Potty Training Update

I may go ahead and enroll W in preschool in the next few weeks. He can go pretty much the whole day without a diaper. He even pooped in the toilet yesterday. I think he's starting to get it and likes it.

Photos that Resemble II

Baby J

Photos that Resemble

Me as a baby

The Hub as a babe

W as a babe

Super N as a babe

Resemblance

I think it's so cool when you look back at pictures of yourself as a kid and you see your kids! As a kid I never imagined I'd be married let alone have kids. Those things never seemed real to me for some reason. But now that I have kids it means a lot to me that they look like me in some way, I don't know why but it does. I thought I'd post some pics of myself that remind me of my kids when I look at them.

The first one is me at 4 years old I think. I believe it was my kindergarten picture from McGuffey Elementary. I can see Baby J in my face. And that is Super N's hair!

The next one is when I was 3 and we were living in Pensacola Florida. That definitely is Super N's hair!

In the last one I'm 9 years old, I see W from the nose down! That is definitely his smile. Its nice b/c everyone always says to him, since he was born, that he looks exactly like his dad.

I don't have many pics of the Hub to put up here. Actually I have only one baby picture of him. Maybe I'll try to get some pictures from his mom and post him up here too.

Summer Enjoyment

Droopy Tomato plants.

Turnip Greens

Sweet Potato plant

Potager Gardening July

Bon Bon Squash plant

Two squash are growing!

The pepper plants are taking forever.

Some tomato buds, again taking forever.

15 Weeks Young

He's so much more alert now. He uses one leg to kind of bounce himself in the Johnny Jumper. He's smiling and cooing all the time and he likes to kick his right leg a lot. He's very colicky which is really difficult to deal with. I read somewhere that it could resolve itself around 5 months...God I hope its sooner.

Vegas and Grief

I feel like the last two weeks have just flown by. With my Aunt's passing and then the preparation of and flying to Vegas and then jumping right back into life, I feel overwhelmed with emotion. I had hoped that the trip to Vegas would be a break and an opportunity to "feel better" but that didn't happen. Instead Baby J was colicky every day and with the Hub gone in meetings from 8:30-4:30, I just felt lonely.

When we got to Vegas we were granted early check in and were able to go walking through the Forum Shops at Caesers Palace for a few hours. We then got something to eat and got ourselves ready for a Reception Dinner put on by the company that Jason was working with. This gave us an opportunity to meet the other people the Hub would be working with and gave me a chance to meet their wives. Well the 3 wives that were there. It was nice and enjoyable. B/c the Reception Dinner was in a private room we were able to set up Baby J's bassinet and so he slept through the whole dinner peacefully, it was nice.

The next three days the Hub was gone from 8:30-4:30 every day for work and I was left on my own with Baby J to do whatever I wanted. I had planned on going to the pool every day and thought that would be a relaxing break (and it's free) but instead we made it once and got bombarded by other people's grandmas. Although they meant well, they lectured me on bringing the babe into the sun in 101 degree weather. Their concerns were valid b/c Baby J could've gotten heatstroke, but nonetheless they scared the crap out of me and overwhelmed me to the extent that I picked up my baby and belongings and went back to the hotel room. I ended up nursing Baby J off an on for a while, b/c I was worried about him becoming dehydrated.

After about two or so hours he started to get unhappy and I was stir crazy. I packed us up and we cruised the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace for about about two hours. I thought if I just kept pushing Baby J in the stroller he'd be fine b/c we were moving but instead he was mostly unhappy from the start and let me know it. I ended up carrying him most of the time and moving swiftly through the mall with an unhappy baby and an aching back. At about 4:00 I started to head back to try and get ready for dinner. The company Jason was collaborating with had made reservations for us (all 28 or so of us) at Table 10 in the Palazzo hotel. We were told the reservations were at 5:30 and that we'd all take cabs over together. Turns out that the reservation was at 5:00 and I didn't get back to the hotel room until 4:30. And I was really sweaty and felt gross. I didn't have time to relax, take a shower and make myself feel pretty. Instead I had to bust a move and throw my clothes on, throw my make up on, fluff my hair and mask the loads of spit up and sweat on my skin with CK One.

We finally get to the restaurant, which was pleasing to the eye and comfortable, and got seated. We were served drinks and appetizers and then that is about the time that Baby J decided he didn't want to go to sleep...at all. We tried everything. Finally I just collected him and my things and took a cab back to our hotel. I got to eat my Red Snapper later on that night after the Hub brought it back to our hotel room.

