Dear Eleanor, I love you forever.

Dear Eleanor,

Today is your First Birthday. I want to tell you about how this year has gone, since you probably won't remember it. This past year has been THE BEST year of my life.

I just really want to tell you all the ways that I love you. For a few reasons. One, I want you to know that you are the biggest part of my life, you are my First Born. I also want to point out that this is on the internet, and once something is written on here, its out there forever! So maybe if I die in a horrible accident (hope I dont!), I can still embarrass you from my grave.

I love the way that you close your eyes really tight when you are really trying to fall asleep.

I love the way that you always eat your cheese first, and then eat your pepperoni. Just like your mama.

I love the way you always look for your Dada when he comes in the door.

I love the way you have no fear and will pet little chicks without even thinking about it.

I love the way you tuck your little arms in when you are really tired.

I love the way you shimmy when you try to dance sitting down.

I love the way you clap your hands when you are trying to sign "more". You couldn't do it the right way so you thought clapping was close enough!

I love the way you smack your lips when you are trying to be coy about asking for some sweets.

I love the way that you see a phone and expect to Face-time, rather than talk on the phone.

I love the way you say "doggie" and try to love on our dog, Charlie. He kind of doesn't like you sometimes, but you adore him!

I love the way you reach for your mama when you are really tired and need some snuggles.

I love the way you play with your cousins. You adore Haylie and Sophia! You like Cooper too, but he doesn't share the same interest right now.

I love how you think its fun to pull my hair when you are in the Tula. You think its Hilarious.

It brings tears to my eyes that you are now One year old and that you are a toddler now. I'm really crying some major mom tears now. When I brought you home from the hospital, you were barely fitting into newborn clothes, and now you are busting out of 18M clothes! So here are some things about YOU.

You love Cheese and Yogurt.

You weigh 25 pounds.

You wear 18 Month clothes.

You have 8 Teeth.

You love to Dance!

You can say words like "doggie" "Dada" "Mama" "Hey" and "No"

You sign the words "more" "all done" and "milk"

You love to watch the Gigglebellies.

You love to swim in the pool!

You are just about to walk!

You love going to church, clapping and raising your hands in worship.

You are very passionate about your snacks.

You love to be in your Tula and you think your stroller is a roller coaster.

I love everything about you and I wish you could stay small forever. But I know you will grow big and strong. You are going to be a mighty warrior for Christ. You are going to be smart, beautiful, caring, silly, and loving. I can't wait to see what God has in store for you, little one.

I love you forever, I'll like you for always. As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be.

5 Things that helped Me Travel with Baby

Over the last month and a half, Eleanor and I have become quite the little travelers. In April, we flew to Florida for two weeks. Then we were home for a few days and went to North Carolina for a few more days. Then we took another trip to North Carolina. It was unexpected, but a great trip, none the least. Then, this past week we took a trip to New York. All these trips were to visit various family members. I visited almost all of my family, visited with some of Johns family, and even met some of John's family that I haven't ever met. It was a great opportunity.

But over the course of the last month or so, I have learned a few things about traveling with a baby that I wanted to share with everyone.

1. Car seat safety is not only important, it can save a life. Before I went on my big road trip, I made sure my car seat was installed correctly. I pretty much knew it was installed right, but I wanted to know for sure before we traveled 1000+ miles, halfway up the country. So I did a few searches on some Facebook groups and found a local CPST (Child Passenger Safety Technician). This is a person that has been trained extensively on the "do's and dont's" of car seat safety. The service was free. Here's what one of my local CPST's did. We met in a public place. She took a look at how my child was buckled in the car seat before we took her out. She un-installed my car seat to make sure there was nothing in the way of the seat (like anything under the seat or in the way of the car seat. Anything aftermarket that goes in or around the car seat is unsafe). Then she re-installed the seat (it was installed correctly the first time, by the way). It only took about 15 minutes of my time, but knowing that my seat is installed the right way, gives me such peace of mind. I know that if I am in any sort of accident, my child will be as safe as possible. I know that I can drive as safe as possible, but I have to take into account all the other Idiots on the road, and I have to be prepared for their stupidity.

2.  Mirror for the back seat. This thing is a life-saver. No joke. Hubby installed the mirror on the headrest of the seat that E's car seat is installed on. Then we adjusted it so that I can see baby from the rear-view mirror. Or the passenger can look back and see the baby in the car seat, rear-facing. Now that Eleanor knows it's there, she looks in the mirror all the time. She looks at herself (she thinks she is beautiful and hilarious), looks at me (in the drivers seat) and just has a blast. I dont really know what I would do without that thing now. Its just a simple Brica mirror. But it does have some fancy things on it that can come in handy. It has a light that can turn on to see baby in the dark. It also has music so that if baby is fussy, you can turn some calming tunes on to soothe baby. And all this is accessible from the handy, battery-operated clicker that attaches to the visor, just like your garage door opener.

 Here I am with my Beautiful Niece, Sophia and Eleanor in there too. You can see that she loves to look at herself.

