Cloth Diapers Revisited

As you know by now, I love me some cloth diapers. On a personal note, 5 years ago I never ever thought I would utter the words "love" and "cloth diapers" in the same sentence, let alone actually use them!! We ran into some leaks along the way (get it, leaks haha!), especially at night time. My beloved Bum Genius diapers had failed me, and off down the disposable road we went. I was given a few suggestions for some night time ones to try and I finally made a decision to go with Sloomb Sustainable Babyish Cloth Fitted (aren't they pretty?) with a wool cover. We are 2/2 in staying dry at night and I have fallen in love. My only regret - that I didn't find these sooner! So, I found a giveaway for another fitted diaper, I'm hoping to win and get the mocha one this time! Check out 29 Diapers for the giveaway, and also for tons of information on cloth diapering, saving money with babies, and all sorts of other fun things! Pictures of Dax in his new undies will be coming soon...

Loss

When I was pregnant, I joined a message board with other women who were pregnant and due in October 2009. We all grew pretty close, and now that our babies are here we continue to talk. We share our lives with each other - some of the women on that board are the closest friends I have. One of the ladies on my board had a 2 year old daughter fighting leukemia. I read the blog that she kept, staying up to date on her daughter's progress. Sometimes it seemed like she was winning, other times it seemed like leukemia was winning. I found out that her daughter passed away Saturday evening and is now in heaven. My heart is so heavy and aches for them. To lose a baby at 2 years old, I can't even fathom the pain they are going through and the emptiness they are feeling in their family. Life is short, two years seems so unfair, but I find peace in knowing that the sweet little girl is no longer in pain, and is up in heaven with her Father up above.

Girly Burp Rags

My friend Ashley is due in a couple of weeks, expecting a baby girl - Anna Elizabeth. She picked up some super cute fabric on clearance and asked me to make her some burp rags for baby Anna.

I decided to do a cute zig-zag stitch around the edge to finish them off:





They are all set for Anna to start using :)

All I want for Christmas...

or I should say, all Dax wants for Christmas are his 2 front teeth! The bottom 2 are taking their sweet time coming in, with no sign of any others at this point. You can barely see the second tooth coming in, it's the one on the left when you look at the picture - it started coming through Saturday morning.



Yes, that is pumpkin on his face, I've been mixing it in with his oatmeal in the mornings for breakfast and he loves it! He loves his new teeth, he's constantly moving his tongue over them to feel them out, and his new favorite thing to do is feel our teeth. This sends both him and us into peals of laughter.

Dax's First Birthday Party

We went with a Halloween themed party this year, and it was a success! I was pretty stressed out about getting everything done, and I wish I had made and/or bought a few more decorations, but this was truly the first birthday party I have ever thrown, and it was a pretty big learning experience for me :) I am also proud to announce that I did not have a breakdown until after Dax went to bed last night, I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that my baby will be 1 on Monday.

The cake is not what I had originally attempted to do, but it was the next best option when we didn't have a cake the day of the party :)



I also made up some cupcakes that were inspired by my friend Joanne, who made some Candy Corn Cupcakes (for what it's worth, I used a cream cheese frosting, which I probably wouldn't do again if I wanted to pipe frosting on, it doesn't hold it's shape very well once the frosting gets room temperature):



We also had some homemade pumpkin cheesecake bars with oreo crusts, and little ghosts on top (these are so delicious, i had one for breakfast!):



The table setup:



The decorations:



And the birthday boy himself with his first piece of cake!



It was everywhere :)



And here he is with his present from mama and daddy:

Delux Tag Blankets - Baby Crafting Part 2

I believe I have caught the crafting bug from my friend Joanne, over at Ready, Set, Craft! Today, I tackled some tag blankets. I just did mini ones, the first one was a 10"x10", and the other one was 8"x8". The fabric I picked up is so fun - it's textured, but really really soft as well, perfect to attach to a carseat, stroller, or use for a lovie :)

Here's the 8" one:


Here's the 10" one:

Baby Presents - Getting Crafty Again!