Saturday after watching about 2 hours of rerun HGTV shows on my laptop, I got us packed up and we headed over to Planet Hollywood hotel to walk through their Miracle Mile Shops. After we got there Baby J quickly became unhappy and I realized he wanted nursed again so I sought out somewhere to sit, that took forever! There really is no where to sit in Vegas! I guess that's pretty indicative of Sin City, you don't come to Vegas to sit unless it's in front of a slot machine! But I had to sit to nurse. I found somewhere and then sought out food for myself. Shortly therafter I landed upon a Daiquiri Bar and bought a Mango daiquiri. I nursed that bad boy while I wandered through the rest of the mall. It really did take the edge off of my screaming infant who had clearly gotten to the end of his rope and needed to go back to the hotel room.

I was so tired from that excursion and in pain (my pelvis) that by the time the Hub came home I couldn't walk anywhere else. We ended up staying in and I watched more design shows & nursed and he worked on his book chapter. We did get take out from Payard though, omg yummy! There's nothing like Crepes with nutella and whipped cream for dinner.

On sunday I knew the Hub would want to go out exploring after work so I stayed in and watched two Pay Per View movies (Baby Mama made me laugh...that was nice). I cannot for the life of me recall what else I did. I think I might have just watched more design shows on the internet. I know at one point I tried to take a nap and Baby J wouldn't have it. The Hub came home at 4:30 though and we went to the Fashion Show Mall to look around. It was cool until Baby J had a blow out and we scrambled to find a bathroom. We headed back to the Forum Shops at Caesars and looked in a few stores after I sat and recovered while nursing, my pelvis was screaming in pain and Baby J was screaming in hunger. We eventually settled on carryout sushi and soba noodles for dinner and then fell asleep of course after the evening ritual of The Screaming Baby subsided.

I hope my post doesn't come across ungrateful but I'm thinking I should've stayed home. Baby J seriously cried most of the time and threw up all the time. I found myself on edge 24/7-kind of like at home and I still had to pay for my food which ended up costing a lot (an added stressor). I had expectations that were not fulfilled and so I'm having a difficult time adjusting to that reality. Mostly my expectations were to relax, enjoy some good food in peace and have some fun time with my husband-but that didn't happen.

I had a lot of time to think on this trip and b/c I was sad from my Aunt's passing it brought up a lot of emotions from when my grandma passed in May 2007 and when my grandpa passed in November 2007. I didn't know my grandma had died and found out she did the day of her funeral, which was in another state. It was very devastating for me and I still have a lot of emotions and sadness b/c I feel like I didn't get closure. I think part of having a showing and a funeral is to help the family and friends of the loved one get closure and when you don't experience that I think it makes it more difficult. Also, my Aunt's death brought up feelings of regret that I have that I need to think through. I'm sad too b/c these 3 people impacted my life more then any other family members (not including my dad). They persued me throughout my life and communicated love to me when I most needed it. It's painful that that is now gone.

I looked up the definition of grief and found that the word comes from the french word greve, which means heavy burden. Life feels very heavy right now that is true.

Addendum: I did win 1000 quarters or $250 at the airport playing the Wheel of Fortune slot machine. I hadn't had the opportunity to gamble all weekend and so I put in $25, had $3.25 left and then won 1000 quarters .They gave me cash not quarters thankfully! That was a pretty cool way to leave Vegas.

bumGenius 3.0 Cloth Diapers

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Nature Babycare Disposable Diapers

So there is a Disposable Diaper out there that is "greener" than the rest! Nature Babycare Diapers says this in regards to the difference between their dipes and others,

"60% of the content is biodegradable and of biological origin compared to about leading brands who content 80% for oil based. The back sheet of the Nature diaper is a lamination of renewable/biodegradable corn Bio film and of natural tree-pulp TCF-pulp (totally chlorine free) tissue. The tissue in the lamination is made of natural tree-pulp TCF-pulp (totally chlorine free) with FSC certification. The printing colour on the diapers is, certified by OK Compost. Certificate attesting to the fact that the printing ink is free of heavy metals injurious to health. As a distribution lawyer Nature use a material based on 100 % renewable /compost able material. Naty AB has developed the compost able /biodegradable corn Bio film, which is used in the lamination. The film is based on cornstarch and biodegradable polyester. The compost ability of this product is certified by the ”Ok Compost”. The compost able /biodegradable corn film is 100 % GM free. The compost able/biodegradable corn film is not only watertight but also “breathes” resulting in an airier, drier and more comfortable diaper. The consumer packaging is made in 100 % GM free compost able material, certified by OK compost. The pulp is totally chlorine free and certified by the Swedish Society for Nature conservation. "

Click here for more FAQ about these diapers.

