Belly Cast Done!

Finally got this thing done...and my son is a year old. After alot of thought, decided to just smooth it out, put a semi-gloss white coat on it, and just write his birth information on the belly.

I was thinking that I was going to do something crazy and creative (I did go to art school after all), but after looking at it I just went for simple.

Here is what I did:

1. Let it dry/cure. I let mine sit a year...totally don't need to do it that long. As long as it is not super humid, a week should be plenty of time
2. I did a light sanding with a fine grain sanding block, just to get off the really rough stuff.
3. I applied joint compound to the whole cast with my fingers, filling in spots and rubbing it into the texture as I went.
4. Let dry again. Make sure you let it go overnight at least.
5. Sand again. If you still have some bad spots, you can do steps 3 and 4 again.
6. Cast is now ready for painting. Apply a coat of Gesso (primer) to get it ready for what ever else you are going to do. If you are going to decoupage it, you can skip the Gesso.

I applied a semi-gloss white paint (it is actually a house trim paint we had left over from doing the house). I then just took a Sharpie and printed his info on the belly. I didn't trim off the rough edges of mine, since I like it. You can trim them with sharp scissors. I would do it before you add the joint compound.

There are a couple things I want to do for the next one. 1) I want to do it standing up...you can cast the underside of the belly and you don't distort the belly shape at all like you do when you are sitting (mine is a little spread out). 2) I want to put his foot prints inside where he kicked the most. I saw this on another blog, and loved the idea. His feet are too big to do it now. 3) I want to take a picture of my baby inside the cast. I wanted to do this, but somehow we forgot, and they grow so fast.

I have this on top of our entertainment center in the living room. :)

2012 UnPaper Challenge!

Alright folks, here is my New Year's resolution:

We are going to UnPaper for 2012.

What is unpaper-ing you ask? Well, it is basically what it sounds like. You try to eliminate excess paper usage from your home. For most people the easiest way to do this is to start with paper towels. Think about it...paper towels are probably the most wasteful (and most easily replaced) paper product in our homes. You use them clean up the counter or stove, to wipe or dry your hands. You can easily replace that with cloth.

Many people love to use old prefolds, Gerber birdseye flats (you can get those super cheap), old t-shirts, cheap washcloths (like the 10 packs at Target or WalMart), and many other cotton fabrics. You can even purchase special sets of unpaper towels from sellers on etsy that snap together and can go on a paper towel holder.  I am going to be using some of the cheap washcloths, some Gerber flats, and eventually getting around to making some "pretty" ones for when guests come over to use just for napkins. Any cotton fabric will work, for many a "pretty" set would be made of a nice print flannel on one side, and a terry cloth on the other. I personally love micro-terry (like what baby towels are made of).

The next step for many is to use cloth wipes in the bathroom. Some people are weirded out by this, but it is a logical next step, especially if you are already dealing with cloth diapers. Many people still keep toilet paper in the house for guests or for really um...messy...bathroom visits. Basically you would keep a basket of wipes near the toilet, either pre-moistened with a wipe solution or with a squirt bottle to wet them before use. We are going to start slow on this goal, using them mostly for "number 1s" and going from there.

Other ways to cut down on paper is to buy things that are packaged with a minimum of waste, using "mama cloth" (washable cloth pads), cloth diapering, and generally cutting down on paper use in your printer and other places. Save your paper and put your grocery list on your phone as a memo.

If you have any tips or want to join, please comment below! 

An update and the Musings about Becoming a Midwife

Oh goodness. Life is moving at such a pace. Our little boy is 9 months old now and let me tell you, he never stops moving. I can not turn my back for a second or he is into something or finding some lonely piece of fuzz on the floor to eat, or trying to turn off the cable box. We invested $200 in baby gates that are way beyond baby proof just to give me piece of mind to go to the restroom.

Our house is moving along at a snails pace now. We got about half the painting done and now we are at a stand still. I think we will paint the kitchen next, but we haven't bought the paint yet. We were about to, but then the hubby decided he didn't want to get it from Wal-Mart, he wanted to get it from Lowes, and well, the process just sort of stopped there.

I am really looking into beginning to contact local midwives so that I can find out my steps to becoming a midwife in this area. I really do not have access to a school near me that teaches midwifery, and we can not move to be near one (we just got done moving!). So really I want to look into doing a traditional apprenticeship (which takes about 6 years). I do have classes that I can take at the famous "Farm" (Ina May Gaskin's place) which is only an hour or so from here. At the very least that could be a starting point and then I could try to find a midwife to take me on.

I think that most of family thinks I'm nuts, and honestly I wonder if I am. I have a young baby and I really want to have more within the next 3 years and beyond (we want 4 total). However, looking at a six year run, I should start now. I was planning to become a doula to "tide me over" till I became a midwife, but I am ready to jump in. My calling feels strong and I just know that this is what God meant for me to do. So God, I am listening, promise. Just help me figure out how to go about finding a midwife crazy enough to take me on, or at least meet with me.