New fabric!

I just purchased this gorgeous fabric by Michael Miller today! I can't wait for it to arrive so I can start sewing! I have visions of blankets, bibs, burp cloths and so much more! I bought some cotton and some flannel, so I will be able to offer more matching items in my shop!

It's like Christmas in March, I can hardly stand the wait! I'm off to go design some summer items! :)

Ahhh, Spring!

Well, spring is finally showing itself around here. Yesterday we reached a high of about 45 degrees and we took full advantage! Nadija and I ran a few errands and washed the car, and then we were off for our first walk of the year.

I bundled her up appropriately, strapped her in the stroller and off we went! It felt so good to be outside with the sun shining and breathing the fresh air. We had quite a few puddles to dodge due to massive amounts of melting snow, but that didn't stop us! Nadija, clearly enjoying the walk as much as I was, kicked her feet, waved her hands and squealed with joy.

It was a short walk, though, since I couldn't keep mittens on Nadija's hands. So we just walked around our subdivision and retreated indoors. We didn't let being inside bring our spirits down though, so we cranked up the music and proceeded to dance around our living room.

After a brisk walk in the fresh air and lot of hard playing, Nadija was pretty worn out. I put her down for a nap, expecting her to wake in an hour. Much to my surprise, she slept for almost 2.5 hours! She was really worn out!

Though it's expected to drop back down in the 30's this week, we're definitely looking forward to our next walk in the sun and the sweet smell of fresh air!

Taking a stand

Nadija has been cruising along furniture for quite some time now. I'd say it's been about a month and a 1/2. She's getting very confident in her cruising abilities, too, as I will often find her standing on one foot with the other kicking out to the side.

She seems to be nervous about walking, though, because even though she has mastered cruising, she refuses to walk with me while I hold her hands. Typically if I try to get her to walk with me she will just sit down and crawl to me.

I think we're making headway though, because yesterday as she was using me as her crutch, she pushed off a bit and stood by herself for a few seconds! I'm so excited that she is taking steps (no pun intended) toward learning how to walk! Maybe my back will get some relief in the near future!

Baby Signs!

I started introducing baby signs to Nadija when she was about 6 months old. I had seen other babies signing to their parents and knew that it was something I wanted to teach her. I started with the basics - milk, eat and more. After many months of religiously saying the words and signing them to Nadija we were finally rewarded with her first sign when she was about 10 months old. She raised her little hand and opened and closed her fist, signing to me that she wanted milk.

Although she knew the sign, she didn't use it very often. I'm assuming because she didn't fully understand that she could get her needs met with her new found "language." Continuing to show her the signs every time I said the word, I was beginning to wonder if she would ever really grasp the baby signs.

Well, a couple of weeks ago just after she turned 11 months old, the light bulb came on and is shining bright! With her new found understanding of sign language, Nadija is asking for milk at least 10 times a day now - a drastic increase from the 4-5 times she used to nurse! Now, I'm certain she wasn't parched prior to her learning the sign. I think she's just excited to try out her new skill!

Now that she knows that she can communicate with us, she's picking up more signs all the time. She just recently started making the spider motion for itsy-bitsy spider and has picked up the sign for "more" and is trying her hand at "eat."

It's so exciting to see her growing and learning. Sometimes I just can't wait to learn more signs myself so I can teach them to her! It has been so rewarding just seeing her sign the few signs that she knows, I can't wait for her to learn many more!

To learn more about baby signs and start communicating with your baby, visit the baby signs site here

BOGO Sale!

Babytopia has been taken over by leg warmers! So I decided to run a sale to make room for new items! Now until March 21st, all of my leg warmers are buy one get one 1/2 off! I have lots of cute styles in stock and a few more to come!

Of course, this will most likely be a re-occurring event, since I absolutely LOVE making these! They're so addictive that I have to remind myself to work on other things to keep a variety in my shop.

They're such fantastic little additions to a child's wardrobe though, since they last for years. Babies can wear them all the way up to their thighs to keep them warm and make diaper changes and potty training a breeze. Toddlers can wear them around their lower legs as cute little fashion statements or to keep their legs warm traveling to and from dance lessons. They can also be worn as arm warmers by older children! The options really are endless with these!

I think my sewing machine is calling me!