opening and closing hinged boxes

Although the weather has been too nice to spend very much time inside, Elise has been enjoying this new opening and closing lesson.  It's quite a bit more challenging than this one - at first I was concerned I'd missed that balance of not too easy/not too hard, but she figured it out! 

One of the biggest challenges is deciding which side of the box will open.  The interesting objects inside encourage Elise to keep trying until she gets it right!

    open the box

take out the object

 put the object back in

close the box

repeat 

(again and again!)

looking back at baby elise part 3: handmade baby

Elise turns one in a month!!!  Over the next few weeks, I'm going to celebrate by posting some of my favorite memories of her first months that I haven't shared on itty bitty love.  :)
  

A handful of items made from FREE patterns that Elise has used and loved...  

 

 monster pants

ravelry pattern: Das Monster by Hrönn Jónsdóttir

burp cloths

tutorial:  mama says sew

reversible flannel receiving blanket

tutorial: stay-at-home artist

braided balls

ravelry pattern: Gevlochten Bal/Braided Ball by Marleen Hartog

 super simple skirt with lining

tutorial:  Straight Grain

Happy crafting!

one year ago today...

One year ago today, Hubs and I did a little pregnancy photo shoot after work.  I felt like I was about to pop and completely certain that I was going to give birth at any moment.  Little did I know that I still had 23 more days to go - ha!  I'm getting another looking back at baby Elise post ready for Thursday, but I thought it would be fun to take a little look back at myself, too! 

a little tour: e in the living room

Our living room is definitely the heart of our home, the place where we spend most of our indoor time.  From the beginning, Hubs and I knew that we wanted it to be engaging for little people, as-well-as comfortable for us grown ups.  Now that Elise is older and more mobile, we have plans to rearrange.  Before we do that, here's a little peek at how we've had it set up during the first year of Elise's life. 

Where's all your furniture?  Yes, I know it looks a little empty, but when Elise was a few months old and laying on her back and belly, I wanted her to have an unobstructed view of the whole room.  Then, as she began to roll and scoot, all that open space allowed her plenty of freedom to practice her new moves.

The lower shelves of our bookcase have been designated for Elise's books and activities.  Before Elise was mobile, I took things off the shelf for her and she played with them in front of her mirror or on the rug.  As soon as she started rolling, this shelf was her top destination!  

I was going to get rid of our coffee table, but a good friend suggested that I move it against the wall instead.  I'm so glad I took her advice!  The coffee table ended up being one of the first places where Elise practiced pulling up and standing.  Lately, I've been putting a puzzle on top of the table for Elise to stand and take the pieces out of  - she loves doing this!  Underneath the table, there are baskets of diaper supplies, blankets, burp clothes, etc.

A few months ago, we set up a shelf for Elise on the other side of the room, too.  Arranging Elise's activities on shelves keeps everything orderly and appealing, and it's a snap to clean up because everything has its place.  Elise's sense of order is so strong, she notices immediately if something has been changed on one of the shelves.  Also, having the two shelves across the room from each other has really encouraged Elise to move!

Well, that's the tour - now I'm off to start rearranging.  I'm really excited because Hubs and I have decided to turn our tv room into a craft studio!  Woo hoo!!!  

looking back at baby elise part 2: montessori mobiles

Elise turns one in a month!!!  Over the next few weeks, I'm going to celebrate by posting some of my favorite memories of her first months that I haven't shared on itty bitty love.  :)

black and white circles mobile

Elise's age: birth to 5 weeks

Notes:  I used a paper punch to cut lots of circles out of black and white paper.  Then, I sewed the circles into long strands with my sewing machine, and tied them to a wire hoop that Hubs made.

   

This was one of Elise and my favorite mobiles because the slightest movement of air made the circles dance!

the munari mobile

Elise's age:  birth to 5 weeks

Notes:  I followed this tutorial.  I made the shapes from felt - which I would not recommend!  Although they looked nice, they were heavy, and this is a seriously tricky mobile to balance.  The sphere I chose was a glass ornament found on ebay.

Elise and Hubs sleeping under the Munari mobile on our first day home from the hospital - Elise is only two days old!  Oh, how I love these people!!!

the octahedron mobile

Elise's age:  5-8 weeks

Notes:  This mobile was the easiest of all the mobiles to make!  I followed this tutorial.  With my mom's help, we put it all together in less than 2 hours.  I found the metallic card stock in the scrap-booking section of Micheal's. 

 

the gobbi mobile

Elise's age:  8 weeks and beyond!

Notes:  I used these instructions.  My mom and I spent an entire day making this mobile.  We even dyed the wool ourselves with Kool-Aid!  We attached eye screws to the wool spheres (they easily twisted into the felt), and then tied the string to them.  I've since taken this mobile apart, and we've been using the balls in other activities!

Although it isn't a mobile, I wanted to include this beautiful black and white quilt my mom made Elise.  At first, we hung it over the edge of her bassinet - Elise is 3 days old in this photo.  Later, it became a perfect spot for tummy time!

If you're feeling very pregnant and full of nesting energy, I would highly recommend making any of these mobiles!  I was so glad I had a little selection for Elise's first months of life.