Needful Things

When we first discussed the possibility of adopting, the only baby thing I still had was a high chair (I stubbornly refused to give it up so that we could use it when people came over) and a few random things that I was saving for the children for sentimental reasons. Right before we felt led to begin the process (and the finances suddenly appeared from God's hand), I gave away that high chair.

So we basically started from scratch -- not that I didn't make up for it that first year assuming that we would have a child in 18 months. 3 1/2 years later, God brought us a 3-year-old. 3-year-olds don't need the bottles I had collected or receiving blankets or exersaucers. So once again, we were starting from scratch -- well, not quite. I had another high chair, the crib mattress that I kept (but got rid of the crib), sippy cups galore, and the few larger clothes/shoes I had picked up. Our congregation added significantly to that as well as some excited friends and relatives.

Nonetheless, we still keep finding places where things are a little more sparse than usual. Bath toys, for instance. I actually made a trip to Wal-Mart to get her a bath toy... two little light up playthings... which she loves. I'm not complaining, though, about having a lot less toys in the tub getting mildewy or that she doesn't want to be in the tub forever because of the cool toys to play with.Bedding, however, is one of the places I'm having trouble. That Wednesday night after church, when we returned to South Carolina for the first time with the Rugrat, we stopped at the store on the way home to purchase the toddler bed we had chosen. Had it not hit me then in the store that she would need a sheet to cover it, she wouldn't have had one on her bed that night.

That was still the only sheet for her bed that we had too. I have been looking for a toddler bed set and I know that it will have one in it. I usually don't think to get an extra one when I'm at the store though so one is what she's got. That's only a problem when her diaper leaks at night (which has happened a few times lately). I never manage to get it laundered before her nap and she ends up sleeping on top of a blanket.

The other day though, I remembered that I had printed out this pattern that is free online. I had some fabric that a friend had passed along and it worked perfectly.

Making a crib sheet is pretty basic sewing but I've never made one before. And it always feels good to make something so useful from stuff that you had laying around taking up space.

I had enough left to make another crib sheet but the other thing she doesn't have of her own is a pillowcase. So I flipped through some of the other patterns I had printed and, sure enough, there was one for a pillowcase from this website. Again, something that is pretty basic sewing but also something I'd never done. The patterns were nice though because it gave me all the dimensions I needed.

So, now she actually has a matching sheet and pillowcase. Considering my luck finding a toddler bed set I like, it may be the only one for a while.