Bellastitch

My Christmas Cactus is blooming!!!

I’m so happy!  It didn’t bloom until February last winter.  I’m so glad it bloomed early this time.

I’d love to show off my latest Happy Dance, but its a prezzie and the recepient reads my blog.  So if you want to see it before she does, message me and I’ll give you the password.  :)  bellastitch at gmail dot com.

WTF????

Plus

Equals

When did Thom Yorke and KD Lang get together to make Clay Aiken???

Plus

I’ve been lucky that most of the products we’ve purchased or received as gifts for the babies worked great.  For the ones that we bought, reviews were extremely helpful.  So this is my way of giving back. 

The products are listed in no particular order.

1.  Graco Playard - This is an okay product.  It serves it purpose.  There is enough space for a baby to crawl around in it plus the bugs on the sides keeps babies entertained.  It is easy to set up and comes with a bag so its easy to pack and take it with you anywhere.  The bad this about this product is the cushion/mattress is NOT WASHABLE.  The cover is just polyester and that’s it!  So the only thing protecting the foam from spilled water, milk or juice is a thin piece of polyester.  NOT GOOD.   Graco also makes fitted sheets but I don’t think they make one for the square playards.  Either way, a thin piece of cotton will not protect the foam either.  If the mattress had a vinyl cover like a crib mattress, or a removable and washable cover, then I would recommend this product.  But since it doesn’t I say pass on this and get product #2 instead.

2. Super Yard XT - It is super roomy.  The panels adjust.  It works as a playard or as a super long gate.  See action shots here and here.  The best thing about it?  If it gets dirty, take it outside and hose it down!  Love it!

3. Nuby Sippy Cups and Sippy Cups with Handles and Wagi Sippy Cups - Ayame did not want to have anything to do with all the other sippy cups I got her, but she liked these.  These are the perfect transition sippy cups.  The spouts are soft and are easier for babies to handle.  The only issue with them is that the spouts are soft.  LOL.  Soft means they will break.  Ayame figured out how to poke her finger through the spouts.  Broken spout means they are no longer spill proof.  Nuby sells replacement spouts.  Wagi does not.  For for $3 for 2 cups, just buy a new cup!

4. Munchkin Soap Dispensing Bottle Brush - When my Avent Bottle Brush needed to be thrown out, I couldn’t find a suitable replacement for it.  None of the stores near me sold the Avent brush so I got this and something that looked like this.  Both products were awful.  They just couldn’t clean the bottles.  But the Munchkin SDBB works great!  The bristles really get everywhere and the bottles and sippy cups are clean, clean, clean!  Although I still need to use a separate nipple brush, I still love this product.  The best part about it?  There is a suction cup!  The brush stands up.  No more laying a wet brush on the counter or sink.

5. SwaddleMe Infant Wrap - Swaddling was a challenge for me.  Getting un-swaddled was a breeze for the babies.  Thank god we got this product.  If you have a baby, go and buy this product right now!  It is so easy to use.  Just tuck the baby in and VELCRO away!  No more un-swaddling in the middle of the night!  Babies stay warm and the fabric is so soft!

6. Sleep Sack - When baby gets too big for the SwaddleMe, move on to this product.  They can kick and flail as much as they like, but still remain warm and cozy!

7. Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier - I originally did not want to buy this product.  Why spend freaking $80 when there is a similar one for $30?  Trust me.  Spend the freaking $80.  This is the best baby carrier out there.  I tried the other ones at the store and I even got a different brand as a present.  The Bjorn is just a better product.  There are no hard plastics that will scratch baby’s skin.  The straps are wide and comfy.  Everything is easily adjustable plus it is not complicated to use. Just one tug here or one tug there and you and your baby are both comfy.  Best thing about it?  ITS WASHABLE.

8. Boppy - Another product I originally didn’t want to get.  I really didn’t think it would make a difference, but it does!  It helps make breast feeding more comfy and baby can use it for tummy time and when he’s ready to try sitting, you can prop him up on it!  Best thing about it?  So many designs to choose from and ITS WASHABLE!

9. A + D Diaper Cream - I tried Desitin, Palmer’s and Burt’s Bees.  They didn’t work.  This product works great.  If the diaper rash is really bad though, try product #10.

10. Lansinoh - This is a life saver.  I had issues when I started breastfeeding.  The boobies decided to go crazy on me.  This product helped me heal faster.  It makes the skin softer and no need to wash it off before baby feeds.  Another use for this product?  It heals the most awful diaper rash JUST LIKE THAT.

11.  Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Massage Cream for Stretchmarks - My stretchmarks ITCHED LIKE CRAZY.  My belly was red from being stretched to its limits.  This product worked wonders.  It is really thick, but not overly greasy, plus it smells great.  It was really soothing on the skin.  I didn’t start using it until well after I got my stretchmarks so I have no idea if it actually works in preventing you from getting them in the first place.

12.  Medela Pump In Style - I have no other pump to compare this too since it is the only one I’ve ever used.  However, based on conversations with a few friends who purchased other brands, I think you get what you pay for.  I can pump hands free with this and no chafing!  I don’t know about you, but chafed boobies doesn’t sound good at all.

That’s all for today kiddies.  See you next time!

Ayame is now 17 months and still not talking.  But she is walking more!  Her pediatrician said that as long as she makes progress on anything, its a good sign.  So there you go.  We have also finally moved on to the big girl sippy cups!  Yay!  She loved her Wagi and Nuby cups, but they were not as spill-proof as I would’ve liked.  She managed to destroy 3 spouts.  They were just too soft and she could easily poke her fingers through them.  She is now using Playtex First Sipster.  I’m trying to get her to drink from a stage 3 cup, but she’ll have none of that, thank you very much.  As long as I don’t have to clean up anymore spills, I’m happy.

