Back in November, we decided to grow my daughters hair out, but her hair kept getting in her eyes.  Bows come in and out easily, so I decided I’d try to make her some headbands.  You could make some for yourself, too, and your daughter might be extra excited about wearing headbands, just like Mommy.

Materials Needed:

• material
• an elastic hair band/ponytail holder without the metal
• coordinating thread

Instructions

1. Measure around your toddler’s head to the nape of her neck.
2. Cut your material to the appropriate size and iron flat.  [Cut a rectangle that is double the width of what you want your headband to end up, plus about 1/2 in for seam allowance and 3 inches less than measurement you got from step 1.  I think I cut mine 3.5 x 15.5inches.  If you want it to be reversible with two different patterns, cut accordingly.]
3. Measure in on the bottom ends in about 1/2 “  on each side and mark, draw a line up to the top corners and you will have a tapered rectangle.
4. Fold right sides together “hot dog style” and iron flat.
5. Then pin together and sew around, but leave a “U shape” opening in the bottom, as if you were sewing a pillow.
6. Turn tube of fabric inside out and iron flat.  Also, fold a 1/4 inch or so on each end and iron down.
7. Put elastic pony tail on one end inside the flap created in step 6.  Fold the 1/4 over the pony tail, and sew straight down.
8. Do the same with the other side.
9. And you’re all done.

I made the headband in the pictures and a pink one.  I also made a reversible one: one side black and one side red.  Abi loves them.  Let me know if you have any questions.

Just a little note to say that I have done a few crafty projects that I thought I’d share with you . . . sometime.  I just need to write up some tutorials.  So, you can look forward to learning how to make:

• Baby Square Crinkle Mini Blanket

• Fabric Headbands

• Baby Legwarmers (I’m still working on these, so I haven’t uploaded the pictures, yet.

I love these soaps from Bath and Body Works.  Not only do they smell great, but they’re soft on your hands, and it’s so much easier for Abi to wash her hands with the “bubble soap.”

I had even put them on my wish list for Christmas this year because we just ran out of the bottles in our kitchen and guest bathroom.  Then, I discovered there might be a way to make the foaming soap with regular soap and save lots of money.  Easy and super quick.

Ingredients

• An empty bottle of Bath & Body Works Gentle Foaming Hand soap
• Any liquid antibacterial soap (I used Bath & Body Works)

Directions

1. Put about an inch of the liquid soap into the empty foaming bottle.
2. Pour water into the bottle pretty slowly.
3. Screw the lid on, and turn the bottle upside down slowly several times.  Try not to shake it up because it’ll get too soapy.  And you’re finished!

Also, you could just keep pouring a little water into your regular Bath & Body works Foamy Soap whenever it gets a low.

*In these pictures I used a creamy hand soap, which didn’t work as well as when I used a liquid hand soap.

My brothers and I always stayed up late to watch Late Night with Conan O’Brien.  We’ve always loved him.  There is no one funnier than he.  And luckily, the husband has good taste in comedians, too, and he prefers Conan to all the rest.  I’m sure you’ve heard the latest news about Jay Leno (UGH) trying to take the Tonight Show back from Conan.  But have you seen this video, where Jimmy Kimmel cracks on Leno during his interview?  Love it!

Also, I’m sure you’re aware of the playoffs for the Superbowl.  Well, I’ve always been a Packers fan, mostly because of Brett Favre.  But now, he plays for the Vikings, so I’m cheering for them.  Below is a video of him leading his team in “Pants on the Ground.”

PAMPERS Gifts to Grow Codes

Worth 10 Points Each

• JUSTFOROURFANS1
• WELCOME2GTG2010

HUGGIES Enjoy the Ride Codes: (here are some codes I’ve posted in the past)

Worth 5 Points Each:

• BCTDHBQWLPZKPGB
• BCSTDHJZXTKPPGB
• BXZWTNJFSLHCPGB
• MLXRCCNRWKKWPGB

Worth 1 Point Each:

• BGGHSPLHNBLFPGB
• BGCSZMBLDWWDPGB
• BGCJJZSTLNNSPGB
• BGDZBQLXKNNCPGB

Here are some of the things you’ve done this past month:

• Before I put you in your crib for a nap, we sing a few songs, unless you say, “Get in bed.”  Well, for the last few days, you’ve been requesting songs.  Like today, I said, “Do you want to sing a song?”  You said, “Yes, Blue Skies [and] Rainbows.”  So we sang that.  You help fill in the words when I pause.  Your other requests were: “Twinkle, Twinkle,” “B-I-B-L-E,” “Book of the Bible,” “Sunshine (You are my Sunshine),” and “A B Cs.”
• You can count to eight and then, you stop.
• If we ask you, “What color is this?”  You normally answer “Pink” to everything.  But if we say, “Bring me the red (or blue or yellow or green or pink or purple) cup, you do that!
• You always recognize these letters when I point to them, and you say: A, B, C, F, O, P, T, W, and you know a lot of the others, too.  I’m pretty sure W is your favorite letter.
• You don’t say your ABCs by yourself, but if we say A, you’ll say B, then we say C and you’ll say D on down to Z.  So you know them well.  (There’s a clip of this in the video below.)
• Same with the books of the New Testament.  It’s so cute to hear you say “Thessalonians” or Philippians” because they have so many syllables, but you pronounce them so well.  (There’s a clip of this in the video below.)
• In the mornings when I come to get you out of bed, I’ll say, “Is Abi awake?”  You say, “Yes.  Sleep sack off; humidifier off; get out of the bed.”
• You’re still not so great in the eating department, but we always make sure to get you out of your high chair on a happy note.  We taught you to say, “Thank you for the food.  Please may I get down” (which is what my parents made me and my siblings say when we were in elementary school).  When you say it, you can’t help but smile and bounce around.
• You help Daddy make and eat pancakes every Saturday while Momma tries to get a few extra minutes of sleep.
• Instead of saying, “You want the book/cup/toy,” etc like you used to do.  Now, you say, “May I have the book, please?”  I love teaching you good grammar so young!
• You’re starting to do imaginative playing: you’ll “squirt” us with your water faucet from your play kitchen.  You’ll let Mr Bear drink your milk.  You tell me you’re cooking pancakes in the morning.

Here’s your Monthly Video:

Every month we’re amazed at how much you learn and change.  We love watching you grow.

Abigail was so fun to watch this Christmas.  This year, she was able to open presents by herself and say things like, “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  I like Santa Claus.  Santa Claus says, ‘Ho, ho, ho.’  Thank you for the present.”

Abi had 6 opportunities to open presents:

1. On Christmas Eve, we opened one present each.                                  



2. On Christmas Day, Jonathan, Abigail, and I opened presents at our house. 
3. Then, we went over to GramB and PapaBon’s and opened presents with my siblings, their spouses, and our nephew.                                                                                                



4. On the 26th, a package came in the mail, and she opened a present.
5. On the 27th, while Jonathan’s parents were here, she opened some more presents from them.                                                                                     



6. On the 28th, she opened some presents from my aunt and uncle.

On the 29th, she woke up and said, “May I have more presents [to] open, please.”  Umm, no, but nice try.

Other highlights:

• My parents got a toy dog that Abi named “Mr. Floppy” because his ears would flop as he sang a Christmas song.  At first, she was a little timid of him, but then, she started asking every two seconds to “Push Mr. Floppy’s paw” so she could dance, jump, and spin to his music.                                              



• It snowed about 7 inches early, early Christmas Eve.  In fact, the snow is still on the ground at our house.                                                                                          
• You can see more Christmas pictures here on the updated Photos page.