Baby won't sleep? Try a Lovey Blankie!

I know its been a while since I last posted, but if you read my last post I'm sure you understand my reasoning.  Looking after a 2 1/2 yr old, a 1 year old, and being pregnant is exhausting! 

This is why I LOVE nap time :)   Right now the only noise I hear is the distant sound of my daughter's classical music echoing from her room and the rhythmic sound of the rain outside, its so peaceful.  But if you have small kids at home nap time and bedtime may be a challenge for you.  I totally get that!  My daughter came home from the hospital wide awake and very alert. I thought  babies were supposed to eat, sleep, and poop. 

Mine didn't sleep.

After 4 long months of sleep exhaustion I asked our pediatrician if he had any advice to help her sleep.  He suggested sleep training (which I HIGHLY recommend), a consistent routine, and some sort of lovey (small toy or blanket) to transfer attachment away from me.  It was genius!  After just a few difficult nights our daughter was sleeping peacefully in her crib for most of the night (and I was a very happy mama). 

My daughter and "Mr. Giraffe"-her lovey

When we brought our 2nd baby home from the hospital I knew I would establish a routine right off the bat.  And although our son seemed to get the whole sleeping thing on his own, I still decided to give him a "lovey" when he was around 5 months of age.  My daughter's lovey (that she still sleeps with) is a little pink giraffe.  His neck was the perfect size for her little arms to hold.  My son however did hot have any nice cuddly stuffed animals that would make suitable lovies, so I took matters into my own hands and made his this adorable little blankie:

Lovey Blanket measures 14" across

 

I gave him his blankie to hold every night as I fed him and prepared him for bed.  He soon began to associate his blankie with bedtime! 

 

 

 

My son is now 13 months old and totally adores his lovey blanket.  Sometimes he crawls up to his crib, reaches his chubby little hand through the bars and grabs his blankie as a means to tell me that he is ready for bed.  Its a wonderful thing!

 

 

He also loves playing peek-a-boo with his blankie!

 

 

Whats not to love about a lovey??? But it gets even better.  In a parenting magazine I read that experts suggest a "transitional object" for your child around 6 months of age to help with separation anxiety. A Lovey Blanket from Gouldthreads is the perfect solution!!!  So what are you waiting for?

 

email gould.threads@yahoo.com to place an order or visit me on facebook

Spring has Sprung!

Spring is finally here after a looooong cold winter (for those of us in Western PA anyways).  Nothing is more exciting than the first warm day of spring followed by signs of new life popping up all over.   I think my hyacinths are my favorite spring flowers.  Their fragrant smell greets me each time I walk up the steps to my front door. 

 

dafidilles are pretty too :)

 

 

Speaking of new life....

 

its a little hard to see but the yellow egg on the end says "baby #3"

 

My husband and I are expecting our 3rd child!  The initial shock is finally wearing off and we are starting to get excited about this new addition (our oldest is currently 2 1/2 and my baby just turned 1 so things are about to get pretty busy over here!) 

 

The baby is due mid October which happens to coincide with my busiest time of year!  That being said, I'm not sure what this will mean for GouldThreads.   Feel free to start fall/Halloween, winter/Christmas orders now!   I will keep you updated on the status of my business.  For now I plan to keep crocheting away :) 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of crocheting.....

 

I have been working on some orders again (now that my energy has returned) and am totally in love with my newest creation:

 

 

Isn't this little bumblebee hat adorable!  This was a custom order to be given as a gift for a bee-keeper.  Its for a little girl so I added a scalloped edge and flower for a feminine touch but it could be made without for a boy as well! 

 

Another fun spring accessory for little girls is the large flower headband.  I wore these on my daughter a lot in her first year before her hair had much length 

 

 

They are pretty on older girls too though!

 

 

 

As always, if you would like to place an order please email me at gould.threads@yahoo.com or find me on facebook.

 

 

 

Happy 1st Birthday Nolan

My son turned 1 last week.  I can't believe how quickly his first year when!  We celebrated with a small family party in our home this past weekend.  We had a Sock Monkey theme which was a lot of fun! 