Reeve is now 3 months old.  THREE. MONTHS!!!  How on earth did that happen?  He is just growing up way too fast and pretty soon he won’t be a baby anymore.  *sigh*  Anyway, he is smiling more and more.  He is just a really happy baby.  He loves looking at Ayame and she loves to make him laugh.  She finally has an audience!  LOL.

I am now 32.  *GAG*  Birthdays have *always* been hard for me.  I hate them.  I love presents but I hate aging.  I especially feel a heck of a lot older this year.  Maybe its because I have 2 kids now?  *Shrug*  Whatever it is, I don’t like the feeling.  The whole aging thing really bothers me.  I want to look and feel young again.  So I chopped my hair off!  LOL.  No pictures of that yet.  I like the cut.  It’s chin-length and it feels so light and DH says I look young.  SO ITS ALL GOOD.

I wanted to have at least one new Halloween ornie this year.  I have Dragon Dreams’ Trick or Treat from 2006 and it needed a friend.  So I decided on Smell My Feet from this year’s JCS Halloween Ornie Issue.  I thought the design was simple, but cute and I had a great idea to modify it.  Unfortunately, I never got around to finishing it.  I just didn’t have as much stitching time this month, with a new job and the babies and all that.  So here is my un-finished version of Smell My Feet.

I decided she needed purple tights. I also adjusted the border so that there was 2 squares of space on the sides and bottom.  I even have the perfect accent fabric for it.  One day I’ll get around to finishing it.

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In other news, life has been extemely busy.  At least it feels that way.  I started working again.  Its part time and I do it from home and I love it, but it does keep me busy.  I will have to really manage my time better so that I can still stitch for an hour or two a day.

The kiddies are doing great.  Reeve was a monkey for Halloween and Ayame was The Girl Who Wouldn’t Stop Crying.  After close to 45 minutes of crying and screaming at the office Halloween party, I decided to just take them home.  Reeve did really great, but Ayame was just scaring the other kids and was not having fun at all.  I still have to take a picture of her wearing her Halloween T-shirt.

Ooh!  I almost forgot to mention that I gave Ayame her first haircut.  Her hair was just getting WAY too long and was always getting tangled and I was just tired of fighting with her every morning to fix it.  Here are the before and after pics:

It doesn’t look too bad.  It is certainly nowhere near straight, but the curls hide it.  Have you ever tried cutting the hair of a child who won’t sit still?

I’ve been busy stitching!  I recently finished 2 projects (one is even framed!  *gasp!*) and I did a do-over on an ornament from 2006.

First off is Kitsune Kanji.  I found an image online and charted it using PC Stitch.  I stitched it on 28 count white Charles Craft Monaco using 2 strands of Bright Red Vikki Clayton Silks, over 2.

I also decided that I would try lacing this project.  Instead of pinning the project to make sure that the weave is completely straight, I pulled some threads from my fabric to mark my edge.  Sorry, I didn’t take a picture of this step.  The removed row of thread from the fabric created a straight line for me to follow, thus making lacing a bit easier, I think.  I used white DMC Perle Cotton to lace the project.

This is a frame we picked out at AC Moore.  I love how stark all the white is compared to the bright red silk.

The next happy dance is my Katamari Prince.  I first saw this on Sprite Stitch.  The original pattern is here.  There is no color code, so I asked for help at the Sprite Stitch Board.  I ended up tweaking the colors and this is the final result.  I decided to use Smyrna crosses instead of regular cross stitch to increase the project size and to add texture.  I really like the very pixilated effect of the Smyrnas.

And finally, my do-over project is Dragon Dreams’ 2006 Halloween freebie.  The original version wasn’t bad, but the thick cord always bothered me.  It was just way to thick.  So after 2 years, it got a make over. 

Before:

After:

I forgot to blog about our latest visit to the doctor.  Reeve is now 11 lbs 2 oz and is 22 inches long.  Dr. V wanted us to start doing tummy time with him and I told her that we’ve been doing that since mid-August at the recommendation of Dr. R.  She said that he has really strong neck muscles!  Yay Reeve!  He cried a little when he got his shots, but calmed down after a bit.

Ayame is now 23 lbs and 32 inches tall.  She is average with her weight, but a bit above average with her height.  She fussed a bit during the check up.  She didn’t like Dr. V touching her.  She tried to climb out of the weighing scale and it took several tries before a proper head measurement was taken.  She cried louder and longer when she got her shots even though she only got 2 and Reeve got 4.

They were both cranky that day and both got a teeny tiny dose of Motrin.  I never give the full dose as a half dose seems to do the job.  Ayame also has several teeth attacking her gums which makes her horribly grumpy.  Poor baby girl.  Dr. V also recommended a “milk diet” for Ayame.  I am apparently giving her way too much.  So now she is down to 24 to 30 oz a day.  She fought the first 2 days of it, but now we’re doing great. 

I have lots of new pictures in my gallery.  I took this one today.  I call it “Who is the creepiest one of all?”  LOL.  Yes, I’m a bad mommy.  LOL.

The Raggedy Ann fabric was from my Grandma’s sister and the fabric for the other doll was from my mom’s cousin.  My mom stitched them up and even did some fancy embroidery on the doll with the white dress.  I can’t explain why I find them creepy, they just are!

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Thanks to everyone who left comments! I really do read them, I just sometimes forget to answer the questions. 

Kat - MA pizza is lame! Seriously.  There is always something off with the dough.  Like its pre-made or frozen pizza dough.  Pizza Mia has that chewy, yummy dough.  I actually want to eat the crust instead of just throwing it out.

Christina - I don’t have any other Filipino-style designs, although I would like to find artwork that can be translated into cross stitch.