Oh How I love my cloth!

I have simply fallen in love with our cloth diapers. Now, don't get me wrong, obviously I have loved it for some time to cloth diaper 2 kids. But I've gone up and down with the love of my stash of diapers. At this particular moment and for the past 6 months or so, I have been very content with my stash (this is rare!). I have found a system that works really well for us and is easy for family and the babysitter to use. I've also found a really, really good wash routine that has done away with the stinkies and never leaves any stains.

Since March, we have been using exclusively Nana's Bottoms AIO's (All in ones) and Fuzzi Bunz pocket diapers. This system has worked really well for us. I send either the Nana's or FB's to the babysitter and then use the FB's at night for both boys. I usually double stuff the night time diapers and both boys go all night with no leaks. The Nana's are uber trim under clothing and I don't need to size up Bubba's pants with them like you have to sometimes with cloth diapers. Here are some pics of the little guy with his Nana's on:
We have also recently acquired some flat diapers. Basically these are just a large square piece of fabric. You have to fold them in order to put them on, or you can trifold them and lay them in a cover. The nice thing about these diapers is that they are super cheap ($12.50 a dozen) and you can fold them according to the size of your baby, making them truly a one sized diaper. Here are some pics of Bubba in the flats:For both diapers, the Nana's and the flats, I have made my own fleece liners that I just lay on top as a stay dry liner to help keep Bubba's bottom dry. The FB's have a fleece inner so they are already stay dry.

Our wash routine has also been perfected. We have hard water so its hard to find a detergent and wash routine that does not cause stinkies. This is what we do: wash on the heavy duty cycle on hot with a 1/4 scoop of Tide HE original powder. Then do another hot wash on heavy duty with no detergent. This has worked perfectly and we never have any stains. I just love it when everything seems to come together and you achieve stash nirvana! :) And, there's just nothing cuter than a little cloth covered bum!!!

A cool find!

During some down time at work I was reading some emails. I am a subscriber to the Hillbilly Housewives newsletter and I had a new one in my Inbox. I am a big fan of the Hillbilly Housewife simply because there are a lot of great tips, recipes, and tricks to getting the most for your money. They even have an emergency meal plan for a week for a family of 4 for $45!!! You can find the website here and subscribe to the free newsletter if you are interested.

Anyways, I was reading the newsletter and was browsing through the recipes and such. I came across the homemade detergent section and read a reply that had a link to the lady's blog. I then started to read her blog. She had some really good recipes on there for homemade cleaning products, fabric softner, and laundry detergent. She even posted a great link to an online store where she buys her scented essential oils. So, of course I visited the store because I have been looking for some more scented oils to put in our wetbag for diapers and other uses. So I ordered Monkey farts (smells like banana and other yumminess), pink sugar (which is my favorite and I even have the perfume), Amish Friendship bread (you know this HAS to smell good), and lemon pound cake (I love lemon smelling things, very fresh!). They were only $2.50 each and you can use them in so many things. I use them for scenting our homemade cleaners, laundry detergent, wetbag for diapers, and many other things. Here is a link to Natures Garden where they sell the fragrance oils.

I really wanted to share this blog with everyone because it has some really good recipes and tips on there. And with the economy the way it is at the moment, we all can really use some ways to save money. (Hint, cloth diapering is a great way!! :)) Anyways, here is the link to the blog: Farming on Faith

I hope you enjoy it and learn as much as I did. :)

A little bit of Christmas

The boys and I have been hard at work trying to get some of the Christmas decorations up around the house. It's been difficult without daddy here to help us get the house ready for the holiday season. I decided not to put everything up this year, just the important things that would make it feel like Christmas for the boys.

We travelled to the tree farm last Sunday to get our tree. Last year daddy chopped one down for us, but my plan this year was to just pick out a pre-cut one from the farm. However, Peytonn was having no part of that. Luckily, Papa and Nay Nay were with us and helped us pick out a tree. Papa was kind enough to cut it down for us and Peytonn helped pull the cart with the tree loaded up on it.
Once we got home, Peytonn helped Papa untie the tree and open it up. He then helped me decorate it and put the lights up. Everyday he reminds me to turn the lights on. He was such a good helper putting everything up with me. He even helped me decorate the mantel with lights and our stockings.
We have gotten all of our stockings from Pottery Barn Kids and I love them!!! We have gotten one each year and this year was my turn. This picture has my old stocking in it, but my new stocking came in the mail the other day and is now up on the mantel with the others. I got a red one so we now have 2 red and 2 blue ones. Our stockings are now complete. I can't wait to fill them up with fun things for the boys for Christmas.