3. Portable changing pad. I keep this bad boy in my car at all times. This comes in handy when the restaurants don't have changing tables in the bathroom (Gah, I hate places that aren't baby friendly!). Sometimes I can't even make it inside though. Since little girl likes to poop while in her car seat, I have just made it a habbit to check her every time she gets out of the car. If she's left me a present, I just take her to the other side of the car and change her right then and there. I have a great, padded changing pad from Vera Bradley. One of my dear, sweet friends gave it to me when I had Eleanor, and trust me, its gone to good use! And yes, I do have a changing pad that stays in my diaper bag too. This one is just a little larger, and covers more. I would rather not risk getting poop in my nice, still new, car seats.

4. Entertainment for the child. Going on long car rides stinks. When its a shorter car ride, I try to leave when it's sleepy time for E. But the baby can't sleep for 12 hours straight, so I needed to find a way to entertain E. My mom discovered that E loves the Giggle Bellies. Turns out, they have an App, and you can download a bunch of songs and watch them offline. Boy, that saved my bacon. I put them on my Ipad. And they have some handy iPad holders that can be attached to the back of headrests, but I was just too busy to order one in time for my trip, so I had to rig one on my own. I ended up slipping my case under the headrest and rigging it that way. E loved watching the giggle bellies, and I now know 7 GB songs by heart. Yay.

I attached the iPad underneath the headrest. It was far enough for her to not be able to reach it with her little toes, but close enough for her to see and hear. WIN!

5. Disposable place mats and high-chair/shopping cart cover. These two things combined were germ savers. You just never know who was at the table before you, and you dont know what it was cleaned with (if it was cleaned) after they left. And same with the high chairs. Those things can be so gross. Sticky. Stained. Smelly, even. I got a shopping cart cover as a baby shower gift by an experienced mom, and it sure has been put to good use. It stays in the car, unless its being washed, and goes in with me to almost all restaurants, and came with me to the hotel when we went to breakfast every morning (free continental breakfast, y'all!) I keep a stash of disposable place mats in my diaper bag too. When Eleanor started teething, she started chewing on everything. including the ends of the tables. YUCK. So every time we go into a restaurant, one of the place mats goes on the table. I can also set food on it for her, because most places don't exactly have baby plates. Now she can eat. SLURP!

There is also one more thing that I use all the time, but I didn't include it in my list because most people will look at my like I'm nuts. But its my Tula. I LOVE MY TULA. When I flew to Florida, I didn't have the time or the energy to lug a stroller around an airport, along with my carry-on luggage. So I used my Tula. It was so nice to have Eleanor on my front, diaper bag on my back, and both my hands free to use railings, roll my luggage and not have to push through a huge, busy airport with a stroller. I never had to leave a stroller outside while I used the bathroom, or wait to use the handicap stall. When I went on my road trips, I had to bring the Pack n play for E to sleep in, so trunk space was limited. I didn't have the room for a stroller! But I had my Tula so I was good. now that I babywear, I hardly ever use my stroller anymore. And honestly, I kinda regret getting such an expensive travel system when it doesn't even get used anymore.

I rock my Tula everywhere. Here I am at Niagra Falls. Baby was asleep, It was pouring and I had a poncho on. 

I also rock my Tula at target. Here she is on my back. She loves it back there. And my mom is there too, photobombing!

Travel on, my friends!

Modern Day Miracle

I've been absent from blogging lately. I have been traveling quite a bit for the last month, and haven't been around computers much to do any blogging. But I want to take the time to share something.

Back in Florida, my dad and I had an interesting conversation about miracles. We talked about how no one seems to think that miracles happen anymore. Miracles seem to be a thing of the past. As if they happened in the bible days, but since revelation was written, that no one has had an unexplained event that would not be possible, had God not intervened. We talked about how the news stations only report on incredibly sad things such as terrorism, racism, and politics (yes, those are sad too). Apparently it doesn't appeal to viewers to report on good news. News about mysterious bills being paid by an anonymous person. A tumor that just disappears out of thin air. People that are pronounced dead that come back to life. And people who should have died, that seem to still be walking around just fine.

Little did I know that just 2 weeks after having this conversation, that my family would witness a true miracle. After I came back home from Florida, I had to turn around and leave for North Carolina where my Mother-in-law would be having open heart surgery. Hubby and I wanted to be there to support her and be there with her as long as we could, before having to get back to VA, and back to work.

Last Monday, bright and early, my MIL was scheduled for her third open heart surgery. The surgeons expected the surgery to last about 4-6 hours. We all took turns going back to the pre-op holding room to love on her and say one last prayer for her, and let her know that we would be there to help her when she came out of surgery to help her recover.

