Seewalds 41: Christian Hero Ivy Jane

[MargaretElliott]

You guys's hats look so cute! Hats are my go-to when I'm going to a baby shower - people are generally impressed because I use size 0 needles, so the needle is about the thickness of thick spaghetti. Those of you who knit socks know what I'm talking about. Takes forever, but I like weird, fiddly crafts, I find them super satisfying. 

It also makes me happy to hear about all y'all parents not restricting your kid's stylistic choices based on gender - I feel like it's now acceptable for girls to wear more masculine styles, it's still so taboo for boys to wear more feminine styles. I look forward to this changing in the future.

Edited June 10, 2019 by MargaretElliott

[AtlanticTug]

If you're ready to spend $40 for a sleeper, there are really nice ones around. I mean that's almost Jacadi-level nice baby clothes and they stick her in a non-descript solid color that she'll grow out if in a couple of weeks. No style and less financial savvy.

[Mimosa]

Style is subjective though, personally I much prefer the sleeper Ivy is wearing to the style of the Jacadi baby clothes. I find the style of the Jacadi to be too fussy for me, and the sleeper Jessa bought is simple, and cute but still looks high quality and comfy. I wonder if she bought it for a purpose, like family photos or something. It seems out of character for Jessa to spend that much on a baby clothing item, especially when she touts consignment stores and ThredUp so often. I suppose it could have been a celebratory splurge when she found out she was having a girl. 

[Hisey]

12 hours ago, lumpentheologie said:

Serious question for those of you who think the bows are cute: if it's just that they're cute on a baby, why not put them on your boy babies if you like them? Boy babies and girl babies look exactly the same, so what's the difference? 

Even people who say they “aren’t into gender stereotypes “ put bows on girls but not boys,

[SassyPants]

27 minutes ago, Mimosa said:

Style is subjective though, personally I much prefer the sleeper Ivy is wearing to the style of the Jacadi baby clothes. I find the style of the Jacadi to be too fussy for me, and the sleeper Jessa bought is simple, and cute but still looks high quality and comfy. I wonder if she bought it for a purpose, like family photos or something. It seems out of character for Jessa to spend that much on a baby clothing item, especially when she touts consignment stores and ThredUp so often. I suppose it could have been a celebratory splurge when she found out she was having a girl. 

The maroon, green and grey sleepers that Ivy has been photographed in all look like the exact same type and style. I assumed they were sold as a pack, but someone above mentioned otherwise.

[is.it.real]

You guys's hats look so cute! Hats are my go-to when I'm going to a baby shower - people are generally impressed because I use size 0 needles, so the needle is about the thickness of thick spaghetti. Those of you who knit socks know what I'm talking about. Takes forever, but I like weird, fiddly crafts, I find them super satisfying. 
It also makes me happy to hear about all y'all parents not restricting your kid's stylistic choices based on gender - I feel like it's now acceptable for girls to wear more masculine styles, it's still so taboo for boys to wear more feminine styles. I look forward to this changing in the future.

Girls/women in boys/menswear has been a long time coming. The idea that women need to do masculine things, need to position themselves in the “male arena”, have to use male attributes in order to be taken seriously, is so ingrained in western culture.

But we really need to emphasize the qualities we traditionally have gendered as “female”, such as gentle, caring, and emotional. Both boys and girls need to develop “female qualities”! That’s my firm belief. Boys dressed in “girly” clothing is reaffirmed differently than boys in traditional boys clothing, and more “female qualities” are allowed by society as a whole.

And then we have to admit that bright colors in all the colors of the rainbow, as well as glitter and twirling skirts are fun [emoji177]

And the kilt as work clothing for craftsmen are catching on here. It’s said it’s more practical as well as nice during hot summer days!

[Mavis]

10 hours ago, Daisy0322 said:

I put bow ties on my son and he likes to wear hats. If he wanted a bow  I wouldn't be opposed to it. I'm very girly by nature I wear pearls and bows frequently.  My son likes baby dolls a lot but other than that he is pretty sporty so I dress him in lots of basketball shorts and tanks in the summer. I'd put a girl in bows if she seemed to like them or we were doing pictures. Most of the population end up cis gendered so I just dress my kids as such until they want to experiment other wise. My son has plenty of purple and pink outfits he has picked and he sleeps with glittery rainbow colored stuffed cheetah every night. We also have trans and non bianary family that are grsatcabout answering the kids in the family's questions and recommend books and things for them.

I agree that most of the population end up cisgender, but just because a kid's not trans or non-binary doesn't mean they'll want to conform to traditional gender roles. Because if you think of what falls under 'cisgender', that's a huge spectrum that runs from butches with buzzcuts to Ivanka Trump for women. 

