New Pallet Deck and New Friends

Last week I shared that we were putting in a deck made of pallet boards to fill in a dirt patch in our backyard. You may recall the "before" image:

This week I am thrilled to share that the pallet deck is finished! It took about 2 weeks and many hours of manpower, but it is finally built, sealed, and ready to party. Observe:

I keep looking out at it and smiling. I'm just so pleased with the way my yard looks now! I can't wait to have friends over to help christen the deck, and I'm looking forward to hosting many parties this summer in our newly decked out space (pun intended). 

The building process, as I mentioned last week, was a learning experience for everyone involved. Once the boards were all laid though, I have to say I got a little misty eyed when I looked out back this past weekend to see two neighbors and a close friend joking, laughing, and working alongside my husband to seal the deck and our patio furniture. I remember reading when I was a kid about barn raising, and how all the neighbors would come together to help one family build their new barn. It felt like that. These are the people we share a driveway with, and it was great to realize just how much we've built up our friendships with them since we moved into this place almost 2 years ago. I don't think in my adult life I've ever become friends with my neighbors. At best I've counted them as acquaintances, and at worst I've found them annoying or intrusive and done my best to avoid them. This small-town style community we've become a part of feels like such a rare treasure, especially in an area that's not actually a small town, and I'm so grateful we found this place and have made it our home.

Now, when I say we're friends with our neighbors, I don't mean we're BFF's with all of them, and I don't mean that we moved in and had instant friends the next day. I can't pinpoint exactly when the friendships began to blossom, but I know it was a process. The best thing I did, personally, was open myself up to the possibility of friendship with the people around me. I think of the two kinds of neighbors I mentioned above, I've become most accustomed to the latter, and therefore had a bad taste in my mouth for forging friendly relations with the people who were geographically closest to me (I mean, hey, if they're crazy and suddenly think you're friends, it's kinda hard to steer clear of them when they know where you live). I know I've had a reputation in this neighborhood for being rather anti-social. Actually, I still have a reputation for being somewhat of a party pooper, but I also have the youngest child in the neighborhood, so I'm not feeling real apologetic for asking people to be quiet when they're having a block party under the nursery window. (You know who you are. ;-) The point is, I created that reputation for myself, and then I had to challenge it myself. I had to decide I wasn't going to be anti-social, that I was going to assume my neighbors weren't obnoxious psychopaths and actually give us an opportunity to become not just pleasant acquaintances, but friends. Once I was willing to challenge the negative lessons of my past experiences, I found I had several friends waiting for me. 

So challenging myself and my paradigms turned out to be a very good thing in this case. And now, I challenge you to challenge yourself. Reach out to a neighbor and just be open to possibility. See what happens. I'm not saying force a friendship with someone who doesn't want it, and if you get a bad vibe from the person you probably want to listen to your instinct. But if there's someone nearby you've been thinking seems like a decent human being, maybe strike up an actual conversation with them, you know, beyond the usual mindless BS about the weather and whatnot. Who knows? You may get a new friend out of the deal.

Backyard Deck Project (Not a Tutorial)

Hello again! Man, it's been awhile. I took a little vacation from writing because I felt like I needed a break to reflect and regroup. We've been building a deck out back, and it's amazing because when I say "we" I mean I've done about 10% of the work, yet somehow this project has totally sapped all my mental resources. I spearheaded the design process, which went through several permutations before we finally settled on our current plan: filling in the gaping 160 square feet of dirt that might logically be a lawn with an in-ground deck made of pallet wood. I got to spend about an hour sanding pallet planks after Scoops went to bed one night, but that's the extent of the manual labor I've put into this project. My husband, on the other hand, worked nonstop for over a week, every day immediately when he came home from work and all day on the weekend, usually past midnight, cutting and measuring and trimming and sanding and screwing (ha). He took a break most of this past weekend because we had some damp and windy weather, but that was it for breaks. Our skilled and helpful neighbor has been out there with him most times, and the two of them have been busting their butts to get this thing built. 

It's not finished yet, but here are some progress photos:

Before: Sad, grassless dirt patch.

In progress: 2x4 frame being set into the ground.