4 hours turned into 6 hours. Then 6 hours turned into 8 hours. The family (and friends) started to worry. Surely we should have heard something by now, right? We weren't really worried that something terrible happened, but concerned as to why it was taking so long. Finally, after about 8.5 hours, we got word that the surgeons were closing, and that we should migrate into the consult room so that the Doctor could speak with us. When the Doctor came in, he had a look of shock on his face. At first, I thought the look of shock was by the number of people in the room. There were about 10 people in the room (People who love and care for my MIL so much, that they took time out of their busy week to drive down 3-4 hours out of their way to be with her during her surgery). But when he opened his mouth, I found I was very wrong.

The surgeon started off by saying that the surgery went very well. Here are some tid-bits of what I heard(listening was hard since I was wrangling a 9 month old, and I just don't follow all that medical jargon/lingo) :
"It lasted a lot longer than we all expected"
"I am surprised that she was still up and walking around"
"Her coronary artery wasn't even attached to her heart so I reattached that"
"Then it started leaking out blood, and I found that one of the aorta's wasn't attached either"
"She is lucky to be alive"

Lets just stop right there. I don't know about you, but I have watched enough Grey's Anatomy to know what some of that means. I am not a medical professional by any means, but when I hear that an artery wasn't attached to the heart, I start thinking "How was blood getting to the heart? How was she pumping blood if the artery wasn't attached? How does one live without all the proper arteries, aortas and vessels attached the to the heart?" The heart needs to be working properly to do its job. It needs to have an adequate blood supply. It needs have blood to work. So, why was she alive if she didn't have good blood supply?

But I know.

It was God. It was a miracle. He did this. There is no explanation as to why Cindy should still be alive if there were two major blood supplies to her heart that were not even attached. God put her (and all her family and friends) in this situation to tell everyone. Tell everyone that SHE IS A MIRACLE. The whole situation is a miracle. Its situations like this that we are supposed to shout it from the mountains and cry with joy, knowing that she has survived this. This is now a part of her testimony. Cindy can live the rest of her life knowing that God worked a miracle through her and maybe, just maybe, she will tell the right person the story, that will help someone else have hope. Maybe Cindy can give someone else hope in a seemingly impossible situation. She can tell someone that there is a God and she can lead someone to God that desperately needs Him.

Long story short, My Mother-in-law, Cindy, is doing great. The first night after the surgery was a little bumpy. There were a few ups and downs and she ended up needing a pace-maker put in, but overall, she did great. She was even discharged on Saturday, which is awesome, considering the magnitude of the surgery.

So, on behalf of the entire family, I would like to say thank you for all your prayers, in the days leading up to the surgery, the day of, and in the days following the surgery. Every call, text and prayer sent out was so thoughtful. We would love for everyone to continue praying for Cindy to have a speedy recovery, and that she gets to come home (from North Carolina) soon after her post-op visit at Duke in a few weeks.

God is good, all the time.
And
All the time, God is good.

Rocking Horse Re-Do

A few months ago, we got a nice surprise in the mail. My Aunt and her bestie sent us a package that contained an old rocking horse that Beth (My Aunt Mary's BFF) found on the side of the road, looking all sad and abandoned, and my Aunt Mary's old baby doll cradle. Both were in pretty sad shape, but the moment Hubs saw it, he got so excited. Another project for him!

Here is how the rocking horse looked when we got it and put it together (They partly disassembled it to ship).

She looked so sad! =(

As you can see, poor old horsey is in need to some lovin'.
So John set to work. He started by removing the remainder of the hair on the main and tail. It wasn't much to remove, so he just gave it a nice tug. He also had to take out the eyes. One was cracked and it would have been a hazard if Eleanor was ever going to play with it, which was the reason for restoring it in the first place. Then John started sanding the old finish off. He worked until it was too dark to work outside. FYI, John actually had a LOT of school work to do, but this was obviously more important. LOL

Once it was all sanded, he put horsey back together to take a picture. He is so much better at pictures (Before, during and after) when doing a project, than me!

When the weekend hit, we took a trip to the local hardware store for some stain. We picked an Oak color, which is supposed to be a medium stain. I didn't want the horse to be very dark so we chose that one. We wanted to keep the horse looking pretty original to what she looked like before. Little did we know, that the oak, which was supposed to be a light stain, would make a golden brown horse, look like black beauty. The poor horse looked awful.
I felt awful too. I didn't want him to re-sand, but both of us hated the color. We actually thought it was going to be ruined. After one round of stripping, he brought the body of the horse back in and asked what I thought. The color actually looked great. It looked pretty rustic. I asked John how he liked it as it was. He hadn't thought about it, but once he stripped all the legs and the rockers to the same color, he ended up liking it too. So we just decided "Eh, good enough!"

While he was stripping and sanding the horse outside, I sat inside and created the main and tale for horsey (she didn't have a name yet). I saved the old tufts and used them as reference for how long I needed to cut the new ones. I got the yarn from Joann's that looked as close to blonde as I could find. I had some help from a few kiddo's in the yarn section =)

Please excuse my lack of modesty. Had I know John was taking pictures, I would have been a little more appropriate! And then there's Charlie. LOL! 

I also got the reigns from Joann's as well. I honestly had no idea what I was going to use, until I went down the curtain aisle. Turns out, a golden curtain holder did the trick.

