about it, but it didn't seem to bother him. He was the youngest person on the hike (7 weeks old), and the oldest person was Tony B. at 84 years old. We took a picture of them together at the top!

6 week noises

Tobias working out

(and a little smile at the end)

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Not in chronological order here, but this was too important to skip. We're so thankful to God for his promises to Tobias! We're also thankful that several generations worth of our families could be there to witness and celebrate with us. In the picture he's wearing the outfit that his dad and grandpa were baptized in, and wrapped in a blanket made by his great-grandma Hooyer.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Exploring Mt. Rainier for the first time

I won't be able to blog every first in Tobias' life- there are too many too fast- but we just returned from a short trip to Mt. Rainier that included a lot of fun firsts. Tobias saw his first snowbank, as well as a waterfall (Myrtle Falls). Well, he was sleeping, so he'll have to see the pictures later. He did enjoy staring at the tall trees and bright sky at our campsite. It is pretty amazing to see how much he is already different a few weeks after being born: more alert, likes to hold his head up, and chubbier.

I returned from the trip smelling like all the usual camping smells (smoke, sweat), plus baby smells (use your imagination). I was worried Tobias wouldn't recognize me after I showered but he did remember what a clean mom smelled like!

Bodily Functions

Don't be scared by the title- I promise that the video contains hiccups and a sneeze! Tobias certainly was a hiccup-er before birth, and has now added sneezing to his abilities!

Tobias Gerrit

Freezer Cooking

One of my goals in preparing for the baby is to have some "easy" food in the freezer. However, I got sick of looking for recipes and only finding things that were: a. made from pre-packaged or canned foods anyway (that's not saving me time or money), b. had lots of cheese, milk, or creamy soup, or c. would fill up my freezer with pasta and rice (I'd rather save the freezer space and add the bulky things later). My solution was to just make up my own recipe: so now my freezer has one container of "Creamy Crouton Chicken Bake", and my fridge has a smaller container to test out this week. The not-so-secret and wholly untasted recipe is:

1. boil some chicken (take off bones if not boneless), chop, and place in freezer-safe baking dish
2. make a sauce with some of the broth, flour, margarine, and crouton-like spices (thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, chicken bullion, basil etc.)
3. pour the sauce over the chicken
4. freeze
5. thaw and bake when ready to eat
6. serve with pasta or rice or biscuits, and cheese to sprinkle on top for the lactose-tolerant

Well, it smells good. I'll let you know if it actually works. 

Any other freezer meal suggestions that don't violate principles a., b., and c. ?

Warmer...warmer...

It is getting warmer here in Sunnyside. Bushes are blooming, also pink flowering trees, and some white ones. The garden space is tilled and a few things are planted. We're also getting closer and closer to the arrival of the baby! To prepare, we've been taking pictures to record the process (Holly is great at reminding us), discussing names (don't even ask, it is very hush-hush), trying to clear the empty boxes out of the "baby room", and we went to childbirth class on Saturday. It was not very in depth, since it was just for one morning, but it was good to tour the rooms and I did learn stuff. I was encouraged that the hospital was very breastfeeding friendly by strongly encouraging nursing during the first hour after birth, and they don't give out pacifiers. 

Even with all the to-do lists flying around my head and computer, it is still good to find time to take walks by the canal, make bread, and update my blog every once in a while!

Ultrasound II

It takes a while to upload the videos, so that's why I didn't share them all right away. This is the same ultrasound, just didn't want to be adding to the same post days later. 

Below: little feet swimming around

As you can see, he or she is very active. Keep in mind that I could not feel movement during the ultrasound. Makes me wonder what we would see when I'm feeling kicking.

Ultrasound

Today we got to see our baby! 

The measurements gave a due date of June 23 (doctor thought 16th by his primitive calculations, I said more like the 26th). It is allowed to come whenever it is ready, I guess.

I think the brain looks like Nate's. Just kidding.

Above is a profile of the baby's head. You can also see the heart beating, and fingers moving above the nose.

Baby feet!

Do you see where he or she punches me right there at the beginning!