In progress: Weed barrier on the 2x4 frame, and sanded pallet planks beginning to be laid.

In progress: More pallet planks laid.

In progress: So close to being finished!

I made the idiot mistake of requesting new mulch be spread around the border before the building began. I didn't realize they were going to move so much dirt! Oh, well. 

As much as I'd love to be out there with them wielding power tools (seriously), I and my boobs are responsible for the wiggly squirmy Scoops. It's been hard feeling like my husband is never home, even though he's right outside. With all the dust and dirt flying around back there, it's not really a great place for a young baby to hang out. It's tested my patience more times than I'd care to admit, and I found myself continually having to just shut my mouth and walk back inside many of the times I went out to ask a question or offer a suggestion. I like to think my husband and I communicate pretty well, but we're still human, and ever since giving birth my hormones have been crazy irregulated, so I tend to escalate more often than I once did (not like I never did before, but I swear it happened less before Scoops arrived). My problem is my innate (perceived) need to be right. I've had to really let go of that and just trust my husband, our neighbor, and the process in general.

The other thing that has made this project mentally challenging for me, aside from feeling like I'm not allowed to be mad at the deck because I asked for it to be built, is feeling like I've also taken away my neighbor from his wife and kids. I've spent a lot of time feeling personally responsible for this guy being away from his family, but at some point I have to recognize that I'm not demanding his participation in this project. He's a grown-ass man and fully capable of making his own decisions. But feeling responsible for the situation caused me to believe that my neighbor's wife was angry or resentful, if not at me then at least at my project, and that perceived tension, coupled with the disconnection from my husband, made me feel for a few days like the deck was ruining my life.

So this project has tested my patience and put a bit of a strain on my marriage and relationship with neighbors. The bittersweetness of that fact is that I'm not alone. I had an opportunity to talk with my handy neighbor's wife, and she admitted she was feeling many of the same things I was, namely that the project was making her feel isolated from her husband. And then, something magical happened: we connected. This woman that I've admired from across the driveway, for her calm parenting of two rambunctious boys, for her time-tested marriage to her husband, for her nearly constant cheerful demeanor, opened up to me and honestly shared her frustration with her husband's absence. Actually, she apologized to me for feeling resentful of the project! Whaaa? You've been feeling resentful of this project? I've been feeling resentful of this project! I had been so mentally worked up over these concerns, and hearing her essentially validate them and offer reconciliation was like taking a weight off my shoulders. We both aired what was bothering us (she clarified that she wasn't actually mad at me), and we each assured the other that things between us were cool. And they are.

We also both recognized that this project has been really great for our husbands. In case you haven't reached this point in your life, you may find that as you get older, you have fewer close friends. Life gets busy, a baby especially will sap all your time and energy, and you get more relaxed about letting go of the people who just aren't contributing to a friendship. This, my lady neighbor and I acknowledged, is the case with our husbands (and ourselves). We agreed that it was nice to see them fostering a friendship, working with their hands, and doing something constructive together. Later, I wrote her a message and let her know that I hope she and I can do the same (at least in the friendship department, but who knows whether construction projects are in our future?). While I've accepted that I have fewer friends now than I did several years ago, I certainly don't think it's a bad thing to cultivate meaningful relationships with quality people throughout my life.

The long and short of it is: I've learned a few things from this process. I've learned that I need to always practice healthy communication techniques with my spouse, and with everyone else, too (and sometimes that means shutting my mouth and walking away until I can speak civilly). I've learned that when my husband wants to take charge of a project he feels passionately about, it's best to step back and let him handle things in his own way. I've learned that being honest and vulnerable with a neighbor or acquaintance can open the door to let friendship in. Most importantly, to be perfectly honest, I've just relearned all these things I already knew. Because sometimes we need a real-life reminder of things we already know, in order to keep the lessons we've learned in the past relevant to our lives today. And if you ask me, being rewarded with a new deck and new friendships is a pretty sweet way to keep this stuff relevant.

Finished project photos coming soon!