I am on a homemade gift kick! One of my good friends had a baby on Sunday (the coolest birthday ever - 10.10.10), she and her husband kept the gender a surprise until their baby was born. I personally don't think I could do that, it would drive me nuts!! They had a boy, and they didn't have much boy stuff since their first was a girl. I've been making a few different "boy" things to send them instead of the traditional gift of clothes. This might end up being a series of 3 post, because I have 3 different things I am making her.

Today, I attempted some burps cloths. The key - having really really cute fabric :) I didn't have a pattern, but I did hold up one of our burp rags to the fabric for a rough idea of how long and wide the cloth should be. My favorite fabric is the one with the dinosaurs....I just might need to make Dax a blanket or pillow case out of it!!

Pumpkin Lane

We took Dax to Gull Meadow Farms where they have Pumpkin Lane. It's a little area set up with different cut outs to pose with, pumpkins, activities, and great picture taking opportunities. The weather has been wonderful here, so last night we packed up and went over to check it out!











Stay tuned for pictures from Dax's halloween themed first birthday party this weekend!!

A Tooth!

Dax finally has a tooth, and just 2 weeks shy of being 1 year old as well :) We were beginning to think that his almost 5 month old cousin was going to beat him in getting some pearly whites.

Bilingual Baby

Dax has started saying his first word in french "chat", which is cat. Everytime he sees a cat he starts saying "cha cha cha"...we love it!

Birthday Planning

Dax's first birthday is almost here and I have been working like crazy trying to get everything pulled together for this special day. We have decided to do a halloween-themed party, mainly because there is an abundance of halloween decorations available right now :) The first thing I took care of were the invitations. I enlisted the help of my friend, Joanne, who is also a Stampin' Up demonstrator, to make some invites. You can see them on her blog here.

I have since moved on to figuring out our menu. We are having a mid-afternoon party, so we'll be doing desserts and finger foods. This week, I tested out some carrot cream-cheese bars.



I'll be changing the colors used so the "spiders" are a little more noticable :) Up on the menu to try next week, pumpkin cheesecake bars with an oreo crust.

Getting Crafty Again

In a week or so, I will be going to a baby shower for a friend who's having a baby girl in December. I was going to make a wet bag, but she isn't sure if she's going to cloth diaper or not, and even though it would still be useful, I wanted to do something more fun! I picked up some great fabric and fleece at Joanne's during a HUGE sale, and here is what I made:

Shopping Cart/High Chair cover:


A view of the leg holes and toy loops:


The ruffle - this was my first time making a ruffle since I've only made covers for boys so far, it was fairly easy and I'm really pleased with the result!


And the cover reversed (yes, they are reversible!!)

Temporary Hiatus

Excuse the absence and lame posts from me over the past week or so. We moved yesterday, and are still in the process of moving. We are about 1/2way into our new apartment, but do not have internet set up yet and that isn't really on the top of the list for today. Dax is loving the apartment, there is a long hallway that he cruises up and down with a crazed look on his face and giggles the entire time. Nighttime and naps are a different story, he doesn't know the place at all, so he wakes up, even more frequently, screaming himself scared. When I go get him from his crib, he's sitting up, and looks petrified, I hate seeing him so scared. Hopefully this adjustment phase won't last forever.

Jail Break!

Meet Dax, my adorable almost 11 month old son.



See Dax Land where Dax plays.



See Dax get too smart for his own good and climb onto his car in an attempt to escape the confines of Dax Land.

F is for Football

College football to be precise! Fall is my husband's most favorite season, mainly because it means the start of college football again. To say he loves watching college game day, following his favorite team, and participating in college pick'ems with his buddies is an understatement. Lately, he and Dax have been playing lots and lots of football together. Dax is learning how to tackle and catch, he even has conquered spiking a ball. Just watch...

