Is She A Good Baby? Part 2: Being Held

Whenever you find moms trying to get to know each other and make small talk, at least around here, usually sooner than later someone asks, "Is she a good baby?"  I always answer "yes", but really, what am I supposed to say? 

"No, I'm pretty sure she's the Antichrist, but we love her anyways."

This is Part 2 of my series "Is She A Good Baby?", inspired by the book "Our Babies, Our Selves".  You can read Part 1 here. 

Baby! Why don't you want to be on the floor?  Bad Baby!

So, sleeping through the night is one of the hallmarks of a "good baby".  Another one is a low need for being held.  This is never so apparent as when having other people, especially ones unfamiliar with attachment parenting, care for your baby.

We rarely have other people, even family members, watch Ivy.  Not because we don't want to get out, oh no, that's DEFINITELY not it.  And not because we are leery about letting her be cared for by others.  Mitch was having sleepovers at 1 month old and all of the older kids have made the rounds to drop-in childcares, church nurseries, babysitters, and the like.  We tried to do the same with Ivy, but by about 3 months old it was pretty apparent that she wasn't like our other kids.  The other kids happily bounced from one caregiver to another with ease.  They entertained themselves well and were pretty "easy" to care for.  Well, easy one at a time anyhow.  Together as a mob they get a bit out of control.

Moving On Up

As you may (or may not) have noticed, it's been a while since my last blog.  Don't think I've forgotten about you dear readers.  I've just been busy with that pesky thing called life, but also, in August I started a new job at All Things Diapers.  Only part time, but all that part time work kind of ate up all of my blogging time.  Well, not all of it.  Part of my job over there is write for the store blog.  Can you believe it?  A paid blogging gig!  Very exciting stuff.  Very different from the free and easy style of my personal blog, but still exciting.  So, dear readers, forgive me for leaving this blog feeling a little like a vacant house with the furniture and everything still in it.  I'll still stop by from time to time.  Not every topic that pops into my head or my life is appropriate for an All Things Diapers blog post so I'll still need your ear sometimes, but please please come visit me over at the All Things Diapers blog too.  Have a fabulous fall :-)

Godspeed,

Elizabeth

Queen Mab Reigns

I always have such good intentions when it comes to crafts.  It's such a family joke that whenever someone says, "I could make that", we all laugh at them.  My basement is full of boxes of art and craft supplies and patterns purchased with good intentions.  But the road to hell is paved with superwash yarn and mosaic garden paver kits.  Speaking of superwash yarn though, I actually finished a craft project today that I wanted to share with you because it is so quick, easy, and satisfying.  I finished it in one park playdate and one after-the-kids-are-in-bed time.  It's THAT quick. 

It's a Waldorf play crown.  Some of you may be thinking hotels and apple salad, but in this context Waldorf is referring to the educational approach.  It's Montessori's long haired hippie cousin.  They really emphasize imagination and fantasy during the preschool years.  They also value simple, high quality toys made from natural materials - but who doesn't?  So, long story short, a knitted wool crown becomes infinitely more hip when you call it a "Waldorf Play Crown".  Call it what you want, my kids love it.

The pattern is available for free over at Tangled.  Pamela there did a year of free patterns for 2010 and this crown was November's offering.

So, if your kids are bored this summer, maybe all they need is a few crowns to get those imaginative juices flowing.  Pair one of these with some flower fairy wings a la The Artful Parent and who knows what might happen...

"O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.

She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes

In shape no bigger than an agate-stone

On the fore-finger of an alderman.."