My Favorite Cleaning Solution

If you're anything like me, you might find yourself frequently on the lookout for easy, healthy, and cheap-or-free ways to manage your household. For example, cleaning. I'm not a fan of using harsh chemicals with fumes that scald my respiratory system. Some people can use those popular heavy-duty kinds of products without any issues, but I think I've just not used them for so long that now my system can't handle them. (Same with dryer sheets, actually.) For light cleanup, I often just use a rag and warm water, but for tough messes I need something stronger. 

I was watching Rehab Addict on HGTV several weeks ago and saw the host cleaning hundred-year-old tile with good ol' baking soda and vinegar, and thought, "Oh yeah, baking soda and vinegar. Forgot about that." Inspired by the show (and sudden memories of elementary school science fair projects) I filled an old empty spray bottle with white vinegar (easily found at grocery stores) and now often use it to spray down whatever I'm sanitizing or cleaning. If I need a little extra kick in my scrubbing, I just sprinkle on some baking soda. It's become my go-to cleaning solution, and I recently used it to clean up my kitchen.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

This tea kettle gets left on the stove (otherwise I won't remember to use it), and consequently gets covered in splatters from whatever I'm cooking. A spritz of vinegar, sprinkle of baking soda, and gentle rub down with a soft reusable sponge made very quick work of this formerly messy kettle. I think it took about 5 minutes total to clean at least a year's worth of cooking splatters off this thing (no judgement). Now it's so shiny I can see myself in it!
























My electric stove burner drip pans were covered in little grease splatters, but after using my baking soda and vinegar solution and wiping them down with a paper towel, they look new again! It took minimal effort and just a little over 2 minutes per drip pan. (The "before" picture doesn't really do justice to how dirty these really were.)
























Now, I will admit, the biggest drip pan didn't come out as clean as I would have liked, but to be fair it's the one that gets used the most and I'm not very good about cleaning up spills immediately. In fact, I think more times than not I've left the spill alone and just cooked right over it for a few days before bothering to clean this bad boy. Don't be like me. Do yourself a favor and clean up your spills as soon as the burner cools down, to avoid a nasty cooked-on mess like mine (and having to send your drip pan to a landfill sooner rather than later).














I've used baking soda and vinegar to clean lots of other things, like a wooden cutting board; a butcher block top on a handed-down Craigslist kitchen cart; and virtually every surface, inside and out, of my toaster oven. That last one kinda backfired, though, because I accidentally took off some of the painted numbers on the temperature dial. Oops. Silver lining: that incident inspired me to use the same solution to take sticky labels off glass jars so I can repurpose the jars for fun projects. And that's when I discovered this solution also makes an excellent nail polish remover. Who knew?

Suffice it to say, this is my favorite "heavy duty" cleaning solution (much to my vinegar-hating husband's chagrin). Now some of you who, like my husband, despise the smell of vinegar are probably thinking this sounds like a terrible way to clean because your house might end up smelling like pickles. Well, to you I say: you're probably right. I don't smell it so much, 1) because I'm in it, so I don't notice as the smell gets more intense, and 2) because I don't mind the smell of vinegar at all, so even if I catch a whiff it's not off putting. For me, this is a more appealing option than harsh chemicals. If you're looking for a gentler yet effective way to clean up stubborn messes, and you don't mind the smell of vinegar, give this a try. It may become your new favorite cleaning method!

Do you use baking soda and/or vinegar to clean your home? What do you use it for most? What other homemade cleaning solutions do you use?

6 Month Recap

It feels like Scoops just arrived yesterday, but she's already been here 6 months. I can't believe it! Strangely, while this all still feels so new, it also seems as if I've been living this reality my whole life. It's a mind-boggling paradox. 

In any case, it occurs to me that I haven't really kept this blog updated with Scoops' monthly growth, so I thought I'd share a little timeline recap of the past 6 months. I haven't lined these photos up yet for myself even, so I'm excited to see how much she's grown!

Scoops has been smiling since she was born, but at 1 month the smiles are bigger and more frequent than ever. I live to make her smile, and it's what gets me through the sleeplessness and exhaustion. She's doing lots of tummy time on my tummy (and daddy's, too!) and exercising her strong neck muscles. Her hair is thick, dark, and stick straight (except when it's damp). She is not a fan of baths, so we avoid them as much as possible. She sleeps in her rock-n-play, and I've developed a habit of saying "scoops" when I scoop her out of it. That's where the pet name originated!