 

[Smee]

Headbands give me a headache and my babies all hated things on their head (I.e. hats, hair clips), so my hatred of giant bows on infants is less to do with gender stereotypes and more to do with thinking they look ugly and uncomfortable. If I thought they were cute I probably wouldn’t see them as a massive gender beacon.

It’s difficult to be so deliberate about not gendering ANYTHING. Like, my son was free to choose to wear whatever he wanted (season appropriate) and had some skirts and pink glittery clothes, a Peppa pig raincoat that he wore everywhere, I ask all my kids if they want their hair cut (and how short) periodically etc. At 7 he no longer wants his nails painted or clothes from the girls section, but his favourite tv show is still Barbie. But all of that freedom to express himself without the confines of gender stereotypes didn’t really start until he was a toddler or preschooler and actually making choices. I never went out of my way to put “feminine” clothing on him as an infant.

I did, and would have done, hand-me-down clothing regardless of sex, but because I had a boy first that translated into my daughters wearing “boy” clothes, not the other way around. As newborns, they all wore a lot of neutral sleepers and onesies, or t-shirts and shorts, as well as a handful of more gendered clothing. When we went to a friend’s wedding, our toddler son wore a collared button-down shirt and black pants, while our 3 month old daughter wore a dress. She wasn’t old enough to look any different to a 3 month old boy baby, but we picked feminine formal clothing. Why? Mostly without thinking, because the default assumption is that most people are/will be cisgender until they tell you otherwise, and I happen to live in a society that codes dresses as feminine and bow ties as masculine. I fell into the norms of my society, mostly without deep consideration of them, and probably will continue to do so until one of my kids expresses a preference for something different.

I do vehemently declare “boys AND girls can do/wear/be whatever they want” if I hear my kids make “boys don’t like pink” type comments.

[lumpentheologie]

53 minutes ago, Mavis said:

I agree that most of the population end up cisgender, but just because a kid's not trans or non-binary doesn't mean they'll want to conform to traditional gender roles. Because if you think of what falls under 'cisgender', that's a huge spectrum that runs from butches with buzzcuts to Ivanka Trump for women. 

 

Thanks, I think you said better what I was trying to say.  I really hope we as a society are moving away from "X item of clothing is only acceptable for Y gender."  Gender expression definitely plays into what kind of clothing people prefer to wear, but both men and women (and all other genders) can have gender expression ranging from very masculine to very feminine. And since babies are too young to have any kind of preference re: gender expression, to me it makes sense to dress them in whatever you think looks cute on a baby. 

[Sullie06]

Man my daughter is into those JoJo bows. I hate spending money on them but I do give in time to time. They are so big though, I'm like kid they are half your head but she loves them. 

[Iamtheway]

7 hours ago, Smee said:

I do vehemently declare “boys AND girls can do/wear/be whatever they want” if I hear my kids make “boys don’t like pink” type comments.

Miniway and I talked about this while getting dressed this morning. He was wearing a dress yesterday and my dad commented on it. Miniway wanted to know why grandpa thought only girls could wear pink and dresses and we agreed it’s because he’s old and just doesn’t know any better. And that he is wrong and everyone can wear what ever they want.

I’m actually pleasently surprised he’s still in to dresses, flowers and pink. I thought the world would get to him sooner. He’s 5,5 now and I hope he can continue to be himself when he starts school next fall. 

[Glasgowghirl]

While she didn't mention getting them second hand their is still a chance got them used, I have seen people donating stuff like this all the time when I worked in a charity shop and a lot of the time they were never worn. Or she decided to splash out on them and will pass them on to another pregnant Duggar or a future sibling.

[nvmbr02]

I love the kickee pants clothing. I always have ordered directly through them, and they do have some decent sales from time to time. I have bought them for years now, first for my youngest daughter (she's 10 now) and later as shower/new baby gifts. The clothing is pricey, but super soft and lasts forever. And it all resells in facebook groups for a high price, especially if it is a print  or color that was very popular and limited. I sold some of my daughter's dresses and sleepers use for more than I paid for them.

[Glasgowghirl]

14 hours ago, MargaretElliott said:

You guys's hats look so cute! Hats are my go-to when I'm going to a baby shower - people are generally impressed because I use size 0 needles, so the needle is about the thickness of thick spaghetti. Those of you who knit socks know what I'm talking about. Takes forever, but I like weird, fiddly crafts, I find them super satisfying. 

I would love to be able to knit, I have tried to, lots of times and I just can't get the hang of it.