Here we go....

We're very, very soon going to have a full blown walker on our hands. Bennett has been walking for a while holding just one of your fingers and will stand alone, but he would not take any steps on his own. So I got this brilliant idea to try out the old fashioned white Stride Rite shoes. I even got those little bell things that keep the shoe laces tied. And let me tell you, what a world of difference those things have made! Bennett loooooves the bells and will kick his legs just to hear the bells jingle. I've noticed he feels a lot more stable and sure of himself with the shoes on.

So, its been about a week and a half since we got the shoes and today he took his first steps all by himself. (I was only slightly trying to bribe him with his cup of milk) He is so cute though, he gets so excited and happy when he is standing by himself. He will even dance and clap his hands.

He is just growing so fast and quickly turning into a toddler instead of a baby. He is now into 18 month clothes and quickly outgrowing the 12 month stuff, especially in pants. I think he just has long legs and a short torso, because he not a "big" kid. I think he may just have long legs like his daddy. The outfit he has on in this picture is head to toe 18 months. He just looks so big in this picture, like a little man. :tear:

Such is life.....

This is the phrase that sums up what life has been like for this month. I have gone through a lot of ups and downs this month and I am ready to get off the roller coaster. Let's start with the positives:

Bennett is completely off the bottle and has been since the day after his birthday. It was difficult to find a cup that he really liked. He would drink out of almost any cup between meals, but he really just wanted his bottle in the morning and before bed. We were using the Playtex drop-ins with the latex nipple because the soft texture of the nipple worked really well with bottle and breastfeeding. It was easy to switch back and forth. So, then I went on the hunt for a cup spout that was similar in texture to the latex nipple. And I found it!!! B is in love with the Nuk Trainer cup. It has a latex spout that is soft and he is able to draw it further into his mouth than the hard plastic ones.
On another note, I accepted a position for a new job. I start my new job on December 1st and I am really excited about it. The position is similar to what I do now, but I will be in contact more with my clients instead of sitting at a desk and doing a lot of paperwork among everything else. The best part is, I get to make my own schedule and it is a lot more flexible than what I do now. I really need that right now in my life, I feel very stressed out at the moment due to work and taking care of everything at home by myself.

Now onto the moments this month that have led to me really think about my life and the people that surround me.

I am stressed out to capacity! Not that I am surprised at all, how could anyone not be in a situation like this. It has really made me look at my life and how I can simplify it and make it less stressful for me and the boys. I have come to realize that I cannot be everything for everyone. There comes a time when you realize you have done all that you can possibly do to make things and situations go smoothly. Then you just have to take a step back and let things progress how they are meant to. I feel as though if I am stressed out and upset, then my kids are going to pick up on that. I want my kids to be happy and healthy and us all to get through this phase of our life in the best way possible. I can no longer pretend as if statements and situations do not bother me and remain silent any longer. I am not one for confrontation, but I am up to my eyeballs in stress with no end in sight. I have not had a day or night all to myself since May. So yeah, I'm a little tired and irritable, but I am doing the best that I can given the situation.

I just want people to understand that when you come to me with a full plate and you want to pile that full plate on top of my own full plate, I may just got a little nuts. I am starting to speak up and I will say what I have kept bottled up for so long. Just realize that when you want to come to me with your mound of issues and problems.

Needless to say, the holidays are going to be strange this year. I want my husband home to enjoy this special time of year with us. It already feels like something is missing.

Can't believe he is 1

My little monster man is 1! How crazy is that?! This year has flown by, even faster than normal. We had wee man's party today and everyone was so generous with new toys and clothes for him. Both boys were so excited to have everyone over to the house and to play with friends and family.