 

Here are some photos that I took of my birthday boy

Wearing his GouldThreads Sock Monkey Hat
and sitting in a bag by Thirty One Gifts

His adorable shirt was custom made by my friend
 at Monkey See Monkey Do

sitting by his cake and smash cake

 

My talented sister offered to make his first birthday cake and smash cake.   I was thrilled with how they turned out! 

 

If you live local to the Pittsburgh Pennsylvania area and would like to order a cake,

 contact Rachel at 31byrachel@gmail.com

 

 

Nolan was pretty pleased with his first cake as well!

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Little Guy.  We love you!!!

 

 

 

 

March Madness

Today is the first day of March Madness!  I had planned on making some super cute basketball hats but just didn't have the time.  But if you are an Ohio State fan I have the perfect hat for you!

My aunt requested an Ohio State Buckeye hat for my cousin who is due with her first baby this spring.  To be perfectly honest I am not a sports fan so I didn't even know what an Ohio State Buckeye was at first! 

However, I am a fan of adorable kids in adorable hats and I think this one turned out pretty well.  I can't wait to see pictures of my newest little cousin in his Buckeye hat! 

 

 

March isn't just for basketball though.  Easter is just around the corner and if you life in the north east like I do its likely to be a chilly one!  I still have a few pre-made Easter hats on sale and ready to ship.  Check them out on my etsy site

Giraffe Hat

Hi Friends.  I just realized that I haven't posted for a while.  Things have been pretty crazy for our family this month so I'm going to keep this one short. 

My beautiful cousin recently had a gender reveal baby shower.  It was the first I have been to and it was so fun!   However, it was a challenge to decide what to make for her.  I finally settled on a little giraffe hat.  I was pretty happy with how it turned out.  My mom, sisters, and I put the hat in an adorable brown Thirty-One bag and added all sorts of fun baby necessities.  We even found a super cute giraffe toy to go with the theme.  It was a lot of fun.  I can't wait to see pictures of this new little guy in his GouldThreads gear. 

Perfect for a little lady or little fellow! 

 

 

Remember, Easter is just around the corner.  If you are looking for a last minute accessory check out my Etsy site where I have a few ready-to-ship items available and on sale!

www.gouldthreads.etsy.com

 

 

 

 

 

Rapunzel Rapunzel let down your long hair

I recently had a custom order for a Rapunzel hat.  I was so excited to make it and even more excited with how well it turned out.  

 

 

Isn't it adorable! 

 

 

 

Do you have a Tangled fan in your house?  Order a Rapunzel hat for the princess in your life. 

 

Email gould.threads@yahoo.com to place an order. 

Hat and braids can be made to order in any colors.

Easter and Spring Accessories

Easter is quickly approaching!  Stores are filled with spring dresses and pastel suits.  Now is the perfect time to find a sweet ensemble for your little tyke.  And don't forget to accessorize with GouldThreads!

Here are some of my Easter (and spring) favorites!

Girl's bucket hat (silk flower not included)

 

Bucket-Bottom Bag (perfect for holding lots of Easter eggs!)

 

Girl's Flower Clutch

 

 

Girl's Scalloped Hat (with ribbon or crocheted flower in color of your choice)

 

Newsboy Cap

 

Floppy-Ears Bunny Hat

 

Easter Chick Hat

 

my beautiful babies wearing their GouldThreads Easter hats. 

Easter 2012

 

 

Too warm for hats?

 

  Large Flower Headbands dress up any outfit!

(Top right photo: my daughter's first Easter)

 

Handmade Ties are all the rage!

 

 

If you would like to place an order please email me at gould.threads@yahoo.com

 

 

Dresses, purses, hats and ties are lots of fun;

but let us remember the real reason we celebrate the Easter season. 

 

"This is what is written:  The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning in Jerusalem."  Luke 24:46-47

 

Happy Easter Everyone!