16 and a half weeks

Nate and I had a great trip to the midwest for Christmas and New Years' and we got to see both of our families. Some of the highlights for me were tubing at Inspiration Hills, singing Christmas songs with my family (no one sings like you guys!), playing "door pong" (a variation of ping pong), and finally meeting Heather's boyfriend Jon.

As far as the baby-growing work, I'm almost 17 weeks along and feeling less tired than the beginning weeks. We're thankful to have found a nice, more baby-friendly, house to rent and plan to move there in a few weeks.

Expanding

Most people know this, but there's someone new in our family. For being so small (almost 3 inches!) they sure are having a big effect already. He or she has made me feel a little strange (maybe Nate too!), made four people into happy grandparents, made us start searching for a new house, and mostly made us very excited.
Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment and Nate came along to hear the heartbeat (I had heard it at my last appointment). Everything looks good so far and we are looking forward to our baby being born somewhere in the vicinity of June 26. We hear that many, many changes are in store for us; that's a good thing, I think. Keep us in your prayers please!

Mt. Baker in the Fall

We visited Mt. Baker today with Tom, Karlene, Ali, and Grant. We had planned to go to Artist Point but that road was closed. We walked around this pond, spent time taking pictures of people and scenery, and then had a picnic lunch. It was nippy but sunny and the fall colors were beautiful.

Sourdough Bread: Scored top

I've been having problems with the tops and sides of my bread exploding open during the baking process, and since this bread is destined for church council snacks tomorrow night, I wanted it to be a little better aesthetically. I tried scoring the top before baking with a finely serrated knife. I think they turned out gorgeously if I do say so myself. Good thing the smell is not included in the photo or I bet you would be drooling on your computer. OK, I will stop bragging about it now. Come and visit me if you want to sample some of the next batch!

Mt. St. Helens

This past weekend Nate got to hike a real live volcano with a group from school! Only 100 people are allowed per day so we had to buy passes in February for our spots. We camped overnight at the trailhead and started hiking about 5:15 a.m. We got to watch the sun rise as we hiked through the forest section of the hike, and as we got out of the trees we could see Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. Rainier. After the forest was a section of boulders, and then a gravel/ash mixture towards the top, which was slippery. There was snow yet through the shaded forest and higher on the mountain where there were shady spots between the ridges. The view from the top was amazing; I did not expect the crater to be so big. When you hear that the north side of the mountain was blown away, it is really true! I had heard the statistics about how much power and how many tons of mud, but it really made an impression to see it. We could see Spirit Lake with all the logs floating in it to the north and steam rising from the center of the crater (made me think of this verse about God's power and glory). I was not the fastest hiker; it took me 5 hrs. to get to the top, and 3 hrs. to get down. My shoes did not treat my feet very nicely but some "2nd skin" treatment partway up prevented it from being worse than it was.

It was a fun trip to end the summer with- worth every blister! (But I really need better shoes!)

This is a view (photo by Nate) of the east side of the horseshoe-shaped rim, the crater, and Spirit Lake past the mountain.

There'll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight

We spent a few days in Olympic National Park (click link for DougVW pictures) at the under-lifegaurded Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort with Nate's family. We ate delicious chocolate cherry cake baked in the Dutch oven and hiked up Storm King Mountain for a beautiful view of Crescent Lake.

Then we headed into Seattle for Lucas and Rachel's wedding. The wedding and catching up with family were both great. If the trip wasn't already exciting enough, we pulled up for the wedding and saw a junker car catch on fire and burn itself and the really nice truck parked in front of it. 

Crabby at the Beach

Nate dug this up at the beach with Tom and Karlene and their kids.

Idaho

Yesterday evening Nate and I arrived safely home from a week in Camas County, Idaho with my family. It was great to see them and catch up on talking, teasing, and traditions (like haircuts and Ice Age II).

To get to the cabin we drove about an hour through the mountains from the nearest town (Fairfield). The cabin was (way) off the grid and had propane-powered lights (with mantles like camping lanterns) and stove, and solar-power for other things.

We did a lot of hiking, and never saw any other humans while doing so. The best hike was to the Skillern Hot Springs, where we soaked in the hot water and then dipped in the freezing stream. There were a lot of pretty views on the way there, too.