Second Attempt at Crafting

and the results came out much better!! The zipper was a lot easier to sew this time and I was extremely pleased with the results!



Dax has been romping around everywhere these days. He and Derek have been enjoying playing football together, and we have even taught him to do the touchdown sign when we say touchdown!

My Attempt at Craftiness

I made a wetbag for dirty diapers, or wet clothes, or really anything wet! The zipper gave me more problems than I care to remember, and my first bag is going in the trash, it really can't be salvaged. I'm pretty pleased with this, although I'm not so sure it's good enough to give as a gift.

Crawling Explosion

Ever since Dax has started crawling, it's as if all of these other light bulbs in his head have gone off at the same time. He's EVERY WHERE at once, trying to walk all the time, crawling up, in, out, through, down, pretty much anything, pulling up on everything, this boy is ready to run. Here are a few "action shots" of him crawling and going up the stairs.

So Long Mr. Walrus

As of Sunday, Dax has officially transitioned into doing a normal crawl. As happy as I am to see him hit this milestone, I will definitely miss seeing his goofy walrus crawl.

Tupperware

Dax finally found the tupperware/plasticware cabinet at my parent's house and he went to town!

Craft Project

I'm not very artsy...I try, but I'm just not gifted in that area like most of my other family members are. I have, however, started sewing various things. Surprisingly they aren't turning out all that bad :) Several of my friends are having babies in the next few months, or have a little one already, which means that I have first birthday gifts I will need to get and new baby gifts to give as well. I've always enjoyed something that was more unique, something that you couldn't find at just any store, something more personal. This year, I have decided for most of the first birthday and new baby gifts, I will be making them. I'm not sharing just yet what I'm making, but here's a sneak peak of the fabric I already picked up at the store. I think I may need to get some more, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there!

On The Shoulders

My dad has been eagerly awaiting the first day when he could pop Dax up on his shoulders and walk around with him. That day finally arrived on Sunday. We took a walk over to Somerset Beach Campground to go on the playground before bedtime. After going down the slide...



After swinging in the swings...



Dad finally popped Dax up on his shoulders

Was the answer that simple?

The past few nights with Dax my patience is done after about 30 seconds of screaming and flailing. I've quickly called in backup (aka Derek), and within 15-20 minutes Derek has our monster snoozing. We approach getting Dax to sleep from 2 very different ways.

His way: He puts a blanket over his shoulder, holds Dax against him and helps put Dax's head on his shoulder. Then while humming or quietly singing, he bounces up and down, often he'll say "heyheyheyheyhey" sounds weird, but it works. Roo falls asleep on daddy's shoulder.

My way: Pop Dax on the boob to let him nurse, then once he's done, keep him sideways in my arms and rock him to sleep while singing "the wheels on the bus" and our beloved Michigan State fight song (his daddy is so proud haha!).

My discovery today: Derek was gone all day and including bedtime tonight. I decided today to try his approach if and when Dax fought me for naps and bedtime. The naps took a little longer to get him to sleep doing the upright bouncing because I had tried to rock him for about 5 minutes or so before switching to Derek's approach. So, I decided tonight, as soon as little D was done nursing, I'd just put him on my shoulder and rock him upright. I kid you not, he was out within 3 minutes of doing that. Was the answer to our bedtime fights really that simple?!

Sleepless days, nights, and zero patience left

It's one of those times in our lives right now where it just seems that all the sh@t has hit the fan. Nothing seems to be going right or well, and every day feels like an uphill battle that never ends. I've done my best to try and keep a good attitude and focus on all the great and positive things we do have in our lives, but honestly I'm sick of trying to be positive, sick of dealing with crap, and sick of things not changing.