By 2 months, Scoops has gained almost complete control of her neck and head. She is practicing rudimentary reaching and grasping. She often sneezes in threes, and the third sneeze often doesn't happen, which is ridiculously cute. Her hair is a teensy bit lighter than when she was born. She loves giving lots of big, wide smiles, but is still mostly pretty quiet. She is learning that she has a voice, and is just barely starting to experiment with it. Her cry is growing and changing as she is, and she's starting to lose that newborn "nnnahhh" sound. I left her with a babysitter (daddy) for the first time, and went to see The Nutcracker Ballet with my mom and sisters. I hardly watched the performance, and cried over how cute Scoops would be as a mouse/angel/toy soldier/etc.

Scoops has developed so much by 3 months! She just figured out how to hold on to her own teething ring, which makes me happy and relieved. Her hair is getting even lighter. She is getting more vocal. She loves to repeat "mama mamamamama," which makes me pretty excited. We have started attending a weekly breastfeeding group and hope to make some new friends. Scoops has just moved out of the rock-n-play in mommy and daddy's room, and is being put to sleep in her crib in the nursery. She's gotten so used to me snatching her hand and kissing it while I nurse her that she now habitually reaches her hand up for kisses while nursing. It's the sweetest thing ever. I've just launched this blog, and am officially staying home with Scoops for the foreseeable future. Hooray! It's a gift I wasn't planning on, and I am beyond grateful to be able to continue spending so much time with my sweet Scoops.

At 4 months, Scoops' hair has started falling out, and what's left is lighter still than last month. Just a few weeks ago, Scoops rolled onto her tummy, and several days later she rolled onto her back. By now, she is rolling front to back and back to front like a boss (it's hard to keep her off her tummy, actually). She has also figured out that she can make fun, loud noises with her little vocal cords, and is practicing by babbling away. She really sounds like she's uttering whole sentences in another language.  She also just started giggling, which is the newest reason for my existence. She's doing that falling reflex thing less and less now, which makes me a little sad. She slept through the night for the first time ever (like, for real slept through the night, from 8 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.), two nights in a row (literally, the two nights immediately before she reached 4 months of age, which is apparently when The Four Month Sleep Regression is supposed to happen - I find this ironic, and incredibly effing lucky).

Scoops' hair has stopped falling out (finally) by her 5th month. It's pretty thin and light, to the point where we're certain she's going to grow up blonde. She has discovered her toes, and they are now often in her mouth. When her toes are not in the way, she has long "conversations" with anyone who will engage with her, especially if they let Scoops hold their face so she can make sure they're listening attentively. She really likes to vocalize the "m" consonant, and insistently mumbles all day long, like she has so much to say that the words are just getting backed up in her mouth. She recently started sitting up with her hands supporting herself. She is getting pretty good at playing "Where's Mommy's Nose?" and often gets it right when I ask her that question. She's slept through the night several times this past month, but it's not her regular pattern yet. I get used to it in one night and then when she doesn't do it, I seriously feel it the next day!

Scoops is half a year old! Her hair has started growing back in, and looks lighter every time it gets washed (which, in her case, means every time it gets wet and then toweled off). She is sleeping through the night a small majority of the time. Our longest stretch on record was six consecutive nights! Woohoo! She is sitting up like it ain't no thang, but after a couple minutes she usually worms forward onto her belly to get into a crawling position. She's practicing a lot, but not crawling yet (thank goodness!). She's also practicing standing when daddy and I prop her against a wall or have her hold on to the side of her crib. She recently enjoyed her first trip to the beach, where she started sticking her tongue out to taste the ocean breeze, and didn't put her tongue back in her mouth for about a week. On her half birthday she tried her first solid food: avocado. It seemed to frustrate her (she mostly just wanted to chew on it and mash it in her hands, but not actually eat it). She comes up with new sounds about once a week. I really enjoy her shrill, chirpy-birdie singsong noises. I think I have a soprano on my hands! By now I am certain that when she says "mama" she is actually addressing me, as it usually only happens while she's crying and reaching for me. I'll take it!

