Friday, February 13, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Chunky Monkey and POOF!
Lordy! Take a good look at this Chunky Monkey!
Don'tcha just want to eat him up? I do. On a regular basis. Especially around his ears...
That hair is starting to look more and more like a strawberry-blonde color each day. His left eye has been watering all week long. I've been using green tea bags on it a few times a day (that's what the doctor said to do when this happened a month ago) but it hasn't completely cleared up. So we may be heading back there tomorrow.
The cloth diapers are working out well. Positives: less $ being spent on disposables, absolutely cute bottom, very soft to hold baby. Negatives: some are a bit leaky, due to the fact that the elastic in the leg openings aren't as tight as they used to be (4 Bum Genius 2.0s that were T's); those same diapers have serious problems with the velcro sticking to everything (they are supposed to stick to the laundry tabs, but don't); and the two Happy Heinies that I got for $8 a piece are still a wee bit big around the legs on him (you can see the duckies one in the background on the picture below). The one he has on in these pics was one that I had bought for T but he didn't use much, as it was very small and tight on him. Fits Ollie just fine!
Newborns sure do pee a lot. If I leave him in cloth for over two hours, there is a good chance I'll have a leaker. But it is kinda fun to put him in a new outfit... Anyway, I've been sticking with cloth when I know I'm going to be at home and using paper diapers (what I call disposables) when we are out. And I've switched to using Tide this time after reading dozens of postings on it at DiaperSwappers.com So far, they smell fantastic and there is no staining. I'm doing one rinse, one hot wash, and two rinses. Although I tried many things before, I always had a terrible ammonia smell with them after awhile with T. From what I've read, that doesn't happen with Tide. It may break down the diapers faster than if you didn't use it, but I'll take that over the stink any day.
Anyone else using cloth, I'd be curious to know about your wash routine.
Don'tcha just want to eat him up? I do. On a regular basis. Especially around his ears...
That hair is starting to look more and more like a strawberry-blonde color each day. His left eye has been watering all week long. I've been using green tea bags on it a few times a day (that's what the doctor said to do when this happened a month ago) but it hasn't completely cleared up. So we may be heading back there tomorrow.
The cloth diapers are working out well. Positives: less $ being spent on disposables, absolutely cute bottom, very soft to hold baby. Negatives: some are a bit leaky, due to the fact that the elastic in the leg openings aren't as tight as they used to be (4 Bum Genius 2.0s that were T's); those same diapers have serious problems with the velcro sticking to everything (they are supposed to stick to the laundry tabs, but don't); and the two Happy Heinies that I got for $8 a piece are still a wee bit big around the legs on him (you can see the duckies one in the background on the picture below). The one he has on in these pics was one that I had bought for T but he didn't use much, as it was very small and tight on him. Fits Ollie just fine!
Newborns sure do pee a lot. If I leave him in cloth for over two hours, there is a good chance I'll have a leaker. But it is kinda fun to put him in a new outfit... Anyway, I've been sticking with cloth when I know I'm going to be at home and using paper diapers (what I call disposables) when we are out. And I've switched to using Tide this time after reading dozens of postings on it at DiaperSwappers.com So far, they smell fantastic and there is no staining. I'm doing one rinse, one hot wash, and two rinses. Although I tried many things before, I always had a terrible ammonia smell with them after awhile with T. From what I've read, that doesn't happen with Tide. It may break down the diapers faster than if you didn't use it, but I'll take that over the stink any day.
Anyone else using cloth, I'd be curious to know about your wash routine.
Who loves you?
So this is my angle for many times during the day. I'm sitting on the glider (which we will soon be moving back upstairs to our room) and watching T as I nurse Ollie. Here he plays a game (that he invented) called "Poof!" As he jumps, he yells "Poof!" Got it? Pretty basic.
Thank goodness for IKEA couches. Barf on 'em, pee on 'em, jump on 'em... and they're still standing!
Roundup
Time for me to search the web for neat articles and you to read them!
The Claim: Never Blow Your Nose When You Have a Cold. Really? Check out this article.
The Innate Nature of Children. Fantastic parenting article reminding us about what our children already know and how to nurture the goodness inside of them.
Find volunteer opportunities while you surf the web. Whether you've been inspired by the President's request to take up service in your community or not, you should still check this site out.
One of my arguments against male circumcision is that you'd never think of doing the same to a girl. But in many parts of our world, people do just that. Read this article for good information on the subject of female genital cutting and then sign the petition against it.
Finally, if you love your library, take a look at this. I know times are tight and money is being cut everywhere... but would you be able to get along if your library closed? Keep our free public libraries afloat by signing the petition.