So once we got Horsey all back together, we started putting the hair back in. We used a combination of wood glue and an industrial stapler. For the tail, we took a big group of yarn strands, tied them together, cut the excess as close to the tie as possible (making it look like a pony tail). Then we put lots of wood glue on the spot where horsey's tail was meant to be and prayed it would stay. We also put some staples in the bottom and top to try to make it as secure as possible. After a few hours, John took a few good tugs on the tail and it didnt budge so we just called it a day. Then we started working on the main. We took groups of ten strands, found the middle, and did a combo of gluing and stapling them into the grooves where the main was supposed to go. We ended up doing this about 10-12 times before we did one big tuft on top of the head, tied a few knots in a few of the strands so that the staples wouldn't be noticeable. When she was all done, I gave her a little hair cut, just to clean up some of the ends that were too long.

Yes, that's our kitchen. John Couldn't decide whether he wanted to work in the living room or kitchen. So he chose both. We really need a garage! 

The last thing was the eyes. Since one of the eyes was cracked, we couldn't save them. I searched high and low for "rocking horse eyes" but the closest thing I found was "toy eyes" on Etsy. We had to settle on Toy Eyes. They are supposed to be eyes for stuffed teddy bears and toys similar, but when we got them in, Hubby drilled a hole where the eyes are supposed to go on each side and it turned out pretty good.

I also decided to name the horse "Goldie". I thought it was pretty fitting. Shes got gold reigns, golden blonde hair, and such a pretty brown color. All in all, I think we did a good job taking Goldie, cleaning her up really nice, and making her beautiful again. I also let her borrow one of Eleanor's bows. Every prize horsey needs a pretty bow! =)

By the way, remember that old cradle that I mentioned that my Auntie Mary sent me? We just finished the rehab on that one, so a blog post will be soon to follow on that, too!

Cheers!

The Cloth Diaper break-down

Cloth diapering isnt the same as when your granny cloth diapered back in 1956. No offence to granny, but prefolds, safety pins and rubber pants are just not my thing. "Modern cloth diapering" has come a long way in the last couple of years, thanks to a few Mama's who want to make cloth mainstream again. So I have complied a blog of everything one needs to know on getting started with using cloth diapers.

Here is a list of some things that every cloth diapering mama needs to have in order to be successful with cloth:

Diapers (DUH!)
diaper pail (can be a simple trash can with a lid)
diaper pail liner
diaper sprayer (when baby starts solids. Its not pictured because its attached to my toilet.)
washer
dryer
Laundry soap that's cloth diaper safe (not pictured, but Tide powder is fine)
wet bag (for outings)
 Diaper rash cream that's cloth diaper safe
Note: not all diaper rash creams are safe. There are lots out there (too many to name). Make sure its NOT petroleum based. That messes up the absorbency of the diapers. I simply use coconut oil. Its pure and simple!

Now, when people ask me what cloth diapers to use, I generally tell them what I personally use (right now I am using BumGenius Flip diapers with different kinds of inserts), but I also tell them that every family is different. Their preferences are different. Their babies are different. Flip diapers work well for us, but I know a lot of other families that don't care for flips, or they don't fit their baby very well. So my #1 piece of advice to parents who are starting cloth, is to get a little bit of everything. Try a few different brands. Try a few styles out. See what you like and see what fits your baby.

Now, when it comes to styles, there are a ton out there!
One Size Diapers
These diapers fit babies ranging from 8-35 pounds. How? They have rise snaps that can be adjusted to fit the baby, depending on how much the baby weighs and how the fit is on your baby.
Other diapers come in sizes such as size 1 or 2. One being the smaller size that generally fits babies from 8-18 pounds and size 2 being 19 pounds to about 30 pounds.

Pocket Diapers
This is a diaper that  you stuff with an insert. The insert is that super absorbant material that keeps baby from feeling wet. Pocket diapers give parents the ability to chose what goes inside. Some people prefer microfiber inserts, while other prefer bamboo, charcoal bamboo, or hemp. This also allows for quicker drying time when diapers go in the laundry.

All in One Diapers
These diapers have inserts already sewn into them. Some AIO diapers have microfiber on one side with stay-dry material that goes against baby's skin. Other have organic or natural material that can go directly against babies skin. Its all a matter of preference or the needs of the baby. Some little's have sensitivities to some materials, so you just gotta find what works for you!

All in Two Diapers
These diapers are just the diaper cover or shell, and you can choose the insert you want to put in there. This is what I use the majority of the time. Some All in two's have buttons to snap an insert in, and some have flaps to tuck the insert in underneath. Lots of people use prefolds in these types of diapers.. Prefolds can be folded into a tri-fold, and some people choose to use the prefold all around their baby, pin the diaper together, and put a cover over the diaper.

Photo credits: Me and "A Beautiful mess" App Get it here! 

Hybrid diapers
This type of diaper combines cloth diapers with disposables. The diaper cover is cloth.. but instead of using a prefold or other type of inserts, you use an insert that resembles a disposable diaper. You pop that sucker in, wait for you Little one to peepee and then toss that thing when its soiled.

