remember the tutu that i got on consignment?

it's a hit. like, such a hit that she wants to wear it everyday. and yes, i took her to "school" (playgroup at a preschool) like this. lucy's now famous with the 2-year old set as the "girl wif da pwetty dress."

:)

check out these babies...

aww, triplets. aren't they cute? in that icky-plastic-made-in-china-junk-doll-kind-of-way? well, don't worry, i haven't lost my head (entirely). lucy's "school" that we attend twice weekly is seriously hard up for some babydolls. many catfights have ensued, my sweet darling baby girl often heading up the punches. seriously, people, we can't expect 15 toddlers to share 1 babydoll and a couple lame-o teddy bears, can we? i think not. everyone knows that teddy bears are unacceptable alternatives to babies.

i picked up these beauties at a thrift shop today at the unfathomable price of 69 cents each. and while i'd totally prefer to be donating dolls made of safer plastic or cloth, i gotta do what fits the budget. and be happy that i'm giving a few unwanted dollies a new home where they'll be loved and adored for years to come, instead of hitting up target for some in-the-box-plastic. i'm also pleased that they don't have that babydoll-fresh-scent to them that new babies have. does this mean they've off-gassed?

well, this post is just a reminder that (for nearly all items) buying used is an excellent, eco-friendly alternative to buying new. even when said items are friends made out of plastic.

and i have to admit i think the middle one is kinda cute. i like her pouty face.

recently "upcycled" at the valley girl home...

every so often we need to replace our house broom, demoting the old broom into one that can be used in the garage or backyard. but this time around, lucy got a pint-sized broom of her very own. she's super keen on helping me do anything around the house--to the point where her "help" is more of a really cute (and slightly frustrating) hinderance. lucy was very often after my broom in a big way as i swept. no longer. jeremy just sawed off the top of our old broom and put the plastic cap back over the sawed-off end. a little bit of duct tape is ensuring that the cap stays on so that the jagged edge isn't a safety hazard. lucy's happy, i can now sweep in peace with my little helper nearby, and we found use for something that might have otherwise been tossed. pure success!




 

cleaning up the great outdoors is no small task, my friends. but lucy seems up to the task!

great gift #5

still going with the great gifts.. there are a few left to share!

check out lucy's new sandbox toys (to go with her brand-new sandbox): 

this set is by green toys, a great company that make toys for kids out of recycled milk jugs. lucy already has the tea set, kitchen set and indoor gardening kit--can you tell we are a fan of this brand?

the toys have a great, heavy-duty feel to them, much unlike the typical plastic sand toys that can be bought at target or the dollar store. i came across a bunch of cheap toys stashed in my garage from my days as a nanny, and they have such a crappy feel to them when compared with the green toys set. lucy loves the rope handle on the sand bucket--i guess it's the little things!

great gift #4...

sometimes the best gifts are little packages. case in point: this capri sun container, upcycled into the cutest little pouch i have ever seen, complete with velcro closure. i say it's the perfect size for my alba lip gloss. lucy says it's the perfect size for holding a handful of her annie's white cheddar bunny crackers. wonder who will win out on this great debate? only time will tell...

great gift #3...

lucy didn't get too much from us for her birthday (her big gift was a sandbox built by jeremy) but we did buy her a few small presents--one of which we we found at home depot. what can you get a one-year old at home depot? take a look!

how about a pair of miniature table legs? these legs make great little clacking stick instruments, just like the ones i've seen at upscale toy stores, but were actually super cheap--i think we paid around $5 for both. lucy seems to enjoy them, doesn't she? (lucy enjoys anything that makes a lot of noise.) i imagine they'd be fun to gnaw on for a teething baby, too. as an extra eco-friendly bonus, the sticks are made from fsc-certified wood. rock on, lucy!

great gift #2...

a brand-new table, sized just right for little lucy. this table was built by her loving nonno (italian for grandfather) out of redwood, and she's taken to it right away. so much, in fact, that she spent a good 25 minutes during her party just sitting at her table with a small plate of food, watching her guests go about the yard. i think she prefers it much more than her high chair. fine by me--i am always up for a picnic. i have semi-immediate plans of whipping up a couple of tablecloths, one in oilcloth that will be a snap to wipe down and another one with a fancier feel (for all of her fine-dining events). we will also probably see about getting a mini-umbrella to fit the table and keep her protected from the sun while she eats and plays. as for the table itself, we haven't decided whether to paint it or stain it to help prevent it from weathering. we'll see. 