Let's see what B is up to these days:
--Cruising like a mad man, but still refusing to walk. (fine with me!)
--Has been on whole raw milk for about 2 weeks now
--FINALLY started sleeping through the night once he started the whole milk (thank heavens!!!!)
--Is cutting his top two teeth
--eats just as much, if not more than his older brother
--drinks about a gallon of milk per week, so we go through about 2 gallons per week for both boys
--calls me "mama" and will crawl after me yelling it
--he is super good at feeding himself and eats just about anything.
--some of his favorite foods are black beans, waffles, yogurt, cottage cheese, cheerios, hot dogs, chicken, pot pies, peas, carrots, cheese. Basically the kid will eat anything that I give him. :)

Wee man loved his cake so much! He was a little unsure at first about getting into it, but once he took a few small bites, he really went to town on it. He ate the entire piece that I gave him. We even video taped some of the party to send to daddy and we took plenty of pictures for him as well. Daddy really wished that he could be here for wee man's 1st birthday, but soon enough he will be home for a visit.

Mr. Fiesty

Well, my calm easy going baby has turned into quite a fiesty little guy at times. It's interesting to watch him and his older brother play. Now if big brother takes a toy from him, B screeches at big brother in a very loud voice! He is not shy at displaying his dislike for an event that just happened. I guess he feels as though he needs to state his opinion on it.

B has also become quite fast in his mobility. He is lightening fast when he crawls and now he is standing on his own and cruising around the furniture. He hasn't gotten up the guts to try and take some steps on his own, but he will walk with anything and everything he can get his hands on.

B has really taken to the word "dada." The boy will yell "dada" anywhere and everywhere we go. I try to get him to say "mama" and he just stares at me and then laughs, like yeah right mom! Apparently even thousands of miles away, dad is still cooler than mom. :( At least mom still has the goods! :)

Speaking of goods, I am in the process of weaning myself off of the pump. Instead of pumping 3 times a day at work, I am now down to once a day, usually around lunch time. That leaves about 4 hours between feedings. My plan is to stop pumping completely when B turns 1 and then he can nurse at night, in the morning, and on weekends. I will make it to my goal of 1 year and then we will become extended nursers until B decides mom and the goods aren't cool anymore. That will be a sad day for me because I enjoy nursing him so much and I love our quality time that we get to spend together.

We also got a new stroller recently. I really like our doubler stroller that we got, but P wants to walk all the time now. That doesn't really fit with lugging around a doubler stroller then. I wanted something light weight, had a basket for a diaper bag or other things, and had a good canopy to keep the sun off B. I think I have found perfection in all of those categories! I ended up getting a Joovy Kooper and I LOVE it!! It is extremely light weight and I can fold it down with one hand and lift it into the van while holding B. It also has a basket and drink holders and it has a HUGE canopy to cover B and will definitely keep the sun off of him. I also like the colors that they make, we got the Appletree color, which I love as well. Here is a pic of it:
It drives like a dream too! It folds down to the size of an umbrella stroller, which is nice if I have other things in the back of the van. It does recline almost all the way down, which is nice for naps. It fits both boys great and they both seem to enjoy it.

I'm here and you're there

This month marks 6 years since I met my husband. It really doesn't seem like it has been that long, but I guess that is a good thing. This year will also mark our 3 year wedding anniversary. The only problem is, I'm here and he's there. :( I miss my husband immensely and each day that we spend apart seems like eternity. I hate that we are apart, but I know that it will only make our relationship stronger.

*Then*

We have been tossing around the idea of putting the house up for sale when hubby gets home and moving out to the country. I think the kids would really enjoy the extra space and not having our neighbors so close to us. I would also like to have a bigger garden next year and have the option down the road to maybe have some chickens for fresh eggs. I know, crazy right? But it sounds like a good adventure and my husband could teach me how to do it. :)

We are planning to get pictures done of the boys next month. I am having the same person do it that did my sister's wedding photos. She did an amazing job on her pictures and I hope the boys' will turn out just as good. I would've liked to get family pictures done, but we will wait for hubby to get home to get those done.

*And now*

10 months and counting

Wow, it has been forever since my last blog. I cannot believe my little man is 10 months old now. And even more so, I can't believe that when daddy left, B was only 5 months old! It kills me every day to know how much he is missing with the boys and how much they are changing while he is gone. I have been taking videos and pictures of the boys with my cell phone and emailing them to daddy so that he can still see how they are changing.