The Claim: Never Blow Your Nose When You Have a Cold. Really? Check out this article.
The Innate Nature of Children. Fantastic parenting article reminding us about what our children already know and how to nurture the goodness inside of them.
Find volunteer opportunities while you surf the web. Whether you've been inspired by the President's request to take up service in your community or not, you should still check this site out.
One of my arguments against male circumcision is that you'd never think of doing the same to a girl. But in many parts of our world, people do just that. Read this article for good information on the subject of female genital cutting and then sign the petition against it.
Finally, if you love your library, take a look at this. I know times are tight and money is being cut everywhere... but would you be able to get along if your library closed? Keep our free public libraries afloat by signing the petition.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Watch Your Language!
Two great articles to check out:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28900351/ I am totally a spelling snob. I've taken out apostrophes that are unnecessary on white boards in the Home Depot on several occasions. I try to ignore most of what I see when it is done by people I care about, though.
http://www.thestar.com/article/582291 Now this one is interesting. Because our president has a name that ends in a vowel, all those Brits can't say it correctly. Ha!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28900351/ I am totally a spelling snob. I've taken out apostrophes that are unnecessary on white boards in the Home Depot on several occasions. I try to ignore most of what I see when it is done by people I care about, though.
http://www.thestar.com/article/582291 Now this one is interesting. Because our president has a name that ends in a vowel, all those Brits can't say it correctly. Ha!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
HugaMonkey
I'm putting this oversized fleece jacket to good use. This is how I go out to get the mail every day... with kid in tow!Below, you can see the carrier better. It's called the Over the Shoulder Baby Holder. Neat name, I must say, but as far as effectiveness goes... We got it when Trenton was little (and cranky). At the time, I just didn't know all the options for babywearing that were out there. This one is a ring-style sling, which means it can be adjusted to fit any body size (so Jim could wear it, too). But it is really thick and bulky, making it hard to just slip on or stuff into the diaper bag to take with me when I'm out. And there was always so much slack to deal with... annoying!
Of course we also have the Baby Bjorn (probably Jim's carrier of choice). And it does well. It really gives you the support you need to have both hands free. Ollie likes it so long as he is well awake. If he is cranky, he does NOT want to fall asleep upright. Plus, you are being suspended by your crotch... can't be too comfortable for long, right?
Thanks to Bridget, I'm now a subscriber to babysteals.com, a site that sends you a daily email with some sort of ridiculous bargain. Most of the stuff I already have some version of, or it is still too expensive... but the other day there was an offer for an organic baby sling by a company called HugaMonkey. Also, I had just been talking to a mom at the library about her sling and really wanted to look into getting a new one...
HugaMonkey slings are unique in that they have different sizes (I'm a small-- imagine that!) which allow for the baby to fall at your center of gravity (around your hip) and are wicked comfortable. I also really liked all the video clips that they have up on their site-- shows you exactly how you can put the baby in the sling. Oliver really likes the Kangaroo Carry and the Traditional Carry when he is tired. I'm looking forward to putting him on my hip and around to my back as he gets older. As with all slings, there comes a time when the kid is just too darned heavy... But for now, I was able to walk around Ocean Grove for an hour or so with him in it and didn't have much trouble.
That's right, folks, we took the sick kid out to Chocolate Lover's Weekend in Ocean Grove. The way I saw it, he had been in the house for two days (as had I) and fresh air could not harm him. The weather was in the low 40s so we brought blankets with us as well as several barf bags.Check out the double stroller! It held up nicely through the sloshy snow-covered sidewalks but was just a wee bit too wide to fit into any doors. We ditched it outside the places we went in to. No biggie.
Okay, so below you can see Ollie in the new carrier. He loves being close to me, and I never feel like he is going to fall out.
Dude, how come no one clears the snow off of the boardwalk? We found it odd. Yes, I did get my chocolate fix. We hung out at the Manchester Inn for most of the time, as they were serving free soup, apple crisp, coffee, cider, and all things chocolate. Highlights included chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate covered pretzles, and chocolate covered popcorn (although I swear it was cheese puffs). It was hard to eat around Trenton, as he was supposed to be eating only crackers and ginger ale... but we didn't stay long. Once we got home, the marathon nap started and he was back to his old self again after that.
Finally, here's a cute clip of Mommy being a silly gal and Ollie just eating it up... Celery! Crunchy!!!
Finally, here's a cute clip of Mommy being a silly gal and Ollie just eating it up... Celery! Crunchy!!!
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