Swim diapers
These are used for...you guessed it.. swimming. these are basically just covers because there is no real need for an absorbent insert when swimming. This diaper is just used for poop. Its literally just a poop catcher. You can easily just use a diaper cover or shell for this. No big deal!

Trainers
These are used when your little is ready to start learning to use the potty. Most of the time its a diaper cover and insert that can be interchangeable. These have tabs on the sides that allow the child to pull the diaper on and off easily, to encourage going to the bathroom. They are a little more expensive, but you wont need as many of these, because hopefully they will be using the potty soon! And hopefully you will be buying real undies for your little toddler.

You can see that this is like a shell, and you just stick an insert on top and you're all set to train your kiddo to use the potty. (this is Jules, from BG. Drool!!)

There are a LOT of different types of cloth diaper styles and brands, these are just the most popular. There are diapers that WAHM's (work at home mom) make, but often times they are pricey and kind of hard to find. I just stick to what I know, and what I can find at decent prices. 

Cleaning diapers

If you buy used (which lots of people do. I do. Dong judge), you are going to want to strip the diapers when you purchase them. I would recommend that you have multiple diapers before you do a strip. It saves water and cleaning supplies that way! It's pretty simple. I got these wonderful directions from the Fluff Love university page. 

These were screen shots on my phone. Sorry for the poor quality! Whoops! 

FYI: Lots of people buy used diapers. I know, I know, people think its nasty. BUT, if you clean them the right way, there is nothing bad about it. And there are TONS of groups on Facebook where mamas sell their pre-loved cloth diapers. Normally they are at a discounted price. You know, unless it is a hard to find print. Then all bets are off. People jack up the prices of those diapers! Some of those mama's are ruthless! 

And in case if you were wondering if "stripping" works. this is a picture of the tub water after I stripped hubby's work uniforms that he wears every day to work. He washes them every week, but clothes don't always get as clean as you think! Yuck! 

So there you have it. That's my version of the cloth diaper break-down. Its not perfect by any means, and I probably forgot some things, but I can always go back and revise! Happy fluffy butts, everyone! 

Then the devil Leaveth {her}

I feel like I have fallen off the blog train lately. Between having the most needy infant, taking care of a home and all its needs, and other obligations, I feel like I have no time for myself anymore.

BUT

I am trying to put Eleanor down just a little earlier for bed now and taking just a few minutes for myself at the end of the day. Hopefully this will stick.

I wanted to share with you though a small testimony that has been on my heart for the last few weeks.

A few weeks ago, my pastor preached about "The five most important words in the Bible". I was so curious as to what he thinks are the bibles most important words. He finally shared the answer to the questions that I was asking in my head.. "Then the devil leaveth him." He talked about the many men and women in the bible that were devil possessed and that when they were prayed for, the devil left them. The devil couldn't harm them or hurt them anymore.

He shared a story with the church about his family many years ago. He, his wife and young daughter were staying in the back of a church where they pastored. He said that one night the presence of the devil was so strong that everyone could feel it. He said his wife could feel it, he could feel it and even though his daughter was a year old, she could feel it. He said that their young girl started crying. She cried and screamed and it seemed like nothing they did would stop her. She would scream for hours.

This really hit a note with me. It seemed like he told this story just for me. You see, for the three nights leading up to that service, Eleanor had the worst time sleeping. She would go down to bed for 20 minutes, then wake up in a scream of terror. She screamed like someone (or something) was hurting or frightening her. Nothing that John or I would do would calm her down. She literally screamed for 3 or 4 hours straight. She refused to nurse, take a bottle, be rocked, or played with. At first we thought it was her teething. We gave her teething tablets. Nope. We gave her Tylenol. Nada. We took her Pajamas off, thinking she had a hair or a string that was hurting her. No thanks.

I prayed and cried over her every night for three nights. Then Sunday came and he told that story. I was convinced then, that there was something that was keeping Eleanor from her sleepy time. That evening, I had a prayer cloth anointed for her (Ended up being a dirty burp cloth, Eh..). I had multiple people pray over it, that there would be peace in her room and that the evil spirits that were scaring her would leave.

Then bedtime came again. I prayed one last time. The night wasn't a perfect night. She did wake up, but she was not nearly as bad as she was before. Then Monday nights bedtime came. She was even better. Each night from then on got just a little bit better. She sleeps now fairly well. She gets up to eat once in a while, but now I can at least sleep for a few hours, knowing that God is protecting my little pickle from all those evil spirits. I have now gotten into the habit of adding a few prayers into her nightly prayers.

"God, send your angels to protect Eleanor tonight. I pray a hedge of protection around her. Keep her safe from everything around her. Give her peace of mind. Let her know that she is safe and that YOU are watching over her. Let her know that she is safe to sleep in peace and to wake up happy. No evil can enter into this house. No evil can enter in this room, for YOU are here. We are not afraid of the devil, for he cannot come near us when You protect us, God. You are the almighty God. I thank for for all the blessings you've given us. In Jesus Name, Amen."