It seems like B has changed so much from 9 months. Let's see what he is doing now:
--pulling up on just about anything he can get his little paws on
--he is starting to move from one place to another while standing, such as from the toy box to the kitchen set.
--he is eating only table food.
--We have switched out the bottle for a cup during one of his feedings at the babysitter.
--We are still nursing and going strong! I am determined to make it to the one year mark and beyond.
--He has taken a liking into tackling his older brother to the floor and then climbing all over him.
--I don't know how much he weighs exactly or how long he is, but he is outgrowing his Medium sized diapers in the rise. So that would tell me he is getting longer.
--He loves to laugh and is probably the happiest baby I know.
--He now has his 2 bottom teeth.
--He has discovered where the DVD's are kept and I must now find a new location for them unless I want to continue to clean them up constantly.
--He has also found the toy box and loves to stand there and throw out all of the toys.
--He is sleeping the entire night in his crib. (Not sleeping through the night, but he is staying in his crib the whole night)
--He now wears 12-18 month clothing and he and his older brother can wear some of the same stuff.

He is changing so much and learning so much from watching his brother. He is just a joy to have in our family and I can't wait to see how he continues to grow and change.

P is also growing and learning so much. His speaking skills have improved so much in the past month and he can now say so many words that he was unable to say before. Another big milestone for P is that he is now potty trained, except at night. It didn't take very long and I am very thankful for that! Both boys are just adjusting so well to daddy being gone and we have gotten into a very good routine. Bedtime is so much easier now and so are the evenings and mornings. I think we have it down to a science. :) So, now on to the good stuff...pictures!

*A good pic of his teeth*

9 Months Old

Well, B is officially 9 months old now. Let's see what is going on with him:
--He is crawling like a maniac
--He pulls himself up on just about anything and everything he can get his hands on
--He loves to walk while holding your hands
--He is in the process of getting his first tooth
--He is still breastfeeding and going strong
--At his 9 month check up today he weighed in at 18lbs 2oz and was 27 inches long
--He babbles and laughs non-stop
--He thinks his older brother is just hilarious
--He looooves table food, but still not a huge fan of jarred food
--He can drink from a cup
--He can clap his hands
--He is sleeping half the night in his crib

I think that is all I can think of right now. He is just such a happy, happy baby and so full of life. Everyone that meets him comments on how happy he is and how good of a baby he is. (I attribute that to the breastfeeding and babywearing) Trust me, he definitely has his moments of fussiness, but overall he is just a joy to have around. I wish daddy was here to see how much his little man is changing every day. It won't be long before he is walking and I hate for daddy to miss that!

Long time no see!

I know, it's been quite a while since I last updated this thing. So, what has been going on in our lives?

First off, I went back to work at my old job at the beginning of the month. So far, it has been a good choice. The boys are doing great at the babysitter and I am able to pump enough milk for B while I am at work.

Secondly, B has really taken off in the crawling department. He is everywhere and in to everything! He has now started to pull himself up on things to the standing position. I had to move his crib mattress down another slot because he can pull himself up in the crib. He will also stand and walk while holding onto your fingers. He is so mobile! P was never this mobile so fast.

Also this month, we went down to Gulfport for a week to visit with the hubby before he left. It was such a great time and we have some really awesome memories. My birthday just happened to be while we were down there, so the inlaws watch the boys while hubby and I got a date night. We went to go see Harry Potter, ate some sushi, and then went gabbling. It was such a fun night!

P had some much fun playing in the sand on the beach and in the water. B liked to sit where he could splash in the water and play in the sand. It was really nice to have some quality family time. We haven't been on a real vacation since P was born.

We have a crawler!

B has officially started to crawl on all fours as of July 4, 2009! It amazing how far they can come in just a couple of days. I remember that P didn't start crawling until he was almost 9 months old and then waited until he was almost 15 months to walk. For some reason, I don't think B will wait that long to walk. He is such a mover and a shaker.

