Baby Shower Puzzle Piece Messages

 Foam Puzzle Pieces For Guests to Write a Message to the Baby, or to Simply Sign Their Name! 

Just simply buy a cheap pack of these little foam puzzle piece squares with the letters and/or numbers on one side (for future play and learning with baby) and use the other side for messages from guests at the baby shower! We used sharpie to write the individual messages! 

This is a super cool and creative way to remember who all came to the baby shower, and your child can keep those messages for as long as they want!

Hang the pieces up in your child's room for decoration, or simply put them away for safe keeping until whenever you're ready to pull em' back out!

Postpartum Depression and Other Mental Illness in Mothers

Dealing With Mental Illness as a Mother 

    If you're reading this particular post, I'm sure it is because you, or someone you know has a mental illness and is also a mother. Dealing with both at the same time can be extremely frustrating and I am here to tell you, you are not alone! I can provide some tips and phone numbers for support, but it is truly up to you to actually work on coping with your mental illness in a way that fits your child's lifestyle and needs first. 

    Personally, I have severe depression and anxiety; bipolar runs in my family but I have not been formally diagnosed with the illness, and I have PTSD, all untreated since I turned 18 back in 2017. When I first got pregnant, back in March of 2019, I was overwhelmed, but I also felt confident. It was not until the end of my pregnancy that my mental illness began to affect me a little more. It was difficult to leave the house, except for work. I worked 4 to 5 days a week up until I gave birth, and working that often helped to keep my mind off of my mental illness. However, I know that there are moms out there who are not able to work as often as I was, so it can be even harder on them. It can also be harder for some women to just "focus on something else" so it is important to ensure that you know you are not alone, you have resources. 

    It is important to keep active (as much as allowed) and to keep in contact with friends and family. Keeping a social life going can be difficult when preparing for a new baby, but it is very important. Family has been our biggest savior as we have been raising our daughter through this pandemic, and struggling from paycheck to paycheck while I was searching for a dependable job. They also buy me food, which is a major bonus when you're a new mom!

Friends. Something that can be very rare for moms to have. But friends are very important! Try to get out and spend time with them, if you can. Don't allow yourself to just remain curled up at home binge watching Netflix and eating snacks while you're pregnant. Don't allow yourself to keep you and your baby away from sunlight! Get up, go to lunch, go to a movie theater, just get some human interaction. It can really make a difference! 

-Some other things that can help you-

    *Sunlight: Helps to radiate positive vibes.

    *Exercise

    *Personal Time: Have someone watch the baby for a few hours so you can take time to yourself!

    *Sleep: Have someone watch the baby so that you can catch a couple of extra hours of sleep!

    *Hobbies: Try to revisit some of your old hobbies, see if something helps you feel more positive.

    *CBD products: CBD has been known to be a safe remedy for any mental illness.

    *Aromatherapy

    *Acupuncture/Massage

   

   

 If you are struggling with mental illness and you need someone to talk to, feel free to reach out to me. I may not respond right away, but I will do my best to respond as soon as possible. I would much rather listen to your story than to hear another tragic story about a mother losing her life to post-partum depression or any other mental illness. Your child needs you! You are the light of their heart, and the very best part of you is in them, so it is extremely important to make them feel happy and loved, and to show them that YOU are happy. 

Below are some numbers or websites you can call/visit if you are struggling with postpartum depression or other illnesses. Remember, you are not alone! Many mothers experience postpartum depression, or struggle with other mental illnesses, and there is help out there for you!

*https://www.postpartumdepression.org/support

*https://www.betterhelp.com/start/

*"National Postpartum Support International (PSI) Phone number (helpline): (800) 944-4773 (Spanish and English) Leave a toll-free and confidential message any time, and one of the helpline volunteers will return your call as soon as possible providing basic information, resources, and support."

*1-800-662-HELP - Depression hotline

*my email: javamomma.trinitymitts@yahoo.com

Baby Quilt

The Pattern and Tips for Making a Quilt for Your Baby

For as long as I can remember, my grandmother has always made quilts, or blankets for people in our family, or she has helped family members make them for someone else. She helped my step mom make one for my sister using pre-made squares that she had in a pattern book. My sister still uses that blanket and she is now ten years old. When I first found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to make a quilt for my baby, but I did not have the money, nor did I know what I was doing. 