Those fishy lips though! AH!

Why I do CLOTH

As many of you know, I chose to cloth diaper Eleanor. I chose cloth diapers for SO many reasons. And I don't think some people really understand. Here is what I hear on a regular basis when the topic of cloth diapers come up.

"That's so cool. I've never heard of cloth diapering before"

"Ew, really? That's so gross"

"How do you handle the poop?"

"Its so much more work than disposables."

"Cloth diapering. Like prefolds and rubber pants?"

Lets take this comment by comment.


Yes, I cloth diaper my child. Cloth diapering dates back to the very beginning of time. People needed to catch pee and poop and even those little stone age and bible day babies needed something on their bum.

Gross? How can it be more gross than disposables? every time my little one had a blow out in a disposable, there was ALWAYS leakage. Didn't matter if I waited until E was finished pooping, or changed her at the first sign of poop. there was always a change of clothes or even a bath in her near future. So riddle me this: How is changing a cloth diaper more gross than changing a diaper, changing clothes, and even sheets or blankets if those were in the way when baby pooped? Do you throw a onsie or a pair of pants away if the baby pees or poops in them? No. How is cloth diapering different if soiled linens and clothes go into the wash to be cleaned but its nasty if cloth diapers go in the wash?

How do I handle the poop?
Well, I am a parent. I have a baby. That means there is pretty much no way around it. I am going to handle poop. Its not like those cute little diaper commercials where they drop 2 tablespoons of liquid in a diaper. Those kids SOAK them. And they poop. Big time. Part of being a parent, means you have to handle poop. But if you're asking how I get it out of the cloth diapers, that's also another story. Breastfed baby poo is water-soluble. So there is no need to scrape, dunk or spray that booby poop. :) Once baby is eating real food, you can get a diaper sprayer that sprays the poo away in the toilet. so I really don't have to touch it there either. No more than a 'sposie.

Its so much more work than disposables
The only difference between cloth and disposables, is one more load of laundry every three or four days. Its no more work changing a cloth diaper, than a disposable.  You change a diaper, just like a disposable. Take the diaper off, put it in the pail, wipe baby and put a new cloth diaper on!

Cloth diapering, like rubber pants and prefolds?
Nah, cloth diapering has come a long way since your grandma diapered her kiddos. they have so many different kinds of cloth diapers.. All-in-one, pocket diapers, diaper covers and inserts, and fitted hybrids. Most of these types are just different types that just fit a little differently, depending on the size of your baby, or the preference that you and your family prefer. I'll explain all that later in another post!

So here are the top 5 reasons why I cloth diaper:

1. Disposable diapers have chemicals in their diapers. Those little beady things that absorb all the liquid? Those are special chemicals designed to absorb any and all liquid that it comes in contact with. That means that it can dry out the baby's skin and cause a rash. Also, if the diaper is defective, those little beads can leak out onto the baby and can cause chemical burns. I saw a story once that a mama laid her baby down for a nap and the diaper the babe was wearing a 'sposie. She woke the baby up to find that the diaper leaked all the way down his leg, causing severe second degree burns on the baby's legs. That just broke my heart! As a mama, I would feel AWFUL if that happened to my Pickle.

2. Cost. Diapering a baby in disposables can cost in the upwards of $2000 for 2 years. cloth diapers are more of an upfront cost, but save a TON of money in the long run. So far, I think I have spent about $400 on cloth for baby #1. When baby #2 comes along (which wont be for a LONG time), I can use them again for another few years. If I have a boy, there are Buy/sell/trade sites that I can trade my girly colored or printed diapers for boyish prints. So, if I spent about $500 total (because lets face it, it can be addicting), I will have spent $500 on two kids in cloth, or about $4000 for two kids in disposables. And that's just for two kids. Lots of families have more children than 2.

3.Diaper rash. Or lack thereof. When Eleanor was born, I put her in disposables, just because that's what the hospital prefers. Also, Since Eleanor was a little on the small side, she wouldn't fit into the One Size diapers I got for her (they made newborn diapers, but I didn't invest in any, just because I didn't know how big she would be). from the moment we brought her home from the hospital, she had a diaper rash. Bad. Like raw, bleeding rash. It was awful. I hated that in her first moments of life, she was already hurt. No one wants to see their little squishy baby in pain! :( When Eleanor was big enough, we put her right in cloth. Within a day or two, the rash was gone! Sometimes she gets a little red on her bum, and instead of using diaper rash cream, we put coconut oil and it clears it right up! FYI, you aren't supposed to use the regular diaper rash cream on cloth. Only certain ones are "cloth safe".

4. Cloth diapers make literally no waste. They are used, cleaned and used again. The water that is used, is often cleaned, purified and used again. Even though disposables are "biodegradable", they still take YEARS to decompose. And that's only if the diapers are exposed to air. Most diapers quickly become covered by other trash and can take hundreds of years to decompose.