Dax is the perfect child, except when we're trying to put him down for a nap or for the night. Then this little monster unfurls, and he screams and screams and screams, and doesn't stop. Then, once he's asleep for the night, he wakes up 2, 3, 4, 5, sometimes even 6 times each night. Derek doesn't always hear him, but I do - I get up with him nurse/rock him back to sleep and try to keep sleeping myself. I'm exhausted. 4 months ago he was sleeping through the night, 10-12 hours easily, and then all of the sudden he stopped. I HATE bedtime now, I dread it every day because it is such a fight with Dax. He locks his body up, thrashes everywhere and screams like he's in the most amount of pain he's ever encountered before. Nothing calms him down except to take him out of our bedroom and let him keep playing. Usually this results in him not going down for the night until 9:30 or 10pm. The later he goes to bed, the more times he wakes up during the night. Funny thing about that, is that no one that lives with me understands this, so when I try to put him down earlier I get major flack (sorry hubs it's true though), and I am sick of it.

I have zero patience left, I love my son, I really do, but I'm exhausted. I have no idea what's wrong and why he's been doing this, but it's progressively gotten worse over the past 5 months. I feel incompetent as a mother, and irritated with myself for being so frustrated with a 9 month old child. I need a break, but can't get one because he's not ready to be away from his mom at night and we're still breastfeeding. I wish he could talk, or I could read his mind to know why bedtime has become the battle that it is. It feels like we have a toddler with all of the tantrums he throws at night. Here's looking forward to him being old enough to spend the night at my parent's house so I can get a break!

Fresh Veggies!

We have been taking care of my dad's garden while he and my mom are road-tripping out to Colorado and back. It's been a lot of fun picking the various veggies as they get ripe. Each day, Dax and I check the green beans and pick any that are ripe. So far we've had 2 :) They have been a great teething toy for Dax, they're hard enough on the outside that he can gnaw away, and then if the seeds on the inside pop out, he can mash them between his gums.





Here's the tomato plants, not quite ready to be picked - maybe by this weekend



The zucchini that is almost ripe - we've already eaten a few of them, yum!



And here's my little man eating the green bean...he loved it!

Adventures in Cooking

I like cooking. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that I love cooking. I enjoy being in the kitchen, eating food, preparing recipes, using new ingredients, learning new techniques, I just like the whole cooking/baking process. One of my husband's favorite dishes is lasagna. We haven't had it in a long time, so yesterday I decided to make it for dinner. This required me to boil the lasagna noodles in a large stock pot. Now, it's been a long time since I've been injured while cooking/baking. The last serious incident happened when I was in 4th grade and I pulled a pan of lemon bars out of the oven without hot pads. Although I was in a lot of pain, I was more upset over the thought of not being able to attend horse camp because of my burns.

Anywho - once the noodles were done, I took the large stock pot of boiling water and noodles over to the sink to dump into the strainer. With my height, or lack there of at 5'2", I couldn't really see the entire strainer, just the back end, plus there was lots of steam coming up at I poured the water out. Apparently the strainer shifted towards me, causing the water to splash out of the strainer onto me. My left leg took one for the team, and now it hurts very badly.



I now have a slight phobia of dumping boiling water into strainers....

Baby Fever

You could say that I have been hit with baby fever....you see, a lot of people I know are pregnant or have just had a little one. Blame it on the hormones if you want, but I've been getting sad lately when I look at Dax and see how fast he has grown over the past 9 months! He's now 21lbs 2oz and 28" long - when he first was born he was only 8lbs 4oz and 21.5" long. His little foot no longer is the size of my palm. He now requires 2 arms for carrying and rocking instead of 1. Diaper changes now require a certain finesse for speed and the ability to keep him entertained long enough to snap the diaper back on BEFORE he flips over - he used to just lay there not wanting to squirm all around. I love seeing my son grow and develop, I do, but I miss the itty bitty newborn stage. This was the first time I saw my former itty bitty (it's a bit blurry - my mom was taking the pics and she was a little choked up from seeing her second grandson be born)





So, if you're pregnant, or have a newborn, and somewhat close, I may or may not be bugging you to come hold your baby :)