These past 6 months have been the best of my life so far. I know it's cliche, but it's absolutely true. I love being this little girl's mommy, and am so excited to watch her grow and learn, and to grow and learn alongside her!

DIY Baby Handprint Craft

Pretty much since the moment I brought Scoops home from the hospital, I've been pining for a keepsake handprint. We got her footprints from the hospital, and my doula made a cute footprint keepsake for us when Scoops was a few weeks old, but I wanted a handprint to remind me when she is bigger of just how tiny those little hands and fingers were when they first wrapped around my finger. I bought one of those mess-free impression kits to try to make a handprint around Christmas time, before Scoops was 2 months old. Those of you who are not new at this parenting thing are laughing at me right now. That's fine, I deserve it. For those of you who haven't had a baby yet, let me just tell you how freaking impossible it is to get a newborn to open up her hand. So I tried that impression kit, the one sold at big box stores, the one "they" encourage expecting moms to add to the baby registry. I tried a good several times, but the kit failed me. If I managed to get a decent print, it wasn't deep enough and faded away within a few minutes. Most of the times I tried it, though, Scoops just closed her fist, grabbing the material and gouging a huge chunk out of the center. I thought about trying homemade salt dough, but the benefit to the kit is that it was mess-free. I'm pretty sure that using salt dough would have resulted in a fistful of sticky mess between my kid's fingers and palm. (Plus, at 2 months postpartum, I didn't really have the energy for a salt dough project.)

So I've been waiting, semi-patiently, for the first possible opportunity to get a handprint from Scoops. I told my husband that's all I want for my first Mother's Day, actually. But recently I noticed Scoops getting a little more focused and thoughtful with her grasping technique, and I thought maybe I could use that to my advantage. I started thinking of objects she could gently grab that would allow me to get a quick handprint, and came up with the idea to have her grab a papier-mâché Easter egg. Too bad I couldn't find one, but at Easter brunch my Aunt gave me a nice, large decorative egg for this project (it's lightweight, so... foam?). Fantastic! Free craft supplies! I decided a toilet paper tube would be the perfect thing for a test run, and my test prints actually turned out better than the final product, in my opinion. 

Just like my Christmas craft from January, I created this Easter craft after the actual holiday. It's less stressful that way, and you can get supplies on sale. If you don't have a holiday coming up and you're itching for a handprint like I was, you can just use a toilet paper tube for this craft (stay with me). Here's what you'll need for this project:

• a small paintbrush (mine is about 1/2" wide)
• something in which to mix paint - e.g. a palette, carryout container or lid, clean yogurt cup, paper plate
• paint (I used acrylic - white mixed with a little gold)
• baby wipes, or damp paper towels or rags
• toilet paper tube
• decorative egg or other rounded object (optional)
• optional - drinking glass (to hold your egg while it dries)

Step 1
Pull out at least a couple baby wipes (or damp paper towels or rags) and have them ready to tackle a certain small painted hand that'll undoubtedly be heading straight for a certain small curious mouth. As a frame of reference, I ended up using 7 baby wipes.

Step 2
In your palette or other mixing container, mix up your paint a few drops at a time until you get a color you like. I ended up with about a tablespoon of paint. (If you found a color you like, you can of course use it straight out of the bottle. Just give yourself a tablespoon or so in a palette so it's easier to dip your brush.)

Step 3
Holding baby's wrist with your non-dominant hand, use the paintbrush to spread a little paint onto baby's palm. If her hand is closed, brushing a little paint at the very base of the palm will likely get those fingers to relax and open up. It's ok if baby tries to grab the brush and squishes the paint around a bit, just make sure you get paint all the way to the ends of the fingers. 

Step 3
Still holding on to baby's wrist set your paintbrush aside. Present your toilet paper tube to baby and entice her to open up her hand and grab it. You may want to try this a couple times to get a feel for how firmly your baby will grasp, and how long she'll hold her grasp before she starts to move her fingers around (I did 2 test prints, both on the same tube). If the tube is your final project, you may want to have a backup tube or 2 on hand in case you're not happy with the results of your first attempt(s).