"thank you nonno! for the table AND the cherries!"

a party was had...

we are still coming down off of our birthday party high--lucy's first party party was an absolute blast and i am thrilled with how it all turned out. over the next week, i'll be sorting though pictures to post (we're waiting to get over 1,000 photos back from our wonderful photographer--yikes, i see a lot of scrapbooking in my near future). 

we made it clear on lucy's invites that we did not expect gifts, but of course received a few presents here and there that were greatly appreciated. i'll be posting our favorites over the next few days as i sort though photos, just to keep you all entertained in the meantime. thanks for hanging in while we were so busy with party planning!

here's an amazing gift from my brother's super talented girlfriend jaime:  

a set of 10 alphabet blocks, knitted from wool and then felted. i cannot imagine the time and effort that must have gone into this project. i was literally astounded to hold this set in my hands. that little lucy is a very lucky girl! she enjoys stacking (and knocking over) her brand-new blocks. i just like looking and them and marveling over jamie's ambition!

what we're loving...

this is a cloth-diapering momma's dream:

a pair of gorgeous, hand-knitted wool "shorties."



a matching cap. an adorable model. this adorable set was handmade by my brother's extremely talented girlfriend jaime as a christmas gift for lucy. the shorties ended up needing a slight tweak to accommodate lucy's chunky thighs (which are almost a foot in diameter--no exaggeration!) and they're now a perfect fit. wool is amazing--once properly lanolized, it contains wetness as well as PUL but is naturally antibacterial and breathable. more on lanolizing in another post--it's my bedtime!
lucy is sporting a kicky pants bamboo shirt. the softest thing i've ever felt in the way of everyday baby clothes, aside from the shorties, of course. bamboo is naturally organic and antibacterial, and apparently stays 2-3 degrees warmer in the cold and 2-3 degrees cooler in the heat. lucy likes how it accentuates her tummy, and i can't help but agree. this ensemble is a very good look!

lucy LOVES sophie...

please meet sophie the giraffe.

made from all-natural rubber and decorated with food-grade paints, sophie is a natural alternative to plastic baby teethers. with a hollow inside, she's soft and malleable, which i imagine must be very nice to toothless gums. she's also quite easy to grip--take a look at that nice long neck and those four skinny legs. the ears and horns are great for detail-oriented chompers, and those rosy cheeks are awfully cheeful, too.

i know what you're thinking... sophie kinda looks like a dog toy. well, get this--sophie has a squeaker, which means she sounds like a dog toy too. but at about $20 each, i wouldn't be handing over sophie to any dog, no matter how much they promised to behave.

no, sophie is a baby toy. i've spotted her now and again in other mother's diaper bags, at baby boutiques, and most recently in a catalog for land of nod... someone seems to be gaining popularity! as a general rule, we don't leave home without our little giraffe. at a friend's home a few weeks back, i was interested to learn that sophie is hugely popular in france (she's crafted in the french alps), and that practically all french babies have a sophie of their very own. this tidbit was told to me by a woman who lived in france, and came to california not long before having children of her own. once she knew she was pregnant, she called home and asked friends to ship over a sophie immediately!

as a new mom (who swore that there would be NO plastic toys in the house) i'll be the first to admit that it's pretty difficult to find age-appropriate toys that aren't made of plastic, or that aren't made in china. or, most commonly both. i've often found myself having to pick and choose (plastic made in germany, israel, etc) or turn a blind eye (brightly-colored plastic stacking cups that lucy really seems to enjoy). it's absolutely refreshing to find a safe, all-natural, eco-friendly, french-made, handcrafted teether that lucy gets excited about. (watching a 5 month old baby get excited is like nothing else!)

sophie was given to us as a shower gift from lucy's lovely cousin shannon. i can't think of another toy that i would go and rebuy if we were to have lost it. but for sophie, without a doubt, i would.