B has also mastered feeding himself finger foods. He loves Cheerios, watermelon, Happy Baby Organic Puffs, and Mum Mum's. He will eat almost anything, except bananas and squash, he is not a fan of those.

We also did a trial run at the babysitter's last week. Both boys went for two days in a row. B has never been to a babysitter besides family, so I was nervous how he would react. But he was just fine! I should have known he would be ok, he is such a happy, go-lucky baby. He even took a bottle for her, of course it had breastmilk in it. I have tried before to leave him with my mom for a couple of hours while I am out and he will not take a bottle of formula. Period! He will take one sip and spit it out. So, apparently breastmilk is the key to my little man's heart. :)

*P and Papa C checking out the pond at GiGi's house*

P also said the word "pool" yesterday! We were at my uncle's for the 4th and he has a pool. P just came out of no where and said "pool!" Now I know he can say "P" words and there is no excuse why he won't say "please." We have been trying to get him to say "please" and "thank you" for some time now and he just refuses to say them. He has never tried to repeat us or imitate us using words at all, but I figured by now he would be saying them.

*P and cousin K watching a video on the cell phone*

In other news, I start back to work tomorrow. It is a bittersweet feeling, I am excited to go back and get into the routine again with adult conversation, but at the same time I will miss my babies tremendously!!

The explosion!

Our garden has definitely taken off rather well, a little too well for me being the gardener. I usually kill everything as soon as I plant it. But I guess my luck has changed for this year.

I had to take out an entire row of cucumbers and give them to my inlaws because they were getting so big that they were overtaking my jalapenos and green onions. I still have 7 cucumber plants left, which is probably more than enough. I also counted how many green tomatoes we have on our plant tonight and I got 21! Good thing I LOVE fried green tomatoes and regular tomatoes or else we would be in trouble. The green onions are coming along, I have already harvested about 8 or so and ate them up. The radishes I also harvested and ate all of them as well.

*Green Onions*

*Tomatoes*

I also planted an eggplant plant this year and I am very curious to see how this thing grows. It is getting tall but I haven't quite figured out yet how this heavy eggplant is going to grow on this tall plant without weighing it down. But, I may be surprised!

*Eggplant*

I think the thing I love best about my garden is that is it all natural. All of my plants are growing so well and all I used was organic soil and compost. You don't have to use a bunch of chemicals to get the results that you want. I can't wait to harvest more of our veggies!

A quick update

Wow, it feels like forever since the last time I blogged. Let's see, what has happened in the mean time?

P broke his arm and yes, I feel terrible about it! Those Target shopping carts will get you every time. The good news is, he only needs to have his cast on for 4 weeks. That means, it comes off 2 days before we leave for Mississippi to see dad. Which also means, P can swim while we are there!! I was so worried about that. We got a condo on the coast and I was hoping he would be able to enjoy the water and the pool.

P has also been talking so much more. He now says, "Look, mama, look!" Although it sounds more like "wook, mama, wook!" He says "brother" and will call people their names. However, he seems to think that all males are "papa" and all females are "nay nay" and he will ask where they are constantly. He will also bring me my phone and say "papa", which means that he wants me to play a video of daddy.

B has been doing great! He is maneuvering himself all around and is just about crawling. He can get up onto his hands and knees from his belly and he rocks back and forth. He will even hop his knees forward when he rocks. Now he just needs to get the arms and the legs together and he will be off. I can't believe that he will be 8 months old in about a week. He is growing up too fast! He has been babbling so much, he loves the "ba ba" sounds right now.

I have decided to return to work. I start back next week at my old job. I am nervous about B going to the babysitter for the first time, but I know that he will be in good hands. I have been working with both boys about setting a daily routine for naps and bedtime. So far, it has worked out pretty good. B is also getting much better about sleeping in his crib. It is much less of a fight now and he sleeps a good portion of the night in his own room. Now, if I could just sacrifice some sleep and feed him and put him back to bed instead of bringing him to sleep with me, he would probably sleep all night in there. That is my goal for this week.