After that day my feet and legs were very sore due to old junky shoes, but thankfully Dad rigged up some excellent emergency arch supports using duct tape, a sacrificed sock, and the Leatherman knife. I really need to get new shoes, though.

The worst hike...involved several miles of no trail through the steep and scratchy underbrush, not finding our destination, and mild dehydration, exhaustion, and frustration. Character and navigation skills were built...I hope.

The south fork of the Boise River ran behind the cabin. For a few days we were entertained by stirring sticks in the icy clear water, but eventually we (and by we, I mean Holly, Dad, and I) progressed to fording it barefoot. On the other side, we panned for "gold" with a Cool Whip bowl and sent things downstream.

We had an a cappella hymnsing by the river on Sunday night, with these lyrics standing out to me (genius point to whoever identifies the song first):

And everywhere that we can be, You God are present there.

Here is a link to pictures of our first snowy evening at the cabin and exploring the hills near the cabin.

Food

I know a lot of my posts have to do with food. (By the way, check out this recipe to easily and quickly make your own hamburger buns. It's handy that you can change the number of servings, but I found that although I set the recipe for 15, I only got 9, meaning I still had to buy some buns for last night's bonfire.)

There's been a lot in the news about the causes and effects rising food prices. I've noticed the prices rising here and have cut back on some things (like hamburger buns!), but we still have plenty of healthy food to eat and groceries make up a fairly small portion of our budget. 

This past week the contrast between need and waste stood out to me. I took a bruised banana home from school (a student was going to throw it away) for my destined-for-banana-bread bag in the freezer. I was too late to save a stack of sandwich cookies from getting chucked on Friday's field trip. After school I looked down into my classroom trash and just from the top I saw a Dorito's bag with a serving left in it, a 3/4 full yogurt container with a spoon in it, and an Oreo package with several partial cookies left. I've watched kids use grapes as ammo and dump the better part of a carton of milk on the ground. And it's not just kids (who don't have to buy and cook their own food). Personally, I threw away the last bit of hummus which smelled funny, a small avacado that we cut open but was much too hard to use, and I should throw away a partial and hardened PB&J, and some seeds from a long-since-eaten squash.

I know we can't send any of these things to the people in Haiti eating dirt to fill their stomachs but to me it seems like a sign that we don't care very much. Maybe some fasting and prayer is in order.

April Eggs

"What if someone added a non-boiled egg to the boiled eggs?" a bystander asked with an innocent voice and wide eyes as I peeled the first egg destined for egg-salad sandwich spread.

I counted the eggs- seven- and mentally retraced my steps; I had placed four in the boiling water and then, taking a second glance at the large five-dozen box (I can't resist a sale!), thrown in a few more. Had I gone for an even half dozen, and the seventh egg been thrown in by a sinister sneakster?

I growled at the bystander and obvious culprit. He grinned and after some indignant prodding, and threats that he would not get any of the egg salad, neither gave me any information nor went back to his work.

I carefully tapped the second egg on the edge of an extra bowl. Boiled. Anxious eyes watched me peel it. Third egg: boiled also. Fourth and fifth eggs: neither was the one.

I came to the 6th egg. "Fifty-fifty chance," I said, raising my eyebrows. It was boiled.

"Well, what's the chances of that, that I have to hold my breath for 5 eggs worth!"

"Kind of takes the suspense out," said my sidekick, disappointed and turning to leave. He had as good as confessed.

I cracked the final egg over the bowl, fully expecting the runny egg to plop out.

Nothing. I'd been had. I whacked him. I guess I'm gullible.

Happy Birthday Grandma VW!

Happy birthday to an amazing, fun, blogging, Grandma. She always posts in honor of family birthdays, so we (family members) decided to do the same for her. Thank you, Grandma, for always making me feel like part of the family! We love you!

Spring Forward

I took this picture of daffodils beside our driveway.  The weather here is beautiful and we just finished enjoying soy-peach-grape-vanilla ice cream while sitting in the sunshine. 

Thank you to Grandma Vander Wilt for reminding us about the time change tonight. Don't forget to skip an hour of sleep, everyone!