5. The prints on the diapers are just darling! I can't get over how cute some colors are. And the prints. It just makes my heart so happy to see such a cute little fluffy butt rolling around on the floor. Not some paper diaper that crinkles and isn't pretty to look at. Yes, It is covered most of the time in public, but its just too cute to cover up sometimes.

BUT LOOK HOW CUTE SHE IS!!

 This is Eleanor when she was a bit younger. She was about 4 months here. She is with her cloth friend, Kai. And they matched! Seriously, it doesn't get any cuter than that!

And it doesn't have to be all about prints. My sister came over one day and E just happened to be hanging out in this shirt and dipe. She ended up doing a little Impromptu photo shoot and it turned out so beautifully! Sometimes simple is all you need.

So there you have it. The main reasons why I do cloth. There are some more, but I just thought I would share the top 5. I cant wait to break cloth down even more, soon!

DIY Triangle Quilt

Now that the gift has been given, I can share!!

Last month, my sister and I got an invite to a baby shower for a sweet couple at my church. My sister told me she wanted to try a quilt pattern that she found on one of the blogs she follows. And she thought that the baby would LOVE a quilt. After we found out the colors of the nursery we set to work.

"It'll be simple" she said. "We can knock this out in about a day", she said. "it'll be a good project", she said. Well, it was a good project, and it turned out okay in the end, but it was not best project for two beginners who have never made a quilt before.

It took one trip to Joanne's, a few hours cutting out over 120 triangles, an entire day of sewing triangles together, and another entire day putting the rest of the quilt together. But for doing this with three kiddos running around (two of my sister's little ones, and my little pickle), we knocked it out in pretty good time.

HOWEVER, for two people who have never made a quilt before, I would say that we did a pretty bang up job.

We followed this tutorial, from the beautifully wonderful blog See Kate Sew. The tutorial was great! Here is our finished product.

That was my little helper. Eleanor helped me sew quite a few triangles together. She's quite the junior Sewer.

Happy Sewing, everyone!

As Long as I'm Living, My Mommy You'll Be

When I found out I was pregnant, I was so excited that I was finally going to be a mother. I had watched my mom be such a wonderful a mother to me, my sister, and even some of my friends who didn't have good motherly role models. I read article after article on how to be a good parent. I spent hours pouring over various website on which products had best reviews, advice on how to breastfeed, best kinds of diapers and so on. I talked to my mom for hours on end, talking to her and sharing my dreams on how awesome it was, that I was going to be a mom, and that I would make my mom a Nana for the third time.

However, I only saw her twice while I was pregnant. Living almost 1000 miles away, my mom and I never had the chance to be in each others company on a daily basis. She got to see pictures of my growing belly, but not see me in person until I was 28 weeks. It's hard not seeing my mom as it is, but being pregnant made it that much harder for me. But of course, I tried to be strong and not show how much I really missed my mommy. There were times when I would just get overwhelmed and call mom to just cry. Being the great mom she is, would cry right along there with me. I knew she cried for two reasons: she was upset that her child was having such a hard time, but she was upset that she couldn't be there for me physically. She couldn't just reach over and give me a big hug. 

I thought it was hard being away from family while being pregnant, but actually having a baby and being away from family is so much worse. The moment I had Eleanor, the first person I wanted to call and tell was my mom. Literally 5 minutes after I had her, I called my mom and just cried and told her that Eleanor was here. She couldn't be there with me or there directly afterwards because she was in Florida, and I was in Virginia. I know she wanted to be there. She wanted to be there so bad. She just literally could not get there in time. My labor was less than 5 hours and even if she hopped on a plane the minute I went into labor, she still probably would not have made it. 

My mom did finally get to come and visit with us for about a week, but the minute we had to say goodbye, we were crying like babies (and if you know me, you know I don't cry). Since then, there have been quite a few occasions that I have called my mom because I didn't know what to do. "I don't know whats wrong. She cries all the time." "I hurt my back again, mom. I don't know what to do. I hurt so bad." "shes always hungry. Every hour shes hungry. I don't know if I can do this." Each time this happens, she quietly waits for me to finish, she cries with me if I am in tears, and gently reminds me that everything will be alright. She offers her advice and tells me that I can do it. 

I said all of that to say this: I love my mom so so so much. I hate it everyday that I cant see her, and that she cant see Eleanor growing up. But I do want others to realize just how lucky they have it. So many others take their mothers for granted. So many people have their moms live just minutes up the street. They can go over to their mom's house any time and eat a sandwich while Nana plays with the baby. New mama's can have their moms come over to take care of the baby for a little while, or clean up the house just a little while. They can go to doctors appointments for moral support when their child gets their shots. They ALWAYS have a willing babysitter to take the baby for a few hours so you can go out with your hubby to eat. Or go grocery shopping. LOL Not everyone has a support system. 