[libgirl2]

On 6/8/2019 at 3:15 PM, JordynDarby5 said:

Was it a biography or the one by Carolyn Meyer? I read the one by Carolyn Meyer and it was the first time I read about Mary I that wasn't the horrible person that usually pops up in Elizabeth stories. It was fiction which made me curious if it was true or not. I read a few different books on Mary finding out it really was true. She got treated like crap and went through so much and it mostly gets ignored in books and movies. It really does seem like she loved her parents and they both loved her until Henry decided on the divorce and began treating her so badly. It was Jane Seymour and later Katherine Parr who worked hard to try and restore the relationship. It really wasn't Henry's doing. It was those biographies I learned that the two actually did get along for most of Elizabeth's childhood. Its really a shame they ended up losing it. Or that Mary really didn't want to execute Jane and had no plans to do so. She knew Jane Grey's parents and in-laws were behind the coup not her. That's really the thing about Mary and Elizabeth. They both went though so much its clear they were shaped by it. Elizabeth learned from Mary's mistakes. 

Both of them had their father's temper but Elizabeth was more apt to let her head rule as opposed to Mary who let her heart rule (ie see Phillip of Spain). In a sense, Mary was more like her father than Elizabeth. 

On 6/8/2019 at 9:05 PM, VelociRapture said:

Yes! That was the book! I consider myself lucky that that was my introduction to the Tudors because it gave me a more sympathetic lens to view Mary I through that other people don’t seem to have. It seems that a lot of people like to ignore the legitimate traumas she experienced throughout her life in favor of viewing her as a one-dimensional villain. She absolutely deserves criticism fir the horrible things she did as Queen, but she was also a complex person and she wasn’t an evil human being. She didn’t deserve a lot of what she experienced and I don’t think history has been entirely fair to her at times either - but history if written by the winners and the Protestants were triumphant in England after her reign ended. 

I read a HF book focusing on Elizabeth. In it there was  a scene of her watching Mary rocking an empty cradle. She thinks to herself something as to how Mary would have been happy with a bunch of children clinging to her skirts. Its a real sad scene.  

On 6/9/2019 at 12:02 PM, Kayleigh83 said:

 It was the one by Carolyn Meyer,  I don’t even remember the book that well but when I looked it up and saw that it was aimed at a younger audience the name of it just sounded so familiar I knew I had read it!  One of my favorite things about reading historical fiction about actual historical figures is reading different books that have different perspectives on the same people,  and imagine different motivations for their behaviors.  I would strongly recommend The Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George (or really anything by her, she also has a fabulous book about Mary Queen of Scots.)

OMG! that is one of my favorite books of all time. One of my favorite Elizabeth books is Legacy by Karen Kay. There is also a British author, Maureen Peters, that writes some not always accurate but still very good historicals. My favorite is about Elizabeth Woodville, The Woodville Wench. 

I enjoy HF for the same reasons, getting different perspectives. It humanizes historical figures. I started with the Jean Plaidy books and then got my hands on everything I could fine. Not a fan of the Gregory books. 

Edited June 10, 2019 by libgirl2

[Kayleigh83]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

OMG! that is one of my favorite books of all time. One of my favorite Elizabeth books is Legacy by Karen Kay. There is also a British author, Maureen Peters, that writes some not always accurate but still very good historicals. My favorite is about Elizabeth Woodville, The Woodville Wench. 

I enjoy HF for the same reasons, getting different perspectives. It humanizes historical figures. I started with the Jean Plaidy books and then got my hands on everything I could fine. Not a fan of the Gregory books. 

Philippa Gregory’s books were the first ones I really got into after ones that were specifically aimed at the younger/preteen age group so I think they’ve always just held a special place for me! It was with her books I really got into the Tudor era in particular so for me it was a big gateway. I still do enjoy her books a lot even though I recognise she isn’t the *best* author, but I just really still enjoy her work and the subject matter she chooses if that makes sense?

Ugh but yes Margaret George is amazing, and I have read one or two Jean Plaidy books. I know I read The lady in the tower. I haven’t read the other authors as far as I know, will have to put them on the list!

[mollysmom]

5 hours ago, Glasgowghirl said:

I would love to be able to knit, I have tried to, lots of times and I just can't get the hang of it.

Same here!!!!

[tabitha2]

Have any of you read Carolly Erickson? Her Biographies of Catherine the Great and Queen Victoria and Queen Mary  among others are wonderful. 

[OyToTheVey]

7 minutes ago, mollysmom said:

Same here!!!!

Me three! I've tried a lot. I also make my stitches backwards somehow. I showed a friend a scarf I was trying to make and she's like since when do people stitch like that oops 

[JordynDarby5]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

Both of them had their father's temper but Elizabeth was more apt to let her head rule as opposed to Mary who let her heart rule (ie see Phillip of Spain). In a sense, Mary was more like her father than Elizabeth. 

I read a HF book focusing on Elizabeth. In it there was  a scene of her watching Mary rocking an empty cradle. She thinks to herself something as to how Mary would have been happy with a bunch of children clinging to her skirts. Its a real sad scene.  