We also got a new Canon camera. Our old point and shoot camera was starting to produce blurry pictures no matter which setting it was on. We received a $100 gift card in the mail from Dell, so I got us a new, better camera with it so I can capture the boys "in the moment" instead of 5 minutes after the moment has passed. :)

First harvest

I got my first harvest out of our garden. I picked a few radishes today when I was out checking the garden. The cucumbers have about taken over the garden, I may have to purge some for the sake of the other plants. One of the cucumber plants has also started to creep out of the garden into the yard! Yikes!

On the move

Ever since B started to sit on his own, he has been trying to move. Just recently, he has started to get on his hands from the sitting position and move himself around. He just does not sit still anymore. When he is on his tummy, he scrunches his knees up and lunges himself forward. It won't be long now before he is up and crawling. I tried to get a video of him doing the scrunch, but all I could get was him moving from the sitting position.

Last night, he was laying in bed with me and he was lunging for his pacifier. He moved all around that bed. In fact, today I went to get him after he woke up from a nap and he was facing the opposite direction in the bed. Even more reason to move him back to his crib.

Speaking of his crib, the transition is not going so well. He is a very persistent little guy about sleeping next to mommy. Nap time seems to be the hardest, he is just not a fan at all of being put in the pack 'n play. For bedtime I can usually nurse him in our bed and then once he is asleep I move him to the pack 'n play. It's especially frustrating when he will only sleep for maybe 20-30 minutes in his crib, but will take a 2 hour nap in our bed. But I keep trying, hoping one day it will be easier and work.

I have also introduced a sippy cup to B. He has figured out how to get the water out of it and loves to play with the cup. It has become a source of entertainment.

Two steps forward and two steps back...

Good news on the solids, B has taken a good liking to them now. Turns out I'm not really starving my baby after all. :) He is doing so much better with eating pureed baby food. We skipped the stage 1 foods and went right to stage 2, his preference, not mine. Although, some foods are hard to find in the stage 2, so I will buy stage 1 so that he can try them. He still refuses any sort of cereal. I have tried rice, oatmeal, and mixed grain and he is not a fan of any of them. Fine by me! He also loves the texture of table food, so far we have tried peas, green beans, carrots, black beans, bread, and sweet potatoes. It is so funny to watch him "chew" the food up. And don't worry, I do squish the peas and the black beans before giving them to him. :) He has also been a little picky about some foods. He is not the biggest fan of bananas (I don't blame him, gross!) and mixed veggies. But he will chow down spinach and potatoes and prunes like they are going out of business. Silly baby!!

We are also having some sleep issues around here. I have been putting B to bed in his crib, in his room and then once he wakes up the first time I bring him to bed with me. So far, this has worked out fine, he nurses and we both go back to sleep. Plus, since hubby has been gone, it's just me and pork chop in a king size bed, I put him on one side and I sleep on the other until my presence is requested again. Now we are to the point where mommy's boob and mommy in general are the only things that will make B go to sleep. And he is waking up a lot more during the night, it has become nursing for comfort instead of nursing to eat. I remember this stage very well with P, it was right about 6-7 months. This is when I transitioned P out of our bed and back to his crib. The only difference is that P's crib was in our room back then and B has his own room. So, I decided to set up the pack 'n play in our room so that I can transition B to his own bed, but he is still in our room and he won't be as likely to wake up P during the night. Tonight is the first night, so we'll see how it goes.

It's official!

B is sitting up completely on his own now, with no support! He is such a big boy, I can't believe he is just about 7 months old now. He has also started to scoot himself around when he is on his belly. I have this feeling my life and house are about to really be turned upside down. With two mobile children who love to get into everything! :)

On another note, we are very much enjoying having daddy home for a while. The boys think dad is the best thing since sliced bread and I am enjoying the almost vacation like feeling of having help with the kids and the house. B thinks dad is totally hilarious at all times and P is loving having dad as a jungle gym again.

We are having issues with P taking toys from B and also with P scratching B when he gets mad. B has some good battle wounds from his older brother, but he seems in good spirits. Hubby and I have discussed perhaps not taking the boys on the 4 day leave next month, depending on how well P handles this one. We know that at 2 he is not yet able to fully understand what is going on with dad leaving and then coming home and then leaving again. If he does not handle it well this time, we are not sure that we want to put him through that again in a month. But on the other hand, both dad and I'm sure P want to see each other. It's a hard decision to make.