Also, the prices are about $1 more than the leading diaper brands out there. Now I use Target brand so I spend a lot less on diapers. But I think I'm going to order some from Diapers.com and use them on W until he's potty trained and on Super N part time. I personally have been going through 480 disposable diapers a month...I know! So having recently gone back to cloth for Baby J and part time with Super N and W is starting to potty train I won't have to buy as many disposable dipes. And for those days where everyone is sick and I can't get to the laundry pile to wash, or when Gramma & Grampa have the babes, etc. I can feel better knowing that the sposies I use are better for the environment or "greener".

If you choose to purchase Nature Babycare Diapers from Diapers.com use my referral code and you get $10 off your first purchase.

Referral Code: MXNT7550

Another thing, I can't take credit for finding these diapers. Kelli over at Gohn Crazy blogged about her recent experience using these diapers so head on over there and read what she has to say.

What kind of detergent should I use to clean my cloth diapers?

Should I use an All-In-One, a Pocket Diaper, a Prefold with a Diaper Cover, a Contoured Diaper with a Diaper Cover or a Wool Cover? Do I want Doublers and Inserts? Do I want to use Cloth Wipes? Do I want to use Disposable Inserts?

After considering these questions, doing the research and then purchasing the necessary components to begin cloth diapering-you then need to decide what kind of detergent you are going to use in order to preserve your diapers. Preservation of your dipes is important b/c they are an investment that will last you until you potty train your babe and there's a good resale value in cloth diapering if you keep them in good shape!

With this in mind I perused the internet and found an awesome chart at Pinstripes and Polkadots that details what kind of detergent to use to clean cloth dipes.

They've done all the research and compiling so hopefully it takes a lot of the guesswork out of the process of finding a suitable detergent for your type of dipes & it saves you cash in the long run!

Thanks Pinstripes and Polkadots for this invaluable resource!

Baby Greats

Taking a cue from my friend Kristin, I thought I'd write a few things about each of my babes that make me smile, laugh, or tear up. This seems very timely to me, thank you Kristin, b/c I'm having a difficult time being grateful as a SAHM since having Baby J.

W:

• When he asks for what he wants in a mostly complete sentence. I can't believe how grown up he's becoming.
• When he says, "momma you're silly!"
• How he looks at Baby J in the eyes, smiles real big, and says, "Hi Baby Jofuv".
• How he tries to lead Super N in Ring Around the Rosies by grabbing her hand and pulling her.
• How he likes to cuddle at times and be held by just me.
• When he sees me cry he gets right in my face and says, "Momma's sad".
• Sometimes when he's whining & upset we can make him laugh by just laughing really loudly.
• I love that he's a silent observer at times.

Super N:

• My little bundle of fun! Always getting herself into trouble!
• Her smile and laugh they're just wonderful. I was spinning around in circles at the pool this week and she was just giggling and grinning and holding onto my neck for dear life.
• She likes to touch my face and play with my hair.
• She's teaching me how to cuddle more b/c she thrives on it.
• How when she goes to Gramma's she puts the Lego Can over her head and walks around the house running into walls.
• How she can fall asleep anywhere even upright while eating dinner.
• I love that she'll dance whenever she hears music.

Baby J:

• When I sing to him he just looks at me so intensely with his big bright eyes.
• I love that his little body conforms into my torso and arms when I nurse him~he knows he belongs.
• He cracks me up (although it's very stressful and frustrating but in retrospect) when he manages to have his bowel movements at the worst times. Like for instance on the plane on the way to Vegas and it was a blow out...all over mommas skirt!
• I love when he pretends to be Super Man. He balances on his belly and spreads his arms and legs up and out while looking all around, it's very sweet.
• His adult like gassiness...shoot...he and daddy are in competition. But seriously it's shockingly funny!

Why Can't We All Just Get Along?

Family drama sucks!

My moms siblings cannot seem to get along nor can they ever consider one another before themselves it seems. My Aunt Sis was buried yesterday and none of my Uncle's siblings showed up at the Cemetary. Very Sad! My uncle who tends to deal with his grief by functioning (I can understand this!) chose a beautiful bouquet of purple roses to cover my aunt's casket. He decided to give a rose to every woman at the cemetary so we could have something to remember my aunt by, a sweet gesture. He walked around the whole congregation of people handing out the roses. All I could think was "he's going to notice that none of his siblings are here to support him or my aunt." It made me very sad. I hope one day they will choose to be reconciled to one another. But it seems that even the death of a loved one doesn't have much effect.

My New Toy

I never thought I'd buy a laptop but I was won over! The Hub talked me into getting my very own laptop and it arrived yesterday. It's pretty as you can see from the pics above, white & silver. And it has a bunch of fun features to boot! I can't wait to take a moment (hopefully in the near future) to go to a coffee shop and read all my mom blogs or just peruse the internet with my cup of joe. Fun, fun!