Step 4
If you're using another object for your final project, add a little more paint to baby's hand to make sure it's well covered, then still holding on to baby's wrist present the decorative egg (or other roundish object) to baby. Once baby grasps the object, gently but immediately remove it from baby's hand. *Note: my egg was covered in a lovely metallic foil, which made it much more slippery than a cardboard toilet paper tube. The downside of this is that it was harder to get a good print before Scoops' fingers started slipping all over the thing. The upside is that it was super easy to wipe the paint off with a baby wipe and start over. 

Step 5
Once you're satisfied with your print, set it aside (I balanced my egg on top of the toilet paper tube so it wouldn't roll around, but you could use a drinking glass if you want something more sturdy) and wipe baby's hand thoroughly with the baby wipe. When you don't see any more paint on baby's hand, head to the sink to wash off any residue that you might have missed. 

Step 6
When the paint is dry, you can personalize your project even further by using a permanent marker, or extra paint if you're artistically inclined, to add baby's name and the date or occasion to the back of your object. If the toilet paper tube is your final project, you can use scissors to cut a line up the back of the tube, flatten the tube into a rectangle, and then cut out the print you want to keep. Paste the cut out print onto decorative paper or card stock and frame it, add it to a shadow box, or put it in a scrapbook.

A few tips to make this project less of a headache:

I guess I should mention that I had Scoops in her high chair for this, and used the kitchen table to hold all my supplies. I honestly can't think of a better way to do this project. You really probably want your kid strapped into a chair that's at a reasonable height for you to stand next to, and near a table or other work surface.

If you have someone to help you with this either by handing you items as you need them or holding baby's paint-covered hand for you, that's ideal. I did this on my own, so it can be done, but it would have been much easier if I'd had another adult helping me! 

I highly recommend removing baby's clothes and having her wear a large bib you don't care about ruining. You probably want to wear clothes you don't care about as well.

Protect your work area with old towels, a drop-cloth, or newspaper, or do this project outside. (Honestly, I skipped this step, but that's because I'm incredibly impatient and kinda DGAF. I did at least lay down a paper towel on which to set my damp, painty supplies.) You may also want to do this near a sink, or have a bowl of clean water nearby to wash up baby and yourself immediately after.

Don't try this with a baby that hasn't been working on grasping much yet. Scoops is just under 6 months old, and I really don't think we could have pulled this off any sooner.

Let go of the illusion that this might come out perfectly. I don't know where those clever marketing people at Pearhead got their images, but I'm guessing it's either Photoshop or witchcraft. You'll get a handprint, and it'll likely be smudgy and imperfect. Accept and love that. I had a near-perfect print the first time, but decided it wasn't perfect enough and ended up causing myself and Scoops major frustration by wiping it off and trying another 5 times before I got a print that was almost as good as the first one.

If you try this project, let me know how it went! I'd love to read your stories (successful or otherwise) in the comments and see photos if you'd like to share!

Scoops' 1st Easter

This post is a little delayed, but hey, life. You get it. So how was your Easter? Did you make baskets for your babies? Scoops really enjoyed her basket, and actually seemed a little interested in discovering the contents on her own, rather than waiting for me to pull them out of the basket for her. I underestimated her curiosity! Here's a photo of the final product:

Sunglasses, a small toy, and a plush bunny: a perfectly sweet first Easter basket!

I ended up not using the notebooks I mentioned in my last post because they'll be more fun for Scoops when she can color in them. She also got lots of presents from family members, most notably the Pat the Bunny book I asked Grandma to give her. It brought back fond memories of my childhood (not that I remember actually having it read to me as a baby, but I remember seeing it later and hearing about how it was read to me as a baby). Here she is opening her Easter basket and enjoying her gifts:

 

And here she is starting to get a little overwhelmed by the sudden onslaught of gifts from pretty much everyone in attendance:

Hopefully she doesn't get used to that. I'm certainly not planning on having a second helping of Christmas gifts every Easter. She seemed to have a good day, though, and handled all the attention very well. It was good for me, too, to let Grandma show her off a bit to friends at church, let so many other people hold her and cuddle her and fawn over her, and to just take a step back and know that she was safe and in good hands. I've never felt more protective of anyone or anything in my life, but I'm starting to relax a little more now that she's older. It feels good to let go a little. Just a little, though, because she's still little. If nothing else, I'm practicing patience with myself in learning to let go and be more trusting!