My grandmother showed me that Joann Fabrics actually offers several coupons and discounts through their app, we used those and ended up only spending about $80 on all of the materials needed for the quilt. My grandmother also had this pattern for me to use as well, which I love, I will share it with you all below.

When it comes to choosing fabric for your quilt, this particular quilt pattern calls for 4 different colors, a border, and the back fabric for the blanket. For one of my colors, I used the same material for the border as well, to kind of tie it all together. 

Make sure you choose materials that your baby would enjoy. For example, I used a purple silk fabric for the border and one of my colored square options as well. I am using a soft grey Minkee material for the back. The other three colors vary in texture as well. 

The pattern specifically asks that you use all Minkee fabrics, but you do not have to. I certainly did not use all Minkee fabrics.

Fabric Requirements:

* 1/4 yard each of 4 different colors (9" X 60")

* 1/2 yard Minkee for the outside border

* 1 1/2 yards flannel (you do not have to use flannel, I didn't. But if you do, pre-wash it!)

* Binding - 1 package of Satin Quilt Binding 

Cutting Instructions:

*From EACH color of Minkee

        -Cut (2) 4" X 30" strips 

                >Cut (16) 4" squares 

*From the border Minkee (1/2 yard)

        -Cut (4) 4 1/2" X 60" strips 

                >Cut (2) 4 1/2" X 28"

                >Cut (2) 4 1/2" X 45" 

Assembly Instructions:

1. To mark pre-washed flannel, use a washout marker and draw a line lengthwise on the WRONG SIDE, 6" from the selvage (Figure 1 in the picture)

2. Mark again this time horizontally across the cut edge of the fabric - squaring up the mark - 6" from the cut edge (figure 2)

3. You will now be using a Temporary Spray adhesive (they recommend 505 Temporary Adhesive I did not do this because I did not use FLANNEL) to secure the 4" squares temporarily to the flannel. Spray about a 10" strip across the flannel to the right and below the drawn lines. Place 7 assorted pre-cut squares along the drawn lines. You will butt the edges very close together - and DO NOT OVERLAP  the edges. 

            Row 1 (their example): Purple, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Yellow, Blue. Purple

4. Place 7 more pre-cut squares as shown in Figure 4. Butt all edges close and do not overlap.

            Row 2 (their example): Blue, Yellow, Pink, Purple, Pink, Yellow, Blue

5. Continue using the colors as listed below to complete the "Trip Around The World" quilt. You will continue spraying the fabric as needed with the adhesive and work your way through the remaining rows. Figure 5.

            Row 3: Yellow, Pink, Purple, Blue, Purple, Pink, Yellow

            Row 4: Pink, Purple, Blue, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink

            Row 5: Purple, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Yellow, Blue, Purple

            Row 6: Pink, Purple, Blue, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink

            Row 7: Yellow, Pink, Purple, Blue, Purple, Pink, Yellow

            Row 8: Blue, Yellow, Pink, Purple, Pink, Yellow, Blue

            Row 9: Purple, Blue, Yellow, Pink, Yellow, Blue, Purple

Finish the instructions using the images! 

5.

Morning Sickness

Other remedies ^

 Some tips and tricks for nausea while pregnant:

When I was pregnant, I spent most mornings, and evenings, by the toilet. It wasn't fun at all, and it happened every single day. Morning sickness doesn't only occur in the mornings, it can occur at any time of day while pregnant. Mornings and evenings were typically the worst for me, but any time that I would get slightly too hot, or too hungry, I would get sick. There were several different tips that other moms gave me, I'll include those here as well, but nothing seemed to work for my morning sickness... nothing except:

Cheez-its: these delicious crackers are actually pretty helpful with morning sickness. It allowed me to put something on my stomach, that would stay down long enough for my body to start recovering from being sick faster. Highly recommend if you have trouble eating while pregnant.

Pedialyte: this drink was another thing that allowed me to get some of the nutrients I needed for my daughter while not being able to keep much down. Many people say to freeze them, or get pedialyte pops for a more fun way of eating them. Plus the coldness of the popsicle is supposed to help as well. 