13 weeks

Baby J is now almost 14 weeks but this pic was taken last week. It's a rare treat to see him this happy. The Hub and I have determined he definitely can be shuffled into the "Colicky Baby" box. He cries a lot! Sometimes for 4 or so hours with a 4-5 minute break once in a while. I'm not kidding. My aunt suggested maybe he was hungry so I gave him a little rice cereal and he downed it plus about 6 0r so ounces at the same time! Growth spurt perhaps?! I just hope the extreme crying goes away soon b/c I feel like I'm going to lose it most days. I was online last wednesday afternoon looking up the cost of daycare b/c I felt like I was at my wits end. But I hung out with a friend that evening and got some perspective thankfully. Regardless of the crying this little baby boy is awesome and turning into a real sweety. W just loves talking to his brother and enjoys making him smile. Super N keeps trying to pick him up and she likes to pat his belly say "baby" and then poke him in the eye. I love em but man it's rough sometimes.

Aunt Sis (Margaret)

My Aunt Sis died yesterday. The cause of her death is unknown a this time. She'll have an autopsy done on her body and then we'll hopefully know what happened. I'm very sad about this. I just talked to her on the phone Monday. She was very excited about Super N's birthday and wanted to know what to get her. I was looking forward to seeing her soon and catching up with her in person.

I talked to her husband last night, my uncle, and he is just torn up inside. This was his girlfriend and then wife for a long, long time. I just can't believe it and I dread the next few days.

I've been so grieved for my Aunt Sis since her son was murdered. It was so horrific and she was never the same after that. Her emotional stability and declining health worried me after the death of her son so I made a point when I got pregnant with W that I would include her in my life more. I'm so glad I did. I really enjoyed talking to her when she'd call and sending her pics of the kids. I wish I would've made more of an effort to go and visit more often and to call more often though I am grateful to have talked to her on Monday. She called to make sure I was okay and to tell me she was excited to see us next month and she told me she loved me.

What an awesome person to have known. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have loved her and to have been loved by her. She is already deeply missed by me and others. But I'm glad her physical pain and emotional pain will not be a source of turmoil for her any longer.

Each Babe

These are pics of each of the babes at/around 3 months. I think they all have similarities but they each have their own look. It's fun to look back at all the pics and see each of their features change as they get bigger. Once again the days are long but the years are short.

Successful Nursing II & The Pros and Cons of Nursing...

I've been nursing exclusively now for almost 5 weeks...yay! It's obviously going very well. Although some days he still doesn't latch on "perfect" I can deal with the uncomfortabilty of it. I've learned now how to relax while he's latched on, which makes the whole experience more pleasant, and the kids have adjusted to me nursing Baby J.

Breastfeeding is very interesting to me. I find that I really enjoy the convenience of just latching the babe on when needed. While at COSI I'm able to run around and watch the other kids and have Baby J latched on under my Hooter Hider. Albeit this scenario is a bit stressful at times I don't mind it overall.

I can recall the many times we prepared bottles of formula for W and Super N and how much of a drag we felt that was. Between nursing and formula/bottle feeding, I prefer nursing I think. But there are definitely pros and const to both I'm finding. Here are a few things I've thought of.

Nursing Pros:

No preparation involved
Convenient
Relatively mess free
Free (except for the cost of the LC's upfront & the Breast Pump for engorgement issues)
No ongoing expenses

Nursing Cons:

Sometimes there's soreness
The babe has to be near all or most of the time
Or I can only go out a few hours at a time
The other babes don't get momma's attention while I'm nursing
Engorgement Issues (with having pumped for 8 weeks prior to properly latching him on...)
The ol' Pump and Dump

Formula/bottle feeding Pros:

Can go wherever whenever without babe in tow
No Pumpin and Dumpin necessary
No pumpin necessary
No engorgement issues
Convenience of not exclusively feeding the babe~ ie. Community Babe!

Formula/bottle feeding Cons:

Messy
Stinky spit ups and poops
expensive
I personally didn't feel as connected to my babe as I do when I nurse


At any rate, there are a few things I thought of. Did I miss anything?? I'm on my second lemon martini so it's very possible I missed something. Shoot me a comment if there's something I forgot!

Overall I really love to nurse my babe! And I'm not willing to forfeit it for anything! It's such an interesting phenomenon to be able to provide for your little one in such an unique way. I'm grateful to be able to experience this full time. I love being a mom. It's the coolest job thus far that I've had, and I've had a lot of jobs!

12 Weeks Young and Momma

My Four Great Loves