Did you celebrate Easter? How was it? Were you around lots of people? If you're a new parent, was that scary for you (and did you pass your baby around)? If not, how have you learned to relax and let go (seriously, what's your secret)?

Baby's First Easter: Basket Ideas

Easter is almost here, and Scoops will be just shy of 6 months old when the fluffy patron saint of pastel candy makes his rounds. I wasn't going to make her an Easter basket, but then I found some cute miniature Dr. Seuss books in the dollar bin at Target and decided, meh, what the heck. (Side note: I also almost didn't give her any Christmas gifts since she was only a little over 2 months old then and I knew she wouldn't be able to unwrap anything or know what was going on. What was I thinking? I ended up feeling compelled to buy her some books and a few small toys, and now she loves them! Duh, mommy. The gifts will be there for her to play with when she's ready in a couple months! And books are pretty much never a bad idea.) I also found a cute pair of sunglasses, which I figured were necessary since the sun is often out now and Scoops' head is too frickin' tiny to properly support most brimmed hats for her age group. (Seriously, she's in, like, the first percentile for head circumference. It's daddy's fault, he has a tiny head, too. But hey, I'm not complaining!) Admittedly, I already used the sunglasses for her first beach day last weekend, but since she's not going to know the difference, I'm still planning to put them in her Easter basket. 

I figured I should probably look for ideas to add a few more items to the basket, and thought I'd share my findings with you. Here is a little round up of 5 Easter basket ideas from around the Web. I'm pulling a little inspiration from all of these!

These charming items suggested by Sara at Running from the Law would make a chic Easter basket for a new baby. She also has an inspiration board for an equally cute toddler Easter basket.

I like the no-fuss simplicity of this basket from Sierra and Faith over at Winks and Eyerolls. Practical items, but fun as well. (This is actually the same basket I'll be using for Scoops!)

This sweet pink basket from Jenny at Richly Blessed is honestly a little too frilly and full for my taste, personally, but I love some of the items she's included. I'm particularly fond of the Pat the Bunny book. If I could find my copy that was given to me as a baby, I'd put that in Scoops' basket for sure!

I love all the non-candy items Julie, from the girl in the red shoes, used in this adorable basket. Sensible items, like a sippy cup and socks, and fun stuff, like bubbles and a plush toy, strike a nice balance here.

And lastly, this super chic shopping guide from Kate at The Shopping Mama is simply beautiful. I like that she's also listed the approximate price of each item included, so you can plainly see how easy it is to put together a $100+ Easter basket! ;-)

I did feel inspired to get a pretty wooden toy like the ones shown in Kate's list, and found this Baby Car from Plan Toys at a local shop (shout out to Granola Babies!). It was $15, but it's the only "expensive" thing I'm putting in the basket. I'm also adding a plush bunny, as a few of the inspiration baskets above have, that a Great Aunt of mine gifted me at my baby shower. Scoops hasn't played with it yet since she's pretty easily entertained by the same few toys right now, so I think this is the perfect time to introduce it to her. I'm using a basket that's been lying around the house not being used, and I'll decorate it with paper "grass" and ribbon saved from previous projects and gifts received in the past (I save almost all packaging from gifts I've been given - everything can be used at least twice!). Here's what I've got to work with, about a $25 total investment after sales tax:

Turns out those cute little books are actually blank notebooks (way to read the packaging, mama), so I think I'll wait to give them to Scoops until she can effectively wield a crayon. Hey, maybe Grandma will buy a Pat the Bunny book I can throw in there instead. :-) Even without a book, this sweet little basket will have 3 nice gifts inside it. Easter shouldn't rival Christmas in terms of gifts, in my opinion. I'm just happy to mark the special occasion of my sweet Scoops' first Easter with a cheerful little set of small gifts for her.

UPDATE: Click here to see the finished product!

Are you putting together an Easter basket for your little one? How old will she or he be this Easter? What items are you including in the basket?