Zofran: when everything else failed, and absolutely nothing else worked, I would use Zofran. Its a nausea medication that dissolves in your mouth and is prescribed by your doctor. There were times when the dissolvable pills wouldn't work and I'd have to go into the hospital for fluids and Zofran to be inserted through my IV. Do this if you need to, its completely safe and super helpful. 

Other ideas: 

*Jolly Ranchers: sucking on jolly ranchers or other hard candy can be really helpful according to many of my mom friends.

*Crackers

*Baby Food such as Applesauce, and Bananas

*Pretzels: they worked for me at the beginning as well!

*Hot Tea: yes, too much caffeine can be bad. So use non-caffeinated or one with little caffeine. Besides, a cup a day is completely safe.

*Tums: if your nausea is due to heartburn, Tums may help you out quite a bit!

If you have any suggestions that I could add, please comment! 

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This momma has got some work to do, so I'm out for now! 

Evelyn's Room

 Girl's Nursery 

When I was trying to decide what to do with Evelyn's room, I was bombarded with different themes and ideas by family and friends. "You should do unicorns!" Or, "Oh my gosh, a Disney Princess Theme would be amazing!" I loved most of the themes and ideas, but I didn't want to predetermine what movies or characters she would like best. 

I did decide to use a Lilac Purple and a Light Pink color theme throughout her nursery though, which yes, they are "girlie colors" but the colors will change according to her taste as she grows.

*Her crib is white wood, it is one that can transition with her through toddlerhood. 

*We've got a homemade pink sheet on it right now. My grandmother made the sheet to match the quilt I am working on for Evelyn. 

*A crochet purple blanket is draped over the side of the crib. My grandmother made it.

*She has a cute tall, but shallow wardrobe that was painted purple and customized by my brother, uncle, and grandparents. 

*She's got a wooden rocking chair, given to us by Steven's (Evelyn's father) grandmother, it was once his great-grandmothers', so cool! 

*There is a wooden dresser that once belonged to her dad, when he was just a boy. There were some stickers on it from when Steven and his siblings were younger, so we just put more on it, and will be allowing Evelyn to do the same! 

*She has a large desk station made of wood. It has an upper shelving, as well as 6 drawers! My previous Stepmother painted it for my siblings and I when we were younger, it even has all of our names on it! We will be putting Evelyn's name on it soon! 

*We took the lilac purple pom poms and the Minnie Mouse balloon from my baby shower and hung them in her room for decoration. Super cute idea!

*For her WINDOWS, she has lilac purple curtains, which are black-out curtains! We hope to put purple beads up one day if she's still into purple. At the top of the windows, we used my old pink canopy that I had hanging over my bed as a child, and we cut it to fit over each window in her room, creating a beautiful window setup. I absolutely adore the setup of her windows, my grandmother came up with the idea.

*BASKETS are extremely helpful with keeping baby stuff organized. She has one for her socks, one for her burp cloths, receiving blankets, hats, and more! We use a ton of little containers or baskets. I even use one of those storage cubbies that is collapsible, I use it for her bath towels and rags, it is sitting inside of her purple wardrobe. 

*HAIR BOWS are something that people tend to struggle with how exactly to store them, especially if you have a ton like we do. I use, clothes pins. Yes, super easy, simple hack. You just glue them to something (we have them on the front of her wardrobe) or clip them on something else, along with the hair bow (we use a little back-of-the-door baby storage shelving, and I clip them along the different shelves) this way, you can easily see all of the bows you have, and more accurately match one to your little girl's outfit! 

*Her STUFFED ANIMALS will eventually have to go in a net hanging across the ceiling, but until I can get one, we use the top shelf of her desk and an old bassinet that was used by Evelyn's father when he was a baby. 

*I currently have boxes full of clothes that she has grown out of, or is growing in to, organized in the corner by her desk, it looks a little cluttered, yes, but when you're limited on space, it works! 

*She has a little blue laundry basket that I use for blankets. The pink and purple hamper shown in the first picture is used for toys, or miscellaneous items. She also has a ducky hamper that we use for dirty clothes!

*It is also a great idea to put your child's name up in their room somewhere. Evelyn's name is up on the triangle-banner. We also use the letter E in a few different places in her room as well.  

Let me know if you have any questions about nursery storage or organization ideas! 

The images are low quality due to poor lighting in her bedroom, and the room is slightly messy, these images were taken shortly after I got home from the hospital so it hadn't been completely organized just yet.