I do have a wonderful Mother-in-law, whom I love very much. She is a great woman, who raised the man that I married. But she raised my hubby, not me. And I am so grateful that she only likes about 45 minutes away and keeps Eleanor when she can, but she has health issues sometimes and can't always come when I have a bad day. But my Mom. My mom was one who stayed up with me all night long when I broke my wrist. And taught me how to sew. My mom is the one who taught me how to be a great Sunday School teacher, she taught me to care for children, she taught me how to care for others, taught me to be a gracious person. She taught me to not rely on others to get he job done. She taught me to volunteer. She taught me to pray. She taught me to be the best mother that I can possibly be. 

I love my Mom. =) 

Christmas Party for the Win Part 2

A Few days ago I posted about our experience at my husbands Command Christmas Party. I only did the fella's on the first post, so today I want to get this out of the way and finish off with the ladies.

Disclaimer:
None of these Photos show faces.
This was Hubby's Christmas party for his ship. Although he technically works with these people, his ship has over 800 people on the ship and only works with a handful of people closely so posting some pictures isn't doing any harm. This is all fun and games, right?
I support our troops in all ways, but me blogging about this is just my opinion. Not intended to hurt anyone's feelings.
On with the show!
Let's start with the classy. This is classy with a C. Meaning these ladies know how to dress properly to a holiday party. They know how to dress for a party for a work function.

 This lady had on a gorgeous gown by: I have no clue, but its purty! She was sporting a beautiful gold necklace, pearl bracelet, and black clutch with gold clasps. So classy!

This glowing mama  wore such a cute cocktail dress in a dark purple color. it had some beautiful lace on top. I'm always a fan of lace. And she had the cutest bump ever! AAHH! on her wrist was a matching coach purple wristlet. Perfect for holding some lipstick, some cash for tips, and a candy bar. In case she gets hungry =).

Alright everyone! On with the Klassy. That's right, we already covered the good, now its on to the bad and the ugly. Yes, there is both!

Up first we have some ugly. 

This girl look like she came straight from her high school prom. Honestly, she probably could have. Poor girl had some poofy, tulle skirt underneath, and a 1950's table cloth on top. Yikes.

Next we have the double trouble twins.

These ladies walked in the scene looking like they owned the place! Look at the strut on those ladies. Oh boy. Now lets look at their outfits. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought the mama of that girl in blue, took scissors to her dress in hopes she wouldn't wear it anymore. Has anyone ever done that? I totally did to a pair of Johns pants once. He was also half tempted to wear them again.

At some point in the evening we found a fun little photo booth at this festive gathering. I convinced John that we should go in and give it a try!!! Here are the results of our photo booth fun! =)

(In the bottom left picture, we tried the duck face, but moved too soon. So we just look a little sickly)

While we were standing in line to get our turn in the photo booth, I came across this girl. From the front (which I didn't capture) she looked really nice. Her neckline wasn't bad, her dress was pretty, long and it fit her great. Or so I thought. Then she passed us and I saw the back. Now I am not one to talk about back fat. I have some myself. But since I have back fat and back rolls, I would never wear a dress that let it all hang out like this girl did.

Criss-cross! From the Cha-Cha slide. Get it? Hehe. 

Across from our table, a certain young lady happened to pass by. Quite a few times actually. This girl wasn't so much as fat, or ugly, but unfortunately the dress she wore just didn't fit her body at all. In the midst of trying to get this girls picture, the waitress walked by to take some empty plates from our table. I didn't notice this until she was right next to me in the middle of me trying to creep-shot a picture. Then she whispers "I saw that" OMG, I died laughing! I was kind of embarrassed, but she said she has seen much worse things in her days of waiting tables at this place.

The dress was a little short, yes. But on another person with a different body type, it would have looked so much better. I think if this lady had chosen a different style dress, she would have made it on the Classy list, not Klassy.

Now on to the best part! EEKKK!

This next person officially wins skank of the evening. When I saw her my jaw dropped a little lot. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought she was going to the club! This dress would be more appropriate there. Not a work function! Honestly, I couldn't imagine showing up ANYWHERE wearing a dress this short.

As the night progressed, and the drunker she got, the shorter the dress got. She "lit up" the dance floor after a few drinks. She thought she was so cool. She was poppin' and droppin' and at one point, I may have saw her lady business (or at least her undies) because it rode up so far. Klassy. Real Klassy.

I just don't even know how to describe this dress any more. UGH. I will say that at the end of our night, we walked out of the venue as she was walking back in (she was probably out for a smoke. Also, real klassy.), and as she was shaking those hips, she looked me right in the eye and gave me the stink eye. It could have been for two reasons. One: She was jealous I was leaving with the hottest guy at the party, or two: she saw me take a creeper-shot of her. Either way, I gave the stink eye right back to her. I even curled my lip a little at her. #winning.

On the way back to the car, I am sure a few people thought I was a little inebriated because I was terrible at walking in my super high red shoes. I love those red shoes so much, but if I wear them for too long, they turn me into "that drunk girl" even when I am completely sober! LOL

And there you go. That was my night. I am officially counting down the days until the 2015 Command Christmas party!