OMG! that is one of my favorite books of all time. One of my favorite Elizabeth books is Legacy by Karen Kay. There is also a British author, Maureen Peters, that writes some not always accurate but still very good historicals. My favorite is about Elizabeth Woodville, The Woodville Wench. 

I enjoy HF for the same reasons, getting different perspectives. It humanizes historical figures. I started with the Jean Plaidy books and then got my hands on everything I could fine. Not a fan of the Gregory books. 

Elizabeth will always be my favorite. Its amazing everything she went through and was really intelligent and made a lot of really good decisions. She really seemed to learn from the mistakes made by her father, brother, sister and Cousin Mary. She had excellent tutors.

Mary would have been so happy to be a mother. It really was stupid on Henry's part not to marry her off just in case. He could have continued to try to produce heirs while his daughter also could have been. He could have a couple grandsons in line following after Edward. After Edward was a long line women and you just don't know how that's going to turn out. Mary was 30 when he died she would turn thirty-one a month later. She could have had a fourteen or fifteen year old heir by that point and maybe a few spares. 

I'll have to look into those bools. I love Tudor history, and do agree about Gregory. I've tried her books but don't like them. 

[Glasgowghirl]

2 hours ago, JordynDarby5 said:

Elizabeth will always be my favorite. Its amazing everything she went through and was really intelligent and made a lot of really good decisions. She really seemed to learn from the mistakes made by her father, brother, sister and Cousin Mary. She had excellent tutors.

Mary would have been so happy to be a mother. It really was stupid on Henry's part not to marry her off just in case. He could have continued to try to produce heirs while his daughter also could have been. He could have a couple grandsons in line following after Edward. After Edward was a long line women and you just don't know how that's going to turn out. Mary was 30 when he died she would turn thirty-one a month later. She could have had a fourteen or fifteen year old heir by that point and maybe a few spares. 

I'll have to look into those bools. I love Tudor history, and do agree about Gregory. I've tried her books but don't like them. 

I like Elizabeth as well, as a Catholic Scot, I did sympathise with Mary, Queen of Scots more growing up, I still do to an extent but Mary, after Darnley was murdered didn't do anything to distance herself from those suspected of his murder, she married the man suspected of killing him. Bothwell was a nasty and unpopular man and while what he did to Mary was horrible, even being close to him after the murder, knowing he was the main suspect was what cost her the crown and her infant son. She learned nothing while imprisoned by Elizabeth, she fell into the trap set for her and that was a fatal mistake.

Elizabeth learned from all the mistakes people made around her and survived scandal's and a trip to the tower of London herself. When her companion and rumoured potential suitor Robert Dudley's wife, Amy died after falling down stairs and it was speculated that she was pushed, Elizabeth was smart enough to distance herself from him and have her death investigated. Elizabeth also struck a balance between the extremes of her sibling's reign and wasn't scared to stand up for herself or England, when the Armada was trying to invade the country. Mary also for the most part kept things civil with King James VI knowing he was the one most likely to succeed her. 

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Jean Plaidy’s “My Enemy the Queen” was one of the first books I read about the Tudors. It’s told from the perspective of Lettice Knollys, who was a granddaughter of Mary Boleyn and possibly also Henry VIII. She married Elizabeth’s favorite Robert Dudley, and was the mother (by a different husband) of Elizabeth’s favorite the Earl of Essex. 

Jean Plaidy was one of several pen names for the very prolific Eleanor Hibbert - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Hibbert.

[Chickenbutt]

@CuriousI will assume you already have a rectangle granny square pattern, but if not, here is my favorite. It is my "go to" pattern for almost everything. Easy, mindless and works with all weights of yarn and hook sizes. There are other patterns, but this one has a sturdy, nice looking starting chain.  

http://iamtotallyobsessedwithyarn.blogspot.com/2006/01/granny-square-pattern-with-pictures.html

[viii]

I know Philippa Gregory isn’t an accurate author, but I love her fictional novels. She captures emotion and characterization well.  

[Bryna]

On 6/9/2019 at 5:34 PM, SassyPants said:

36 bucks for a newborn sleeper that Jessa claims she bought ( wasn’t gifted)? Hot damn, TLC must pay them well.

I assume TLC probably does pay them ok, especially relative to their cost of living. But also, $38.98 including shipping isn't exactly breaking the bank for most people. I mean, just because she has one outfit like that doesn't necessarily mean she has 30. If they had a baby shower, she probably had enough clothes for the first six months given to her, and I'm sure she could have easily filled in any holes at little to no cost from hand me downs and used clothing. If it were me having a baby, I'm sure I'd buy at least one outfit that I really liked for less than the cost of dinner for two in an average restaurant. And I'm a cheapskate who probably doesn't spend $40 on clothing for myself in a year, lol.